Hyderabad: Gas leakage at SM Labs in Moula Ali claimed the lives of two workers. The victims, Dhiraj Mehta and Vijay Kumar, were working on the night shift. The incident occurred on Wednesday midnight when gas leaked from one of the reactors.
Police registered a case against the management for negligence. In 2014 too gas leak was reported at the company. The factories department has ordered an inquiry and the company has been shut down. The management said that all safety measures were in place.
SM Labs is a bulk drug intermediates manufacturing company. Vijay Kumar, 28, was working as an operator since two years and was a permanent employee. Dhiraj Mehta, a contract worker, was working as a helper. On Wednesday they were on duty with nine others. While the others were on the ground floor the two were operating a reactor on the second floor.
Around 1.30 am, when they opened the reactor valve to check the process, ammonia leaked and both became unconscious. The other workers shut down the reactor and rushed them to hospital. They were later shifted to ESI Nacharam where they were declared dead. Police said they were not wearing any safety gear.
“Teams from the PCB, fire and the department of factories visited the site. We are awaiting their report,” Malkajgiri ACP G. Sandeep said. Joint chief inspector of factories P.M. Chandra Mohan said the factories department had launched an inquiry into the incident. He said the staff at the site were not capable of answering the questions of the inquiry committee. The factories department has not found any violation till now.
SM Labs ED G. Manikya Reddy said the incident was an accident and there was no negligence. He said the company has paid the victims’ kin compensation.
they are entitled to.
