Blast at N'Ganj mill: It ran without valid papers, safety measures

The steel mill factory in Narayanganj where an explosion yesterday left four workers dead and three others injured, had been melting iron for the last six months without approval from authorities, inspection officials said.

The Rahima Industrial Complex Steel Mill went into production without the clearance certificates from the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) and the Department of Environment (DoE), said officials of those departments.

Moreover, a fire service official said there were no fire extinguishers at the mill. He also alleged that the workers were not provided with proper safety gear.

On Thursday, an explosion inside the furnace of the factory spilled molten iron on seven workers, killing three of them -- Shanker, 40, Elias Ali alias Yeasin, 35, and Niyon, 20.

One more worker, Md Alamgir, 33, breathed his last around 12:00 noon at the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka today, taking the death toll to four.

He had 90 percent burns on his body, said Inspector Bachchu Miah, in-charge of DMCH's police outpost.

The condition of three with severe burn injuries -- Jewel, 25, Golam Rabbi, 35, and Ibrahim, 35 -- are critical.

The factory did not get any clearance certificate from the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) as it lacked safety measures, Mehedi Hasan, an inspector of the department who visited the factory after the explosion, told The Daily Star today.

DIFE officials said factory authorities applied for a clearance certificate last year but failed to get it as two inspectors, during their visit, found there was no adequate safety system at the factory.

DIFE visited the factory in March and asked the authorities to become compliant to safety regulations because the machine layout, the working environment, and workers' safety arrangements were not up to the required standards, DIFE officials said.

"We must be informed at least 15 days before any factory goes into production. But this mill authorities did not do that," said Mehedi Hasan.

Asked why DIFE didn't take immediate action to shut the mill after finding it was running without clearance, Rajib Chandra Das, deputy inspector general of DIFE in Narayanganj, said they are scheduled to visit the factory again in three months.

"We will file a case if we do not find the factory to be safety compliant," he said.

Workers and locals alleged that various authorities refrained from taking action because of underhanded deals with factory officials.

About the allegations of underhanded dealings, Rajib Chandra Das said they would take action if they receive any official complaint against anyone.

Abdullah Al Mamun, deputy director of the Narayanganj district office of DoE also said the mill did not obtain the final clearance for going into production.

"Although the mill authorities had clearance for construction of the factory, there was no final clearance for production. An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) must be submitted for production," he said, adding Rahima Industrial Complex Limited did not submit the EIA.

"Since they started production without clearance, our enforcement branch will take action. In this case, in addition to fines, their license can also be revoked," he added.

Shafiqul Islam, a supervisor of the factory, however, yesterday claimed that they ensure safety for workers and had been melting iron for six months.

Shaheed Alam, sub-station officer of Araihazar Fire Station, said the factory authorities did not inform them about the explosion.

"Being informed by other sources, we visited the site and found no fire extinguisher there. We also got allegations that the workers were not provided with safety gears needed for the work," he said.

Preferring anonymity, a worker of the factory said, "Do factory owners have the time to think so much about worker safety?

"If they provide a safety jacket one day, they do not do it on another day. A majority of us work without a [safety] jacket," he said.

"Would the workers have been so severely burnt if they were provided with safety jackets?" he asked.

No case has yet been filed in connection with the explosion and deaths.