15 Suspended, 19 Transferred After Series Of Accidents At Vizag Steel Plant

Days after the tragic accident at the Vizag Steel Plant that claimed the lives of nine workers and left five others seriously injured, the management has initiated disciplinary action against officials linked to production and quality control operations.

According to sources, 15 employees have been suspended and 19 others transferred following internal inspections into the recent plant accidents. The action comes amid allegations that the use of substandard raw materials and operational lapses may have contributed to the incidents.

Five employees each from SMS-1 (Steel Melting Shop-1), SMS-2, and the RED departments have been suspended. More action is likely as the inquiry continues.

On June 8, a tragedy took place at the Steel Melting Shop when a ladle carrying molten metal fell during casting operations, triggering a massive fire and spilling molten metal at extremely high temperatures.

Nine workers were killed and five others suffered severe burn injuries in the accident.

After the accident both the Union and the state government announced compensation. Families of deceased regular employees will receive compensation of up to Rs 1.72 crore, while the families of contract workers will receive Rs 45.75 lakh. An additional Rs 10 lakh ex gratia has been announced for the families of the deceased and for severely injured workers. One job will be provided to a family member of each deceased worker, while the plant will bear the full cost of treatment for the injured. Children's education and housing benefits have also been assured by the authorities,,

After the accident, the Union Steel Ministry ordered a three-member expert committee to probe the accident and recommend measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.

The latest action suggests that the Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited-Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (RINL-VSP) management is taking a tough stand as pressure mounts to fix alleged safety gaps which led to the deadliest accidents in the plant's history.

On Thursday in a separate accident, a hole reportedly developed in a ladle at the SMS-1 TP Bay, causing molten steel to fall to the ground. The incident took place around 6:30 AM during the A shift. However, no casualty or damage was reported in the incident.