A sad event of the day is an explosion of an oxygen refilling plant in Lalitpur, Nepal where two employees were killed. The explosion happened in Patan Industrial Area during refilling of oxygen cylinders by workers and staffs. What happened has sparked outrage with members of the local community and has forced people to question safety measures inside industries in the area.
Witnesses were able to claim that they hear a loud explosion sound later accompanied by lots of black smoke emitting from the said facility. As soon as the incident happened, all rescue response vehicles including fire fighting trucks and ambulances were dispatched to the area. Unfortunately, even though the workers did act quickly, at the scene two of them were already declareddead. Many of them got injured and had to be evacuated to the adjacent hospitals.
The local police have sealed the compound and have appointed a committee to probe into the cause of the blast. Some minor investigations and investigations examined that cylinder might be bad or refilling might have been done inevitably that led to a blast. However, authorities are appealing to the public to stop guessing and wait until a full investigation of the incident is conducted.
The event has made people begin to question the level of safety precautions employed at industrial premises within Lalitpur and in the entire Nepal. Labor unions and safety advocates are now pushing for a reform to strengthen the laws governing such plant and increase the rate of inspections.
Our personnel officers have informed the bereaved families, which we continue to support in close cooperation with local government authorities, who assured us they would provide all the necessary assistance and compensation. The Mayor of Lalitpur Metropolitan City, Chiri Babu Maharjan, said that they were mourning the incident and vowed to provide a detailed assessment of security measures taken in all industrial areas of the city.
This sad incident occurs at a time of tremendous pressure on the need for medical oxygen in the face of the current COVID-19 pandemic. The plant in question was running at a higher output in order to supply the demand of hospitals and other health facilities in the region.
Local people have described their feeling of shock and sadness over the event. Several have gone to social networks to post condolences and calamity demanding the safety for industrial workers. The event has again brought issues related to employment opportunities and employees’ treatments of Nepali labor in industrial areas.
During the ongoing probe, police have called on other oxygen refilling plants and industries to conduct risk assessments and inventory of safety measures and gears. The event brings home the realization of the need to observe the safety measures and precautions in all the operations in industries.
The Lalitpur Chamber of Commerce and Industry has committed to engaging the relevant government ministries to reassess and improve safety measures within all the industrial premises in the district. They have also has shown readiness and willingness to extend a helping hand to the families of this sad incidence.
When people lose two of their own, there is increasing pressure to act so that such occurrences do not happen in the future. The succeeding days will potentially mark the continued looking into of industrial safety measures and the further attempt to save worker’s lives all over Nepal.
