Industrial accidents undeniably cause great pain and anguish whenever they happen. The Styrene leak in the LG Chemicals plant in Visakhapatnam is a recent incident that has resulted in tragedy. We can infer that, as it usually happens, the reason for the leak will either be human error or multiple control failures. Although no specific information has yet been confirmed, such accidents rarely happen due to unavoidable reasons. It is disheartening to know that 11 people have lost their lives and hundreds have been injured and are hospitalized.
The LG Chemicals plant had been shut down for some time due to the COVID-19 lockdown. This Styrene gas leak happened in a storage tank during the plant re-start. Styrene storage is normally at low temperature and the temperature is maintained by a refrigeration medium. Styrene vapours are heavier than air and hence when they escape from the system, they tend to settle down as dispersion will not be effective. I believe the leak might have occurred due to an increase in storage temperature and hence, an increase in pressure, for which the system may not have been designed. Normally an incident happens only after multiple failures as there are multiple layers of protection. As this was an old plant, it may not have gone through all the processes of Hazard Analysis at regular intervals. We have to wait for the investigation report to know the exact cause of this incident. However, the loss of lives and the impact on hundreds of lives is unacceptable.
Though it is on a smaller scale, this accident is a reminder of the Bhopal disaster of 1984 that killed thousands of people, and where many more are still suffering today. However this time the authorities and NDRF have responded quickly, and their efforts should be appreciated.
As we are waiting to know the reason for the incident, we should take a moment to remember a few salient points while working on the design and operations of a plant dealing with the hazardous materials:
Safety is the responsibility of all including the plant designer and its operators and continuous attention is essential. Unfortunately, we may find that human error may have contributed to the incident.
Re-starting a plant is especially dangerous and more precautions are necessary. Re-starts should be done by a team of trained personnel and strictly adhere to all established norms and procedures.
We should learn from this incident and regulatory authorities should make it mandatory for facility owners to submit safety status at regular intervals.
As Indian cities are growing in all possible directions, city planners should think about creating industrial clusters away from residential areas.
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