The deputy commissioner of Chittagong has placed the blame on unplanned small and medium industrial factories for recent industrial accidents in Sitakunda upazila.
“They do not have reservoirs or firefighting gear, so even if there is a fire, it becomes difficult to extinguish, which increases the damage,” DC Abul Bashar Md Fakhruzzaman told journalists on Tuesday.
He was giving them an overview of the final report that the district administration’s investigation committee had produced following the explosion at Seema Oxygen Plant in Sitakunda on March 4 that resulted in seven fatalities and several injuries.
“I am unaware of what is in this report. It will be sent to the relevant departments and the ministry. We will get to work as soon as they give us instructions.”
The DC said the administration had taken a number of preventative steps, such as an initiative to monitor small and medium industrial firms, to stop such mishaps from occurring in the future.
Additional District Magistrate Rakib Hasan, the convener of the probe body, said: “This is the first accident of this nature at an oxygen plant in the country. As there have only been four to five accidents of this nature worldwide in the previous ten years, we felt it was necessary to look into the problem thoroughly.”
He said the negligence of the plant owner was also to blame for the accident. “The explosion occurred as a result of too much pressure during the oxygen-bottling process.”
Another member of the panel, requesting anonymity, said: “The owner is to blame for the explosion at the oxygen facility. Because skilled workers must be paid more, the factory lacked skilled labour. The factory relied on workers who would accept lower wages.”
