Certified workers in cracker units to avoid mishaps: NGT committee suggests

CHENNAI: With accidents in fire cracker units and the loss of lives of workers being a yearly affair in Virudhunagar district, a joint committee appointed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has suggested training workers who are handling hazardous operations and certifying them so that only certified employees could be employed for such works.

A joint committee comprising senior officials of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Virudhunagar district collector, and other linked departments was constituted to study the cause of an accident that occurred in February that killed 10 workers in Virudhunagar.

As per the committee submission in front of the Tribunal, accidents in firecracker units are happening at least once every 3 to 4 years and take the lives of the workers. "The repeated accidents in the fire works indicate a lack of implementation and monitoring mechanisms," the committee report said.

The committee observed that most of the accidents are caused by mishandling sensitive pyrotechnic composition, impact, and friction in a casual or unsafe manner due to a lack of pyrotechnic knowledge and expertise among all stakeholders.

"This is because of the non-availability of courses in any form with respect to pyrotechnics in our country. Hence, it is high time to seek the service of internationally accredited pyro professionals to assess the fireworks industries, the adequateness of buildings and structures with regards to safe operations against friction, impact, static electricity, and others, and the adequateness of safe process flow in the mixing, filling, and handling of pyrochemicals," the committee opined.

As one of the precautionary measures, the committee mandates the employers to ensure the workers, who are engaged in most hazardous operations like mixing and filling of chemicals and colour pellets, are certified after training, and those alone should be employed. The cracker units should not function until the workers are certified.

While suggesting stringent actions against the employers who fail to adhere to safety norms, the committee recommended that more focus should be given to the development of education in the local communities and their upliftment using CSR funds from the industries located in the district. Increased automation that avoids the physical handling of dangerous chemicals and substances is also one of the suggestions.

Moreover, the committee recommended reinforced cement concrete (RCC) walls and weak roofs instead of weak walls and RCC roofs for venting out explosions vertically to reduce impact on nearby structures.