Published : 06 May 2023, 04:46 AM
Updated : 06 May 2023, 04:50 AM
The factory in Narayanganj’s Rupganj where four workers died in an explosion was smelting iron without approval which it failed to obtain due to a lack of safety measures, officials say.
Rahima Industrial Complex Limited applied for permission to smelt iron twice last year from the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments or DIFE.
Department officials visited the under-construction factory and instructed the management to ensure proper safety measures. It went into production six months ago without adhering to the instructions.
A huge explosion rocked the area on Thursday afternoon, killing one worker at the spot and critically injuring six others. With burns from smelting iron, three of them died at hospital and the three others are fighting for their lives.
The factory authorities did not even inform the Fire Service and Civil Defence, police or the local administration about the blast for reasons that remain mysterious.
The fire service said the factory has no fire safety system.
The tin-roofed iron-smelting unit of the factory has about 50 workers.
Shafiqul Islam, the company supervisor, claimed they had made adequate safety arrangements for their workers.
Its storehouse official Al Amin, who witnessed the incident, said the furnace was not damaged in the blast. “Maybe something inside exploded and the melting iron fell on the workers.”
Saifur Rahman, owner and managing director of the factory, could not be reached for comments.
The DIFE notified the factory management about the risks of smelting iron without proper safety measures verbally and through a letter after the department noticed an unsafe workplace environment and no safety gear for the workers.
Rajib Chandra Das, deputy inspector general of DIFE in the district, told http://bdnews24.com on Friday that they were unable to grant clearance for the factory due to a lack of safety measures.
Citing the factory management, he said they started smelting experimentally. “But they cannot even do that without permission.”
He said the department would take legal action against the factory.
The factory had location clearance but not the final permission to begin work because it did not submit an environmental impact assessment report.
The enforcement team of the department can now cancel the location clearance and fine the factory authorities, he said.
Supervisor Shafiqul said he was unaware of the permission issues.
Shaheed Alam, sub-station officer at Araihazar Fire Station, said they sent a team to the factory on Thursday evening after hearing about the blast from the media.
“Mysteriously, the factory authorities did not inform the fire service or police. We didn’t see any fire extinguishers there. The workers alleged they were not provided with safety gear.”
SM Quadir, general secretary of the Narayanganj unit of Steel Re-rolling Mill Workers’ Front, said only a few factories out of an estimated 250 steel mills in the district give their workers safety gear, but of low quality.
The workers use jeans and towels for safety, he said. “There is no worker who was never injured during duty.”
He also alleged the factories do not give the workers appointment letters or ID cards to deprive them of compensation in case of accidents.
