Unskilled operators to blame for Sitakunda oxygen plant blast: Police

Industrial Police and Chattogram district administration officials have concluded that a lack of skilled manpower in factory monitoring has led to the blast at Sheema Oxygen Plant in Chattogram's Sitakunda, which left seven people dead.

"The explosion took place because it was being operated with unskilled manpower," Chattogram Industrial Police-3 Superintendent of Police Mohammad Sulaiman said quoting Sheema Oxygen Director Parvez Uddin who, during primary inquiry after his arrest, has admitted that they could not retain the officers trained by the Chinese company.

"The oxygen plant was being run by only two diploma engineers and the one who worked as the factory supervisor had studied humanities, while factory authorities laid off those trained engineers," he told The Business Standard.

The police official said, "Due to various constraints, lack of action against industry owners after the previous accidents have made them reckless. But this time they won't be spared."

A Chattogram court on Wednesday placed Parvez Uddin alias Santu on a one-day remand in a case over the death of seven people in a massive explosion in the oxygen plant in Sitakunda.

Chattogram Chief Judicial Magistrate Kamrun Nahar Rumi passed the order after hearing a petition in this regard, Jakir Hossain Mahmud, inspector of Chattogram district court, said.

He said accused Parvez Uddin was produced before the court with a seven-day remand prayer but the court granted one day.

Reportedly, the China-made oxygen plant was established in 2016. At that time, Chinese engineers from the company that supplied machines to the plant trained at least five local engineers appointed by Sheema Oxygen Plant.

Meanwhile, the investigation committee formed by Chattogram district administration also found irregularities in the oxygen plant incident. Probe body chief, Additional District Magistrate Rakib Hasan, submitted the investigation report to Chattogram District Commissioner Abul Basar Mohammad Fakhruzzaman on Monday.

The report cited that a malfunction in the safety valve of the plant's air separation column has caused the explosion.

According to the report, flammable gases like hydrocarbons begin to accumulate in the air separation column of the plant due to a defunct safety valve. At one point, the pressure got seven to eight times higher than normal resulting in a huge blast triggered by a spark. The malfunction was not detected in time due to incompetent manpower in the factory.

Admitting to the negligence on part of the oxygen plant authority, Rakib Hasan said, "Accidents in oxygen plants are rare. There are no more than four to five examples of such incidents across the world in the last decade. Sheema Oxygen Plant accident in Sitakunda is the first of its kind in Bangladesh."

"We have decided to begin an inspection of the at-risk factories within 2-3 days, Deputy Commissioner Abul Basar Mohammad Fakhruzzaman told TBS noting that Sheema Oxygen did not have an adequate firefighting system.

"After this accident, we have started working on the implementation of a master plan for heavy and medium industries. A manual will be prepared for the oxygen plants in Chattogram" he added.

On 4 March, seven people were killed and 32 people were injured in the explosion at Sheema oxygen plant which used to produce oxygen for use in the ship-breaking industry.

Later on 6 March, a total of 16 people, including three owners of Sheema Oxygen Plant Limited, were sued on charges of deliberate negligence for the explosion at the oxygen plant.