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Publication: The Times Of India Bangalore;Date: Jan 11, 2013;Section: Times City;Page: 2

They work with no safety gear

Forging Factory In Peenya Lacked First-Aid Kits Deprived Of Masks,
Employees Were Sitting Ducks Manager In Police Net
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: Furnace oil is a petroleum product which when stored in a tank, emits asphyxiating gases like methane. Far from
getting into a tank storing furnace oil, it’s extremely dangerous to even inhale fumes emanating from it, says BG Hampagol,
technical director, fire and emergency services.

But Hi-Tech Forgings (Bangalore), Peenya Industrial Area, where three men suffocated to death after entering an
underground tank storing furnace oil, had not equipped any of its workers with masks, factory workers said. “Furnace oil is
highly inflammable. There are no fire extinguishers even on the floor where the furnace oil tank is kept," they alleged.

NO SAFETY QUOTIENT

“In fact, the factory did not even have a safety kit with Dettol or cotton when the mishap happened,” a worker said on condition
of anonymity.

“There are over 50 workers who handle oil and machines here. Unfortunately, we don’t have masks or any safety gear. A
motor that was used to feed machines with oil is defunct now. The motor was repeatedly repaired and used until recently. All
our requests to replace the old motor went in vain,” a worker said.

On Thursday, shoes of the three dead workers lay next to the tank. The FIR states that the workers had refused to enter the
tank but were forced to go in by their factory manager Suresh, who has been arrested.

FACTORY OFFICIALS MUM

Hi-Tech Forgings manufactures carbon steel, alloy steel and stainless steel forgings like rings, spindles and blanks, among other
things. The factory has been operational since 1994.

Company officials could not be reached for their version of the incident. The firm's managing director D Ram Babu was
unavailable for comment as his phone was switched off.

Police quoted Suresh as saying that workers entered the tank regularly but were clueless why the tragedy occurred on
Wednesday.

Jurisdictional labour officials said the safety issue comes under the Factories and Boilers department, and it will look into the
issue. TIMES VIEW

The death of three workers in a Peenya factory once again shows the lax attitude of industrial unit owners with respect to
safety and the government’s lethargy in not making sure there is one hundred per cent compliance with rules and regulations.
Employees at the lower level often pay dearly for this deadly combination and the Peenya tragedy is a good example. That a
motor to pump out fuel was not fixed quickly shows the low priority accorded to process. It’s been proved that following set
procedures is the best way to prevent accidents. The owner should be made culpable for this tragedy and the government
should put in place measures to ensure safety norms are strictly followed.

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DANGER ZONE: Flouting many rules, the factory unit in Peenya didn’t even have fire extinguishers on the floor where the
furnace oil tank was installed

Krishna

Nagaraju

Srinivas

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Publication: The Times Of India Bangalore;Date: Jan 11, 2013;Section: Times City;Page: 2

They were forced to enter tank

As there was no response from Srinivas for a few minutes, Nagaraju entered the tank. A lull followed, prompting Krishna to
join them. “None of the three were around. I needed oil urgently for a machine and decided to step down myself,” Das said.

When Das started descending, a powerful stench emanating from the tank hit him. He stopped midway. “A strong chemical
odour blocked my nose. I was scared and jumped out. I alerted the others. We switched on a torch and saw the three lying
unconscious,” he said.

The three workers were rushed to MS Ramaiah Hospital. Doctors declared them dead on arrival. Factory manager Suresh
was arrested and booked under IPC-304A (causing death by negligence). They are looking for managing director D Ram Babu,
who is said to be away in Tirupati.

The tank where the accident occurred is 7 ft deep, 4 ft wide and 6 ft long. There was 3-ft-deep oil at the time of the accident.
The three dead men were forced to get down the tank by Suresh, who left the spot after ordering them to ferry the oil out of
tank.

THE SPOT: Crowd gathers near the unit

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Publication: The Times Of India Bangalore;Date: Jan 11, 2013;Section: Times City;Page: 2

TRAGEDY ON FACTORY FLOOR

Three workers walk into the poison fumes of an oil tank

1 11.30pm Wednesday: Factory floor manager Suresh directs workers to go down into the tank to fetch furnace oil to keep their
machines running. The workers protest, but are forced to go in

2 Srinivas Narasappa gets down the ladder first, without protective gear

3 When Srinivas fails to return, Nagaraju Shantaraju goes down to check. After some time, his brother Krishna Shantaraju
follows him

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4 A fourth worker, Mariya Das, who needs oil, goes down the ladder and is hit by a strong chemical odour. Das quickly climbs
out, and alerts other workers. He and a security man beam a torch into the tank and spot the three workers lying unconscious

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