Dharuhera factory blast that killed 16 was caused by spark

Ravinder Saini
Tribune News Service
Rewari, August 1
An explosion at automotive parts manufacturing unit in Dharuhera town of Rewari in March had occurred due to a spark following a short circuit in a buffing machine or generation of electrostatic charge owing to inadequate earthing of the building equipment, a probe report has found.
The probe into the explosion at Lifelong Auto Private Limited was conducted by the National Safety Council (NSC), Navi Mumbai. District authorities recently placed the report before the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which had taken suo motu cognisance of the incident.
The NGT had also sought reply from the district administration and the local office of Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB). Thirtynine workers had suffered burns in the blast and 16 of them succumbed to their injuries during treatment. A majority of the workers were migrants.
Sources said the NSC’s audit team—comprising three expert members along with the company’s senior officials—visited the site in April and analysed the post-accident situation.
“It is evident from CCTV footage that fire originated near one of the buffing machines. During inspection, no serious lapse or gross negligence was found. The spark generated due to a short circuit or electrical fault in the buffing machine and electrostatic charge may have also been a contributing factor. Buffing operations were carried out against rotating emery belts, indicating possibility of sparks due to friction,” said the report.
The report also pointed out that the spark may have initially ignited the accumulated fine dust near the foundation structure of the buffing machine. “A PVC suction pipe, which was adjacent to aluminium dust, caught fire and started smouldering. An operator observed this and tried to snuff out the blaze by striking it with his foot,” it mentioned.
Earlier, officials from the Industrial Safety and Health Department in Gurugram had also conducted an inquiry and found safety violations at the unit. The department’s report read, “There should have been some kind of arrangement to restrict sparks from entering the dust collector, pipelines and ducts…. So, the proprietor failed to ensure safety of the workers.”
The Deputy Director, Industrial Safety and Health, had observed that the workers were not provided appropriate protective equipment and safe working conditions. He said the unit’s dispensary too was not as per prescribed norms as it lacked healthcare staff. Harish Sharma, Regional Officer, HSPCB, said, “The NGT has now closed the case.”

Accident site audit conducted

• Spark generated following a short circuit in one of the buffing machines
• No gross negligence found during inspection, says the report
• Thirtynine workers were injured, of whom 16 succumbed to burns