Mumbai: Worker dies after inhaling ‘noxious gas’ at thread unit

According to the police, the men had inhaled some noxious gases and Sharma asphyxiated because of it. (Representational Image)

A man died while eight others were rushed to hospital after they inhaled a poisonous gas while working in a rayon thread making factory in Shahad, near Ulhasnagar. While the factory management said it was an accident, many workers claim it was a leakage problem that went out of control. The incident occurred Thursday night when some workers were working to fix a pipe to a tank of diluted sulphuric acid, said the police. Suddenly, one of the workers spotted the deceased, identified as Sanjay Sharma (34) unconscious on the ground near the pipe he was working on fixing, said one of the workers. When other people went to help him, even they started to feel nauseous. By the time someone realised there was toxic gas, around eight people were having difficulty breathing.

While most others could be rushed out, no one could approach Sharma, due to the heavy concentration of gas where he had fallen. By the time the leak was plugged and the exhaust was brought in, Sharma had been unconscious for a long time and did not seem to be breathing, said another worker who did not wish to be named. When all the workers were rushed to the adjacent Century Rayon hospital, Sharma was declared dead, while the others were referred to Fortis hospital, said the police.

“There are teams of three — two fitters and one helper — who are tasked with these works. We were told the fitting had to be urgently finished today, and some of us, including Sharma, were not even given lunch break,” said Suresh More, the first to notice something was wrong. Sharma is survived by his wife Neerja Devi (29) and three children. “He had been working here for the last 12 years and had been dealing with all sorts of machinery. He was experienced and not careless,” said his grieving wife.

According to the police, the men had inhaled some noxious gases and Sharma asphyxiated because of it. “We have registered a case of accidental death. Prima facie it seems he inhaled sulphurous gases which are used to produce the thread, through a leak in the pipe. However, we are investigating if it was an accident or there was some foul play involved,” said a police officer. Deputy Commissioner of Police Ankit Goyal, who visited the spot after the incident, said, “We will check if there were any lapses in the safety procedure. An inquiry will also be conducted by the factory inspector and safety officer to ascertain if it was an accident and to prevent a repeat.”

Meanwhile, Century Rayon has released a statement saying Sharma died after inhaling “entrapped gases at very low concentration from the duct”. “The management has announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh over and above legal benefits to the bereaved family, besides employment of wife of deceased Sanjay Sharma and free education up to 10th Standard to the children in the company’s aided school and accommodation in the company quarters,” the statement read. However, Neerja Devi and the workers alike are not satisfied. “My husband will not come back, with the money. He had been working since 7 am on an empty stomach,” she said.

According to other workers, the rayon production factory used to pay them Rs 315 for eight hours of work, but would make them work for longer hours. Environment activists of the area have also claimed that the factory has been very negligent about safety of workers. “There were no gas masks given to any of us, even though we were working with dangerous gases. It is clearly a case of negligence,” said another worker who did not wish to be named.

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