Bokaro: A total of 21 workers, including employees of Bokaro Steel Plant and contract workers, were admitted to Bokaro General Hospital (BGH) after an incident at the Hot Strip Mill on Saturday morning.
A communiqué issued by the BSL management and BGH stated that these workers were exposed to smoke at the Bokaro Steel Plant and have been admitted to the hospital for observation as a precautionary measure.
“Their conditions are reported to be normal and stable, and doctors are continuously monitoring them,” the communiqué stated.
The incident occurred this morning when the Bokaro Steel Plant was engulfed in chaos following an incident at its Hot Strip Mill. Smoke suddenly filled the plant during operations, raising concerns about a potential poisonous gas leak.
However, the management of Bokaro Steel Plant has refuted any claims of a poisonous gas leak. All workers and employees were evacuated from the plant as a safety measure, with management advising people to stay away from the Hot Strip Mill until further notice.
Eyewitnesses reported that the incident took place around 8-8:30 am during scheduled maintenance work on the mixed gas pipeline supplying gas to the hot strip mill’s reheating furnace.
The closed pipeline, which was without gas, required a compensator change, leading to cutting and welding work. Sparks from the welding ignited inflammable substances such as Naptha and Sulphur stored in the pipeline, causing significant smoke to spread to the hot strip mill and resulting in a brief period of chaos.
A BSL public relations official clarified that there was no gas leakage and urged people not to panic.
