JOIN USNDMA issues guidelines for restarting industrial activities to avoid Vizag-like tragedy
Days after 11 lives were lost to a gas leak in a factory in Visakhapatnam, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has issued fresh guidelines for factories reopening during and after COVID-19 lockdown, advising them not to scale up production in the first week itself and instead run on trial basis.
NDMA Member Secretary J V V Sarma shared the guidelines with states on Saturday, which also stipulates 24-hour sanitisation of factory premises, temperature checks of all employees twice a day, providing face protection shields along with masks and Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), creating physical barriers to ensure physical distancing within the work floor and dining facilities.
"Due to several weeks of lockdown and the closure of industrial units during the lockdown period, it is possible that some of the operators might not have followed the established SOP. As a result, some of the manufacturing facilities, pipelines, valves, etc. may have residual chemicals, which may pose risk. The same is true for the storage facilities with hazardous chemicals and flammable materials," the guidelines said.
When an unexpected event occurs, managing rapid response becomes challenging, it said adding that the district administration should ensure that Industrial On-Site Disaster Management Plans are in place and compliance of Standard Operating Procedures for safe re-starting of the industries during and after the lockdown.
The industrial units should consider the first week as the trial or test run period; ensure all safety protocols and should "not try to achieve high production targets" while restarting the unit, the NDMA said.
Employees should be made aware of the need to to identify "abnormalities like strange sounds or smell, exposed wires, vibrations, leaks, smoke, abnormal wobbling, irregular grinding or other potentially hazardous signs" which indicate the need for an immediate maintenance or if required shutdown.
The guidelines specify that 24 -hour sanitisation of factory premises should be ensured. Factories need to maintain a sanitisation routine every two-three hours, especially, the common areas that include lunch rooms and common tables which will have to be wiped clean with disinfectants after every single use.
Factories that work 24 hours at full production capacity should consider one hour gap between shifts, except plants requiring continuous operations. Managerial and administrative staff should work one shift at 33 per cent man power as per the guidelines already issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs. "While deciding which particular people to be included in 33 per cent at any given point of time, overriding priority should be given to personnel dealing with safety," it said.
Employers should also ensure that there is no sharing of tools or workstations "to the extent possible" and they should provide additional sets of tools, if needed.
"Workers involved in dealing with hazardous material must be skilled and experienced in the field. No compromise on deployment of such workers should be permitted when an industrial unit is opened up," it said.
Providing a "scenario plan" on discovering a positive case, the guidelines said that factories should arrange accommodation to isolate workers while the human resources department in the unit should help manage the whole process for workers to undergo a mandatory14-day quarantine.
On supply and storage of goods, it said factories should sterilise boxes and wrapping brought into its premises, isolate and sanitise finished goods as appropriate and deliver goods in shifts.