Dodgy science and dodgy Thai work practices

[charlesh]

AYUTTHAYA : Over 3,000 workers at a jewellery factory in Bang Pa-in district have been evacuated, while 50 were rushed to hospital after inhaling a toxic vapour in a repeat of a chemical accident at the plant.

On Thursday, 300 workers were taken to hospital after a fire broke out in a control room at Marigot Jewellery (Thailand) Co, located in the Hi-Tech Industrial Estate.

The workers become sick after inhaling chemical vapour.

A 28-year-old male worker, Manoj Korbangklang, died yesterday morning after suffering chest pains. Manoj was among workers evacuated from the factory when the chemical leak occurred.

However, he did not go to the hospital.

Doctors at Bang Pa-in hospital have yet to determine the cause of his death.

After the incident, plant executives told authorities there was no leakage of any dangerous chemical, saying there was only a fire accident during construction work.

Despite the accident, the plant resumed operations yesterday with about 3,000 employees turning up for work.

Only two hours after work started, staff suffered similar symptoms of breathlessness and fainting after inhaling toxic chemicals.

Around 3,000 workers were evacuated from the plant. Fifty people, including some pregnant women, were taken to hospital. Rescue workers yesterday said they faced difficulty in sending workers to doctors because plant management did not allow them to enter the premises.

Industry Minister Chaiwut Bannawat and provincial industrial officials inspected the plant yesterday.

Mr Chaiwut said the accident took place at a building where construction work was taking place to expand the firm's production line.

The minister suspects a spark from the construction work might have started the fire, which caused smoke that made the workers sick.

He said the plant called back workers yesterday because they thought the situation was under control.

Chief of Ayutthaya's industrial office Prayoon Tingthong insisted there was no chemical explosion or leakage at the plant.

Mr Prayoon said construction workers doing welding work accidentally sparked a fire in a big plastic pipe containing chemical dust.

The fire spread quickly because the pipe was made from flammable plastic material.

Smoke from the blaze was sucked into the plant's ventilation system and emitted outside the room.

Marigot Jewellery is not on the list of 74 plants in Ayutthaya registered to use hazardous industrial chemicals, Mr Prayoon said.

Pol Lt Col Sompit Siangsawat, a senior forensic policeman, said the vapours that workers had inhaled came from a burned plastic pipe.

The chemical dust contained in the pipe was hydrocarbon-based which was not thought to be a life-threatening substance, he said.

Rescuers NOT allowed to enter.
MInister suggests spark from construction activity (while 3000 people there).
Pyrolised plastic pipe and unknown chemical dust not life threatening. Perhaps Kn Sompit should read up on the effect of pyrolised products including monomers and dimers from PVC for example. No mention of long term chronic effects (including respiratory or carcinogenic) either or effect on the unborn.
Maybe a case of Mass Psychogenic illness - would suit the owners of the premises - bloody hysterical women (oops the person who died was a 28 year old male).
Company NOT on haz. chemicals list - that would be unusual in LOS.
Workers called back because under control - ha, ha. No doubt they had the welfare of the 3000 at the for front of their minds.
Evacuation system??
Hot work system??
Containment system??
Decontamination system??
Air monitoring ??

[margaretcarnes]

Sooo - they had a flammable plastic pipe evacuating hazardous waste running through a room which was only just being fitted out for production work, and previously unused?
OK - that might be explainable - if the pipe traversed an empty room to reach wherever it vented to. Outside air perhaps? Maybe out of sight before?
Where was the sprinkler system? Ooops - forgot - room under construction - no need then. Clearly no need for any other types of detectors either. The workers are as expendable as canaries in mines.
And useless to ask if those affected will be monitored in the future. Maybe have neurological tests. Any birth defects followed up. TIT.

[Takiap]

What's the big fuss about? After all, it's the company vs. the workers. One side has cash, the other doesn't....

[margaretcarnes]

What's the big fuss about? After all, it's the company vs. the workers. One side has cash, the other doesn't....

One side only has cash because the other side earns it for them....