In the wake of the gas leak at a factory in Visakhapatnam, the National Disaster Management Authority has issued detailed guidelines for restarting industries after the lockdown and the precautions to be taken for the safety of the plants as well as the workers.
In a communication to all states and union territories, the NDMA said due to several weeks of lockdown and the closure of industrial units, it is possible that some of the operators might not have followed the established standard operating procedures.
As a result, some of the manufacturing facilities, pipelines, valves may have residual chemicals, which may pose risk. The same is true for the storage facilities with hazardous chemicals and flammable material, it said.
The NDMA guidelines said while restarting a unit, the first week should be considered as the trial or test run period after ensuring all safety protocols.
Companies should not try to achieve high production targets. There should be 24-hour sanitization of the factory premises, it said. The factories need to maintain a sanitization routine every two-three hours, especially in the common areas that include lunch rooms and common tables that will have to be wiped clean with disinfectants after every single use, it added.
For accommodation, the NDMA said sanitization needs to be performed regularly to ensure workers’ safety and reduce the spread of contamination. — PTI
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