LG Polymers ignored April 24 warning signal from styrene tank, says probe panel

Panel admits a second surge of vapor leak occurred at 10 pm on May 7, due to runaway reaction

LG Polymers management’s slackness, staff’s insufficient knowledge and poor safety protocols are among the core causes of the Vizag gas mishap, concluded a probe committee.

The May 7 styrene leak from the LG Polymers India plant near Gopalapatnam in Visakhapatnam outskirts had killed 12 people and hospitalized 585 locals.

The committee chaired by Neerabh Kumar Prasad, Andhra Pradesh’s special chief secretary (environment and forests) has on Monday submitted a voluminous report of 4000 pages on the May 7 incident to chief minister Jaganmohan Reddy.

According to Prasad, in December 2019 a change was made in M6 styrene tank’s piping “which totally disrupted the circulation and mixing system.”

“On 24 April, the tank gave initial signs of polymerization which if the company took as a warning signal, I think corrective actions could have been taken,” Prasad said after the report’s submission.

The panel pinned the loss of life on the “total breakdown of emergency response procedures.” “Even after the accident, the company totally failed to activate its emergency sirens – none of the 36 siren points went off. It was a major lapse as it gave no warning to the people living in the vicinity.”

The gas leak took place at about 3 AM, when people of the five surrounding villagers were in deep sleep.

The report attributes the accident’s root cause to factors like poor design of the styrene tank - inadequate cooling, refrigeration systems, absence of circulation and mixing systems and inadequate risk assessment and response.

The safety protocols during the lockdown period were exactly similar to time when the plant was in operation. No special steps were taken, Prasad notes.

“Our committee has concluded that the Vizag leak is an uncontrolled styrene vapor release from the M6 tank at LG Polymers, which qualifies as a major accident under the Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemical (MSIHC) rules.”

“In-depth root cause analysis shows that the temperature in tank M6 rose substantially and this rise in temperatures caused styrene liquid to vaporize. With increase in pressure in the tank with small vents, vapors released uncontrollably.”

The committee also pointed to the staff’s “insufficient knowledge of styrene chemical properties especially during storage under idle conditions.”

“We also concluded that if the company had carried sufficient stocks of TDM, NDM and other reaction terminating agents, it could have prevented the runaway reaction and second surge at night. Damage to the environment would have been much less,” the chairman said.

Prasad said that they have fixed the negligence of each and every entity and liabilities under various provisions of law.

The panel has recommended factory safety boards at state and central levels to bring under their ambit all safety rules, laws to ensure utmost protection standards in the industrial units.

Report should guide classification, relocation of hazardous industries, says CM Reddy

CM Reddy said that, based on the report, industries should be classified into green/white categories or should be relocated far from residential areas “as people should not suffer.” The CMO statement was, however, not explicit on the government’s approach in the LG Polymers case, where locals are demanding its shift following the mishap.

Reddy said that the report, to be placed in public domain, would serve as a guide on averting industrial mishaps. “All concerned departments should draw a foolproof action plan and protocols for industrial safety. If necessary, we will make required amendments to the existing laws to this effect.”