Call to tighten factory inspection norms following boiler blast at Edayar
The Hindu
Boiler blast in Edayar sparks calls for stricter factory inspections to ensure safety and compliance with regulations.
The boiler blast in an animal fat extraction unit in the Edayar industrial area near Kochi on October 5 (Saturday) night has sparked demands for a stringent inspection regime to monitor factory establishments and ensure the safety of installations.
Initial examinations by the Department of Factories and Boilers indicated that the boiler that burst was an unauthorised installation. It is a non-IBR boiler, which falls outside Indian Boiler Regulation norms and is often installed by factory operators to cut costs
Departmental sources said that the boiler might have been installed after inspections were carried out in the unit, which was commissioned in 2022. They also indicated that no inspections appeared to have taken place in the Edayar factory since 2022.
Director of Factories and Boilers P. Pramod said that the number of site inspections had decreased from the level prior to the introduction of the Kerala Centralised Inspection Scheme (K-CIS).
Inspections are conducted at factory sites based on a computer-generated list of factories to be inspected each month. K-CIS was introduced to carry out all inspections on a single platform. The initiative replaces the manual scheduling of inspections to simplify business regulations and enhance transparency and accountability.
Sources in the department claimed that reducing frequent inspections could lead to accidents like the one in Edayar. They added that even when inspections occur, follow-up actions were not taken to ensure compliance.
Hibi Eden, MP, said in a statement here that all safety measures taken should be re-examined. He alleged that the circumstances under which the Edayar factory was allowed to operate without safety measures should also be investigated.
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