PESO suspends HPCL storage licence

The Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) on Friday suspended licences for the storage and filling units of Hindustan Petroleum’s Cherlapally unit following Thursday’s fire accident.

The PESO came to the conclusion in its preliminary investigation that negligence led to the incident. It will submit the report to the ministry of petroleum and natural gas. PESO deputy chief controller Dr R. Venugopal, who inspected the plant on Friday, told this paper that they believed a problem with the gas-filling carousel had caused the fire. Maintenance and operational officials were being questioned, including plant manager Srinivasa Rao.

“Officials had kept the refilled cylinders at a distance of 15 metres from the carousel unit, which led to the damage being quickly contained,” Dr Venugopal said.

He said the carousel was made in Germany and supplied by a firm called Kosan, which was also maintaining it. “We are investigating Kosan engineers for a possible negligence,” he said. The carousel is fully automated.

A HPCL official said there was no possibility of a spark being generated at the carousel. “We check workers in three phases before they enter the unit. Workers wearing cotton clothes and gumshoes. We do not allow electronic and electrical devices at the plant,” he said.

Five workers at the carousel and another 30 staff who were nearby had a miraculous escape, going for dinner at 8.30 pm. The incident took place at 8.45 pm. The workers said the system was to send refilled cylinders through a chain system from the carousel but on Thursday about 500 cylinders had been stored near the carousel. Officials are investigating if the sparks emanated from there.