Mock drills on factory accidents mark National Safety Week

Simulated exercises held in 17 districts demonstrated a concerted effort to improve emergency preparedness, says APSDMA Managing Director

In a bid to ensure better preparedness for emergencies, a mock exercise was organised by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) at the Duggirala unit of CCL Products India Limited in Guntur on Thursday.

Similar drills were held simultaneously in 22 other locations in 17 districts, demonstrating a concerted effort to improve emergency preparedness and response capabilities, APSDMA Managing Director Ronanki Kurmanath said.

Such drills were conducted as part of the National Safety Week campaign, which is being conducted from March 4 to 10, he said.

The simulation drill aimed to address potential hazards such as ammonia and LPG leaks and mitigate the risks to life and property. It is the first-of-its-kind exercise in the State where two emergency scenarios— leakage of toxic ammonia and LPG—were simulated at a single factory.

The participants handled both on-site (within

Participants during a mock drill on a chemical accident at the Duggirala unit of CCL Products India Limited on Thursday.

the premises of the factory) and off-site (outside the premises of the factory) situations. In the first stage, the mock drill was conducted on-site by deploying the factory employees. Later, the district administration roped in the line departments to mitigate the damage.

The off-site mock drill was supervised closely to ensure swift and effective response measures, said M.V. Siva Kumar Reddy, nodal officer for the exercise and Deputy Chief Inspector of Factories, Guntur. They said more than 150 officers from various line departments participated in the exercise undertaken at the Duggirala factory.

The skilled management teams from the Coca

Cola factory, Sangam Dairy, Jocil and others acted as mutual aid during the exercise.

In a simulated situation, medical aid posts were set up by the district administration, where five individuals affected by ammonia exposure received prompt treatment. Six individuals with burn injuries were also attended and four of them were shifted to the government hospital in Tenali. All individuals were discharged after receiving the necessary medical care.

Meanwhile, around 60 people took part in a mock drill organised on the premises of Orch Laboratories India Private Limited at IDA Kondapalli village in NTR district.