Human error behind Jaipur IOC terminal fire
By IANSTuesday, February 2, 2010
NEW DELHI - Human error, lack of safety procedures and design flaws were behind the October 2009 fire in Indian Oil Corp’s (IOC) terminal at Jaipur, says the independent probe report released Tuesday.
“The basic or root cause is an absence of site specific written operating procedures, absence of leak stopping devices from a remote location and insufficient understanding of hazards, risks and consequences,” M.B. Lal, who chaired the independent inquiry committee, said.
The report was submitted to the petroleum and natural gas ministry Monday.
The Oil Industries Safety Directorate found that the remote leak stopping device was not working at the Jaipur terminal in an audit in 2003. But the inquiry found that despite the recommendation of the 2003 audit, the remote leak stopping device was never operational in last six years, he added.
The blaze that burnt for 11 days killed 11 people. The total losses suffered by Indian Oil amounted to nearly Rs.280 crore (Rs. 2.8 billion). The total loss of petroleum products was about 60,000 kilolitres.
