18 injured in furnace mishap in factory, 9 hospitalised

Altogether 18 personnel of a leading wire rope manufacturer, including senior officers, were injured when molten metal accidentally spilled on to the floor from the blast furnace in a plant at Gamariah, about 20 km from here, in Seraikela-Kharswan district today.
Chief of Inspector of Factory, Jharkhand, A K Mishra told PTI that the mishap in Usha Martin, one of the largest wire rope manufacturers in the world and a leading speciality steel producer in India, took place when molten steel was being taken from the blast furnace to a laddle through a crane.
Of the total 18 employees injured in the accident, nine were taken to the Tata Main Hospital here, he said.

Mishra said as the molten steel shift process was undertaken in the supervision of senior officials of the company, the officers spotted red patches under the laddle and decided to use another laddle anticipating some fault in the first laddle.
As the molten steel was being shifted to the other laddle, the hook of the crane, which held the molten steel, suddenly twisted and the liquid metal spilled over the floor causing injuries to those around, he said.
"We have received information that nine employees including senior officers have been admitted in Tata Main hospital here while some others were given first-aid at the company premises itself," he said.

As per preliminary report, some of the injured officers were identified as C S Dogra (senior officer), A K Guha (Officer), Amit Verma (Officer), Sakil Ansari (Officer), R K Sinha (Officer), Sumant Panda, Indradev Sharma, Vinod Yadav and Salim Mansuri (labourers), Mishra said.

Superintendent of Police, Indrajeet Mahatha said police will conduct a probe.
He, however, said of the hospitalised personnel, three employees were stated to be in critical condition.
The company officials could not be contacted.