KLANG: Factories and plants with gas and chemicals on their premises must verify that all their safety and preventative measures are current to prevent mishaps.
“There are rules and regulations for these premises to implement and follow to prevent mishaps such as fires and explosions,’’ said Selangor Fire and Rescue Department assistant director Ahmad Mukhlis Mukhtar.
He said that when an incident happens, thorough investigations are carried out by the department’s forensic team to identify the cause.
“Once investigations have been completed and if the factories or plants were found to have erred, action will be initiated against them,’’ said Ahmad Mukhlis.
Meanwhile, Occupational Safety and Health Department (DOSH) registered safety and health officer Mogana Kumar Lachumanan said a risk assessment by a qualified officer must first be carried out before initiating preventive measures in plants and factories.
“This is to identify the hazards. Once done, you can identify the controls that ought to be implemented to counter these risks,’’ said Mogana Kumar.
“In factories where there is gas and chemicals, detectors are installed and these must be properly maintained to be in efficient working condition at all times.
“When these detectors are in good working condition, they will sense chemical or gas leakages and trigger off alarms or even shut off certain valves that can aggravate the matter,’’ said Mogana Kumar.
He said that if there were any changes in the technology and machinery at the plants or factories, the preventive measures must also be adjusted accordingly.
Two separate factory fires and explosions occurred in two different places in Klang, within hours of each other, on Monday (Jan 20)
One was at a gas storage factory and the other was at a chemical factory.
Three foreign workers were seriously injured in the gas factory mishap.
