Man killed in bio-gas explosion

Man killed in bio-gas explosion
The NST online, 2010/01/26
By Satiman Jamin, Zarina Abdullah and Izamuddin Jusoh

SETIU: A Bangladeshi worker was killed and two colleagues critically injured when a bio-gas tank at a Felda palm oil refinery exploded yesterday.

The three were employees of Kuala Lumpur-based engineering company Green and Smart Sdn Bhd, and were sent to the Felda Palm Industries Sdn Bhd refinery in Chalok, near here, to conduct maintenance works. District police chief Deputy Superintendent Shaikh Othman Abdul Hamid said the 11.30am explosion killed the man, only known as Rabihul, instantly.

The other two, believed to be Malaysians who have so far been identified only as Ah Long and Mansor, suffered between 30 and 90 per cent burns. Shaikh Osman said the explosion was so powerful that it flung all three men some 10m into the air. "Rabihul landed on a fence nearby and died instantly while Ah Long fell heavily on the ground."

Mansor, meanwhile, landed inside the tank. Refinery workers pulled him out shortly after. The injured were sent to Setiu Hospital before being transferred to the Sultanah Zaharah Hospital. Factory manager Wan Mohammad Wan Yusof was also sent to Setiu Hospital after he fainted upon seeing Rabihul's body impaled on the fence, workers said.

Firemen, who rushed to the factory fearing a major blaze, found that no fire had begun following the explosion. However, they were investigating the incident in detail. Shaik Othman said police were also investigating but have ruled out foul play. "We are waiting for the report from the district Fire and Rescue Department before completing our investigations. The victim's death has been classified as sudden death." This was the first such incident at the factory in its 19 years of operations.

State Health director Dr Nurdiyanah Hassan said the injured victims were now being treated at the hospital's intensive care unit. "We have burn injury specialists still assessing their conditions at the moment." Rabihul's body was sent for post-mortem and has yet to be claimed.

#Planter note:
1. Accident can happen anywhere and to anyone but preventable.
2. Accident only happen after all the precautions are taken..
3. That's what we called accident.