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Energy ministry to investigate latest accident in Morowali nickel plant
The latest incident, which injured two workers, shows that the company has not done enough to improve the safety and security of the nickel processing plant in Morowali, Central Sulawesi, a union has claimed.
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This aerial picture taken on May 12, 2023 shows a general view of PT. Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP), one of the biggest nickel producers in North Konawe, Central Sulawesi. (AFP/Riza Salman)
T
he Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry will investigate the latest work accident at a nickel processing plant owned by PT Indonesia Tsingshan Stainless Steel (ITSS) in Morowali, Central Sulawesi, the second incident to occur in the past six months.
Two workers were reportedly injured during routine operations at a smelter furnace operated by ITSS in the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP) on Thursday.
Responding to the incident, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Arifin Tasrif said the ministry would probe the cause of the accident and advise the company on safety standards.
“The Industry Ministry should be in charge [of the sanctioning],” Arifin said on Friday, as quoted by Antara.
The latest incident occurred when workers were cleaning hardened steel slags from the plant’s floor using a thermal lance, a tool that heats and melts steel by means of pressurized oxygen.
During the cleaning process, some workers poured water onto the heated slags, causing steam to scald the two workers, said IMIP spokesperson Dedy Kurniawan as reported by kompas.id.
Thursday’s incident was the second to occur in the past six months, after a deadly explosion at a smelter furnace in the same area on Dec. 24 of last year. The incident killed at least 10 Indonesian workers and eight Chinese colleagues.
