Four workers faint after inhaling gas in effluent treatment plant in Ranipet

Four workers fainted after inhaling poisonous gas from a septic tank of a private effluent treatment plant at V.C. Mottur village near Ranipet town on Wednesday.

Police said the affected workers were identified as S. Ellumalai, 53, V. Ramesh, 43, B. Santhakumar, 37, and Mohammed Imitaz, 31. They are residents of V.C. Mottur village in the district. 

Initial inquiry revealed that the four workers opened the tank, which is around 10 feet deep, to remove sludge in it. Immediately, the workers collapsed and fell inside the sump. The incident occurred at around 8 a.m. 

Immediately, a few staff at the unit and locals alerted police and firefighters, who rushed to the spot. They rescued the trapped workers in the tank. Workers were admitted at Government Taluk Hospital in Walajah town where the condition of the workers is stable. “All four workers were treated at the hospital. The health condition of the workers is stable,” said S. Usha Nandini, Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Government Taluk Hospital, Walajah. 

Ranipet police registered a case under Section 105 (Culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and under the provisions of The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013. A probe is being done.

Wednesday’s incident comes after three workers fainted after they reportedly inhaled poisonous gas from a leather cleaning chamber of a private tannery unit in Vaniyambadi town in Tirupattur on February 27.