Brunei's Local News - Brudirect.com

Workers Killed In Muara Blast Had No Professional Certificates
By Hadi DP Mahmud

Bandar Seri Begawan - The three foreign workers killed in a factory explosion did not have the professional certification to carry out installation works, according to investigations by the Fire and Rescue Department.

The department said yesterday that the blast at the Serasa-Muara industrial area was caused by an overpressurised refrigeration system which ruptured an ammonia tank.

Welding and electrical wiring works were also carried out during the installation works. This created a serious fire and life safety hazard, the department said.

An improperly designed or assembled refrigeration system or poor welding works were other factors that could have caused the blast, the department added.

The workers, who prior to the blast were carrying

out a pressure test for the installation of a 'spiral freezer' refrigeration system (which used ammonia as a refrigerant), used oxygen to build up the system's internal pressure which led to a breach in an ammonia tank.

"Pressure testing for such a system should not be carried out in such a way and should be tested using low compression substances (such as water)," the department said in a statement released to the media yesterday.

Ammonia, commonly used as a refrigerant for its excellent heat transferring properties, wide availability and low cost for large commercial operations, is classified as a toxic gas with moderate fire risk and may explode when exposed o high heat.

It can be fatal if inhaled in high doses but detected levels released after the explosion were not dangerous, the Fire and Rescue Department said. Firefighters, who arrived at the scene minutes later, managed to control the leak by shutting off the valve to avoid further gas leakage.

The HAZMAT Team from Berakas Fire Station was dispatched to mitigate the severity of the ammonia leakage using specialised gas detectors. After the team declared the site safe, investigation was immediately conducted by law enforcement agencies.

"Due to this incident, the department would like to advise all owners who wish to install such refrigeration systems obtain prior approval from a competent authority to ensure that the proposed system is properly designed, engineered, fabricated, tested and quality certified by international and competent laboratories," the Fire and Rescue Department said.

"(The department) will also visit and conduct re-inspection works with related agencies to individual factories in industrial areas and other premises to ensure that all requirements with regards to fire safety are in compliance."

The police said yesterday that Tuah Maju Multifood (TMM) could face "serious charges" if its workers are found to be without any professional certification to carry out installation works.

Thirty-two workers were inside the plant at the time of explosion, with one who suffered severe burns and is currently receiving treatment at RIPAS Hospital.

Two of the deceased male workers were Myanmars, while the other female worker, who died on arrival at the hospital, was believed to be a Filipino national.

Property losses from the blast, which damaged part of the TMM factory and the roofing of a neighbouring factory, was believed to have amounted up to $200,000.

Proprietors of the factory, which processes and breeds prawns for the local and export market, have not come forward to comment. -- Courtesy of The Brunei Times