Following the recent damage to a boiler at the Barama Company’s Land of Canaan complex, there are concerns over whether protective systems were in place to prevent the machine from exploding.
In a letter published in yesterday’s Stabroek News, contributor Abraham David said that a boiler system consists of a pressure vessel, which provides steam/hot water for such purposes as product processing and electricity generation. He noted that when improperly operated, a boiler can explode and the explosion could be similar to that of a bomb. According to David, to safeguard against such explosions/damage several safety factors are incorporated into the system. He also noted that boiler operators are required to undergo intense training and certification.
When contacted yesterday, Labour Minister Manzoor Nadir said he could not comment on the issue at the time. When asked whether a report on the incident and the costs attached to repairing the damaged boiler had been submitted to the agency, Nadir said yesterday that the company had provided the authorities with estimates of the cost to repair the damaged plant. The sum lies in the vicinity of US$2 million and he said the company has provided a timeline of 12 months to effect the repairs.
Nadir explained that the company would have had to lodge a report with the Labour Ministry if persons sustained injuries while using the factory’s equipment.
It is unclear whether Barama had any safeguards in place at the plant in question and efforts by this newspaper to obtain a comment from officials at the company yesterday were in vain.
Stabroek News had reported that the damage at the Land of Canaan plant resulted from the failure of an operator to open a feed water valve. However, David noted that industrial boilers carry built-in safeguards.
According to the expert, a boiler which experiences a loss of feed water and is permitted to boil dry can be extremely dangerous. If feed water is then sent into the empty boiler, the small cascade of incoming water instantly boils on contact with the superheated metal shell and leads to a violent explosion that cannot be controlled even by safety steam valves.
Barama confirmed the lay-off of 274 workers last week following the boiler damage. The company’s confirmation of the lay-offs came in a press release following a news item. Though the boiler incident occurred on October 4, there was no word from the company on it until last week.
In a subsequent press release, the company stated that the incident was caused by “negligence” on the part of trained and experienced personnel. “Their negligence led to the boiler system not being fed with the required water supply and resulted in the over-heating of the system. This immediately resulted in the entire factory being shutdown,” the company said.
The boiler system is considered the “heart of the factory.”
The company stated that it immediately informed all the affected workers, unions, Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Agriculture and the Guyana Forestry Commission about the incident and the findings. The company had said then that the cost to rectify the problem was being assessed by the manufacturer.
