Smelter Tungku In Morowali Explodes, Observer Of The Lack Of Mining Safety Standard Supervision

The Ministry of Manpower team conducted surveillance at a smelter in North Morowali Regency, Central Sulawesi (photo: Antara)

Energy economic observer at Gadjah Mada University (UGM) Fahmy Badhi responded to the fire at the PT Tsingshan Stainless Steel (ITSS) smelter, Morowali, Southeast Sulawesi.

For information, there was a fire on Sunday, December 24 at 05.30 WITA in an industrial area managed by PT Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP) to be precise at one of the furnaces of the stainless steel processing and refining facility (smelter) operated by PT Indonesia Tsingshan Stainless Steel (PT ITSS). The explosion occurred because the furnace of 41 nickel smelters belonging to PT ITSS caught fire while being repaired by a team of technicians.

It was recorded that as a result of this incident, 13 workers died, consisting of 9 Indonesian workers and 4 workers from China, died. Meanwhile, at least 51 were injured due to exposure to hot steam.

Fahmy said that the explosion of the smelter in Morowali further proved that smelter investors ignored the standard mining safety. There are indications that the Government is more concerned with investor interests than employee work safety.

"The application of K3 standards should refer to international standards, not national standards or Chinese standards. Chinese investors usually tend to minimize costs, including mining safety costs," he explained in his official statement.

According to Fahmy, the government must impose standard International safety with zero accidents on all investors, including Chinese investors. Don't be more concerned with the entry of smelter investors by ignoring the safety system

Furthermore, Fahmy conveyed the next step, namely that a safety audit is regularly held to ensure that the safety system works according to standard safety.