The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on May 10 issued fresh guidelines on restarting manufacturing industries after the lockdown period after the Vizag gas leak.

In a communication to all states and union territories, the NDMA said due to several weeks of lockdown and the closure of industrial units, it is possible that some of the operators might not have followed the established standard operating procedures.

As a result, some of the manufacturing facilities, pipelines, valves may have residual chemicals, which may pose risk. The same is true for the storage facilities with hazardous chemicals and flammable material, it said.

Here are the generic guidelines issued:

1.While restarting the unit, consider the first week as the trial or test run period; ensure all safety protocols; and not try to achieve high production targets.

2. To minimize the risk it is important that employees who work on specific equipment are sensitized and made aware of the need to identify abnormalities like strange sounds or smell, exposed wires, vibrations, leaks, smoke, abnormal wobbling, irregular grinding or other potentially hazardous signs which indicate the need for immediate maintenance or if required shutdown.

3. Especially during the COVID-19 times, ensure all lockout and tag-out procedures are in place on a daily basis (not applicable for units running 24 hours).

4. Inspection of all equipment as per the safety protocols during the restart phase.

5. In case the industry has any difficulty in managing crucial backward linkages that may be critical for their safe functioning,  they should approach the local district administration for specific assistance. District Magistrates may be instructed to ensure that in such instances, the industrial unit may be facilitated to run their end to end operations,  in the overall interests of industrial security.