Gas Standards under Spotlight in India After Major Incidents

Recently, two oxygen - related incidents in India have attracted widespread attention, once again highlighting issues with safety standards and infrastructure.

In Mohali District, Punjab, an explosion occurred at an oxygen cylinder filling plant on Wednesday, resulting in the death of 2 workers and injuries to 3 others. According to local officials, about 25 workers were loading and unloading cylinders at the time of the incident. It is suspected that a cylinder exploded during filling and triggered a chain reaction, blowing off the roof of the factory building, leaving the scene in a terrible state. The involved enterprise is the local Hi - Tech Engineered Solutions, and the cause of the explosion has not yet been confirmed. It should be noted that although oxygen is not flammable, it accelerates combustion, and even a small spark can cause a fire. In India, the safety standards for oxygen handling are supervised by the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization in accordance with the "Gas Cylinder Rules" of 2016.

In addition, a 30 - minute failure of the oxygen supply system at a hospital in Punjab last month led to the death of 3 patients. The incident has raised questions about technical failures, lack of backup systems, or human error. The survey found that 35 pressure swing adsorption (PSA) oxygen plants in the state have been out of service, including facilities in major district hospitals. For this reason, the Punjab Health Systems Corporation has bid 300 million rupees to maintain 38 PSA plants and 33 sets of medical gas pipeline systems. It will also establish an IoT - based medical oxygen management dashboard and a 24 - hour call center.

Such incidents are not isolated in India. In 2021, more than 20 COVID - 19 patients died at Nashik Hospital due to an oxygen leak. Earlier this year, a malfunction at the oxygen plant of Jalandhar Civil Hospital caused the death of 3 ventilated patients. In 2017, 63 children died at BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur because the piped oxygen supply was cut off due to unpaid dues.

At present, relevant investigations are underway, and infrastructure contracts have been signed. The implementation effect of these measures has attracted much attention.

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