Unfit boilers get free run

Authorities lament lack of manpower for monitoring task

About half of some 5,035 active boilers across the country are running without the mandatory fitness certificate. This may lead to more devastating explosions like the one that claimed 13 lives on Monday morning.

In the last six months, a total of 33 people had died in boiler explosions. In April alone, 20 people died in a boiler explosion at a rice mill in Dinajpur.

It is impossible for only eight inspectors to inspect boilers and issue fitness certificates to them every year.

The Independent has spoken with a number of boiler inspectors and learned about the sorry state of boiler inspection in the country.

“Last month, I was given the charge of inspecting 91 boilers. I could only completely inspect 52 of them,” said Hanif Hossain, one of the eight inspectors in the Office of the Chief Inspectors of Boilers under the industries ministry.

Among the 52 boilers he had inspected, fitness certificates were issued to 40 and the paperwork for the rest is yet to be completed. 

“Inspection is not the only task. After completing the inspection of a boiler, we come back to the office, prepare a report and submit it to our chief inspector, who, despite his own lot of boilers to be inspected, take a look at our inspection reports and sign those for issuing fitness certificates,” said Hanif Hossain.

As per the rules, any inspector, other than the chief inspector, can issue the fitness certificate for a boiler for six months, but a fitness certificate for one year has to be signed by the chief inspector.

Almost all factories which are obliged to get a fitness certificate for their boilers apply and pay the charges for the one-year certificate. After the factory owners submit the charges, the Office of the Chief Inspectors of Boilers allocate a certain number of boilers for inspection against each of the five inspectors and two deputy chief inspectors on a monthly basis. 

If needed, the chief inspector allocates a number of boilers for inspection to himself. Since there are only eight people in the office, including the chief inspector, he has no option other than to opt for field visits. This makes it quite impossible for him to complete the intensive paperwork. 

“Last year, I signed over 70,000 inspection reports. These reports are technical, and reviewing each properly takes time. Nonetheless, I had to do it,” said Abdul Mannan, the chief inspector.

“With only eight inspectors, it's impossible to issue fitness certificate to all the existing boilers. We've been asking for more manpower for the past two years. If new people are not recruited, we'll not be able to do our job properly,” he added.

He observed that only a mechanical enngineer can inspect a boiler. “All the inspectors in our office are graduate mechanical engineers,” he said.

Abdul Mannan said that boilers need to have fitness certificate because a faulty boiler may lead to a disaster. “Boilers have a long lifetime if they are properly maintained. The one at the Mutifabs was a German-made good boiler. It was not past its expiration date;  only the fitness certificate expired,” he added.

Talking with The Independent, Md Ziaul Haq, deputy chief inspector, said that boiler operators working in different factories are certified by them. “Without passing an exam and getting certification from us, you won’t be able to get a licence for being a boiler operator,” he added.

In 2015-16, the office took the exam and issued operator certificates to 997 boiler operators. 

In 2014-15 and 2013-14, the numbers were 1,233 and 409 respectively. These operators are trained to operate boilers and they are aware of the danger of operating a faulty boiler.

Hanif Hossain, who visited the Mutifabs factory after the boiler explosion, said it was an accident. “Some of the safety valves probably malfunctioned, which created excessive pressure,” he explained. He said that excessive pressure can cause a high build-up of pressure and cause an explosion.

Hanif Hossain also said that a low water level caused by incorrect operation, faulty feed pumps or leakage may result in the burning of boiler tubes, bursting of the boiler shell in fire tube boilers or permanent deformation of the steel drum in watertube boilers. 

“The metal from which the boiler is made may deteriorate as a result of scaling or overheating due to a poor quality of the  feed water,” he added.

Talking with The Independent, Dr Riaz Mohiuddin, a former faculty of the mechanical engineering department of BUET, said there are three main causes of boiler loss or damage. These are human failure, product faults and operational errors.

Human failure includes faulty handling, negligence or willful acts, which may include the operation of boilers without certificates. “To reduce the likelihood of loss due to human failure, it is necessary to select suitably trained people for the operation, maintenance and servicing of boilers,” he said.

Product faults include faulty materials, faulty designs or construction, and faults in workmanship or installation. Purposeful inspection is necessary to prevent such faults.  

Operational faults include inadequate maintenance, overheating due to scaling, and failure to measure and regulate the pressure. 

To guard against loss due to operational faults, regular servicing, maintenance and overhauling is important. There is need for constant control and inspection of the measuring devices.

 

 

Unfit boilers get free run

Authorities lament lack of manpower for monitoring task

About half of some 5,035 active boilers across the country are running without the mandatory fitness certificate. This may lead to more devastating explosions like the one that claimed 13 lives on Monday morning. In the last six months, a total of 33 people had died in boiler explosions. In April alone, 20 people died in a boiler explosion at a rice mill in Dinajpur. It is impossible for only eight inspectors to inspect boilers and issue fitness certificates to them every year. The Independent has spoken with a number of boiler inspectors and learned about the sorry state of boiler inspection in the country. Last month, I was given the charge of inspecting 91 boilers. I could only completely inspect 52 of them, said Hanif Hossain, one of the eight inspectors in the Office of the Chief Inspectors of Boilers under the industries ministry. Among the 52 boilers he had inspected, fitness certificates were issued to 40 and the paperwork for the rest is yet to be completed. Inspection is not the only task. After completing the inspection of a boiler, we come back to the office, prepare a report and submit it to our chief inspector, who, despite his own lot of boilers to be inspected, take a look at our inspection reports and sign those for issuing fitness certificates, said Hanif Hossain. As per the rules, any inspector, other than the chief inspector, can issue the fitness certificate for a boiler for six months, but a fitness certificate for one year has to be signed by the chief inspector. Almost all factories which are obliged to get a fitness certificate for their boilers apply and pay the charges for the one-year certificate. After the factory owners submit the charges, the Office of the Chief Inspectors of Boilers allocate a certain number of boilers for inspection against each of the five inspectors and two deputy chief inspectors on a monthly basis. If needed, the chief inspector allocates a number of boilers for inspection to himself. Since there are only eight people in the office, including the chief inspector, he has no option other than to opt for field visits. This makes it quite impossible for him to complete the intensive paperwork. Last year, I signed over 70,000 inspection reports. These reports are technical, and reviewing each properly takes time. Nonetheless, I had to do it, said Abdul Mannan, the chief inspector. With only eight inspectors, its impossible to issue fitness certificate to all the existing boilers. Weve been asking for more manpower for the past two years. If new people are not recruited, well not be able to do our job properly, he added. He observed that only a mechanical enngineer can inspect a boiler. All the inspectors in our office are graduate mechanical engineers, he said. Abdul Mannan said that boilers need to have fitness certificate because a faulty boiler may lead to a disaster. Boilers have a long lifetime if they are properly maintained. The one at the Mutifabs was a German-made good boiler. It was not past its expiration date; onlythe fitness certificate expired, he added. Talking with The Independent, Md Ziaul Haq, deputy chief inspector, said that boiler operators working in different factories are certified by them. Without passing an exam and getting certification from us, you wont be able to get a licence for being a boiler operator, he added. In 2015-16, the office took the exam and issued operator certificates to 997 boiler operators. In 2014-15 and 2013-14, the numbers were 1,233 and 409 respectively. These operators are trained to operate boilers and theyare aware of the danger of operating afaulty boiler. Hanif Hossain, who visited theMutifabs factory after the boiler explosion, said it was an accident. Some of the safety valves probably malfunctioned, which created excessive pressure, he explained. He said that excessive pressure can cause a high build-up of pressure and cause an explosion. Hanif Hossain also said that a low water level caused by incorrect operation,faulty feed pumps or leakage may resultin the burning of boiler tubes, burstingof the boiler shell in fire tube boilers or permanent deformation of the steel drum in watertube boilers. The metal from which the boiler is made may deteriorate as a result of scaling or overheating due to a poor quality of the feed water, he added. Talking with The Independent, Dr Riaz Mohiuddin, a former faculty of the mechanical engineering department of BUET, said there are three main causes of boiler loss or damage. These are human failure, product faults and operational errors. Human failure includes faulty handling, negligence or willful acts, which mayinclude the operation of boilers without certificates. To reduce the likelihoodof loss due to human failure, it is necessary to select suitably trained people for theoperation, maintenance and servicing of boilers, he said. Product faults include faulty materials, faulty designs or construction, and faults in workmanship or installation. Purposeful inspection is necessary to prevent such faults. Operational faults include inadequate maintenance, overheating due to scaling, and failure to measure and regulate the pressure. To guard against loss due to operational faults, regular servicing, maintenance and overhauling is important. There is need for constant control and inspection of the measuring devices.