Explosion at Qom Metal Melting Factory; 21 Workers Injured

An explosion at the Steel Rizan metal melting factory, located on the Qom-Kashan road, left 21 injured. ILNA news agency reported that 21 workers suffered burns in this incident, with one in critical condition. The public relations office of Qom University of Medical Sciences announced on Wednesday, September 20, that three ambulances and one bus ambulance were dispatched to the scene for initial treatment and transfer of the injured to 'Kheirine Salamat' hospital. Meanwhile, no mention was made of the cause of the explosion at the Steel Rizan factory, which is active in casting and has multiple thermal furnaces. The factory's website states that it employs 984 people and is one of the largest producers of parts for cement, steel, oil and gas, petrochemical, dairy, and road construction industries. Labor activists and organizations in Iran have attributed workplace accidents to 'collusion' with individuals and entities that value human life in the 'balance of profit.' The Iranian National Retirees Union recently stated in a statement that the death or disability of workers in workplace accidents is a 'sign of the negligence of executive and supervisory bodies of the Ministry of Labor in obligating employers to rectify shortcomings and failures in providing safety equipment.' While several industrial and oil facilities in Iran have experienced fires in recent months, no news has been published regarding the causes of these fires. Among the incidents related to fires or explosions in workshops and factories, a fire at 'Petro Refinery Gahar' in Doroud County, Lorestan province, in August left two injured. On August 20, a fire in cosmetic production factories in the Ivanki industrial zone in Semnan province resulted in 12 injuries, four of whom were hospitalized. A fire at Petro Refinery Doroud in Lorestan province on August 2 also left two injured. An explosion of a chemical reactor in the Eshtehard industrial zone in Alborz province in June resulted in nine injuries. The continuation of workplace accidents in Iran; this time an explosion and fire at the Sarakhs refinery confirmed the report of the fire department; the hospital opened by Ebrahim Raisi is unsafe. A fire in the Eshtehard industrial zone left nine injured. The increase in workshop accidents in Iran; the death and injury of '8 workers' in six days. Labor organizations criticize the indifference of government agencies to workplace safety. The death of six workers trapped in the 'Tarzeh mine' in Damghan; the Minister of Interior: it was an unexpected incident. The unknown fate of six workers trapped in the 'Tarzeh mine' in Damghan; workers in Iran die silently. An explosion at the Esfarayen steel complex left eight injured; the cause was reported as 'momentary water leakage.'