Bhoplal gas tragedy case study

Open in a separate window Aftermath Immediately after the disaster, UCC began attempts to dissociate itself from responsibility for the gas leak. Its principal tactic was to shift culpability to UCIL, stating the plant was wholly built and operated by the Indian subsidiary. It also fabricated scenarios involving sabotage by previously unknown Sikh extremist groups and disgruntled employees but this theory was impugned by numerous independent sources [ 1 ].

The Bhopal Gas Tragedy: What followed was a nightmare. The killer gas spread through the city, sending residents scurrying through the dark streets. No alarm ever sounded a warning and no evacuation plan was prepared.

When victims arrived at hospitals breathless and blind, doctors did not know how to treat them, as UCIL had not provided emergency information.

It was only when the sun rose the next morning that the magnitude of the devastation was clear. Dead bodies of humans and animals blocked the streets, leaves turned black, the smell of burning chilli peppers lingered in the air.

Estimates suggested that as many as 10, may have died immediately and 30, to 50, were too ill to ever return to their jobs. The catastrophe raised some serious ethical issues.

The pesticide factory was built in the midst of densely populated settlements. The MIC plant was not designed to handle a runaway reaction. When the uncontrolled reaction started, MIC was flowing through the scrubber meant to neutralize MIC emissions at more than times its designed capacity.

Vital gauges and indicators in the MIC tank were defective. The flare tower meant to burn off MIC emissions was under repair at the time of the disaster and the scrubber contained no caustic soda.

The Bhopal Gas Tragedy | Introduction | Free Management Articles | Free Management Case Studies

This had serious consequences on safety and maintenance. The size of the work crew for the MIC plant was cut in half from twelve to six workers. The maintenance supervisor position had been eliminated and there was no maintenance supervisor.

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The period of safety-training to workers in the MIC plant was brought down from 6 months to 15 days.This case was created by the International Dimensions of Ethics Education in Science and Engineering (IDEESE) Project at the University of Massachusetts Amherst with support from the National Science Foundation under grant number One of the most disastrous events since the history of chemical industry occurred in Bhopal, the capital city of Madhya Pradesh, on the night of December 02, , in the factory of Union Carbide of India Ltd.

(UC1L) due to leakage of Methyl Iso Cynate (MIC) gas. The case gives an overview of the Bhopal gas tragedy. On December 3, , poisonous gas leaked from Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL's) pesticide plant in Bhopal, which killed thousands of people. The case brings out the ethical issues involved in the disaster.

It discusses in detail the reasons behind the disaster. The case .

Case Study: Bhopal Gas Tragedy () - Case Studies - The Ethical Engineer

I - Case Study of the Bhopal Incident - Paul Cullinan Union Carbide in Bhopal The Gas Disaster The International Medical Commission 3. Literature Review Technique This case study describes an epidemiological survey which aimed to establish the existence (or otherwise), nature and extent of chronic respiratory disease.

Case Study: Bhopal Gas Tragedy () Dr. Rhyddhi Chakraborty Programme Leader (Health and Social Care), London Churchill College, UK Email: [email protected] What follows is a synopsis of the .

I - Case Study of the Bhopal Incident - Paul Cullinan Although the immediate health effects of the Bhopal gas disaster are undisputed (the deaths of many thousands of citizens) the long term sequelae are poorly understood.

This case study describes an epidemiological survey which aimed to establish the existence (or otherwise), nature .