Three workers faint at a private tannery unit in Tirupattur

Three workers fainted after reportedly inhaling poisonous gas from a leather cleaning chamber of a private tannery unit in Vaniyambadi town in Tirupattur on Kutcheri Road on Friday.

Police said the affected workers were identified as B. Perumal, 55, S. Munir, 52, K. Nagaraj, 58, all residents of Vaniyambadi town.

Initial inquiry revealed that along with a few workers, the trio loaded raw hides into the hot steam chemical chamber in the unit on Thursday.

On returning to work on Friday, the police said Perumal, Munir and Nagaraj, along with their co-workers opened the leather chamber in the tannery unit to remove the cleaned raw leather. The trio collapsed immediately at the spot near the chamber. The incident occurred around 9 a.m.

Other staff at the unit alerted Mohammed Iqbal, 58, tannery owner, who rushed to the spot. Police said the fainted workers were rushed to Government Taluk Hospital in Vaniyambadi town where doctors said the trio was recovering.

Based on an alert, Vaniyambadi Town police registered a case under Section 105 (Culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the provisions of The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013. A probe is under way.