Safety procedures followed in SCB pyrogen accident : executives

Acting Metropolitan Police Commissioner Pol Maj-General Sanit Mahathaworn, meanwhile, said police would be requesting the court to issue arrest warrants for more suspects, which should be granted later today. 

Sanit said police was interviewing SCB officials after police learned that Mega Planet had hired three sub-contractors, whose safety standards would also be scrutinised, because the contract initially stated that the hiring of a sub-contractor must get SCB’s consent. So far there was not sufficient evidence to charge SCB for negligence, he said. Sanit also explained that the pyrogen system had been installed there for almost a decade. 

Offering condolences to the deceased victims’ families, Napong Suksanguan and Adisorn Poda said during the firm’s Pathum Thani press conference that they would be ready to pay compensation to the dead and injured victims, while also insisting they wouldn’t run away from their responsibilities. Napong said the firm would provide Bt150,000 compensation for each of the deceased workers while providing Bt50,000 assistance to each of the injured. 

He also explained the firm’s workers were upgrading the building’s fire prevention system to use a “Clean Agent” nitrogen system. However, he declined to elaborate on any details including the team’s installation plans, and whether the work would affect the existing pyrogen system, or whether the system was shut down before it was activated, as he claimed this was an ongoing police investigation. 

Napong said the fire protection improvement work wouldn’t cause problems and the procedure was carried out to current safety standards. He insisted that since its establishment in 2004, the firm had never had any accident and the firm would learn to improve its working practices after this incident.

Meanwhile, national police chief Pol General Chakthip Chaijinda said that officers had interviewed 16 out of the 20 witnesses in the case and would also examine information from the security company to determine if any faulty elements had led to Sunday’s tragedy. SCB executives yesterday invited Wat Traimit assistant abbot Phra Phrommangkalachan to bless the bank’s employees in a bid to boost morale after Sunday’s tragedy. The monk had previously blessed Thai-owned Leicester City Football Club.

Following a meeting by investigators in the case yesterday, Phaholyothin Police Station superintendent Pol Colonel Panudech Sukwong told reporters that the investigation would consist of three parts: the equipment used during that time; the procedural steps of the work at the time; and individuals who might have contributed to the tragedy. 

He said police would interview at least eight parties, including SCB, Mega Planet and their sub-contractors, as well as those overseeing the system to determine what had led to the incident.