Ten suspects in SCB Park fire prevention mishap acknowledge charges today



BANGKOK: -- The state prosecutor today officially filed criminal charges against two executives of Mega Planet Co and eight other persons for recklessness over the accidental activation of the fire extinguishing system at SCB headoffice building that killed eight persons and injured seven others for suffocation on March 14 this year.

Named as defendants in the tragic incident are Mr Napong Suksa-nguan,44, chairman of Mega Planet, and his manager Adisorn Foda, 50, and eight other persons who are engineers and contractor.

All the ten accused appeared before the state prosecutor at the Office of the Attorney General on Ratchadapisek road for acknowledgement of the charges.

Eight people and two juristic persons were charged in the case.

Deputy director-general of the OAG Mr Porames Intarachumnum said all the accused were found guilty for not advising properly of the pyrogen-based fire extinguishing system at the basement of the building while a group of workers were employed to improve the building’s fire prevention system.

When the workers drilled the concrete ceiling of the basement, the dust from drilling then activated the pyrogen-based fire extinguishing system that drained out oxygen in the area and resulted in their deaths and injuries from suffocation.

He said all the defendants would be prosecuted in the Criminal Court soon.

According to earlier statement of the SCB, the incident was blamed on the “negligence of the contractor hired to improve the building’s fire prevention.”

SCB insisted there was neither fire nor explosion at the building.

Its headquarters opened as usual after the building and property inside escaped damage.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/content/165908


-- Thai PBS 2016-06-03

The extinguisher system is designed to save the building but kill the occupants?

The extinguisher system is designed to save the building but kill the occupants?

Not really. An alarm should sound prior to the release of the halon, which gives workers time to clear the area before release.

In this case, the workers were either not informed about what to do should the alarm go off, or were prevented from exiting.

Halon, or whatever was in use here, is used in places where the use of water would destroy the equipment or documents in the room.

Edited June 3, 201610 yr by WhizBang

The extinguisher system is designed to save the building but kill the occupants?

Not really. An alarm should sound prior to the release of the halon, which gives workers time to clear the area before release.

In this case, the workers were either not informed about what to do should the alarm go off, or were prevented from exiting.

Halon, or whatever was in use here, is used in places where the use of water would destroy the equipment or documents in the room.

You just confirmed what iBike said. What are the chances that the workers were informed what the alarm meant? What are the chances that ANYONE knew that dust would set the system off?

What are the chances any of the accused will be jailed?