The public prosecution bodies of Ordzhonikidzevskiy district of Magnitogorsk initiated a criminal suit related to violations of labor safety regulations resulting in lethal outcomes (Article 143 (part 2) or Russian Criminal Code), their press office reports.

On August 6, 2007, an oil pipe operating under pressure at Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works continuous casting unit got torn and broken. The oil spilt onto the red-hot metal and caught fire, giving massive burns to two casters, aged 34 and 32. One of them was killed immediately, the other one, with burns over 80% his body, was taken to the plant clinic where he passed away on August 7, 2007.

An investigative committee is now looking into this accident and checking if the used oil pipe could have been faulty or worn out, whether the oil pressure limit could have been exceeded, and whether the operators could have used the kind of oil that was not suitable for the production technology employed. The committee has already inspected the scene of the accident a few times; the victims’ bodies have been subject to forensic medical investigation, and all the safety instructions and the technical data sheet have been withdrawn for inspection. The case is being specifically monitored by the region’s Public Prosecutor A. Voitovich.