Ranchi, June 15: Three senior officials received grievous burn injuries as caustic soda spilled on them from a leaking valve at the Bihar Caustic and Chemicals Ltd (BCCL) at Rehla in Palamau.

The officials were engaged in routine maintenance of the plant.

However, workmen unions alleged that a daily wage worker, identified as Om Prakash Singh has also been injured along with the three permanent employees.

The three injured officials ? Ambuj Srivastava, assistant manager, S. Chakraborty, unit officials and R.R. Sharma, fitter ? have been admitted to the Aditya Birla Hospital at Rehla.

Set up in 1976 in Palamau as a joint venture between the Aditya Birla Group and the Bihar state government, the main products of the company include caustic soda, liquid chlorine, hydro-chloric acid and sodium hydro chlorite. BCCL?s main customers include aluminium, paper, textile, soaps, detergent and chemical units located all over the country.

Managing director of the company P.N. Ojha said the accident occurred yesterday evening, while the officials were trying to repair leaking valves at the plants.

?The entire plant had been shut down for preventive maintenance. Our Rehla unit manufactures highly inflammable chemicals like caustic soda and chlorine. So there is nothing fishy behind the accident,? Ojha said.

Intuc leader Manoj Shukla, however, alleged that the accident was a result of the callous attitude of the BCCL management.