Rourkela, July 25: Four employees of the Rourkela Steel Plant suffered burn injuries as they came in contact with a 33KV power line this morning.

Sources said one assistant managerial-level officer, K. Khalko, 35, had suffered minor injuries, while three contract labourers received 30 to 40 per cent burns. The labourers have been identified as Laxman Naik, Rajib Gur Ali and Sibanath Rai, all in the thirties.

Prashant Behera, president of the Rourkela Shramik Sangha, said the injured were working in the power distribution unit of the plant. The power distribution job has been outsourced to a private agency and one of its contractors had hired the labourers who had no prior experience, he said.

“Instead of working at spots where power connection was disrupted, they stepped into the zone where electric supply was still on. As they came in contact with the high voltage power line, they suffered shocks. The assistant manager also came in contact with them by chance and suffered minor injuries,” Behera said.

They were immediately rushed to the Ispat General Hospital.

The incident sparked off tension among labourers, who alleged that the management overlooked the safety norms and did not take proper steps while hiring labourers for employment at sites considered risky.

The labourers did not have the required training necessary for the job.

They demanded that the authorities should ask the private agency to hire experienced workers.