1984 Bhopal disaster

Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) Bhopal Disaster

Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL)Overview

• Chemical company established in 1934• At time of incident, employed 9,000 people at 14

plants in 5 divisions• UCIL was owned 51% by Union Carbide Corporation

and 49% by Indian investors to include the Indian Government

• In 1984, Union Carbide reported sales of $9.5 billion.• In 1984,UCIL had sales of about $200 million annually

Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL)Overview

• Produced products to include batteries, carbon products, welding equipment, plastics, industrial chemicals, pesticides, and marine products

• In 1994, UCC completed sale of its interest in UCIL to McLeod Russel Ltd. of Calcutta. The company was subsequently renamed Everready Industry India Ltd.

• UCC was purchased by Dow Chemical in 2001

What happened?http://www.5min.com/Video/The-Bhopal-Gas-Tragedy-119994557

Facts• Dec. 2nd, 1984 a UCIL plant in Bhopal, India began leaking

27 tons of methyl isocynate• Maintenance issues led to the increased magnitude of the

issue• Though reports vary, most governments and agencies

agreed that thousands of people died and many more were injured within weeks of the incident

• To make matters worse, in the years that followed, many more passed away and people in the region are still dealing with medical issues due to the incident

Contributing Factors to incident

• Maintenance of facilities ignored• Safety systems shut off to save $• Plant located near densely populated area• Lack of skilled operators• Inadequate emergency action plan• Failure to recognize previous plant issues

Aftermath of Leakage• Local medical staff was unprepared to deal with issue of

this magnitude and were uniformed on how to deal with chemical

• Complaints of lack of information were widespread• Formal statements were issued within weeks of the

incident stating air, water, vegetation and foodstuff were safe within city

• Families of those who died were slow to receive minimal compensation or never did.

• Those who were injured received no or limited medical care

Problem Thousands of victims did/have not received

medical care, information, or compensation due to fighting among UCC management and

Indian government over the cause of the accident and who was at fault. Furthermore,

the environment surrounding Bhopal has continued contamination issues.

Solutions• Create Task Force • Reach out to international community• DON’T PLACE BLAME• Hire PR firm• Remember, it is about the victims and

environment, not the bottom line• Let ethics guide all of your decisions

Actions Taken• UCC stresses “immediate action” was taken• Medical experts contributed to assist local

medical facilities in Bhopal• Millions of dollars contributed for immediate

and long term relief• Donated $100 million to build hospital• Designed system with other members of

chemical industry to prevent future spills

ConclusionThe Bhopal disaster has gone down in history as one of the worse industrial accidents to ever occur. Thousands of people have loss their lives, countless others have been injured, and the environment has been contaminated all due to numerous bad decisions among those who owned the plant.

RecommendationsThe owners of the Bhopal disaster would have benefited to follow the practices of Johnson & Johnson, who dealt with a major crisis themselves two years previously with the 1982 Tylenol murders. Creating a Task Force, practicing ethical decision making, hiring a PR firm, and the continued care of the victims and the environment is what UCC could have done. If I could recommend one thing today, it is that those involved take what they have learned and apply it to helping out with the BP oil spill. You may have failed miserably previously, but you can start by giving back now.