Kazakhstan Says Violation of Production Procedures Preliminary Cause of Deadly Kazzinc Blast

A fatal explosion at a Kazzinc plant in eastern Kazakhstan was preliminarily caused by a violation of technological procedures, Emergency Situations Minister Chingis Arinov said on Monday, as authorities continue to investigate the incident that killed three workers. The blast occurred on May 5 at a processing workshop in Ust-Kamenogorsk, where a dust-collection unit exploded, triggering a fire and the partial collapse of the facility. Two employees were killed at the scene, while a third later died in hospital from injuries sustained in the accident. Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov placed the investigation under his personal supervision following the incident. “The preliminary cause of the explosion at the Kazzinc plant was a violation of the technological process,” Arinov told a government meeting. He said previous inspections had identified multiple industrial safety violations at the facility, including discrepancies in technical documentation, missing assessments required to extend the service life of equipment, deviations from approved engineering designs, weak production controls, and delays in replacing worn-out machinery. Arinov said the investigation remains ongoing and that several expert examinations have been commissioned. A decision on any company liability will be made once the review is completed. The minister also outlined preliminary findings from a separate fatal accident at the Artemyevskaya mine, operated by Vostoktsvetmet, a subsidiary of KAZ Minerals. A rockfall at the mine on May 30 killed one worker. According to Arinov, investigators believe the accident was linked to mining operations conducted in violation of project documentation and inadequate worksite management. Speaking at the same meeting, Labor and Social Protection Minister Askarbek Yertayev said the authorities had recorded 39 cases this year in which employers allegedly concealed workplace injuries. The highest number of cases was reported in the services sector, with 18 incidents, followed by manufacturing and construction, with five cases each. Regionally, the largest numbers were recorded in Atyrau Region, Astana, and Akmola Region, he said. Yertayev said the practice allows employers to avoid liability while depriving injured workers of compensation and social benefits. According to government data, about 479,000 people in Kazakhstan currently work in hazardous or harmful conditions. The industrial sector accounts for 295,000 of those workers, including 173,000 in mining and 122,000 in manufacturing. The largest concentrations of workers employed in hazardous conditions are in Karaganda Region, followed by Pavlodar, Mangystau, and East Kazakhstan regions. The figures add to wider concerns over enforcement in Kazakhstan’s heavy industries, where aging equipment, subcontracting chains, and pressure to maintain production can make safety oversight difficult. Kazakhstan has faced increased scrutiny over industrial safety standards following a series of deadly accidents in the mining and metals sectors. Last year, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev ordered a nationwide review of industrial facilities to assess compliance with safety regulations.