[Summary translation prepared by Business & Human Rights Centre]

In Norilsk, after a worker died due to an acid spill, three Norilsk Nickel employees will stand trial, 14 July 2025

The head of a section, a senior equipment repair foreman, and a mechanic of Norilsk Nickel’s Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant (NMP) are charged with violating industrial safety requirements at hazardous production facilities, resulting in a person’s death by negligence, under Part 2 of Article 217 of the Russian Criminal Code.

As previously reported by Sibirskiy.Novostnoy, in mid-January this year a sulfuric acid spill occurred, injuring three people. The incident happened at a unit that had been commissioned by Norilsk Nickel as part of Russia’s largest environmental project, the “Sulfur Program.”

One of the injured workers sustained severe chemical burns from sulfuric acid and died despite doctors’ efforts. Two other workers survived; however, one of them suffered extensive burns to the head, torso, arms, and legs.

The investigation found that during a routine inspection of the equipment, one of the pumps was discovered to be leaking. It was repaired, and workers were informed that everything was in order. Two men aged 26 and 31 then began work at the facility without personal protective equipment against Class 4 hazardous acids and without authorization to perform work at a hazardous site. When the pump was started, the repaired shut-off valve failed, the pipe burst, and sulfuric acid spilled over the equipment, splashing the workers.

The officials face penalties ranging from three to five years of forced labor, or imprisonment for the same term. They may also be barred from holding certain managerial positions afterward.