12 December, 20242024 has been another dreadful year for workplace safety in India. According to data compiled by IndustriALL, by 10 December, at least 240 workplace accidents occurred in the manufacturing, mining, and energy sectors, resulting in over 400 fatalities and more than 850 serious injuries. The actual numbers are probably significantly higher as workplace accidents are underreported.
"This month we mark forty years of Union Carbide’s Bhopal gas disaster that took tens of thousands of lives, and still, India remains the most unsafe workplace with more industrial fatalities than anywhere else in the world. The authoritarian government has downgraded occupational health and safety laws as it continues to put profits above workers’ lives. Regaining lost protection and winning safe and secure jobs calls upon us to take forward a militant fightback,''
says Gautam Mody, executive committee member of IndustriALL.
The chemical and pharmaceutical sector saw some of the most severe accidents this year. Over 110 workplace accidents occurred in the sector which killed at least 220 workers and seriously injured over 550. On 21 August, an explosion at a pharmaceutical factory in a special economic zone in Andhra Pradesh killed 18 workers and injured 30 others. The plant belonged to Escientia Advanced Sciences.
In May, a massive explosion at a chemical factory in Mumbai, owned by Amudan Chemicals, claimed the lives of at least 13 workers and injured more than 60. According to media reports, safety lapses, including insufficient precautions in the mixing and storage of chemicals, led to the explosion. Earlier in February, a fire at a paint factory in Delhi killed eleven people and left many more severely injured. The Delhi Municipal Corporation later confirmed that the factory was operating illegally.
Safety violations are not confined to the chemical and pharmaceutical sectors. The mining industry saw at least 22 accidents, killing 60 workers and seriously injuring more than 50. In the energy sector, over 20 workers died in workplace accidents this year. In February, a boiler exploded, killing at least fourteen workers and severely injuring over 25 at a parts manufacturing facility in the state of Haryana. The factory is part of India’s extensive automotive supply chain.
These incidents are not isolated but symptomatic of a systemic decline in workplace regulation. There is clear evidence that the accidents occur as a result of severe negligence of safety rules, a weak supervisory system, inadequate factory inspections and the employment of large numbers of untrained precarious workers; the majority of the workers killed and injured are precarious workers.
In recent years, the Indian government has relaxed workplace inspection and licensing regulations to promote business growth. The new occupational safety and health law has severely weakened the inspectorate system, prioritizing ease of doing business over labour rights and worker safety. Inspectors can no longer conduct unannounced inspections, take immediate legal action against violators, or verify compliance effectively due to self-certification and private audits.
“The current state of industrial safety in the country is worrisome. The alarming rate at which industrial accidents occur daily reflects compromised safety measures at workplaces. We urge employers to actively engage with unions and DGFASLI to implement an action plan for ensuring safe workplaces,”
says Sanjay Vadhavkar, IndustriALL executive committee member.
Stressing the urgency of addressing this crisis, Kemal Özkan, IndustriALL assistant general secretary, says:
“The right to a safe workplace is one of the fundamental principles and rights at work. Looking at the dire state of workplace safety in India, it is clear that this fundamental right is violated. We urge the Indian government to review workplace safety regulations and engage in social dialogue with trade unions to prevent further fatalities due to safety lapses.”
Photo: Manufacturing and assembly line of ATLAS bicycles. ATLAS factory site in Haryana, India. Copyright: Marcel Crozet / ILO