The risk of industrial disaster has been rising due to Industrialization, thereby showing the need for industrial safety in India. Comment. Also discuss the measures to be taken to strengthen the industrial safety in India.
India’s industrial safety record has been patchy at the best of times. Now in the aftermath of the lockdown, it is likely to get further eroded.
Need for Industrial safety in India:
- What happened in Vizag should be considered a warning for other industries which are resuming operations after a lengthy lockdown. India’s industrial safety record has been patchy at the best of times.
- Thirty-six years after the Bhopal disaster, it is distressing to see accidents from hazardous industries.
- The fields of occupational and environmental medicine, toxicology, and epidemiology which study and prevent industrial accidents have still not been developed adequately to cater for the amount of industrial development that has occurred in India.
- Reports suggest that the Vizag plant has functioned without proper environmental clearances for a substantial period since it was set up.
- It must also be asked how the South Korean petrochemical giant, which owns LG polymers, the site of the accident, did not ensure that qualified people were in place to check systems and open the plant.
- A majority of accidents that occur in refineries are the result of human error. Oftentimes a worker fails to follow the safety procedures that have been put into place by the company.
- The common reasons for accidents in chemical plants occur are from improper maintenance of equipment. A piece of equipment can ultimately fail and malfunction if it is not properly maintained. This can be very hazardous for the workers who are operating and working around the machine.
Measures needed to strengthen the Industrial safety in India:
- Industries must comply with regulations, and the government must ensure that they are strictly enforced.
- Regular maintenance at scheduled intervals and the manufacturer’s recommendations is important to ensure that the equipment runs smoothly and safely.
- Employees should be properly taught on how to operate the equipment in the way it was designed to be used. They should also learn to employ safety procedures when they are operating a piece of equipment.
- Also, employees should be well versed in what to do if something goes wrong so that they can fix it before it gets out of control.
The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2019 should be taken up and put into place immediately as it promotes health, safety, welfare and better working conditions of the workforce by enhancing the ambit of a dynamic legislation as compared to the existing sectoral approach limited to few sectors.