The 23rd of march this year marked the 10th anniversary of the horrific incident that took place in Thoothukudi in 2013 when a copper smelter plant released toxic fumes that descended over the whole city. Thousands of citizens experienced suffocation, burning sensations in their eyes, & had to be hospitalized.

This wasn’t the first accident that took place there. In 1967, twenty workers in a nearby factory had to be hospitalized because of a leak. After this, the district collector closed the plant but it was reopened as the evidence was ‘inconclusive’. In Vizag, a chemical plant situated on the outskirts leaked a gas called ‘Styrene’ in 2020. Its effect killed 12 people & hospitalized hundreds.

Industrial accidents occur often in India. In the last decade, 130 significant chemical accidents have been reported, which resulted in 259 deaths & left 563 with major injuries, as per the National Disaster Management Authority's data. These cases make us question the industrial safety standards that are in place. The Chemical Accidents (Emergency Planning, Preparedness, And Response) Rules lays out guidelines to deal with such types of incidents. Although, it might be concerning that the rules haven’t been updated since 1996.

Majority of these incidents affect the workers the most. According to data collected by a global workers' union ‘IndustriAll’, sectors such as manufacturing, chemicals, & construction report the most fatalities in India. In 2021 alone, it said an average of 7 accidents were reported every month in Indian manufacturing industries, killing more than 162 workers. In 2020, 13 laws like the Factory act, 1948, Migrant Workers Act, 1979, & the Beedi and Cigar Workers Act, 1966, etc. were consolidated to form ‘the Occupational Safety, Health, and working conditions Code, 2020’. The code generalizes the relationship between workers & capital across various industries and regulates their health, safety, and working conditions. It also aims to provide workers with wage security, social security, safety, health, & grievance redressal mechanisms.

Do you think your city may be prone to an industrial hazard?