Relevance: GS-II (Governance & Social Justice) and GS-III (Industry & Disaster Management)

Context and Issue

A chemical reactor burst at a Telangana unit killed and injured workers; other fatal events followed elsewhere—reminding us that most “accidents” are preventable failures of design, maintenance, training, and accountability.

Mishaps do not happen because workers are careless; they happen because systems look the other way.

• Unsafe design and upkeep: corroded vessels, jammed vents, ignored alarms, poor housekeeping.
  
• Paper compliance: drills ticked on forms, personal protective equipment issued but not fit-tested or replaced, safety signs in the wrong language.
  
• Rushed work culture: long shifts, speed over checks, no right to stop unsafe jobs.
  
• Contractor vulnerability: little induction, no medical monitoring, weak voice at work sites.
  
• After a tragedy: ex-gratia announces compassion but often blurs criminal and civil responsibility of those who made unsafe choices.
  

What the International Labour Organization asks of governments and employers

• Treat deaths and injuries as preventable, not fate.
  
• Build systems around prevention at source, worker participation, right to know, and effective labour inspection.
  
• Use international standards on labour inspection, occupational safety and health, hazardous chemicals, and major accident prevention to guide national practice.
  

What Indian law already provides

Constitutional spine

• Article 21 (life with dignity), Articles 23–24 (forced labour and child labour), and Directive Principles (Articles 39 and 42 on humane work conditions).
  

Key laws and rules

• Factories Act, 1948 → being replaced by the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 (not fully enforced across States).
  
• Employees’ Compensation Act, 1923; Employees’ State Insurance Act, 1948 (treatment and wage-loss cover).
  
• Building and Other Construction Workers Act, 1996; Mines Act, 1952; Contract Labour Act, 1970; Inter-State Migrant Workmen Act, 1979.
  
• Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 with Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemical Rules, 1989 and Chemical Accidents Rules, 1996.
  
• Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991 (immediate relief for chemical accidents).
  
• Landmark judgment: Oleum Gas Leak case (1987)—principle of absolute liability for hazardous industries.
  

What must change — A practical Way Ahead

Inside factories and plants

• Follow the hierarchy of controls: remove the hazard → substitute → engineering controls → administrative controls → personal protective equipment (last resort).
  
• Make process safety real: hazard and operability study before start-up, permit-to-work for hot/electrical/confined jobs, lock-out–tag-out for energy isolation, calibrated instruments, and monthly emergency drills.
  
• Empower workers: active safety committees, paid training time, multilingual signage, and a right to stop unsafe work without fear.
  

By governments and boards

• Fill inspection vacancies; use risk-based unannounced inspections and publish orders.
  
• Tie licences, incentives and senior management pay to safety performance; require board-level safety reviews.
  
• Ensure quick, fair compensation through existing statutes; ex-gratia cannot replace liability.
  
• Create district industrial safety cells that unite factories, labour, environment and disaster-management authorities.
  

For victims and families

• One-window helpdesk for documents, claims and medical care; time-bound payout under the Public Liability Insurance Act; long-term rehabilitation where injuries are disabling.
  

Key terms (learners’ box)

process safety management • hierarchy of controls • permit-to-work • lock-out–tag-out • hazard and operability study • near-miss reporting • absolute liability • public liability insurance • contractor parity • risk-based inspection

Exam hook

Key takeaways

• Industrial deaths are preventable; most arise from fixable design, maintenance and supervision gaps.
  
• India’s legal toolkit is wide; the missing pieces are strong enforcement, capable inspection, and board-level responsibility.
  
• Protecting contract workers and funding prevention—not just payouts—must be the norm.
  

UPSC Mains question
“Industrial disasters are failures of governance as much as of engineering.” Using the Telangana reactor burst and two other recent incidents, examine gaps in India’s safety regime. Suggest reforms across law, inspection, corporate governance and worker participation to move toward zero preventable deaths. (250 words)

UPSC Prelims question
Q. With reference to industrial safety in India, which of the following is correctly matched?

1. Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991 — immediate relief to victims of chemical accidents
   
2. Oleum Gas Leak judgment (1987) — establishes the principle of absolute liability for hazardous industries
   
3. Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemical Rules, 1989 — requires on-site emergency plans for specified quantities of listed chemicals
   Select the correct answer using the code below:
   (a) 1 and 2 only
   (b) 2 and 3 only
   (c) 1 and 3 only
   (d) 1, 2 and 3
   Answer: (d)
   

One-line wrap
Stop calling disasters “accidents”—make prevention a board duty, inspection a public service, and safety a lived right for every worker.