Rising Industrial Accidents Call for Reforms in Industrial Regulations

Hyderabad:Gaps in enforcing industrial safety regulations and a tendency among some manufacturers to prioritise production over worker protection are leaving factories vulnerable to fatal accidents, according to labour and employment law expert Khubi A. K. Agrawal.

Though India has an extensive legal framework governing industrial safety, Agrawal, Lead Counsel at Vidhatri Legal, said its effectiveness depends on how rigorously regulations are implemented on factory floors. “Barring a few high-risk items such as boilers and pressure vehicles, which need statutory approval before use, most industrial machines in India can enter a factory without any mandatory safety certification,” she said.

“The Bureau of Indian Standards offers voluntary certification but for machines that can kill in a single use, voluntary is not enough,” she said, stressing the need for a regulatory mechanism to verify the safety parameters of operational machines.

Andhra Pradesh reported 350 fatalities during the five-year period, while Telangana recorded 282. In 2023 alone, Andhra Pradesh reported 71 fatal injuries and Telangana 65. These figures cover registered factories and do not necessarily capture accidents in unregistered industrial establishments.

In Telangana, the explosion at Sigachi Industries' pharmaceutical ingredients manufacturing facility at Pashamylaram in Sangareddy district on June 30, 2025. In Andhra Pradesh, an explosion at Escientia Advanced Sciences at Atchutapuram killed 17 workers and injured nearly 40 others in August 2024.

A 41-year-old worker at an iron fabrication unit of Sudarshan Iron Fabrications Company at Cherlapally was killed after getting trapped in a CNC laser cutting machine in Hyderabad in July 2026. The impact was so severe that his head was severed from his body, indicating a potential failure of Interlocked Perimeter Guarding, optical safeguarding, or the hazardous energy control mechanism.

Citing another incident reported in Punjab, Agrawal said a woman working in a home-based industrial unit died after her scarf became entangled in machinery.Agrawal, who has worked with Marico and Hindalco, said these incidents highlight the importance of worker training, machine guarding and supervision, particularly in smaller manufacturing establishments where investment in safety infrastructure might be limited.

Though the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020, placed obligations on employers as well as machinery manufacturers and suppliers, she said the challenge is ensuring that machinery continues to meet safety requirements during actual operation rather than merely satisfying specifications at the time of purchase.