DECCAN INQUIRER
BI-WEEKLY E NEWS PAPER
EDITOR: NAGARAJA.M.R .. .. VOL.21 ………. ISSUE.86......…….26/10/2025
Are Indian workers’ rights being eroded?
What happened at the Sigachi Industries chemical factory in Telangana when a chemical reactor burst? What has the International Labour Organization (ILO) said about industrial accidents? What laws are in place in India that protect workers’ rights?
On June 30, at the Sigachi Industries chemical factory in Telangana, 40 workers were killed when a chemical reactor burst. Countless others were injured. Barely a day later, on July 1, eight workers were killed in an explosion at Gokulesh Fireworks in Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu. And yet again on September 30, nine workers died when a 10-metre-high coal-handling plant collapsed at Chennai’s Ennore Thermal Power Station.
The British Safety Council estimates that one in four fatal workplace accidents worldwide occur in India. This is a conservative figure, given the widespread underreporting of workplace injuries and deaths, especially among contract and informal workers whose employment is neither registered nor protected by law.
Why do workplace accidents occur?
Accidents occur not because they are inevitable but because employers fail to prevent them. Prevention means eliminating hazards through proper workplace design, equipment maintenance, safety systems, and by enforcing protective procedures and training all workers and supervisors exposed to risk.
The Telangana explosion is a case in point. The reactor was operating at twice the permissible temperature. No alarms went off, and no safety officer intervened. The machinery was outdated, maintenance was ignored, and repeated worker complaints were dismissed. When the blast occurred, workers jumped factory walls to save themselves. The required on-site ambulance was missing, and the injured were taken to the hospital in a damaged company bus. Even after a week, authorities could not determine how many were “missing” which is clear evidence that unregistered workers were working in a highly hazardous plant with no entry or exit records.
The Ennore collapse also followed the same pattern. The coal-handling structure fell likely due to faulty design, poor-quality scaffolding, or inadequate anchoring.
The International Labour Organization (ILO) has confirmed that industrial accidents are rarely random. They occur because managements cut corners, underinvesting in safety to reduce costs and maximise profit. Even when employers blame “human error,” the real causes lie in employer practices: long working hours, inadequate rest, excessive work pressure, or wages so low that workers are forced to take double shifts.
What are the laws in place in India?
Workers have fought for safer workplaces since the dawn of the industrial age. The first Factories Act in India was enacted in 1881. After Independence, the Factories Act, 1948 became the cornerstone of labour regulation. It governed everything from factory licensing and machinery maintenance to working hours, rest breaks, canteens, and crèches based on the principle that decent working conditions and safety go hand in hand.
The Act also saw amendments in 1976 and 1987, the latter prompted by the Bhopal Gas Tragedy. These laws were enforced through licensing and inspection, and a combination of scheduled and surprise checks. Though imperfect, this allowed workers, especially unionised ones, to file complaints and compel employers to act. But the Bhopal tragedy exposed its limits — inspections could be bribed away, records falsified, and violations ignored.
India’s mechanisms to compensate injured or deceased workers — the Workmen’s Compensation Act, 1923 and Employees’ State Insurance Act, 1948 — recognise compensation for loss of earnings, including lifetime income. However, in practice, such compensation remains meagre.
More importantly, these laws do not hold employers criminally accountable. When such accidents draw media attention, governments announce ex gratia payments from public funds. This turns compensation into charity and absolves employers of responsibility.
What is the situation now?
Since the 1990s, labour protections have been systematically dismantled. Employers demand “flexibility” including freedom to hire, fire, and extract work without oversight. Governments have obliged by weakening inspections, diluting laws, and branding safety regulations as “obstacles to business.” For example, in 2015, the Maharashtra government allowed employers to “self-certify” compliance with labour laws. And the BJP government’s ‘Ease of Doing Business’ campaign has pushed other States to follow.
The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (OSHWC) Code, 2020, which seeks to replace the Factories Act, epitomises this shift. Though currently in abeyance, once enforced it will move health and safety from being a statutory right to executive discretion. What was once a worker’s right will become government generosity. At the same time, States have increased their working hours, a practice started during the COVID pandemic, which is a major blow to safety. In 2023, Karnataka made this permanent, increasing daily limits and reducing rest periods.
It is well established that safe workplaces enhance productivity and profits. Yet India’s dominant business culture is not about sustainable profits but extracting the maximum from labour with minimal responsibility. Until the state restores workplace safety as a right, reinstates inspection as enforcement, and holds employers criminally liable for preventable deaths, workers’ lives will always hang in the balance.
Sigachi blast is deadliest industrial accident to occur in Telangana & Andhra Pradesh
India must assure every worker, who risks life and limb to keep its industries running, that industrial safety is a right
‘Industrial safety is not a favour, it is a right’
The dryer explosion at Sigachi Industries in Pashamylaram, which killed over 35 workers and injured dozens, stands as the deadliest industrial accident in the history of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, and among the worst in India’s chemical sector. In past five years, the two states have witnessed several fatal explosions in chemical and pharma manufacturing units.
The last major incident took place on August 21, 2024, when 17 workers died and more than 35 were injured in a massive explosion at Escientia Pharma in the Atchutapuram SEZ of Andhra Pradesh. Months before that, in April 2024, four people died and 16 others were injured in an explosion at SB Organics in Sangareddy, Telangana. A hot oil jacket leaked into the reactor, causing a blast.
“The common thread in all these incidents is poor maintenance, unqualified staff, and a complete absence of documented safety protocols,” said K Babu Rao, a retired CSIR scientist who tracked industrial violations in the region for over three decades. “Serious fallout like FIRs, compensation packages, and inquiry committees follow each explosion, but no one attempts to address the root causes.”
Given the spate of fatal accidents, experts have renewed calls to revive a long-delayed plan to form a joint inspection committee tasked with monitoring safety in industrial belts. Proposed in 2023 after repeated complaints from residents near such facilities, “The committee was meant to include officials from the Inspector of Factories, Telangana State Pollution Control Board (TGPCB), and other relevant departments. The committee was never formed. The plan was shelved after the member secretary was transferred,” confirmed a TGPCB official.
Meanwhile, environmentalists who have been flagging concerns about industrial zones like Pashamylaram and Patancheru since the 1990s have reiterated their demand to shift hazardous units away from residential areas. “What’s missing is enforcement,” said structural engineer SP Anchuri. “Under the Factories Act, hazardous units are required to conduct periodic risk assessments, install emergency relief systems, and train staff in chemical safety. But most skip drills, fudge documents, and continue hiring under-qualified contract workers.” He added that the Hazardous Chemicals Rules also mandate both on-site and off-site emergency plans and temperature control systems, “but who checks if those exist or are ever updated?”
Fire auditor C Andrew, who audited multiple chemical units over 45 years, stressed the need for modern fire suppression systems such as aerosol suspension and blanketing. “Most of these plants are decades old. There must be third-party safety audits every year. Newer facilities should adopt compartmentalisation, solvent storage and electrical panels must be on separate floors. That alone could prevent tragedies like these.”
Industrial accidents in Telangana & Andhra Pradesh in past 5 years
August 2024: Escientia Pharma, Atchutapuram: MTBE vapour leaked during reactor operations & ignited on contact with an electrical panel, killing 17 & injuring over 35 during lunch hour
April 2024: SB Organics, Sangareddy: A hot oil jacket leaked into a reactor causing a violent blast; 4 workers died & 16 injured. The plant had no cooling system or trained staff
July 2024: Vasant Chemicals, Atchutapuram: A benzophenone reactor exploded due to suspected thermal or pressure failure, killing a contract worker
May 2020: LG Polymers, Visakhapatnam: Styrene gas leak from a failed refrigeration system created a toxic cloud, killing 11 & hospitalising hundreds; thousands exposed
May 2020: Biofuel Plant, Zaheerabad: A reactor exploded during welding repair due to flammable gas in the tank, killing 2 workers & injuring 1
August 2022: Hindys Labs, Nalgonda: A reactor exploded during batch processing, killing 1 & injuring 6; this was the fourth such incident at the unit in two years
June 2022: Gowliguda, Hyderabad: Residual resin reacted with water during tank cleaning, causing a chemical blast that killed 1 worker & injured 2
Six Industrial Tragedies In Five Years: How India Fails Its Factory Workers
The June 30 explosion in the chemical plant in Telegana has brought to light, once again, the lax safety norms and laws that lead to industrial tragedies in India.
The recent Sigachi Chemical Fire on June 30, in which 37 factory workers died, has been called one of the most devastating industrial accidents in India in the last few years. The explosion was compared to the Bhopal Gas Tragedy of 1984, in which over 3,000 people died. The Bhopal Gas Tragedy was supposed to change how the country viewed industrial safety forever, but the number of factory incidents has raised questions about India’s safety regulations, corporate accountability and crisis management.
In the past five years— from 2020 to 2025— India has had five such incidents, with the Telangana chemical factory explosion being the sixth.
The Vizag Gas Leak [2020]
The Visakhapatnam gas leak, colloquially known as the Vizag gas leak, happened on May 7 2020, at the LG Polymers plant in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. The plant was restarted after having been shut during the first COVID-19 lockdown. A styrene gas leak from a storage tank led to at least 12 people dying inside the plant. The leak also affected 1,000s of others on the outside, with many seeking hospitalisation due to breathing difficulties and vision problems.
The gas spread over nearby villages, with many people found unconscious in their homes. Around 20,000 people had to be evacuated. The National Green Tribunal later fined the company ₹50 crores for environmental violations. It reignited conversations about ageing infrastructure in legacy chemical plants.
Serum Institute Fire [2021]
On January 21, 2021, five workers died in a fire at the Serum Institute of India in Pune. The blaze began inside a half-constructed building within the Institute, which is known for producing COVID vaccine Covishield. It has been alleged that the welding sparks caused the fire.
While the incident did not affect vaccine production, the incident raised concerns over fire protocols even in top-tier pharma campuses. Investigations revealed there were no fire alarms or sprinklers in that section. The company paid compensation, and authorities ordered safety audits across the site.
Mundka Building Fire [2022]
In Mundka, West Delhi, a fire in a four-story commercial building resulted in the death of 27 people and injured many others. On May 13, 2022, there were 200 workers inside the building when an electrical short circuit started the fire.
Combustible materials fuelled the fire, and investigation found that the building’s narrow passage and blocked exits had left 200 workers trapped inside the building. Investigators found that the factory was operating without fire department approval, which points to a larger problem with unregulated, unsafe workplaces.
Several victims had been working in cramped rooms without ventilation. The building had only one fire escape, which was blocked. The fire department arrived late due to misleading address listings. The incident exposed serious loopholes in industrial safety licensing in Delhi’s outer zones.
Perfume Manufacturing Unit Fire [2023]
In Shimla’s Baddi industrial area, five people died and 31 were injured in a fire at a pharmaceutical factory. A gas leak had spread through flammable chemicals, triggering the fire. Investigations revealed that the manufacturing unit was using outdated equipment. Along with a lack of maintenance, the old equipment was one of the key factors for the fire. Such an incident lays bare the risks that workers face when safety standards lag even as industrial expansion moves forward.
Officials said the fire alarms didn’t work, and that there were no proper evacuation routes. Baddi, a major pharma hub, has had repeated fire safety complaints. After this incident, the Himachal Pradesh government ordered surprise inspections of over 60 similar units in the region.
Dombivli Factory Blast [2024]
An explosion at a chemical factory in Dombivli, Maharashtra, killed nine workers and injured over 60. The blast, which investigators said was likely caused by a boiler, damaged the facility and nearby structures. According to the FIR, the company had not undertaken suitable precautions during manufacturing. The company was also aware that any lapses might lead to an explosion, the FIR said.
The shockwave from the blast damaged nearby homes and shattered glass two kilometres away from the explosion site. The resulting fire raged on for hours before being fire marshals could get it under control. Residents had long complained about safety violations in the area, an investigation revealed. The MIDC temporarily sealed six other factories for safety violations after this explosion.
Sigachi Chemical Fire [2025]
A suspected reactor explosion at the Sigachi Chemical Industry in Pashamylaram, Telangana, led to a fire that has till now killed 44 workers and injured 35–40.
The blast occurred during chemical processing, with some initial reports stating that there were inadequate safety measures. The death toll increased as rescue efforts continued. This incident, among the deadliest in recent years, has sparked renewed calls for stricter safety regulations of industrial plants and factories.
Workers said they heard a loud hissing noise just before the explosion. Rescue efforts were hampered by the lack of a proper layout map and blocked exits. The Telangana government has ordered a state-wide review of chemical industries and asked for criminal proceedings against the management.
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