Laws on Paper, Deaths on Ground: Rethinking Industrial Safety in India
The Chhattisgarh government's recent disclosure that 196 workers died in industrial accidents over 17 months (2025-26) has reignited concerns over workplace safety in India. This is not an isolated instance; from coal mines in Jharkhand to chemical units in Gujarat and boiler explosions in Tamil Nadu, industrial accidents recur with disturbing regularity, exposing the gap between regulatory intent and ground-level enforcement.
Causes of Industrial Accidents
- Most accidents stem from a combination of outdated machinery, inadequate safety audits, and contractualisation of hazardous work, which dilutes accountability.
- Weak enforcement of labour inspections, understaffed regulatory bodies, and a production-over-safety culture in resource-heavy states compound the risk.
- Migrant and informal workers, often untrained and unprotected, bear the brunt.
Policy Measures in Place
- India's safety architecture includes the Factories Act, 1948, the Mines Act, 1952, and more recently, the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020, which consolidates thirteen earlier laws.
- States are mandated to conduct safety audits, maintain accident reporting mechanisms, and ensure compensation under the Employees' Compensation Act, 1923.
- However, implementation remains uneven across states.
Imperatives Going Forward
The tragedy of recurring deaths calls for:
- Stronger institutional coordination between state labour departments and central regulatory bodies;
- Real-time safety monitoring using technology; and
- Independent third-party audits free from political interference.
Ultimately, industrial safety cannot rest on legislation alone — it demands a shift in institutional culture towards preventive vigilance. Unless enforcement matches ambition, India's growth story will continue to be shadowed by preventable deaths.