Committee for the Abolition of Illegitimate Debt

According to the Directorate General Factory Advice Service and Labour Institutes (DGFASLI) report (2021), a total of 32,413 accidents were reported across various industries, resulting in 1,050 fatalities and 3,882 injuries, in 2020 (Table 1). The table also shows that there has been a decrease in industrial accidents in terms of total injuries and non-fatal accidents (2011-2020).

Table 1

We must bear in mind, however, that DGFASLI data appears to be under-reported. This is for three reasons. One, the data was gathered with the assistance of local inspectors under the direct supervision of the Chief Inspector of State (DGFASLI). However, there is only one inspector for every 500 factories, raising concerns regarding data gathering. According to the same data, approximately 50% of positions for Safety Inspectors, Medical Inspectors, Hygiene Inspectors, and Chemical Inspectors remain unfilled. This lack of personnel not only makes adequate data collecting difficult, but also makes proper inspections impossible. Third, the expanding informalisation of the economy has already pushed numerous MSMEs out of the formal sector, which accounts for 90% of the GDP GDP
Gross Domestic Product Gross Domestic Product is an aggregate measure of total production within a given territory equal to the sum of the gross values added. The measure is notoriously incomplete; for example it does not take into account any activity that does not enter into a commercial exchange. The GDP takes into account both the production of goods and the production of services. Economic growth is defined as the variation of the GDP from one period to another. . As a result, only 22% of all registered factories and 35% of dangerous factories are inspected. The vast majority of MSMEs, which account for 33% of India’s GDP, are not subject to any safety regulations.

As the table shows, even though total injuries have decreased by roughly 70% during 2015-16, the rate of dangerous events and fatalities remained steady throughout the 10-year period. This also suggests that the rate of deaths has increased dramatically in relation to dangerous occurrences and overall injuries, with a 27% increase.

Table 2 shows that more fatalities are recorded in more industrialised States such as Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu
Table 2

# No data available for these years

Despite this disconcerting reality, only 2,563 persons were convicted, barely 10 people were imprisoned for violations of the Factories Act, and only about INR (₹) 30 millions in compensation was obtained. Employers/contractors are known to continually try and avoid responsibility. For a start, they rarely report accident instances with safety inspectors or any government official for fear of legal action. They prefer to admit injured workers to private hospitals rather than government facilities.

India also has structural issues in occupational safety and health, which contribute to the high prevalence of workplace accidents and endanger workers’ health. Laws and regulations are not often strictly enforced and do not fully cover all industries and types of employment. As a result, there are loopholes and inconsistencies, exposing workers in some industries or informal sectors to hazardous working conditions.

Table 3

Another aspect that receives insufficient attention is health. The majority of workers do not have adequate health coverage (Table 3). It is sad that workers’ health and safety are among the first to go in order to save money. Unfortunately, this is unlikely to help India in developing a sustainable economy, let alone an equitable society. Workers’ safety, decent pay and social security must be prioritised in any industrial planning.