​Foreseeable accidents, Pg8

Key Highlights:

• Recent industrial accidents in Surat and Visakhapatnam resulted in the deaths of four and nine workers, respectively.
• The Surat incident involved confined space entry into a septic tank, while the Visakhapatnam explosion occurred at a steel plant.
• These incidents are indicative of persistent safety failures and organizational weaknesses across Indian industries.
• A central factor contributing to these risks is the increasing reliance on contract labor, who often receive less training and operate with fragmented accountability.
• The accidents highlight challenges during the implementation of India's new Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020.

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Detailed Insights:

• The Surat tragedy, involving workers succumbing to toxic fumes in a septic tank, follows a known pattern of fatalities in confined spaces where rescuers often become victims.
• Despite the inherent dangers of steelmaking, the Visakhapatnam explosion points to systemic issues such as reduced staffing, heavier workloads, aging equipment, and deferred maintenance.
• Trade unions and former employees linked the Visakhapatnam plant's issues to the Centre’s divestment plans and resulting investment constraints, fostering a "cost over safety" mindset.
• Occupational safety research consistently shows that contracted workers face higher risks due to inadequate training and fragmented accountability systems.
• The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 (OSH Code), which came into full force on November 21, 2025, aims to consolidate and amend 13 old central labor laws.
• Under the new OSH Code, the principal employer now bears primary and non-delegable liability for the safety, welfare, and wage payment of all workers, including contract workers.
• Deaths in septic tanks are often misclassified as accidents, obscuring the underlying failures in basic safety management and the persistence of issues related to manual scavenging.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Occupational Safety and Health (OSH): A multidisciplinary field concerned with protecting the safety, health, and welfare of people engaged in work or employment.
• Confined Space Entry: Working in an enclosed or partially enclosed space not designed for continuous human occupancy, posing risks like toxic atmospheres or engulfment.
• Contract Labour: Workers employed by a contractor to perform work for a principal employer, often characterized by temporary employment and varied working conditions.
• Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020: A comprehensive Indian legislation enacted to consolidate and amend laws regulating occupational safety, health, and working conditions in establishments.