India: Nearly 6,500 workers have died in industrial accidents in the past five years, data reveals
Summary
Date Reported: 5 Sep 2022
Location: India
Other
Not Reported ( Technology, telecom & electronics ) - EmployerAffected
Total individuals affected: 27
Workers: ( 27 - Location unknown , Manufacturing: General , Gender not reported )Issues
Occupational Health & Safety , DeathsResponse
Response sought: Yes, by BBC
External link to response: (Find out more)
Action taken: The building's owner had not obtained clearance certificates from the fire department and police before subletting three floors of the building to two brothers who ran the manufacturing unit. The Delhi police's public relations officer also told the BBC that the unit did not have the "requisite licenses" for operation. The BBC phoned the factory owners several times but did not receive an answer. The BBC also tried to contact their lawyer but he refused to share his details where we could send queries.
Source type: News outlet
"Workplace accidents: Inside India's 'factories of death'", 5 September 2022
Industrial accidents kill hundreds of people and permanently disable thousands every year. A federal minister told parliament in 2021 that at least 6,500 workers had died while working in factories, ports, mines and construction sites in five years. Labour activists, who have worked in the field for years, told the BBC that the figures could be higher as many incidents are not reported or recorded.
According to data collected by global workers' union IndustriAll, sectors such as manufacturing, chemicals and construction report the most fatalities in India. In 2021 alone, it said an average of seven accidents were reported every month in Indian manufacturing industries, killing more than 162 workers.
Over the years, news reports have flagged that workers in "small, unregistered factories" are often most affected by industrial accidents. The victims are usually poor workers or migrants whose families don't have the resources to fight legal battles.