The Hindu Business Line : `Strict compliance of Factories Act norms can prevent mishaps'

Seeking strict compliance of the stringent provisions of the Factories Act 1948, especially after amendments in 1987 (post Bhopal disaster) for prevention of accidents and ensuring safe working conditions for factory workers in the State, Mr P.K. Banerjee, Chief Inspector of Factories, Directorate of Factories, West Bengal, said here on Tuesday that good house-keeping and dissemination of information to workers were the key factors for ensuring factory safety.

Speaking at an interactive session organised by CII, Eastern Region, Mr Banerjee said the number of reportable accidents annually in the country in registered factories was close to four lakh, and of this, fatalities accounted were as many as 800. In the West Bengal context, he said the reportable number of accidents was around 30,000 annually and fatal accidents came to some 60 every year.

Incidence rate

Pointing out that the incidence rate (accidents per 1000 workers) for India was between 62 and 65, against 32-35 in the UK and 20-25 in the US, he said indirect causes were five times more responsible compared to direct causes for factory accidents, implying there was still substantial lack of awareness among factory workers to safety requirements.

He attributed bulk of the accident cases to manual handling operations, particularly unsafe handling of materials within factory premises.

Suggesting that accidents were not acts of God, as popularly believed, he said majority of the Trade Union leaders were not fully aware of the indirect causes of accidents at factories. Suggesting that most provisions of the Act veer around safety standards for accident prevention, he said strict compliance in registered factories to the Act provisions was the need of the hour.

Lack of adequate manpower

Pointing out that both the occupier and manager of the factory, as per the provisions, are made liable for prosecution in case of neglect leading to major accidents, he said the Topsia area of East Kolkata had innumerable unregistered factories, which couldnotbe monitored closely by the Directorate of Factories because of lack of adequate manpower. Mentioning the name of the `occupier' while applying for factory permission to be submitted at least 15 days before commencement of operations was statutory obligation.

Admitting that prosecution was the only way to stop proliferation of these unregistered factories, in areas such as Topsia (which abound in small leather units including tanneries), he said the Directorate was hamstrung with only nine inspectors, three joint chiefs and one chief, especially when they had to supervise as many as 13,000 registered factories in the State.

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