Industrial safety
After every major accident (Page 1, “17 workers killed as fire breaks out after ‘reactor blast’ at A.P. pharma plant”, August 22), there will be loud noises for an inquiry. But these will die down in due course without going into the recommendations made by safety committees. In most of these accidents, “gross human failure” and a lack of basic safety norms are the factors that are highlighted.
The regulatory framework on chemical safety is based on the Factories Act, 1948, Explosives Act, 1884; the Insecticides Act, 1968; the Petroleum Act, 1934, the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, Chemical Accidents (Emergency Planning, Preparedness, and Response) Rules, 1996, Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemicals Rules, 1989 and the Hazardous Wastes (Management, Handling and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2008.
The Directorate, General Factory Advice Service and Labour Institutes amended the Factories Act, 1948, in 1987, notifying 29 types of industrial activities as hazardous processes and introduced special provisions for hazardous process industries in the Factories Act, First Schedule. A safety audit must be carried out every two years by law. The testing of on-site emergency plans every six months is a statutory requirement. Management of medical emergencies should also be tested in drills every year. Disclosure of information to workers on chemical hazards by way of material safety data sheets is a statutory requirement. But in India, most workers are not taught about the chemicals they work with.
Corporate and enforcement negligence leading to industrial disasters needs to be highlighted.
A. Sathasivam,
Courtallam, Tamil Nadu
State of the film world
The Justice K. Hema Committee report has highlighted the exploitation in the film industry. It is startling that predation and discrimination plague Malayalam cinema in a State famed for its progressivism and political consciousness. Mollywood must be freed from the stranglehold of such producers, directors and actors.
Nagarajamani M.V.,
Hyderabad
Madras and its history
The Hindu must be lauded for its wonderful coverage on Madras city, and its history and culture. It is delightful that the city has many firsts to its credit. Chennai is perhaps the only city in the world where the sentiment is not “mine”, but proudly “ours”.
R. Sivakumar,
Chennai
