Danger at work

Factories in India are some of the most dangerous places to work in the world.

Just this week, a big accident happened in a factory in Hyderabad. So far, 40 people have died and 33 are hurt. The factory had no fire alarms or heat sensors. It was working without permission from the fire department. That means both the factory owners and the government made serious mistakes.

Sadly, this is not a one-time thing. Accidents like this happen often – fires, gas leaks, explosions. The worst one ever was in Bhopal many years ago, where thousands died. Between 2018 and 2022, over 5,000 workers died in factory accidents in India. And that number is likely much lower than the real one. Why? Because it only includes big, formal factories. But most workers – 9 out of 10 – work in small, informal places where rules are not followed and safety is ignored.

According to world data, India is the most dangerous country for factory workers. For every 1 lakh workers, 117 die in accidents. In the U.S., it’s just 3.7. In countries like Switzerland or Germany, only about 1 or 2 die. These countries report many more non-deadly injuries – which shows they track every accident carefully. India, on the other hand, barely reports anything. That doesn’t mean our factories are safer – it means we aren’t being honest about how unsafe they are.

One study showed that police in one area recorded only 3 out of every 10 deaths in factory accidents. That’s shocking. Every accident should be investigated and reported, but many are ignored.

If India wants its factory workers to be safe, it needs to take every accident seriously, punish those at fault, and make sure safety rules are followed. Hiding the problem won’t fix it.

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