Disaster management- Fireworks accident at Virudhunagar

Accidents at the fireworks unit in Virudhunagar

Context

In the latest accident at a fireworks unit in Virudhunagar, at last count, 20 lives have perished, while 28 workers are in hospital.

Major fireworks Industries in Tamil Nadu are at:

Virudhunagar, Cuddalore ,Sivakasi and Madurai

Reasons for accidents at fireworks Industries

Gross violation of norms governing the hazardous industry.
Human error in handling explosive substances.
Unlicensed units that have mushroomed in and outside Sivakasi mostly escape scrutiny till explosions occur.
A greater concern is the illegal sub-leasing of contracts for manufacturing crackers by licensed units.
Sub-leasing of works to several persons.
- The very nature of work in a hazardous industry makes sub-leasing a byword for safety compromise.
- It leads to the conversion of every shed in a manufacturing unit into a ‘factory’ in itself with inflammable chemicals stored all over.
- Consequently, the limit on workers to be deployed is violated resulting in crowding in each shed.
Untrained workers and the piece-rate system, which induces people to race to produce more units per day, have also caused accidents.
Shortage of labour has prompted the industry to hire new recruits with limited skills.

Steps were taken by the government

On the ground there is only short-term action:
- registration of cases, arrests, identification of causes, token inspections, issuance of warnings and safety advisories.
While the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) offers training for workers.
A decade ago Parliament was informed that automation of the hazardous manufacturing process would be undertaken.

Way forward

Periodic inspections at factories, sustained crackdowns and stringent penal action against violators are non-negotiable.
For this, Central and State governments must provide the needed manpower for enforcement agencies as the industry has grown manifold.
A sustained political push for labour reforms and technological innovations within the industry is also essential.

Source: TH

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