Foreseeable accidents: On the recent industrial accidents in India
The article highlights recent industrial accidents in Surat (septic tank deaths) and Visakhapatnam (steel plant explosion), arguing that these are not isolated incidents but systemic failures of safety management. It attributes these failures to inadequate safety protocols, organizational weaknesses, reliance on contract labor, a 'cost over safety' mindset, and issues like reduced staffing and deferred maintenance. The piece also notes the uneven implementation of India's new occupational safety framework and the persistence of old problems like caste- and class-based exposure to hazardous labor.
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