The number of injuries jumped from 531 in fiscal year 2019-20 to 803 in 2021-22. Read more at straitstimes.com.
NEW DELHI - In 2022, the Indian vehicle market crossed a significant milestone when it overtook Japan in sales, making it the third-largest auto market for the first time. More than 4.25 million units were sold as manufacturers revved up production following two sluggish pandemic years.
Industrial accidents in India are frequent and responsible for hundreds of fatalities each year, with many more injuries. In 2020, the government recorded 3,882 countrywide incidents of injury, including 1,050 fatal ones, in the entire manufacturing sector. This is a gross undercount though; the SII estimates that the 68 injuries reported for Haryana, for instance, are not even 5 per cent of the total figure for the state.
Such machines shear, punch and shape metal sheets into a required form that later makes up spare parts for vehicles. These machines’ in-built safety sensors or guards to prevent injuries are often missing or defective – symptomatic of lax workplace safety compliance in India. With his last complaint about a broken safety sensor on another machine overlooked, he continued working on these machines as his supervisors hounded him to keep up productivity. “Had I told them I will not work, they would have asked me to leave,” he told The Straits Times. As he needed his monthly salary of about 13,000 rupees , he had little choice but to carry on.
Fatigue is another key factor that contributes to injuries. As many as 12 per cent of the injured workers documented for 2021-22 in the report said they were working past their 12-hour shift at the time of the accidents. In Mr Mohammad’s case, he is receiving free treatment under this scheme and the paperwork for other benefits is being processed. He has also received ex-gratia assistance of around 6,500 rupees from his contractor, but this is not enough to meet his living and room rent expenses, now that he is out of work.