Factories in Telangana see 1 fire accident every 2 days

HYDERABAD: The reactor blast at a pharma plant in Sangareddy has brought the factories and industries in Telangana into the spotlight as they suffer at least one fire accident every two days.
According to official figures, factories/ industries recorded over 600 accidents during 2021-2023, most of which were in Jeedimetla, IDA Bollaram, Pashamylaram, Patancheru and Sangareddy.In Jan and Feb, 55 accidents were reported in factories and industries, which sheds light on the severity of fire incidents in these places.
With regard to casualties, Telangana witnessed 1,116 deaths due to fire accidents including at factories/industries, warehouses and households between 2021-2023. This translates to one death a day due to fire. The casualties in 2022 (418 deaths) and 2023 (402 deaths) were higher than any year in the last decade.
Staff crunch a main issue
Officials said the majority of the fire accidents were due to human error, negligence in following fire safety measures by companies, deploying daily labourers in place of skilled workers for cost-cutting, and not enforcing safety equipment during the operations along with chemical reactions and short circuits.
Sources in the state govt’s department of factories said that there are 4,130 high-risk factories (pharma, chemical units) in the state, but there are only 20 inspectors and joint inspectors to keep a tab on safety aspects being carried out here and they could take up inspections hardly once in a year or two for each factory.
Another eight posts of the inspectors are lying vacant.
Mishaps over human errors
“Majority of the fire accidents in factories and industries were due to human error and even if one person makes a mistake in the operations, it would result in a massive blast. Our teams would inspect pharma and chemical units, which are categorised as high-risk places, once a year and check fire safety regulations, systems and equipment and their working conditions. If we are not satisfied with their standard operating protocols, we will issue show cause notices to the factories,” said the director of factories, B Raja Gopala Rao.
According to the factories department, safety measures include fencing of machinery, safe means of access, covering of pits, sumps and other openings, testing of lifting machinery and pressure vessels, cleanliness of the workplaces, avoiding overcrowding, housekeeping, maintaining ventilation temperature, proper disposal of wastes, dust & fumes, have to be implemented by factories.