Singhitarai explosion exposes systemic OSH failures in India

Preliminary investigations point to excessive pressure caused by fuel accumulation inside the furnace, confirming the incident was preventable.

The plant has no union representation, and unions have reportedly been unable to access the site, raising serious concerns about safety oversight and accountability.

Systemic failure

Official data shows that in 2022, India had 268,747 working factories but only 6,244 safety officers - one for every 40 factories - making effective inspection impossible. Of 4,036 recorded workplace injuries that year, 1,053 were fatal. More than one in four reported incidents ended in death, reflecting both the severity of accidents and likely underreporting.

At a South Asia regional OSH webinar held by IndustriALL on 15 April, trade unions reiterated these concerns, pointing to weak inspection systems, lack of enforcement and the absence of worker participation as key drivers of recurring industrial accidents.

Unions in Pakistan reported repeated fatal accidents in the power and textile sectors driven by weak enforcement and precarious work. In Bangladesh, safety improvements remain uneven beyond the garment sector, leaving workers in other industries exposed.

These examples underline that the accident in Singhitarai reflect broader regional failures in enforcement and accountability.

Accountability, not just compensation

Company responsibility cannot end with compensation announcements. Without accountability, the cycle will continue.

Sanjay Singh, general secretary of the Indian National Electricity Workers Federation and IndustriALL executive committee member, said:

"This was not an unforeseen accident. Operating with outdated and scrapped machinery under excessive load is a clear case of negligence. The real question is how such a plant was allowed to operate in the first place."

Sanjay Vadhavkar, general secretary of the Steel, Metal & Engineering Workers' Federation of India and IndustriALL executive committee member, said:

"As per available information, this could have been avoided and workers' lives saved with proper safety systems. Rising industrial accidents in India reflect eroding safety controls, reduced inspections, and self-certification. The dilution of safety laws in favour of industry is putting workers at risk. Unions will continue to fight for safe workplaces."

Atle Høie, IndustriALL general secretary, said:

"Worker safety is a fundamental obligation under ILO Conventions C155 and C187. This tragedy exposes serious failures in enforcement and accountability. It also underlines the critical role of worker representation in identifying risks and preventing accidents. The company must take full responsibility, ensure full transparency regarding the causes of the explosion, and guarantee that workers are able to organise and be represented to prevent such tragedies from happening again."