Shop-Floor Safety in India-Report of Public Interest Action

Occupational accidents kill an estimated 1,00,000 workers and disable more than ten times as many every year in India. Consequent to growing concern about environmental health in the 1970s, public interest groups and unions began to recognise occupational hazards as a problem. Having little experience with hazards problems, unions requested outside help. The Bhopal accident forced wider attention on occupational hazards. These preliminary efforts have yet to impact shop-floor conditions, for, several impediments exist: inadequacy of the law, industry structure, labour attitudes, inadequate public interest lobby and union co-operation, resource constraints and so on.