Industries responsible for workers' safety: Minister

Labour Minister P T Parameshwara Naik on Thursday said industries were responsible for the safety of workers and environment protection and should ensure no industrial accidents take place within the factory premises.

He was speaking at the inaugural session of the day-long workshop on 'Prevention of industrial/ chemical disasters in pharmaceutical and fine chemical industries', organised by Karnataka State Safety Institute, a unit of the Department of Factories, Boilers, Industrial Safety and Health.

Managements of industries should also ensure a foolproof arrangement to avoid any chemical gas leakage, which could lead to disaster. Industries should discourage the usage of dangerous chemicals, he said, adding that training must be imparted to workers on how to deal with industrial accidents.

Naik emphasised on regular inspection of boilers as a minor negligence may result in a major accident.

Speaking on the occasion, Biocon Indian Chairperson and Managing Director Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw pointed out that there were many regulations on safety mechanism, which many industries were ignoring. She said the 'Make In India' campaign should also involve safety campaign.