I woke up to the news of another industrial tragedy — seven workers burned alive in a fire and blast at an illegal unit in Bhiwadi. The images and reports from the scene are brutal: smoke, collapsed structures, frantic rescue efforts, and families left with an unfillable absence. The incident — reported across outlets such as Times of India and CNBC-TV18 — points to a pattern I have written about before: when profit, informality and regulatory gaps meet volatile materials, the weakest pay the price.
What happened — and what it reveals
From the reporting: the unit was operating where it shouldn’t have, storing highly combustible materials and, according to eyewitnesses, containing large quantities of gunpowder and cardboard that fed the blaze. A routine police patrol noticed the smoke, rescue teams arrived, and yet seven lives were lost — with others feared trapped or injured. Explosions during the fire made rescue harder and the damage more catastrophic.
This single event is a concentrated form of many systemic failures:
- Weak enforcement of permits and safety inspections in industrial clusters.
- The renting of disused factories to informal operators who ignore process safety in pursuit of quick margins.
- A labour ecosystem that pushes vulnerable workers — often migrants with few options — into unsafe jobs.
- Emergency response systems that are brave and diligent but stretched when faced with chemical fires and explosions.
A humane and structural response
My first response is always human: grief for the dead, urgency for survivors, and support for families who now face sudden economic ruin. Beyond compassion, this tragedy demands structural fixes:
- Rigorous auditing and mapping of industrial units in high-risk zones, with immediate action against illegal operations.
- Mandatory safety certification tied to utility connections and insurance — no power, no gas, no operations without verified safety.
- Clear accountability for landlords and intermediaries who knowingly rent spaces for illegal activity.
- Stronger protections for informal workers: registered employment, basic social security, and fast-track compensation and legal support after industrial accidents.
- Investment in specialised firefighting capacity for chemical and explosive materials in industrial clusters.
These are not rhetorical demands. They are practical: clearer rules plus relentless implementation.
Why managers, owners and policymakers must act differently
I have argued before that management attitudes matter as much as laws. When employers, owners and regulators treat workers as expendable or see safety as a line-item to be minimized, disasters follow. In my past reflections on management and labour relations I urged a shift in attitude — to treat employees like family members in a joint enterprise, and to make safety and dignity central to how businesses operate Labour Laws vs Management Attitudes.
Policies can set boundaries, but culture drives compliance. A culture that rewards short-term margins over human life will always find ways to cut corners.
Small steps that can save lives — right now
- Rapid inspection drives across known industrial clusters and immediate sealing of illegal units that store hazardous materials.
- Emergency helplines and legal aid booths near industrial hubs so workers and families can access compensation quickly.
- Publicly accessible registers of authorised manufacturers and certified plants — transparency deters illegality.
- Local industry associations committing to peer inspections and whistleblower protections for safety concerns.
A personal ask
If you run, manage, or invest in industrial units — particularly in high-risk sectors — please do two things today:
- Walk onto your shop floor and ask a worker how secure they feel. Listen.
- If you cannot verify that your safety systems work under real conditions, pause operations until you can.
Every life lost is an indictment of systems we can change.
Regards,
Hemen Parekh
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