Last week, five workers were killed and another 11 hospitalised when an explosion ripped through the inside of a ship in the area that they were working, in the southern city of Cochin. The incident is still under investigation but it is believed that a build-up of acetylene gas and an exposed welding flame caused the explosion. Health and safety conditions in many Indian workplaces are substandard with lax enforcement of the rules. In this instance, it seems that the owners of the shipyard had obtained a OHS ‘self-certification’ which allows companies to self-regulate, and therefore cut costs.
Last week, five workers were killed and another 11 hospitalised when an explosion ripped through the inside of a ship in the area that they were working, in the southern city of Cochin. The incident is still under investigation but it is believed that a build-up of acetylene gas and an exposed welding flame caused the explosion. Health and safety conditions in many Indian workplaces are substandard with lax enforcement of the rules. In this instance, it seems that the owners of the shipyard had obtained a OHS ‘self-certification’ which allows companies to self-regulate, and therefore cut costs.
