Jharkhand’s industrial safety crisis deepens! Worker loses hands in Bokaro, another crushed at Patratu

SUMAN K SHRIVASTAVA

Ranchi, Oct 31: A wave of serious workplace accidents across Jharkhand’s major industrial hubs — including Bokaro Steel Plant (SAIL), Patratu Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (PVUNL), CCL, BCCL, and several private steel and cement plants — has sparked outrage among labour unions and safety activists.

In the past six months, at least eight major accidents have left multiple workers dead or permanently disabled, raising grave concerns over industrial safety enforcement, corruption, and official negligence in both government-run and private facilities.

Bokaro Steel Plant: Contract Worker Loses Both Hands in Blast Furnace Mishap

On Thursday morning, 45-year-old Debashish Roy, a contract worker under HN Refractory, lost both hands while working at Blast Furnace-4 of the Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL), operated by the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL).

Roy’s hands were trapped in a Mudgun machine during a clay-filling operation. Co-workers rushed him to Bokaro General Hospital, and later, he was referred to Apollo Hospital, Kolkata, where his condition remains critical.

BSL has launched an internal probe, but factory inspectors and labour officials have yet to make any public statement. The incident marks the fifth major accident at the Bokaro plant since June 2025.

Patratu Power Project: Worker’s Legs Crushed Under Falling Iron Plate

Earlier this week, Dilkhush Khan, a 25-year-old from Garhwa, was critically injured at the under-construction PVUNL power plant in Patratu, Ramgarh.

While working under the RVPR Company, a contractor for BHEL, a crane strap snapped, causing a heavy iron plate to crush both his legs. He is undergoing treatment at Ranchi’s Medanta Hospital.

Following the accident, journalists were barred from entering the hospital, drawing criticism from the press and civil society for the lack of transparency surrounding industrial accidents.

Public-Sector Pattern: Repeated Accidents in CCL, BCCL, and Power Units

According to union data, Jharkhand’s coal and power sectors have also witnessed frequent fatal mishaps in recent months:

May 2025 (Dhanbad – BCCL): Two miners were killed and one injured in a roof collapse at Sendra Bansjora colliery.

June 2025 (Hazaribagh – CCL): A dumper overturned in the Rajrappa Area, killing two operators.

August 2025 (Koderma – DVC plant): A boiler leak injured three engineers and caused a temporary shutdown.

September 2025 (Bokaro – SMS-1, BSL): A gas leak and explosion killed three contractual workers and injured two others.

Despite repeated tragedies, factory inspectors and government departments have been accused of remaining silent spectators, often limiting their role to issuing show-cause notices after the fact.

Private-Sector Plants No Safer: Workers Killed in Electrosteel, Dalmia, and JSW Units

Accidents have not been confined to public-sector enterprises. In the last six months, private steel and cement companies have also reported multiple fatal incidents:

July 2025 (Bokaro – Electrosteel Steels Limited, Vedanta Group): A molten metal spill in the furnace section killed one worker and left two others with severe burns.

August 2025 (Latehar – Dalmia Cement Plant): A contract technician died after being caught in a conveyor belt during maintenance work.

September 2025 (Chandil – JSW Steel Unit): A worker died after a crane cable snapped, dropping a load of metal sheets.

October 2025 (Giridih – Shree Cement Plant): Two labourers were injured in a kiln blast caused by pressure buildup.

Labour rights groups claim that private industries often underreport or suppress accident data, and that injured workers are quickly replaced without proper compensation or accountability.

Unions Demand Statewide Audit and Accountability

Trade unions from Bokaro, Dhanbad, and Ramgarh have united to demand a comprehensive industrial safety audit across both public and private sectors.

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“Whether it’s a PSU like SAIL or a private company, workers are treated as expendable. There is no effective monitoring by the Labour Department,” said a leader of the Jharkhand Mazdoor Sangh.

Unions have called for criminal charges under the Factories Act and IPC Sections 287/304A against negligent officials and contractors. They have also demanded that the Jharkhand government set up a High-Level Committee with representation from labour organisations and independent safety experts.

Experts Warn of Systemic Breakdown in Safety Oversight

Safety experts say most industrial units in Jharkhand — public and private alike — outsource high-risk operations to contract workers, leaving accountability blurred between principal employers and contractors.

Audits are often “on paper only,” with poor documentation of training and safety drills. Experts also highlight that factory inspectorates are severely understaffed, allowing industries to operate with minimal oversight.

“This is not about isolated accidents — it’s a full-blown safety crisis,” said a former official of the Directorate of Factories. “The government’s silence is as dangerous as the negligence that causes these deaths.”

Government Yet to Act

Despite rising fatalities, the Jharkhand Labour Department, Directorate of Factories, and District Administrations have so far refrained from releasing any consolidated data or initiating visible punitive action against erring industries.

Workers and unions fear that without urgent intervention, Jharkhand’s rapid industrial expansion will continue to come at the cost of human lives.

Summary: Major Industrial Accidents in Jharkhand (May–Oct 2025)