Importance of Industrial Safety

Industrial safety and efficiency are directly related to each other. Safety measured prevents accidents and ensure regular flow of work. Safety also helps to improve the morale and productivity of workers.

It contributes to team work and sense of belonging among employees.

Surveys and studies reveal that wherever safety measures are good, labour productivity is high. This is so because employees can concentrate on their work with confidence and without fear.

Moreover, rules and regulations prescribed under labour laws require employers to provide certain minimum safety measures to their employees. Therefore, every employer should pay due attention to industrial safety and take adequate steps to prevent industrial accidents.

Industrial accidents cause a great loss to both the employer and the employees.

(a) Cost of compensation to be required by employees.

(b) Cost of medical aid.

(c) Cost of training a new worker.

(d) Cost of the lost time when work stops due to an accident.

(e) Cost of investigation into the accident.

(f) Cost of supervision and inspections.

(g) Cost to the Govt in terms of factory inspectors and public health services.

(h) Cost of spoilage of materials.

(i) Cost of damage to machinery.

(j) Cost of wages payable during injury.

(k) Cost of loss of morale.

(l) Cost of loss to the workers and his family.

Society suffers a great deal due to industrial accidents. Gas leak in the Union Carbide factory in December, 1984 in Bhopal killed thousands and disabled lakhs of people.