NCRB ReportVadodara: Gujarat, often projected as India’s manufacturing powerhouse, recorded the highest number of deaths from factory and machine accidents in the country for the third consecutive year in 2024, according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data.The state reported 121 deaths in factory and machine accidents in 2024 — the highest in the country — despite Tamil Nadu having the largest number of registered factories in India, followed by Gujarat. Tamil Nadu reported 16 fatalities during the year.Gujarat had also topped the list in 2022 and 2023. The state recorded 121 deaths in 2022 and 114 deaths in 2023, indicating that the fatality count has remained consistently high over the past three years.Among the 121 people killed in Gujarat in 2024, 114 were men and seven were women. Rajasthan followed with 95 deaths, while Maharashtra recorded 87 fatalities.Tamil Nadu, one of India’s most industrialised states with over 40,000 factories, reported significantly lower fatalities, with five deaths in 2022, 11 in 2023 and 16 in 2024.The NCRB data also showed that Gujarat recorded eight accidental explosions involving industrial boilers or gas cylinders in 2024, leading to 14 deaths — again the highest in the country. Following such incidents, the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health registers cases against industrial units and initiates action for violations of safety norms.Several recent industrial accidents have highlighted the risks faced by workers in the state. In Aug 2024, three people, including a child, died after getting trapped in machinery at a clay manufacturing unit in Kutch. In March this year, two workers were killed in a fire at a chemical unit in Bharuch. Earlier this year, a worker.
