Quick answers
What should workers do if a fire or explosion occurs in a factory?
Raise the alarm and hit the emergency stop, isolate fuel or electricity if trained, evacuate upwind while staying low under smoke, and gather at the assembly point without going back for belongings.
Can I use water on an electrical fire in a factory?
No. Use a CO₂ or dry chemical extinguisher on electrical fires, never water. For flammable liquid fires, foam, CO₂ or dry chemical extinguishers are suited.
What red flags mean factory work should stop?
Stop work and escalate if a boiler pressure relief valve has not been tested recently, electrical panels are sooted with tripping ignored, hydrant pressure is near zero, solvents are transferred near ignition sources, or exits are blocked.
How can boiler explosions be prevented?
Regularly check the low-water cut-off, pressure relief valve and gauge glass and log readings, enforce lockout for maintenance and hot work, and inspect equipment before restarting after shutdowns.
Accidents in India’s registered factories killed 3,331 workers in the three years from 2018 to 2020. That is about three deaths every day, according to DGFASLI data quoted by the National Human Rights Commission. Ministry of Labour figures record 1,017 deaths in registered factories in 2022. Nobody publishes a separate national count of boiler explosions, but the big blasts of the last few years keep showing the same failures: pressure and heat not controlled, solvents near sparks, and warnings ignored.
Why this matters
A boiler blast or a reactor fire does not stay inside the shed. Many factories sit in industrial estates right next to homes, schools and shops. When boiler checks, fire approvals and evacuation plans are treated as paperwork, a small fault can kill workers and neighbours together.
Recent blasts and fires
| Date | Place | What happened | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 July 2020 | NLC India, Neyveli (Tamil Nadu) | Boiler blast in Unit 5, Thermal Power Station-II | 13 |
| 24 December 2021 | GIDC Makarpura, Vadodara (Gujarat) | Boiler blast at a chemical factory | 4, including a four-year-old girl; 11 injured |
| 23 May 2024 | MIDC Dombivli, Thane (Maharashtra) | Blast and fire at Amudan Chemicals | 11 as of 24 May; 64 injured |
| 21 August 2024 | Atchutapuram, Anakapalli (Andhra Pradesh) | Explosion at Escientia Advanced Sciences; police said a gas leak reached an electrical panel | 17; 34 injured |
Sources: Mongabay India, 8 July 2020; The Tribune (PTI), 24 December 2021; IANS, 24 May 2024; VOA, 22 August 2024. These are selected verified incidents, not a national count.
Where the risk is highest
From experience on the ground, these are the kinds of units where fires and blasts keep happening:
- Chemicals, dyes and solvents in GIDC and MIDC-type industrial estates
- Food processing and cold storage, where ammonia and steam are used
- Textile, garment and printing units, with lint and solvents
- Engineering units and foundries, with furnaces and fuel
- Pharma and packaging units that handle alcohol, acetone and other solvents
The usual causes
- Boiler and pressure failure: corrosion, a low-water cut-off that has been bypassed, or a stuck safety valve.
- Flammable vapour meeting a spark: solvent transfer while equipment is running, or welding and cutting nearby.
- Electrical faults: overloaded panels, missing earth leakage protection, poor earthing and dust on panels.
- Bad storage and housekeeping: incompatible chemicals kept together and gangways blocked.
- Gaps in training and supervision: no lockout-tagout, and written procedures that nobody checks on the shop floor.
What turns a small fire into a disaster
- Exits that are locked or blocked, so people are trapped by smoke.
- Dry hydrants or low pressure, so the first minutes of firefighting are lost.
- No automatic sprinklers, foam or gas systems where solvents are handled.
- No explosion venting, so the blast brings down walls and roofs.
- Restarting a plant after a shutdown without checking the boiler, the safety valve and the instruments.
For workers and supervisors: before anything goes wrong
- At the start of each shift, check your two nearest exits are open and clear.
- Check that extinguishers are in date and hydrant valves turn freely.
- In the boiler house, test the low-water cut-off, lift-test the safety valve as your procedure says, check the gauge glass and write the readings in the log every day.
- Use lockout-tagout for every repair, and a hot-work permit for every welding or cutting job.
- Keep spill kits, sand or absorbent and a fire blanket close to where solvents are filled or transferred.
If a fire or explosion happens
- Raise the alarm with the nearest call point or hooter and press the emergency stop. Shut off fuel or power only if you are trained to do it.
- Get out upwind. Stay low under smoke, and do not open a door that feels hot.
- Fight a fire only if it is small, you are trained and your way out is behind you. Use the right extinguisher: foam, CO2 or dry powder for burning liquids; CO2 or dry powder for electrical equipment. Never use water on electrical equipment.
- Call 101 (fire) or 112 from a safe place, and 108 for an ambulance.
- Report to the assembly point so you are counted, and never go back in for belongings.
What works: engineering and management controls
- Boiler protection: dual low-water cut-offs, a tested safety valve, feed-water interlocks and flame-failure protection. Under the Boilers Act, 2025, which replaced the 1923 Act, boilers are registered and certified through the state boiler inspectorate. Do not run a boiler without a valid certificate.
- Hazardous area classification: use flameproof or intrinsically safe electrical equipment, approved for the zone, near solvents and gases.
- Automatic suppression: sprinklers or foam in warehouses and solvent areas, and clean-agent gas systems for electrical panels where suitable.
- Ventilation and explosion relief: exhaust in solvent rooms and blow-out panels or vents that let a blast escape safely.
- Earthing and bonding: for tanker unloading, drum filling and powder handling, to stop static sparks.
- Segregation: keep incompatible chemicals apart, and do not build mezzanines that trap heat and smoke.
- Hot-work permits: gas testing before work, a fire watch during work and a fire watch for a set time after work stops.
- Simple records: a log for every hydrant, extinguisher and alarm test, and a direct line from the alarm to the control room and the fire brigade.
Five red flags: stop work and report
- The boiler safety valve has not been tested on schedule
- Electrical panels are brown or sooty, and tripping is being ignored
- The hydrant pressure gauge reads at or near zero
- Solvents are being transferred near a flame, spark or running motor
- Exits are locked or blocked, or smoke detectors and sprinklers are taped over
If you see any of these, stop the job and report it to your supervisor, safety officer or the factory inspectorate.
What needs to change
- Regular third-party safety audits for high-hazard units, with a public summary.
- No valid boiler certificate and inspection, no operation.
- Fire stations and ring-main hydrants built for industrial estates, not borrowed from the nearest town.
- Regular on-site drills, and off-site drills with the district administration, SDRF and NDRF.
- Fire approvals renewed only after hydrant pressure, pump and sprinkler tests are seen working.
- Process safety, lockout-tagout, confined space and hot work taught in ITI and polytechnic courses.
- Safe ways for workers to report hazards without losing their jobs.
Do this on your next shift
Boilers rarely explode without warning. The warnings show up in the log book, the gauge and the safety valve weeks before. On your next shift, walk your exits, look at the boiler log and check one hydrant. If something is wrong, say so today. The cheapest day to fix a boiler is the day before the accident.
References
- National Human Rights Commission, notices to the Centre and States/UTs over the reported high death rate of workers in registered factories (2 February 2023)
- Dataful (data: Ministry of Labour and Employment / DGFASLI), year-wise registered factories, fatal and non-fatal injuries (updated 8 August 2024)
- Mongabay India, “With boiler blast, the Neyveli power station becomes a fiery grave” (8 July 2020)
- The Tribune (PTI), “4 killed, 11 injured in boiler blast at chemical factory in Vadodara” (24 December 2021)
- IANS, “Thane blast-cum-blaze toll is 11, chemical stink and ash cover a 4 km area” (24 May 2024)
- VOA, “Death toll in India factory explosion rises to 17” (22 August 2024)
- PRS Legislative Research, The Boilers Bill, 2024 (became the Boilers Act, 2025)
What needs attention
- Boiler blasts follow known failures: a bypassed low-water cut-off, a stuck safety valve, corrosion or a restart without checks
- Solvent vapour meeting a spark from an electrical panel, welding or static is behind many chemical-unit explosions
- Blocked exits, dry hydrants and no automatic suppression turn small fires into mass-casualty events
- Factories inside crowded industrial estates put neighbours at risk, not only workers
- The warning signs usually show up in logs and gauges well before the blast
Controls that reduce risk
- Keep the boiler certificate valid and follow the state boiler inspectorate's inspection schedule
- Test the low-water cut-off and safety valve and log boiler readings every shift
- Use flameproof or intrinsically safe electrical equipment near solvents
- Earth and bond tankers, drums and powder lines before transfer
- Run hot work only under permit, with gas testing and a fire watch
- Fit sprinklers or foam where solvents are stored and keep hydrant pressure up
- Drill every shift on alarm, evacuation and headcount
Common unsafe practices
- Bypassing the boiler low-water cut-off or ignoring a safety valve that has not been tested
- Restarting a boiler or plant after a shutdown without inspection
- Transferring solvents near running motors, panels or hot work
- Welding or cutting without a hot-work permit and fire watch
- Keeping hydrants dry or exits locked
- Taping over smoke detectors or sprinklers to stop false alarms
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