Industrial Accidents and Chemical Safety

How chemical plant accidents like the 2020 LG Polymers gas leak in Visakhapatnam still happen, why safety enforcement is weak, and how regulation works.

Chemical accidents remain a risk in India.

Recent examples

LG Polymers, Visakhapatnam (May 2020): a styrene gas leak killed over 10 people when the plant restarted after lockdown.
Sigachi Industries, Telangana (2025): a reactor explosion killed dozens of workers.
Many smaller blasts and fires in industrial estates.

Why accidents happen

Poor maintenance.
Untrained workers.
Weak inspections: too few factory inspectors.
Cost-cutting.

Rules

Factories Act, 1948 (now in labour codes).
Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemical Rules, 1989.
National Green Tribunal can order compensation.

Economics of safety

Firms may underinvest in safety if they don’t bear full costs of accidents.
Liability and insurance create incentives.

Better practice

Process safety management.
Emergency plans with local communities.

The restart leak

After weeks of lockdown, a plant restarted without proper checks, and gas leaked into nearby villages before dawn.

Thinking chemical accidents ended after Bhopal

Serious accidents still occur.

Key takeaways

Accidents like LG Polymers (2020) still happen.
Poor maintenance and weak inspections are causes.
Rules include the Factories Act and hazardous chemical rules.
Liability creates incentives for safety.