Why frequent fire accident in Sivakasi?
52 firework poor wage earners have been charred to death today, and the toll may be presumably more, and the injured are 70. Such casualties occur in small fire cracker factories in Sivakasi in Virudhunagar district in south Tamil Nadu.
Sivakasi's notorious fire accidents
The fire casualties from the firecracker factories are recurrent because the fire hazard industries such as the match stick factories, fire crackers are in mushroom being proliferated even hamlets around Sivakasi defying the government fire hazard norms. The grievous issue is engaging child labours ignoring standard rules. The chemicals used are highly inflammable, and no organisation either governmental or nongovernmental be callous about this serious subject. In 12 years, 237 workers had died around 88 fire workers units despite heavy regulations from the government.If burnt injury is 30 to 40 percent there will be loss of life due to dehydration.Low investment and high dividends
The fire crackers and match stick industries are supposed to be the cottage industries, and the poor workers find it easy for wage earning.The great secret is that the such factories,especially small one are ready to employ small girls since they are quite deft and quick in arraying the sticks in the frame, and dismantling the frames that contain the match sticks; they are so quick to dip the plastic as well as finely cut wooden stick in an orderly manner.Sections in the fire hazard factory
There are different sections in these factories namely chemical section,chemical mixing section,manually dipping the seasoned chemicals, all these involve a major fire hazards.While the manufacturing these firecrackers or match stick, a foul smell emanate,affecting the lungs of the workers whether the adult men,women and children. Some of the severe fire accident were not brought out in the media, and they were concealed with conniving agencies. All packing materials are easily susceptible to catch fire easily because they are made of card boards,paper labels, and wooden boxes. Modernizing the factories
Since Sivakasi, known as Kutty Japan, meaning tiny Japan by now ought to have modernized the factories whereby involving less human application. The government should organize delegates to visit China,Taiwan and similar countries to adopt the modern machines, and also invite expertise to guide the industry in such a way that no human casualties should take place.
