Lok Sabha Question No. 3935 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-03-28
Subject: Guidelines for Fire and Safety Audit
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Jayanta Kumar Roy

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 3935

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 28.03.2022

## Guidelines for Fire and Safety Audit

## 3935. DR. JAYANTA KUMAR ROY:

Will the  Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government had issued necessary guidelines to the industrial companies to get third party fire and safety audit done,
- (b) the number and details of industrial companies which failed in safety audit, State-wise along with the details of action taken against the industrial companies which failed on safety norms; and
- (c) the details of preventive steps taken by the Government to check industrial disasters and accidents?

## ANSWER

MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

- (a) The  Ministry  of  Environment,  Forest  and  Climate  Change  (MoEFCC)  and  the Central  Pollution  Control  Board  (CPCB)  had  prepared  an  'Integrated  Guidance Framework for Chemicals Safety in Respect of the Isolated Storages and Industries Covered Under Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemicals (MSIHC)  Rules,  1989'  in  compliance  with  the  directions  of  the  Hon'ble  Green Tribunal dated 11.06.2021 in the matter of Original Application no. 60/2021. The framework covers chemical accident scenarios like spillages/ leakages of hazardous chemicals,  fire,  explosion  or  other  incidents  arising  out  of  handling  of  hazardous chemicals and provides guidance to industrial units on conducting safety audits in adherence to  Indian  Standard,  IS:14489:2018  -  Code  of  Practice  on  Occupational Safety  &  Health  Audit.  The  guidance  mandates  that  competent  agencies,  duly accredited by the Accreditation Board of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, can  only  undertake  safety  audits.  In  case  of  absence  of  such  accreditation,  the competent  agencies  must  possess  the  approval  of  Chief  Inspector  of  Factories (CIFs) appointed under Factories Act, 1948 to undertake safety audits.
- (b) The  CIFs  of  State/  Union  Territories  (State/  UTs)are  nodal  agencies  to  ensure operational  safety  at  chemical  industrial  units.  As  per  the  provisions  of  MSIHC Rules, 1989, the CIFs can issue improvement notice under Rule 19 to industries for contravening its provisions including failure in safety audit, and ask them to comply with prescribed measures within 45 days. The details of industrial companies that

failed in safety audit along with action taken against such companies is maintained at State/UT level by CIFs.

- (c) To prevent industrial accidents and chemical emergencies, the MSIHC Rules, 1989 prescribe for undertaking safety audits, preparation of on-site emergency plans by industries, preparation of off-site emergency plans by district authorities and carry out mock drills for assessing preparedness. To support States/ UTs in dealing with industrial disasters, the MoEFCC and CPCB has been providing technical support in the  form  of  precautionary  advisories,  chemical  safety  framework  and  sharing technical  recommendations  on  operation  of  industries  dealing  with  hazardous chemicals.

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