Indian factories routinely flout occupational health and safety rules, even as inspections remain scant, and overworked, underpaid workers operate faulty machinery leading to accidents and injuries, many of which are not counted in official statistics, a new report shows.

For instance, India’s labour rules mandate a 48-hour limit per week for factory workers, but this limit is routinely ignored. Safe In India Foundation (SII), a Manesar-based organisation focused on automobile workers' safety, has assisted over 11,000 workers since 2016 in accessing Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) entitlements like medical support and pension.

The Occupational Safety & Health and Working Conditions (Central) Rules, 2025 allow factories to operate for 12 hours a day without overtime, provided that they follow a four-day work week such that the 48-hour limit is maintained. 

However, 72 percent injured workers said they work more than 60 hours a week, while 24 percent work 48 to 60 hours. Further, many workers reported working frequent 24-hour shifts, according to Crushed 2026, SII’s eighth annual report on workplace injuries.

Two in five injured workers were aware of machine malfunctions, and 84 percent had reported these to their supervisors, but they were ignored, SII found. Nearly nine in 10 workers said that machines were inspected only after an accident or before a scheduled audit, in violation of daily checks as required.

Factories are required to maintain records on health and safety, but anecdotally, SII found that “brand new accident registers with only the current case written are kept, that too only before the audits”.

"Both government and OEM/buyer inspectors are essentially not reaching these factories, and when they do, they don't talk to the workers, which matches what more than 11,000 injured workers have told us over the years," said Dhanraj Balakrishna, senior manager, advocacy at SII.

About a fifth of workers and sixth of helpers who were assisted by SII after an injury said they did not receive a minimum wage. Only 5 percent received an appointment letter, about half do not receive salary slips, and most of those who do receive them report errors such as underreporting of working hours and lower wages for overtime.

ESIC applies to factories and other establishments like road transport, hotels, restaurants etc where 10 or more persons are employed. Employees drawing wages up to Rs 21,000 a month, are entitled to social security cover under the ESI Act.

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