Gujarat, often hailed as India's manufacturing hub, has recorded the highest number of deaths from factory and machine accidents in the country for the third consecutive year in 2024, according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report.
Gujarat's Grim Record
The state reported 121 fatalities in factory and machine accidents in 2024, the highest in the nation. This comes despite Tamil Nadu having the largest number of registered factories, followed by Gujarat. Tamil Nadu reported only 16 deaths during the same period.
Gujarat had also topped the list in 2022 and 2023, with 121 and 114 deaths respectively, indicating a persistently high fatality rate over the past three years.
Demographics of Victims
Among the 121 people killed in Gujarat in 2024, 114 were men and seven were women. Rajasthan followed with 95 deaths, while Maharashtra recorded 87 fatalities.
Tamil Nadu, one of India's most industrialized states with over 40,000 factories, reported significantly lower fatalities: five deaths in 2022, 11 in 2023, and 16 in 2024.
Industrial Explosions
The NCRB data also showed that Gujarat recorded eight accidental explosions involving industrial boilers or gas cylinders in 2024, leading to 14 deaths — again the highest in the country. Following such incidents, the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health registers cases against industrial units and initiates action for safety norm violations.
Recent Accidents Highlight Risks
Several recent industrial accidents have underscored the risks faced by workers in the state. In August 2024, three people, including a child, died after getting trapped in machinery at a clay manufacturing unit in Kutch. In March 2025, two workers were killed in a fire at a chemical unit in Bharuch. Earlier in 2025, another worker lost his life in a similar incident.
The consistent high fatality numbers raise serious questions about industrial safety enforcement in Gujarat, despite its reputation as a leading manufacturing destination.
