Although Assam’s state government recently announced a pay rise for workers in state-run tea plantations, trade unions say the industry’s workforce still faces poor working and living conditions, despite years of protests and demands for improvements.
By Orchie Bandyopadhyay on 14 July 2025
Almost a year after the rape and murder of a young female doctor at a Kolkata hospital horrified the nation, commentators say progress has been painfully slow in improving the safety and security of many hospitals and doctors’ living accommodation.
By Orchie Bandyopadhyay on 14 July 2025
With outdoor workers at significant risk of skin damage, ageing and cancer due to exposure to the sun’s UV rays, it’s essential that employers in sectors like construction and agriculture create a working environment where sun safety precautions become the norm, rather than the exception.
By SC Johnson Professional on 11 July 2025
Many of India’s domestic workers face exploitation, poor working conditions and low wages, and campaigners say the one of the main reasons is the central government’s failure to introduce nationally applicable laws to protect them.
By Orchie Bandyopadhyay on 07 March 2023
With fire safety duties becoming ever more stringent following the Grenfell tragedy, it is crucial that ‘Responsible Persons’ (and other relevant safety roles) only specify and hire appropriate fire safety organisations who have been independently assessed and certificated to evidence their competence.
By Dr Justin Maltby-Smith, BAFE Fire Safety Register on 06 August 2023
The golden thread topic has no doubt featured many times before. With it being summer 2023, the registration of higher-risk buildings is in full swing, and the policy on the golden thread of information is being finalised with secondary legislation enshrining it expected in various waves soon.
By Sofie Hooper, Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management on 06 August 2023
With research revealing poor understanding among many businesses of their duty to have arrangements in place to safely evacuate mobility-impaired people, it’s time for the government to educate building owners about their obligations and mandate the provision of evacuation equipment, to ensure a safe evacuation for everyone.
By Gerard Wallace, Evac+Chair International on 01 August 2023
Ongoing failures to prevent exposure to asbestos suggest much more needs to be done to build the skills, knowledge and competence of those with day-to-day responsibility for preventing exposure in UK buildings.
By Colette Willoughby, Asbestos Compliance Limited & National Organisation of Asbestos Consultants (NORAC) on 01 April 2023
As workplaces re-open, many Indian businesses are adopting a hybrid model of office and home working, and surveys suggest employees feel this will improve their work-life balance and wellbeing.
By Orchie Bandyopadhyay on 05 November 2021
The manual cleaning of human waste from sewers and septic tanks has long been banned in India due to the risk to life, but campaigners say scores of workers are still dying in sewers every year due to government inaction.
By Orchie Bandyopadhyay on 05 November 2021
Women in India face major disadvantages in getting and retaining decent quality jobs, but some of the country’s biggest companies are determined to change this.
By Orchie Bandyopadhyay on 12 October 2021
Several thousand workers in India’s automotive parts factories suffer horrendous hand and finger injuries every year. Campaigners say it’s time the country’s biggest automotive companies do more to improve health and safety standards in their supply chain.
By Orchie Bandyopadhyay on 07 September 2021
India’s mining industry has a poor health and safety record, despite many of the mines being owned by the union and state governments. However, trade unions warn that plans to privatise mines could further erode safety standards, putting workers’ lives at even greater risk.
By Orchie Bandyopadhyay on 07 September 2021
