Patna: The Bihar government’s Labour Resources and Migrant Workers Welfare Department has decided to reorganise factory inspections by classifying industrial units according to their risk levels. Under the proposed system, factories will be placed in three categories—low, medium and high risk—with different inspection and safety audit requirements for each.
The department’s stated objective is to prioritise workers’ safety and prevent potential industrial accidents through inspections and safety assessments based on the risk associated with individual factories.
Factories to Be Classified into Three Risk Categories
Under the revised arrangement, factories operating in Bihar will be divided into three categories based on their risk levels:
- Low-risk factories: These units will not undergo routine inspections by departmental officials. However, if a serious accident occurs at a factory, it may be moved out of the low-risk category and placed in another category.
- Medium-risk factories: Their safety audits will be conducted by third-party experts empanelled with the department.
- High-risk factories: These units will undergo inspections by senior departmental officials, with particular attention to their safety arrangements.
Senior Officials to Inspect High-Risk Factories
Factories classified as high risk will be inspected directly by senior officials of the Labour Resources and Migrant Workers Welfare Department.
Following the inspection, the report will be submitted to the departmental secretary and the Labour Commissioner. The exercise will involve a detailed examination of safety arrangements to identify shortcomings and ensure that necessary improvements are made.
Third-Party Safety Audits for Medium-Risk Units
For factories placed in the medium-risk category, the department will arrange safety audits through empanelled experts.
These third-party audits will assess whether the factories comply with applicable safety standards. The arrangement is intended to align the inspection process with the risk category assigned to each unit.
Through the revised framework, the department aims to focus inspection efforts according to factory risk levels while keeping workers’ safety at the centre of its oversight system.
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