Overview
- Telangana’s SHAKTI minister released a handbook on combustible-dust safety at a two-day Hyderabad workshop and directed the Department of Factories to frame rules within six months to embed best practices into law.
- The minister ordered that contract workers must not be used for hazardous operations and told officials to prepare specific safety guidelines for combustible dust and gas leakage hazards.
- Speakers at the workshop warned that combustible dust can cause major explosions and health harm, and urged industries to adopt regular training, preventive maintenance, process-safety management, and modern detection technologies.
- Organisers said about 300 delegates from chemical, pharmaceutical, food-processing, cement and coal-milling firms attended the workshop and officials highlighted a train-the-trainer effort that reached roughly 70,000 factory employees.
- Officials framed the move as a response to the June 2025 Sigachi Industries blast that exposed low-cost prevention gaps and said the measures could reduce deaths and losses if the new rules are written clearly and enforced effectively.