Programmes
The Occupational Safety and Health Action (OSHA) Plan
in an ongoing programme. Occupational Safety, Health
and Welfare are the area of concentration of the department.
The existing Industrial Hygiene Laboratory is proposed
to be converted as an institution by the name Kerala
Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (KIOSH)
with a Research Centre and a training centre to impart
training to the factory workers and managements. Moreover
an occupational health centre is also proposed to be
set up for diagnosing occupational diseases and suggesting
remedies.
It
is also proposed to set up a Chemical emergency
response centre at Ernakulam to provide the
services of technical experts and sophisticated
equipments in preventing chemical and fire
hazards.
The
computerisation of the department is in progress
and by the end of the next financial year it
will be completed providing network facilities
with all sub offices and thus the licencing
procedure will be minimized.
Achievements
and success stories of the department
The
Department was a part of Labour Department
and was bifurcated during 1961 and the Department
of Factories & Boilers came into existence
with skeleton staff. The department gradually
developed into a full-fledged one having 49
sub-offices.
In the wake of Bhopal gas disaster, on the direction
and assistance of the Central Government the department
was implementing two plan schemes namely Industrial
Hygience Laboratory and SAHARA plan. The Steering Committee
of the State Planning Board on "Labour and Labour
Welfare" recommended that the schemes implemented
by the department be combined to form a single project.
Subsequently both the plan schemes were combined under
the project name "IH& HCA Plan". During
the IXth plan the project was renamed as Occupational
Safety and Health Action (OSHA) Plan.
Various agencies like Indian Labour Organisation, Ministry
of environment etc. under the Ministerial-working Group
framed soon after the Bhopal gas disaster in 1984 stressed
the need of a dedicated wing to tackle chemical safety
in factories. The most important objective envisaged
under the Occupational Safety and Health Action (OSHA)
Plan is to strengthen the factory inspectorate to ensure
that safety, health and welfare of industrial workers
are ensured, by enforcing the statutes.
To achieve the above goal physical targets are drawn
up in line with the guidelines issued by the Directorate
General Factory Advice Service and Labour Institute
and the following activities are carried out by the
Department.
