In the aftermath of the fire that engulfed a private neonatal hospital which claimed the lives of seven newborns, the Delhi government has directed factories, shops and construction sites to ensure all firefighting equipment is functional and there are no obstacles on staircases.
The circular issued by the labour department on Monday asked all district in-charges to ensure that all establishments, factories, shops and construction sites in their respective jurisdiction have fire-fighting equipment such as fire extinguishers, sand buckets and fire alarms in working condition. It stated that the fire extinguishers dealing with electric fire and sand buckets filled with dry sand shall be kept at conspicuous places.
“Flammable items such as chemicals, solvents etc, should be kept in an isolated cool place and handled by authorised persons. Staircases should be free from any obstacle,” it said. It also cited the various measures needed in view of the heatwave conditions prevailing in the national capital.
The circular asked establishments to ensure adequate clean drinking water availability at the workplace, availability of coolers/fans at the workplace and proper ventilation. It also said no worker should be allowed to work in direct exposure to sunlight, and advised a change in the shift of work as far as possible so as to avoid peak hours between 12 noon to 4 pm.
“Sensitising/imparting training to the workers/employees about the precautions to be taken during the heatwave conditions including covering their head during direct exposure to sunlight etc. Make emergency kit (Ice packs, ORS, etc.) for the construction workers/employees,” it said.The circular said there shall be no joints in the electric wires/cables installed as far as possible and all non-current carrying metallic parts and the metallic frames of the electrical appliances or equipment shall be properly earthed.