Letter No.12051/DM-II/2020-1, Guidelines for restarting manufacturing industries after the Lockdown

What the document does

The Tamil Nadu Revenue and Disaster Management (DM-II) Department Letter Number 12051/DM-II/2020-1, dated 11 May 2020, sends Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs guidelines to District Collectors, the Greater Chennai Corporation and departments and authorities responsible for industries, labour, public works, pollution control, boilers and electrical inspection. The purpose is to reduce industrial accidents and COVID-19 risks when manufacturing units restart after being closed during lockdown.

The document concerns industrial operations and worker safety. It contains no provision changing land ownership, land classification, land use permission or property records.

Who is affected

The restart guidelines are relevant to:

• Manufacturing industries reopening after lockdown.
• Units storing or using hazardous chemicals, combustible materials or flammable products.
• Major Accidental Hazard units and clusters of such units.
• Factory owners, managers, safety personnel and workers.
• District Collectors and other authorities responsible for emergency preparedness and industrial safety.

District authorities must ensure that off-site disaster management plans for Major Accidental Hazard units are current. Responsible district officers must also ensure that industrial on-site disaster management plans include procedures for safe restarting during and after the COVID-19 lockdown.

Main restart requirements

The guidelines direct manufacturing units to:

• Treat the first week as a trial or test period and avoid high production targets.
• Conduct a complete safety audit before starting operations.
• Inspect storage facilities, pipelines, valves, conveyor belts, boilers, furnaces, heat exchangers and other equipment.
• Check hazardous chemicals for stability and look for leaks, exposed wires, smoke, unusual smells, vibrations or structural damage.
• Clean pipelines and equipment, test systems for tightness and leakage, and conduct trial testing before full production.
• Maintain lockout and tagout procedures daily, except for units operating continuously for 24 hours.
• Use skilled and experienced workers for hazardous materials.
• Contact the local district administration if essential backward linkages are needed for safe operations.

Worker health measures

Factories must maintain regular sanitisation, conduct employee temperature checks twice daily and prevent symptomatic workers from reporting to work. They must provide gloves, masks and hand sanitisers, promote physical distancing, avoid sharing tools where possible, manage shifts safely and prepare isolation accommodation if a positive case is found. Travelling employees are required to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine.