Activists warn of safety, accommodation to go after ammonia leak from Tiruvallur seafood unit

A day after an ammonia gas leak at a private seafood processing and export unit near Periyapalayam in Tiruvallur district killed seven migrant workers, labor rights activists and experts pointed to gaps in workplace safety and the provision of safe rest and accommodation facilities for workers.

The workers, many of them young women from Odisha and Assam between the ages of 19 and 25, were off duty and resting in the hostel when the leak occurred.

R. Geetha of the Federation of Unorganized Workers said that living spaces are as important as workplaces, especially for migrant workers, as employers are responsible for the accommodation provided to them.

She pointed out that while the Factories Act 1948 required shelters and rest rooms to be adequate, ventilated, cool and clean, and food bars in workrooms where there was a canteen, in practice, she said, these standards were often not followed. Workers had to stay in cramped and overcrowded spaces.

She added that for many migrant workers there is almost no separation between the workplace and where they live, often blurring the lines between work and rest. This makes them vulnerable to overwork, affects their mental well-being and also puts them at risk, even when they are off duty, if an accident or industrial accident occurs.

AR Shanthi of AITUC and the Working Women’s Forum said that a shrimp processing unit generally does not fall under the category of “hazardous process” factories under the Factories Act as seafood processing is not one of the industries listed in the First Schedule.

But she added that specific operations in such units — such as ammonia-based cooling or handling certain chemicals — should still require additional safety and environmental requirements.

Dr. Shanthi said each factory must have its own evacuation plan, fire prevention protocol and safety measures, but questioned whether they were actually implemented or regularly checked. In industries such as seafood processing where large amounts of ammonia are used for cold storage, the potential risk is significant, she said.

Fr. Simolin of Don Bosco Migrant Services said companies, regardless of size, do not take worker safety or compliance with security mechanisms seriously.

Referring to an incident earlier this month in which a migrant worker died after a ramp collapsed in the corridor of an abandoned makeshift accommodation at a private company, and the 2025 accident at the Ennore Thermal Plant SEZ in which nine workers died, he said the companies had not put adequate safety measures in place.

He said that while compensation may be paid after such incidents, survivors are often evicted, effectively forced out of work, and no meaningful change follows.

Call for an inquest

The Penn Thozhilalar Sangam has urged the state government to launch a high-powered judicial inquiry into the ammonia leak at the St. Peter and Paul, alleging that there were serious deficiencies in workplace safety and occupational health and safety.

In a memorandum to Chief Minister C. Joseph VIjay, the Ministry of Labor and the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health, the federation said the incident was not just an industrial accident but an accident that raised questions about workplace safety, labor rights, regulatory oversight and the treatment of migrant and Adivasi women workers.

It demanded that criminal proceedings be registered against the owners, managers and others responsible under provisions relating to manslaughter, negligence and violations of labor and safety laws.

It also called for an independent judicial inquiry, the release of a detailed incident report, permission for an independent civil society investigative team to visit the site and unrestricted access by unions, lawyers and human rights groups to meet with the workers.

The groups expressed concern that workers housed at the marriage hall after the incident may be sent back to their native places without informed consent and called on the government to provide humanitarian aid and facilitate conciliation between workers and management.

The memorandum also sought answers on the recruitment of migrant and Adivasi workers, their wages and welfare, factory safety inspections, measures in place to prevent ammonia leakage, the government’s response to emergencies and whether families of deceased and injured workers were promptly informed.

The organizations called the tragedy symptomatic of wider labor exploitation and called on the government to audit seafood processing units and other hazardous industries across the state, publicize the findings and strengthen coordination between departments, and set up a multilingual hotline for workers to report unsafe working conditions.

Published – 23 Jun 2026 05:30 IST