Four workers bleed to death in Pune in glass factory accident

In a tragic accident on Sunday, four workers bled to death and one was injured in Pune’s Yewalewadi while unloading boxes of large glass panes from a container. The workers were employed by India Glass Solution, a company primarily involved in the manufacture of glassware and glass blocks. The workers were wounded when the panes fell and shattered, trapping them in the vehicle. Police are investigating the incident.

“We received a call at around 1:35 pm, after which we immediately dispatched our Central Rescue Van as well as the Kondhwa Rescue Van. The workers were trapped under the shattered glass panes. Four of the five, who died, had received fatal cuts. The one who survived does not have any serious injuries,” said Nilesh Mahajan, spokesperson of the Pune Fire Brigade Department.

While two of the workers died on the spot, two succumbed to their injuries later. The corpses of those who died have now been taken to the Sassoon General Hospital. However, until the time the report was published, no next of kin to any of them had arrived at the hospital yet, neither were their names disclosed.

_{Fire officers trying to rescue the trapped workers. Photo: Fire Brigade Department}

The incident raises serious questions over whether the necessary safety protocol was followed and whether the workers were wearing protective gear while working.

“The workers who died had serious head injuries. They were not wearing any protective gear like helmets. It is the company’s responsibility to provide the gear to its workers in such a high risk job,” Fire Officer Samir Shaikh, who was present on the scene, told Indie Journal.

Mahajan said that the worker who was injured was wearing gloves.

Shaikh added that there is a standard protocol for loading and unloading of such huge glass panes, to ensure safety.

“While transporting, these glass panes which could be 10-15 feet long and quite thick, are stored in big rectangular boxes. They are stacked next to each other on both sides of the container, with space left empty at the centre for unloading. While unloading one box, the rest are kept tied to the container, so that they remain steady and don’t fall,” Shaikh said.

#WATCH | Maharashtra: R Raja (DCP, Zone 5-Pune City Police says, "This incident occurred somewhere in today's afternoon. Some of the labourers were trying to offload the heavy-duty glasses at the glass factory. During this, the glass fell on them. Four labourers have died and… https://t.co/XTUMpotqW9 pic.twitter.com/joMHKkF2sE

— ANI (@ANI) September 29, 2024

However, he added, today around two-three such boxes fell while the five workers were in unloading one box and the glass panes inside them shattered, trapping the workers beneath.

Indie Journal tried to contact India Glass Solution to understand whether the workers were provided with safety gear or not. However, those who answered the call said that they will speak later. The story will be updated if they issue a statement.

As per thecompanycheck.com, India Glass Solution is a 3 years 7 months old Proprietorship Firm. The major activity of India Glass Solution is Manufacturing, Sub-classified into Manufacture of other nonmetallic mineral products and is primarily engaged in the manufacture of other glassware glass products articles of glass used in construction such as glass blocks clock or watch glasses optical glass and optical glass elements not optically worked and other glass products including glass beads, the website adds.

Police Inspector Vinay Patankar of Kondhwa Police Station said that the police are at the spot investigating the incident further.