New Delhi: In Faridabad, 18-year-old Amjad Khan lost his right hand after being made to operate a power press in a factory, where he had been hired as a packer. In Rudrapur, 32-year-old Raju Sharma lost four fingers while working as a helper in an OEM factory. Vinoth Raj, 35, lost his life following a factory accident in Chennai and 44-year-old Umesh Dhake was killed in Pune when a robotic unit collapsed in an automotive factory. These cases expose a disturbing pattern of negligence and disregard for basic occupational safety in India’s auto-component industry.Safe in India Foundation’s (SII) annual report CRUSHED 2025 lays bare the systematic neglect of employee safety and wellbeing in the automotive supply chain.Despite being central to India’s manufacturing ambitions, the automotive industry has emerged as one of the country’s most hazardous workplaces, according to the report.Over 8,500 injured workers – predominantly from auto-component factories – have sought assistance after suffering severe workplace accidents. The vast majority of these involve crush injuries caused by unguarded power presses, with a staggering 79% resulting in the loss of fingers and limbs. Crucially, the Economic Survey 2024-25 echoes these concerns, linking unsafe workplaces to India’s labour productivity ranking and calling for urgent Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) reforms. The trail of exploited labour“The machine had been lying unused and dysfunctional for over a week. One day, the supervisor insisted I operate it, claiming it had been repaired. As soon as I began working, the die came crashing down on my hand and trapped it for over 20 minutes. I lost four fingers because of that,”said Ram Kishori, a 35-year-old Maruti Suzuki supply chain worker. According to SII’s report, an overwhelming 98% of injured workers were employed in the supply chains of major brands – Maruti Suzuki, Honda, Tata Motors, Hero, Bajaj and others – but few of these workers wore company uniforms. They are non-permanent, undocumented and mostly invisible migrant labourers from states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. In Haryana and Maharashtra – flagship auto hubs of the nation – non-permanent workers account for 60% and 80% of such injuries, respectively. Thousands of factories flout safety norms with no fear of consequences. Power presses in many of these factories are operated without safety guards by untrained helpers, working over 60 hours a week, in clear violation of India’s labour laws. Factory audits are tokenistic: while 60% of injured workers reported that safety audits had taken place, 80% of them said that the auditors never spoke to them. Safety measures, if implemented at all, are often performative, the report said.It’s a structural feature of India’s low-cost manufacturing model. As the economic survey 2024-25 shows, unsafe workplaces are dragging down India’s productivity and competitiveness. The estimated cost of productivity losses due to workplace injuries is Rs 12.5 lakh crore annually or nearly 4.2% of the GDP.The long-term impact of such injuriesMany victims are the sole breadwinners of their families. Their permanent disabilities translate into lost income, interrupted education for children, worsened nutrition and long-term health crises. Delays in accessing benefits through the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) – which registers most workers only after as an accident occurs – only adds to the workers’ trauma.Women workers, though fewer in number, face unique vulnerabilities, including greater risk of denial of entitlements and invisibility in injury data.Workers demand accountabilityThe SII’s report presents clear demands:Corporate boards must be directly accountable for worker safety.Enforcement of a transparent Supplier Code of Conduct. Inclusion of non-permanent workers equally in OSH policies, ESIC coverage and safety rewards.Collaboration with the government to form an industry-wide task force focused on skill development and safety training. Ensure these efforts are backed by independent and credible audits.Professionalisation of MSME suppliers: begin with tier 1 and tier 2 suppliers.However, action remains elusive. While a few companies have opened talks, industry bodies like Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) and Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) continue to resist binding commitments. Joint audits reveal the scale of negligence – over 80% of Tier 2 suppliers failed basic safety checks.If India’s flagship automotive sector can’t protect its workers, the state of lesser-regulated industries is grim. The fallacious labour reforms have extended working hours while doing nothing to safeguard lives. “India cannot build a globally competitive manufacturing sector on an assembly line of broken fingers,” the SII report said.