Context: Recently, the authority has said industries to consider the first week of restarting any machinery or chemical unit as the “trial or test” period and “not try to achieve high production targets”.
Key Points

• Test Run Period: The first week of restarting any machinery or chemical unit should be considered as the trial or test period and the industries should not try to achieve high production targets.
• Safety Audit: Carry out a complete Safety Audit of the entire unit before taking up starting activities such as cleaning of pipelines, equipment and discharge line.
• 24-hour sanitisation: The employers should provide hand sanitizers, masks, face protection shields and ensure 24-hour sanitisation of the factory premises. The staff should also be educated on COVID-19 related measures.
• Physical distancing measures: Create physical barriers to ensure the physical distance within the work floor and dining facilities.
• Working in shifts: Managerial and administrative staff should work one shift at 33% capacity and factories that work 24 hours should consider one hour gap between shifts except factories/plants requiring continuous operations.

About National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)

• It is the apex statutory body setup under the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
• It comes under the aegis of Ministry of Home Affairs
• The Prime minister of India is its chairman.

Its Functions

• coordinate response to natural or man-made disasters and for capacity-building in disaster resiliency and crisis response
• lay down policies, plans and guidelines for Disaster Management to ensure timely and effective response to disasters.
• Provide support to other countries affected by major disasters as may be determined by the Central Government among others.