- India’s Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are facing potential cost increases and supply disruptions due to new safety regulations.
- The Machinery and Electrical Equipment Safety (Omnibus Technical Regulation) Order, 2024, issued by the Ministry of Heavy Industry mandates stringent safety standards for most machinery (including pumps, cranes, and compressors).
- 3 levels of safety standards for machinery and electrical equipment produced or imported into India.
- 1 year time to implement, affecting both domestic and imported equipment.
- Export-oriented items are exempted, but many MSMEs supply both domestic and export markets.
- Almost 90% of domestic producers affected by this regulation are MSMEs.
- Most MSMEs currently follow ISO 9001 standards, which do not explicitly cover safety concerns.
- The new standards are more technical, and without implementation guidelines from the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), compliance will be difficult and costly.
Dig Deeper: Read about the PM Vishwakarma Scheme of the Ministry of MSMEs.
