The National Human Rights Commission on Tuesday issued an advisory to the Union and State governments to prevent and minimise the impact of ocular trauma, which it said causes 5% of permanent blindness. The NHRC asked the government to identify the industries that have a high potential of ocular trauma and make it mandatory for such units with 50 workers or more to have accident cover of Rs. 15 lakh for each worker. Among the NHRC’s suggestions were a ban on sale of fire-crackers that have the potential to cause eye trauma; ban on sale of bows, arrows, pellet guns and toys that have sharp edges; and mandatory safe packaging and labelling of chemicals for domestic use.

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