The Director of Factories, Vijayawada in the letter read above has stated that Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemical Rules,1989 made under Environment Protection Act,1986 are prescribing the conduct of annual safety audits by expert third parties under Rule 10, only for those factories in which there is a threshold quantity of hazardous chemicals involved, which are listed in column 2 of schedule 3, which is equal to or more than the quantity specified in the entry for that chemical in column 4. 2. He has further stated that whereas there are major accidents occurred in factories in the state wherein the quantities of the hazardous chemicals are less than the threshold quantities prescribed in the Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemical Rules,1989 for annual safety audits which have caused serious consequences even outside the factories. 3. He has also stated that there are major accidents occurred in factories carrying the potentially dangerous operations/processes where the quantities involved are less than the quantities specified in column 3 of the schedule 3 of Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemical Rules,1989, which have caused equally sever consequences with loss of life and property.  4. The Director of Factories has, therefore, felt that there is an imminent need for getting all these factories, other than those already covered by Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemical Rules, 1989, also subjected to annual safety Audit by an expert third party in the interest of Safety of the workers working in, as well as the people living in the vicinity of, these factories. 5. Government after careful examination the matter, hereby permitted the Director of Factories, Andhra Pradesh, Vijayawada to take necessary steps for getting all the above categories of factories to carry out the Annual Safety Audits by expert third parties in conformity with IS 14489:1998 immediately. 6. The Director of Factories shall take further necessary action accordingly.