Deputy Prime Minister Somsak Thepsutin has told five ministries to revise their rules for controlling fireworks factories in the wake of an explosion at a Suphan Buri factory that killed 23 people on Wednesday.
Mr Somsak held a press conference on Friday at Government House alongside the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Industry, Nattapol Rangsitpol, and the deputy director-general of the Department of Provincial Administration, Somchai Lersprasittipan following a meeting about compensation for the Suphan Buri explosion.
The meeting also looked at developing further regulatory guidelines for fireworks sales and production.
Mr Somsak said regulations for fireworks factories fall under the responsibility of five ministries -- the Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Public Health, Ministry of Labour and Ministry of Industry -- and they should all be revised.
As part of that, he said the Ministry of Industry had been told to draft a bill to better regulate small-scale fireworks factories that employ less than 50 people.
The ministry is required to report back to Mr Somsak within 10 days, with the report to be later submitted to Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin for consideration.
The meeting also wanted to include a regulation that fireworks factories must provide their workers with life insurance.
The matter will be later discussed between the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Commerce, he said.
Mr Nattapol, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Industry, proposed that fireworks factories have separate locations for production and storage out of safety concerns.
Regarding compensation for 17 families who lost their loved ones in the Suphan Buri explosion, Mr Somsak said it would be offered to them after the victims' death certificates were issued.