MUMBAI (BLOOMBERG, REUTERS) - India has released safety guidelines for restarting manufacturing industries as it partially eases the world's most expansive pandemic lockdown and tries to avoid further incidents after a gas leak last week.

It said the lockdown may have resulted in residual chemicals in pipelines, valves and other areas that could pose a risk.

While restarting units, companies must consider the first week as a trial period to ensure that all safety protocols and try not to achieve high production targets, according to a statement from the National Disaster Management Authority.

The NDMA said factories must also carry out complete safety audits of entire plants before restarting activities.

Firms should also sensitise employees to identify abnormalities such as strange sounds, smells, leaks, smoke and exposed wires.

The nation, which has recorded about 63,000 coronavirus cases, is slowly easing its nationwide lockdown which was imposed on March 25 to contain the coronavirus outbreak. The lockdown is set to last until at least May 17.

The advisory comes on the back of a gas leak at an LG Chem Ltd's polymer plant on May 7 that killed at least 11 people and forced the evacuation of thousands in the city of Visakhapatnam.

More than 20 people were in critical condition in the city's hospitals after the accident and about 400 people were hospitalised with breathlessness and eye irritation.

The cause, and whether it was related to the restart process, is being investigated.

State governments must also ensure they are prepared to quickly respond to any disaster if an unexpected event occurs, according to the statement. It also laid down safety standards for the storage of raw materials, social distancing between employees, regular temperature checks and contingency planning in case an infection is discovered.