Safety standards must
be enforced
Eight workers of Shital Enterprise
are fighting for their lives in hospital after being critically injured when a
gas cylinder exploded at the ship-breaking yard in Sitakunda Upazila where they
worked. These men in their prime, were getting ready for work when the accident
occurred. The extent of their injuries points out once again the total
disregard on the employers' part for workers safety. Ship-breaking yards in
Chittagong are notorious for terrible work conditions and frequent accidents.
Just this year, five workers have been killed in accidents and many have been
severely injured at various shipyards in the district. Lack of protective gear
and proper supervision to ensure safety are causes of such terrible loss of
life and limb.
It is unacceptable that an industry
as huge and risk-prone as ship-breaking should still be in such a primitive
state that allows these horrible accidents to occur. The apathy and negligence
demonstrated by employers violate basic labour laws that make it mandatory for
workplaces to maintain minimum safety standards.
In this particular accident it is
believed that someone with a lit cigarette entered the scrap yard where there
may have been a leaky gas cylinder, which caused the explosion and subsequent
fire. If that is so, there should have been proper monitoring and dissemination
of information regarding safety rules that would have prevented such
carelessness and its disastrous consequences.
With regard to the injured, Shital
Enterprise must take responsibility of taking care of their treatment and
paying them adequate compensation. Companies at these shipyards must be
required to provide safety gear to the workers and also have awareness
programmes regarding precautionary steps to avoid these mishaps that take away
precious lives and livelihoods.
Source: the daily star. 7 September 2015
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