Proper safety
measures, monitoring needed
In this paper we
have written many times about the hazardous working conditions at shipbreaking
yards. Regrettably, there has been very little progress in ensuring safety
measures for the workers. According to an estimate, in the last five and half
years 60 workers were killed and another 125 injured in accidents at the yards.
Though there is a
clear directive that all ships must be cleaned of toxic materials before they
are exported to ship recycling yards, it is hardly followed in Bangladesh. The
workers are exposed to poison contamination and explosion of leftover gas and
fumes which are the prime causes of accidents in the yards. According to
international rules, workers must use personal protective equipment (PPE) at
works but it is alleged that many companies do not provide adequate safety
gears. Furthermore, owners usually hire unskilled workers who do not have
training on shipbreaking works and are unaware of safety measures. Owners also
do not allow workers to exercise their rights. These malpractices ultimately
result in frequent accidents and high casualty numbers.
There are High
Court directives and government safety guidelines on shipbreaking, but very
little is being implemented due to owners' apathy and lax government monitoring
system which also suffers from acute shortage of inspectors. There are only two
inspectors in Sitakunda for around 100 shipbreaking yards in the Upazila.
The government
should gear up the monitoring mechanism of the yards and ensure safety of the
workers. There should also be a probe into the accidents by independent inquiry
committees and the persons responsible should be taken to court for their sheer
disregard for workers' lives.
Source:
the daily star. 21 January 2016
http://www.thedailystar.net/editorial/shipbreaking-workers-peril-204622
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