Four workers were
killed and three others injured when a gas cylinder exploded at a
shipbreaking yard in Sitakunda of Chittagong yesterday.
The incident happened when the victims
were dismantling a scrap ship around 3:30pm. All the four died from inhaling
carbon dioxide.
With this, the death toll over the last
two years at shipbreaking yards in the port city rose to 44. Since February
2012, at least 35 accidents have taken place, leaving dozens of shipbreaking
workers wounded.
Import and dismantling of ships with
highly toxic elements continue, even after the High Court directed the
government to ensure workers' safety and shut down all the unauthorised
shipbreaking yards four years ago.
But officials of the relevant government
agencies ignored the order.
In yesterday's incident, a cylinder full
of carbon dioxide suddenly went off at the shipyard of Arafin Enterprise at
Kadam Rasul, said Kamrul Hasan, an inspector of the Department of Inspection
for Safety of Shops and Establishments.
The four died instantly. The injured were
sent to Al-Amin Private Clinic for treatment. Later, one worker was shifted to
Chittagong Medical College Hospital as his condition worsened.
Interestingly, Arafin Enterprise
officials claim to have all the safety gear, and a signboard on its entrance
says: "Safety First".
Its manager, Hasan Uddin, claimed the
victims -- Jasim, Faruk, Arif and Gias Uddin -- were not their employees.
According to him, they were hired by an
electric cable trader who bought the cables of the ship beached a month ago for
scrapping.
Hasan also claimed that the workers were
provided with safety gears but they did not use it.
“Marks of splinter injuries were found on the
chests of the workers. But they died from inhaling toxic gases,” said Dr Rezaul
Karim of Al-Amin clinic.
According to the website of Bangladesh
Ship Breakers Association (BSBA), the owner of Arafin Enterprise is Giasuddin
Chowdhury.
The Daily Star tried to contact him over
the phone, but he did not pick up the calls.
Nazim Uddin, vice president of BSBA, said
the accident happened as the workers did not know how to handle a scrap ship
with toxic elements.
Asked if anyone from the shipyard was
accompanying them, he said it was not possible to keep an eye on every outside
worker.
But he added the association would take
an initiative to train those who come to work at shipyards from outside.
Phul Mia, father of Jasim, one of the
dead, said the employer never provided his son with any safety gear.
Jasim, the lone breadwinner of the
family, used to get Tk 15,000 a month for working as a foreman.
Zakir Hossain, deputy inspector general
of the Department of Inspection for Safeties of Shops and Establishments, said,
“Our inspector visited the factory and found the accident had occurred due to
negligence. We will serve a notice on the owner."
The ship-breaking industry that started
operations in Sitakunda in 1984 provides direct and indirect employment for
about 2,00,000 people.
Around one million tonnes of steel are
dismantled in these shipyards every year, sources said.
Over the past two decades, at least 1,000
workers have died in ship-breaking yards, a joint survey of Greenpeace and
International Federation for Human Rights found last year.
Accidents continue to happen, as the
owners hardly ensure the safety of workers. Also, the ship breakers have been
polluting the environment with carbon, chromium, lead, mercury and cadmium.
The Supreme Court directed the government
to formulate a set of rules by December 14, 2011, to free the ship-breaking
industry from pollution and ensure workers' safety.
Before that, the HC in December 2010
asked the government to close down the unauthorised shipbreaking yards and
ensure the safety of workers.
The court also said that scrap ships must
be cleaned of all hazardous materials before entering the country, and shipbreaking
operations must guarantee safe working conditions for workers and
environmentally sound disposal plans for wastes.
Only last month, the government closed
down two shipyards as they were set up razing several thousand mangrove trees
from 14.5 acres of land in Sitakunda.
Source:
the daily star. By Pinaki Roy with Arun Bikash Dey
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