Shipbreaking security: Probe should result in upgrading safety

The death of four workers from toxic gas on October 17 in a Chittagong shipbreaking yard has resulted in the Department of Environment (DOE) fining a steel re-rolling company Taka 25 lakhs. The reason is that proper safety measures and precautions were not utilised. It was discovered by the DOE that the ship in question contained 61 cylinders of carbon dioxide gas which was released while the workers worked on it, causing their death.

This unfortunate incident has raised many other questions regarding the discovery of the irregularities which are practiced by the shipbreaking industry.

To begin with, many of these yards operate without any government authorizations and cut ships without permission from concerned government authorities. There were also no precautions taken to handle the toxic gases which are released in the shipbreaking process.

The coastal region of Bangladesh unfortunately has many shipbreaking yards which have functioned for years without proper registration and safety measures. Previous accidents caused on site have been ignored in defiance of Supreme Court directives to ensure the safety of the workers' lives. A further grave problem is that these shipbreaking yards also employ children.

It is clear that these shipbreaking yards are demonstrating pure negligence and a disregard for the law, endangering innocent lives. The steel which is obtained from this process is no doubt very useful and necessary for industrial purposes. However, it is inadmissible to be going about business endangering innocent lives.

There must be stricter measures put in place in the form of insistence on proper documentation. A higher number of coast guards could also prevent the entry of hazardous ships into our territory. What is clear is that unless strict measures are taken, these practices will continue endangering people and the environment.

Source: The Daily Star. 19 October 2011

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=207041

Death of 4 - Probe begins - Shipbreaking yard in Chittagong fined, sued:

A day after the death of 4 workers from toxic gas at the Jiri Subedar shipbreaking yard of Sitakunda, the Department of Environment (DoE) yesterday fined it Tk 25 lakh for not having proper safety measures in its shipbreaking yard.

Local police the same day filed a case against 4 of its officials, including its owner Lokman Hakim, under the penal code. Others accused in the case, lodged by Sub-inspector Aminul Islam, are its Director Abu Sayed, shift-in-charge Md. Lokman and foreman Altaf Hossain.

Meanwhile, the government yesterday formed a 3-member investigation committee, headed by additional secretary of the industries ministry ABM Khorshed Alam, to look into the matter.

The probe body has 2 representatives -- from Bangladesh Marine Academy and 1 from the Bureau Veritas, Bangladesh -- and is given 7 days to submit a report.

The 4 labourers died and 2 others fell sick while dismantling scrap ship MV Bharata Bhum at the yard, adjacent to the mill, in Sonaichhari area of Sitakunda on Sunday.

A DoE team led by Director (Chittagong) Zafar Alam ordered the fines for cutting the old ship without permission from the government body, releasing toxic gas and not having precautionary measures in place, a DoE press release says.

The team found that the scrap ship had 61 cylinders, containing carbon dioxide gas, kept in its store-room carelessly. The statement also said the workers died due to toxic gas release when they were working in the ship.

Shipbreaking yards in the coastal region have been conducting operations without adequate safeguards for years, disregarding repeated accidents and Supreme Court directives to ensure security of the workers' lives.

Source: The Daily Star. 18 October 2011

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=207023

4 Die From Toxic Gas in Ship’s Graveyard:

Four labourers died and two others fell sick after inhaling toxic gas while dismantling a ship at a shipbreaking yard in Baro Aulia of Sitakunda in Chittagong yesterday (16 October).

3 days ago, 2 workers died and 2 others fell ill owing to inhalation of poisonous gas trapped inside a tank of a scrap vessel at another shipbreaking yard in Sitakunda.

After yesterday's incident at Baro Aulia, 6 injured workers were taken to Chittagong Medical College Hospital around 8:00pm. Doctors declared 4 of them dead, said on-duty police officer Yusuf at the hospital police box.

Deceased Yunus Ali, 25, of Bogra, Gias Uddin, 25, and Nesar Uddin, 24, of Banshkhali and Mir Kashem, 22, of Moheshkhali were workers of Jiri Subedar Shipreaking Yard.

Injured Golap Hossain, 27, and Nozir Hossain, 35, are now undergoing treatment at the CMCH.

All the 6 victims entered a tank of the ship to make it gas free, said a worker of the yard preferring not to be named.

Probably, a CO2 gas leak caused their deaths, said the worker who took them to the hospital.

Safar Ali, president of Shipbreaking Yard Sramik Kormochari Federation, accused the owner of the yard of not having the necessary safety measures in place.

Lokman Hossain, owner of the shipbreaking yard, informed police that some of his workers fell sick while working at the yard at about 6:30am, said Habibur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Sitakunda Police Station.

“We have sent an officer to get details of the incident,” the OC added.

This year, with yesterday's accident, the number of casualties from shipbreaking yard-related accidents rose to about 40, raising questions about the role of the departments concerned.

Shipbreaking yard owners have been conducting operations in their shipyards without adequate safeguards for years.

On March 5, 2009, the Supreme Court directed the government to ensure the safety of those working at shipbreaking yards.

The government has so far failed to comply with the directive, as it continues to allow the yards to operate without ensuring workers' safety and also without obtaining environment clearance certificates.

Source: The Daily Star. 17 October 2011

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=206793