Workplace accidents took 729 lives in 2020

Some 732 workers died in events such as accidents, torture and labour unrest last year, according to a new study of Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS). 

The highest number of deaths, 348, were in the transport sector, and the second highest, 84, in the construction sector.

BILS deputy director Yousuf Al Mamun, shared the findings in an event at the Jatiya Press Club yesterday.

The BILS data said some 433 workers, 387 men and 46 women, were injured in 2020. The highest number of injuries, 68, were in the fisheries sector.

The survey, made from newspaper reports and articles, said 596 workers were victims of different incidents of torture last year. Among the tortured, 316 died, 229 were injured, eight went missing, 24 died by suicide, 14 were rescued from kidnappers; five others' cases were not mentioned.

Last year, some 593 incidents of labour unrest took place in different sectors, with the highest, 264, occurring in the garment sector, and the second highest, 49, in the jute sector.

Amirul Haque Amin, BILS vice chairperson, demanded risk allowance for garment workers who were working amid the pandemic, as their income was affected from Covid-19's fallout. Some 25-30 percent income of garment workers was affected, as overtime payment declined due to the fallout.

Shirin Akhter, lawmaker and BILS vice president, said although Bangladesh made impressive economic growth in the last decade, workers' rights remained poor.