Urgent measures needed for workplace safety

A recent survey by the Bangladesh Occupational Safety, Health and Environment (OSHE) Foundation has revealed what we already know to be true—workplace safety in the country, especially in the informal sector, is a sham. In 2021, the number of deaths due to workplace accidents was 853, while the number of serious injuries stood at 236. Of the deceased, a staggering 792 were workers from the informal sector. The findings were based on reports from 15 national newspapers, seven local newspapers, and information gathered from the spot by the organisation. However, there is no doubt that many such incidents have gone unreported, and that the real number may be even more horrifying.

One need not look back too far into the past to realise just how callous working conditions in Bangladesh can be, which lead to such heavy casualties. On July 8, 2021, a deadly fire at the Hashem Foods factory in Rupganj, Narayanganj claimed the lives of 54 people, 17 of whom were children. Many have termed this a "murder," because workers could not escape the fire as the factory authorities had blocked the only exit of the building from outside. Such tactics can be seen across industries, with deaths or injuries routinely reported in ship breaking yards, garment factories, construction industry, brick fields, steel mills, etc. Though the tragic Rana Plaza collapse of 2013 had made the government amend the Labour Act, many workers continue to suffer due to their sectors not being counted as part of the formal economy. Not only do they lose out on due benefits—as happened during Covid-enforced closures—but many lose their lives as well due to the lack of proper rules and regulations to protect them.

Ensuring the safety of workers, especially in the informal sector, is a hefty task that the government needs to carry out on a priority basis. Risky sectors need to have health and safety committees, which will ensure that the working conditions at factories and such establishments are not dangerous, and will carry out regular inspections to keep non-conforming firms in check. Additionally, a proper legal framework needs to be in place to protect workers and ensure justice for them, while holding employers to account for any negligence. Workers' lives are hard enough, what with the unfavourable working conditions and meagre wages. Being fatally injured at work should not be something they need to worry about on top of everything else.