A survey by Safety and Rights Society (SRS) has found that while last year 437 workers died in their work place due to a mishap, the number has risen to 592 in 2018. This means that in one year, there has been a rise of deaths by more than 100. This is indeed worrying because the number indicates that at the work area, safety precautions for the general worker are inadequate. This reflects a total disregard for the safety of staff by industries ranging from textile to construction to power development.

Not surprisingly, the highest death toll, 184, is in the construction sector. While many well-known real estate companies have basic security measures for workers including rubber gloves, helmets, protective clothing and so on, in majority of construction sites, the general worker is exposed to a plethora of hazards.

The construction boom in Bangladesh, especially in major cities, may have created state of the art buildings, but the overall safety features in most are pathetically low. Such absence is but a reflection of an unpardonable insensitive work ethos that has been allowed to remain since most casualties are from people from lower income segment of society.

The SRS has collated the information from newspapers though in reality, the number may be higher since many such workplace accident related deaths are often swiftly put under the carpet by paying off relatives of the deceased.  The Rana Plaza tragedy, which resulted in more than 100 deaths, will forever haunt this nation and has triggered a wave of reforms in the textile sector though the construction area still has plenty of changes to carry out in matters of worker safety.

Unless heavy gloves, rubber boots, helmets, safety lines and other equipment are provided, the death toll will never fall. Here, the government has a role to play to pass a legislation, making it mandatory for real estate companies, small and big, to provide basic security for workers of all levels. The city ward administration should be given the authority to check on construction going on in their respective areas.

Many accidents also happen at power related organisations and the reason is a lack of proper knowledge about security measures and absence of essential protective materials.  One another aspect is the safety of workers at the households, where young people from rural areas face physical plus psychological torture. In a recent episode, a university teacher and his wife were accused of severely scarring a teenager domestic help. In such episodes, stern punishment is the only path. Sadly, in the real world, cash handouts are given to silence victims of household violence.