Death in workplace accidents on the rise: Survey
It puts the Jan-June figure at 220
UNB
At least 220 workers died in workplace accidents in the country in the first six months of the current year, according to a survey of Safety and Rights Society, reports UNB.
The survey report which was released on Monday shows 220 workers died in 168 separate workplace accidents against 192 in 139 accidents in the corresponding period of 2016,
Safety and Rights Society is an NGO working for the improvement of workplace health and safety in Bangladesh.
The survey is conducted based on monitoring 26 daily newspapers (15 national and 11 regional) between January 1 and June 30.
The report does not include deaths of workers outside the workplace or in road accidents on the way to or from workplaces by using public transport.
The survey found that the highest number of workers (67) died while working in the construction sites which are about 30 per cent of the total deaths. In the service sector like hotels, workshops, power supply organisations it was 60 and in manufacturing sector like garment, plastic factory, shipbreaking, steel/re-rolling mill, it was 34.
According to the survey, road accidents caused 67 deaths while electrocution 31 deaths. Besides, twenty-nine workers died in fall from high rises, 29 were crushed under falling machinery or heavy load or hard objects, 23 died in wall/roof/earth or hill collapse and 15 in boiler explosions.
Twelve workers were suffocated to death by poisonous gas of septic or water tank. The remaining 16 workers died from various causes, including lightning strike, chemical/cylinder explosion and fire. Sekender Ali Mina, Executive Director of Safety and Rights, said it is the failure of the authorities concerned that they are unable to reduce the workplace deaths.
He said the actual number of the workplace deaths is almost certainly to be more than the numbers set out in the report as many workplace deaths are not reported in the newspapers.
Sekender stressed the need for significantly greater efforts on the parts of employers and owners to take measures to reduce the level of risks that workers suffer.
He also called for state to initiate appropriate measures for all other sectors.
