Reza Mahmud :
Country’s construction workers are reportedly working in huge unsafe situation due to insufficient safety measures at work places.
In this situation, the World Day for Safety and Health at Work will be observed across Bangladesh as elsewhere in the world today (Friday) for the second time.
The day is being observed in the world on April 28 each year. The day was declared by the International Labour Organization (ILO) to promote prevention of occupational accidents and diseases globally.
“Around 90 percent workers are denied of safety measures by the owners of the construction firms. In most of the construction sites they are to work without helmets, gumboot and belt in waist endangering their safety,” said Abdur Razzak, General Secretary of the Imarat Nirman Sramik Union, Bangladesh (INSAB).
He added, “A huge number of workers are compelled to work with unsafe condition. As a result, many labourers are found injured and killed every year.”
World Day for Safety and Health at Work is an awareness-raising campaign ‘intended to focus international attention on emerging trends in the field of occupational safety and health and on the magnitude of work-related injuries, diseases and fatalities worldwide.’
The INSAB General Secretary said that the big construction firms which mainly work in bridges, roads and highways are found to take safety measures. But they do not take such safety measures for workers while involved in building construction works.
“Since the bridges, flyovers and road side works are done in front of public eyes, they follow cautionary steps. But most of the building construction works do not take place like this way,” Abdur Razzak said.
According to Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS), 6,287 workers were killed and 10,041 others injured in different incidents from the year 2008 to 2015. Of them, 722 were killed and 545 injured in building construction sector.
A construction worker Md. Abul Hossain from Jatrabari was injured seriously while working in an under-construction building in the area.
Abul Hossain said that he is suffering from injuries as he has not necessary amount of money for proper treatment.
Another construction worker Lipi Aktar from the city’s Mir Hazirbagh area said she is also suffering from her injuries for long. She was working in a construction firm in her area.
Mohammad Sajeeb from Monipur of Mirpur area was also injured while working in his workplace.
The INSAB General Secretary said, “We successfully negotiate with the employers to give a sufficient amount of money as compensations from the employers to bear a cost of treatment of the injured workers.”
According to Labour rules in 2015, the government should form safety awareness committees in every locality with labour leaders, government’s representatives and employers,
The INSAB has started to form such committees in Gazipur City Corporation areas. It has a plan to expand that in other areas to make the workers aware about their own safety in work places.
Country’s construction workers are reportedly working in huge unsafe situation due to insufficient safety measures at work places.
In this situation, the World Day for Safety and Health at Work will be observed across Bangladesh as elsewhere in the world today (Friday) for the second time.
The day is being observed in the world on April 28 each year. The day was declared by the International Labour Organization (ILO) to promote prevention of occupational accidents and diseases globally.
“Around 90 percent workers are denied of safety measures by the owners of the construction firms. In most of the construction sites they are to work without helmets, gumboot and belt in waist endangering their safety,” said Abdur Razzak, General Secretary of the Imarat Nirman Sramik Union, Bangladesh (INSAB).
He added, “A huge number of workers are compelled to work with unsafe condition. As a result, many labourers are found injured and killed every year.”
World Day for Safety and Health at Work is an awareness-raising campaign ‘intended to focus international attention on emerging trends in the field of occupational safety and health and on the magnitude of work-related injuries, diseases and fatalities worldwide.’
The INSAB General Secretary said that the big construction firms which mainly work in bridges, roads and highways are found to take safety measures. But they do not take such safety measures for workers while involved in building construction works.
“Since the bridges, flyovers and road side works are done in front of public eyes, they follow cautionary steps. But most of the building construction works do not take place like this way,” Abdur Razzak said.
According to Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS), 6,287 workers were killed and 10,041 others injured in different incidents from the year 2008 to 2015. Of them, 722 were killed and 545 injured in building construction sector.
A construction worker Md. Abul Hossain from Jatrabari was injured seriously while working in an under-construction building in the area.
Abul Hossain said that he is suffering from injuries as he has not necessary amount of money for proper treatment.
Another construction worker Lipi Aktar from the city’s Mir Hazirbagh area said she is also suffering from her injuries for long. She was working in a construction firm in her area.
Mohammad Sajeeb from Monipur of Mirpur area was also injured while working in his workplace.
The INSAB General Secretary said, “We successfully negotiate with the employers to give a sufficient amount of money as compensations from the employers to bear a cost of treatment of the injured workers.”
According to Labour rules in 2015, the government should form safety awareness committees in every locality with labour leaders, government’s representatives and employers,
The INSAB has started to form such committees in Gazipur City Corporation areas. It has a plan to expand that in other areas to make the workers aware about their own safety in work places.
