IN a tragic incident, several members of a family were seriously injured in a septic tank explosion in the capital and they have been admitted to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) for treatment. As it is reported, the septic tank located in the underground of a single-story building caught fire in early morning and police suspect that the explosion occurred when toxic gas of the septic tank came in contact with electricity. Such incidents are not usually in common talks about safety matters like other sources of accidents but it is taking place now increasingly taking many human tolls
In a similar incident in September, three labourers died inhaling toxic gas while cleaning a septic tank in an under-construction building in Chittagong city. In another incident, four labourers died in Chuadanga’s Jibonnagar upazila after coming in contact with toxic gas from a septic tank during inspection of an under-construction building. So what is advisable is that public awareness must be created; particularly among labourers who work to clean safety tanks and such other underground pockets where toxic gas can form and remain as silent threat to human safety.
News about such accidents now galore in the media with most victims appear to be labourers or cleaning staff. When they enter a septic tank without adequate training and safety equipment and without properly briefed how to make way in confined-space, they ended in fatalities. Unfortunately, very often other multiple fatalities also take place when someone enters the tank in an attempt to save the trapped persons and come in touch of dangerous fumes or toxic gases. Yet, almost nothing is done by employers or the government to ensure the safety of the labourers of this kind of job who risk their lives to clean or inspect septic tanks, which are considered dangerous all over the world.
Workers safety laws are quite inadequate in the country to provide protection to them. In our view there must be arrangement for training to such workers by real estate firms or by public health department to save life and ensure that the job to be well done. Moreover employers must be asked to pay for treatment or compensate for death which can only make sure the owners’ awareness of the danger along with labourers’ before undertaking the cleaning. Most victims are poor labourers but that does not mean their deaths will count for nothing. Access to septic tanks must be limited to only trained workers and the law must be enforced strictly to save more lives.
