Accident at ship-breaking yards goes unbridled

Workplace casualty at the ship-breaking yards continues unabated as the employers allegedly engage the workers in the hazardous job without adequate occupational safety measures

Workers getting crushed under falling steel beams and heavy plates for lack of safety measures. Apart from this, cylinder, boiler and generator blast and electrical shocks are responsible for casualty in the yards.

Yesterday, a worker died in an accident at a ship-breaking yard at Kumira Ghat, Sitakunda upazila.

Md Saifullah, sub-inspector of Sitakunda police station, told the Dhaka Tribune that Md Raju, 30, a resident of Baro Awlia, Sitakunda upazila, had received critical injuries in the leg and the waist when a heavy iron plate fell on him.

“He was brought to Chittagong Medical College Hospital around 5am where he died,” Assistant Sub-Inspector Pankaj Barua of the CMCH police outpost, adding that the body was sent to morgue for an autopsy.

A murder case was filed with Sitakunda police station in this connection.

According to Young Power in Social Action (YPSA), a non-government organisation working for the rights of the ship-breaking workers, at least 13 workers have died and six others have received critical injuries so far this year in the ship-breaking yards of Chittagong.

Tapan Dutta, convener of Ship-breaking Workers’ Trade Union Forum, alleged that the workplace casualty occurred, as most of the ship-breaking yards hardly follow occupational safety standards.

“The yard owners do not comply with the minimum wage structure set by the government. The workers at the yards are not permitted to exercise trade union activities. It has turned out to be a farce that the government declared the sector as an industry since the workplace casualties continue unabated in the ship-breaking yards,” said Mohammad Mamun, general secretary of Bangladesh Trade Union Sangha, Chittagong.

A ship-breaking worker of Master & Brothers at Sitakunda upazila also succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at the CMCH on August 1. The hapless worker identified as Salam, 50, sustained critical injuries when an iron plate fell on him.

Besides, a worker identified as Biplob Haldar, 27, died after inhaling toxic gas while cleaning oil from a scrap ship on April 17.

A ship-breaking worker died after a heavy plate fell on the head at Asadi Steel Enterprise at MadamBibir Hat under Situakunda upzila on January 19.

On April 3, 2014, four workers were killed and three others were injured from inhaling carbon dioxide when a gas cylinder exploded at a ship-breaking yard in Sitakunda.

Tapan Dutta, convener of Ship-breaking Workers’ Trade Union Forum, alleged that the workplace casualty occurred, as most of the ship-breaking yards hardly follow occupational safety standards.
Source: Dhaka Tribune