Bangladesh Occupational Safety, Health, and Environment foundation (OSHE) said forming a special joint inspection wing in association with the local government would ensure effective monitoring in the construction sector. They also recommended strengthening vigilance in monitoring workplaces.
A recent OSHE survey report said 179 construction workers were killed in 2017, which is higher than last year. In 2016 the death count was 147. In terms of unsafe workplace, this makes the construction sector the second largest industrial sector; the transport sector being the first, which had 488 deaths in 2017.
The report recommended the establishment of a special joint inspection wing by the government together with inspectors from the
Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) and City Development Authorities or local government. An immediate revision of accident compensation clauses under the Bangladesh Labour Act (BLA) and introduction of mandatory work insurance for all workers was suggested as well.
Although construction workers comprise 4.4% of the total labour force in the country, the number of deaths in the construction industry constitutes 14.5% of total occupational deaths. The rate of injury is also high, with OSHE reporting 42 injuries in 2017.
Approximately 1,509 deaths in the construction industry have been reported between 2008 and 2017, resulting on an average of 150 deaths a year. The two most common reasons behind these deaths are falling from height and electrocution. According to OSHE, most of the construction workers are killed in the city areas.
Aside from this, construction workers suffer from various construction-related health hazards including breathing problems, hearing loss and skin diseases. Very few victims receive medical assistance from the company they work for.
Out of the 179 deaths, some 175 took place in the informal sector. The existing labour act is only applicable to the formal sector. The informal sector workers have no way to ensure their rights regarding safety and compensation.
OSHE said a huge number of construction sites do not provide basic safety gears such as gloves, helmets, glasses, safety belts and first aid kits.
Due to the absence of a national monitoring system, the responsibility of providing safety generally falls on the building owners, private developers or contractors. The organizational hassles of implementing the safety system, the lack of safety awareness among the workers and in our society in general, creates a significant barrier against implementing safety on sites, OSHE mentioned in the report.
OSHE’s Executive Director Repon Chowdhury said: “High casualty rates and low safety regulations at construction sites have been a problem for a long time, with little government action to provide any solutions. Effective Legal enforcement on workplace safety issues by responsible authorities is a long term challenge.”
“While a lot of emphasis is given to the safety of a building during its use, less time is spent on safety during construction, which includes safety of the construction employees as well as that of the surrounding neighbourhood”, he added.
Legal actions are hardly taken against safety violations. Many deaths during construction go unreported, Repon said.
Bangladesh Labour Act 2006, Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC) 2006 have been formulated to ensure worker safety across the nation. The Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) is entrusted with the responsibility of overseeing the matter.
OSHE said despite the existence of such laws in the country, monitoring and enforcing safety in construction is still a big challenge due to various limitations such as: Confusion regarding enforcement authority and shortage of manpower in enforcing agencies. A lack of a national safety certification and licensing programme for engineers, contractors and workers is a major issue as well. Besides, constant cycling of workers on construction sites adds to the difficulty of implementing construction safety.
Earlier this month, while discussing the issue of workplace death in the country, OSHE suggested the government should empower DIFE more so that they could conduct inspections via mobile courts.
“The workers at this sector are not organized, have no voice or platform, to express their concerns and complaints. Major change in this regard is necessary in order to ensure their safety rights at construction sites,” Repon added.
Approximately 1,509 deaths in the construction industry have been reported between 2008 and 2017, resulting on an average of 150 deaths a year. The two most common reasons behind these deaths are falling from height and electrocution. According to OSHE, most of the construction workers are killed in the city areas.
Aside from this, construction workers suffer from various construction-related health hazards including breathing problems, hearing loss and skin diseases. Very few victims receive medical assistance from the company they work for.
Out of the 179 deaths, some 175 took place in the informal sector. The existing labour act is only applicable to the formal sector. The informal sector workers have no way to ensure their rights regarding safety and compensation.
OSHE said a huge number of construction sites do not provide basic safety gears such as gloves, helmets, glasses, safety belts and first aid kits.
Due to the absence of a national monitoring system, the responsibility of providing safety generally falls on the building owners, private developers or contractors. The organizational hassles of implementing the safety system, the lack of safety awareness among the workers and in our society in general, creates a significant barrier against implementing safety on sites, OSHE mentioned in the report.
OSHE’s Executive Director Repon Chowdhury said: “High casualty rates and low safety regulations at construction sites have been a problem for a long time, with little government action to provide any solutions. Effective Legal enforcement on workplace safety issues by responsible authorities is a long term challenge.”
“While a lot of emphasis is given to the safety of a building during its use, less time is spent on safety during construction, which includes safety of the construction employees as well as that of the surrounding neighbourhood”, he added.
Legal actions are hardly taken against safety violations. Many deaths during construction go unreported, Repon said.
Bangladesh Labour Act 2006, Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC) 2006 have been formulated to ensure worker safety across the nation. The Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) is entrusted with the responsibility of overseeing the matter.
OSHE said despite the existence of such laws in the country, monitoring and enforcing safety in construction is still a big challenge due to various limitations such as: Confusion regarding enforcement authority and shortage of manpower in enforcing agencies. A lack of a national safety certification and licensing programme for engineers, contractors and workers is a major issue as well. Besides, constant cycling of workers on construction sites adds to the difficulty of implementing construction safety.
Earlier this month, while discussing the issue of workplace death in the country, OSHE suggested the government should empower DIFE more so that they could conduct inspections via mobile courts.
“The workers at this sector are not organized, have no voice or platform, to express their concerns and complaints. Major change in this regard is necessary in order to ensure their safety rights at construction sites,” Repon added.