Workplace accidents in informal sector recorded significant rise in 2023

The rate of workplace accidents in the country’s informal sector recorded a significant rise in 2023 compared to formal ones, stressing the need for required measures ensuring safety compliance to protect all workers.

A total of 1432 workplace fatalities had been recorded in 2023, with the highest 1,103 deaths, in informal sector. Some 502 workplace injuries were also recorded in 2023.

The high-risk sectors included the transport sector with 637 deaths, 220 day labourers, and 149 deaths from the construction sector in 2023.

Md Matiur Rahman, joint inspector of general of DIFE, presented the statistics on Monday at the OSH Conference 2025 titled ‘Transforming Occupational Safety and Health (OSH): The Future of OSH in Bangladesh’ held in a city hotel.

The Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) under the Ministry of Labor and Employment organised the conference to mark Occupational Safety and Health Day.

Speaking there, Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed, chairman of Labour Reform Commission, said the number of workplace accidents in the formal sector has decreased, while the situation is just the reverse in the informal sector.

The rate is slower for the formal sector, while it is higher in informal sectors, he noted, stressing the need to bring all workers under safety and compliance to ensure a decent and dignified life for all workers.

munni_fe@yahoo.com