Rampant violation of workplace safety

Shall we call it an accident? Or a deliberately created instance of extreme callousness and unconcern about human life and safety! Had the Keraniganj gas lighter factory fire on Saturday been a mere accident, one would console oneself by thinking that such things happen and cannot be completely eliminated. But what if it happens because of extreme callousness about workplace safety? Enquiries revealed that the factory had, in fact, no legal permit. More alarmingly, it had virtually no fire safety measures, and the workers were denied any escape route as the main gate was locked. Consequently, six workers were burned to death, and some others are languishing in hospital with serious burn injuries.

Outbreaks of fire and the resulting deaths of workers due to unsafe factory environment are by now too familiar a story in this country, and it continues to claim fresh victims after regular interval. Such criminal insensitivity has grown because in all previous cases those responsible for such tragedy largely went unpunished. Thanks to this culture of impunity that the factory owners thought that they could get away with everything, every violation of the basic rules of workers' safety and that they are accountable to none.

In the past, a series of RMG factory fires occurred with a heavy toll of lives due to a single cause - the emergency exits were locked. But this inhuman practice resulted in one tragedy followed by another. In October last year, a fire tragedy in a chemical warehouse in Mirpur occurred under similar circumstances. After the blaze started, many workers tried to rush to the rooftop, only to find that the gate was locked. Consequently, sixteen people died from suffocation. 

In 2024, a devastating fire at Green Cozy Cottage on Dhaka's Bailey Road killed 46 people. CID recently submitted a probe report on the incident. It said, most people died not because of burns, but because of suffocation, as the main gate of a restaurant named KacchiBhai was locked to prevent customers from leaving without paying their bills. This is incoceivable. Deliberately blocking the escape route of victims who were running for safety! Clearly, it n act of murder. Which society will condone this? And how does it impact Bangladesh's image at a time when the country is about graduate from the LDC category?

This dangerous practice was observed in every case of major fire. The probe committees that followed routinely disapproved of those instances of inhuman practice. But nothing effective was done to improve the safety conditions. When safety measures are all dispensed with, accidents do not just occur but are in a sense invited. Thus what passes for accident is often an outcome of criminality.

The Keraniganj tragedy has once again brought to light the fragile state of workplace safety in small and medium factories, most of which have sprung up haphazardly without any proper planning, and where compliance with safety rules is practically non-existent. How a factory processing highly combustible gases like butane and propane could operate in a densely populated area is the question. The factory had reportedly been shut down last year due to the absence of valid documents. How it could resume operation shortly after the closure? Locals alleged that, despite repeated requests, the owner took no initiative to close or relocate the facility. An alleged associate of the factory owner has already been arrested. The probe instituted must find out those who enabled the factory to continue operating illegally and ensure that all those responsible are held to account.

The problem, however, is endemic. Unauthorised factories dealing with hazardous materials are scattered across densely populated areas such as Keraniganj, Narayanganj, and Old Dhaka, where labourers often work  under life-threatening conditions. There has long been a demand to relocate these hazard-prone factories to designated industrial parks, but it has not happened. Following the Nimtoli fire in Old Dhaka which claimed 126 lives, the then government had initiated four projects to shift the chemical, plastic, printing, and electronics industries from Old Dhaka. However, these projects remain incomplete even after 15 years. Bureaucratic red tape, land acquisition complications, and lack of urgency from the authorities have reportedly resulted in this apathy and inaction.

Thus, a good number of workers die or become disabled every year. Actually, safety of workers seems to be nobody's concern. While safety environment in RMG factories radically improved following international intervention, no improvement is noticeable regarding the safety situation in the aforementioned factories. Lack of enforcement of the factory laws, inaction of the factory inspectors, indifference of the factory owners to the workers' safety and absence of bargaining bodies of the workers have allowed the situation to persist. Many argue that poor compensation provided for in the existing laws is one of the major reasons why factory owners do not pay due attention to workers' safety.  The compensation announced for the victims of the Keraniganj lighter factory fire is paltry.

Safety at workplace is not a matter of pity to the workers; it is their right and factory owners are legally and morally bound to ensure it. Death or disability of workers has multi-dimensional implications on the economy and society. While the death or disability of workers seriously hampers production processes, absence of an earning member put his/her family members in dire straits. At the same time, unsafe working conditions result in reduced productivity, increased healthcare expenses and a lower quality of life for workers and their families. Safety at workplaces and reasonable compensation for the workers should therefore be given priority for ensuring healthy working condition at mills and factories. Proper monitoring of safety situation by regulatory bodies and strict enforcement of laws are indispensable for the improvement of the situation.

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