Labourers’ safety should no longer be compromised

We need to see that there is adequate lighting everywhere work is carried out. An alarm system where people can rush to aid will also be helpful

Four labourers died of suffocation while cleaning a water tank at an under-construction building in Nagpada recently. Some reports claim they had fallen into the tank while others state they had gone inside to clean it.

The  incident must make us rethink safety measures for labourers working on sites across the city. They must be given safety gear based on the work they are doing. If it is construction sites, then hard hats and special apparel should be a must.

Painters on scaffolding must be provided safety harnesses. For too long, the safety of workers has been compromised, with nobody holding contractors or developers accountable for lapses. We, unfortunately, keep reading about such deaths because the safety of workers is not been prioritised.

According to some reports, in the Nagpada incident, the workers could have succumbed to toxic fumes inside the tank, which may have accumulated as it had not been cleaned. The kin of the deceased alleged that safety equipment had not been provided, resulting in needless deaths.

We need to see that there is adequate lighting everywhere work is carried out. An alarm system where people can rush to aid will also be helpful. There are cases where a worker has lost his life only for the cause to be determined later.

Workers on construction sites may not have voices as powerful as those with money or those in authority. They do not have the agency of those in power. Yet, they cannot work in any kind of dangerous situation. A supervisor, too, should always be overseeing this workforce, and they need to be guided by him. Regard human life as precious and amend the rules to ensure that operations are carried out with wisdom and caution, with the safety of all being seen as something non-negotiable.  

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