Safety first

The death of four workers who fell while fixing a tower crane on the 17th floor of a housing project in Gurugram is a grim reminder of the disregard for safety provisions by even the big players. For the industry, the criminal negligence is a wake-up call. The law will take its own course, but the least that can be expected is a collective resolve for a culture of safety first, and sticking to industry benchmarks. None of the men were wearing harness belts, which could have saved them, and the safety net attached to the 12th floor gave way under their weight. According to police data, prior to the incident, deaths of 20 migrant workers had been reported in accidents at construction sites in and around the city till July-end — even as many mishaps go unreported.

The labour workforce dangling precariously and using hugely risk-prone contraptions, with no safety equipment provided by contractors, defines the country’s construction sector. The industry recruits the second largest number of workers after the agriculture sector, but operates in an unorganised manner and workers’ safety is pushed to the bottom on the priority list. The National Building Code has several guidelines for regulating construction activities, but on the ground, the very concept of being safety-conscious is missing. Also, little thought is given to reducing the risk of occupational diseases as a result of inhaling silica dust from sand, cement, stone and wood. The need for regular monitoring and safety audits cannot be overstated, but given the track record of the enforcement agencies, civil society needs to step up, be it the owners themselves or the resident welfare associations. Insisting on safety equipment is as much their responsibility.

The lack of protective gear is also being blamed for the death of four workers who inhaled toxic gases emanating from a tank used to dump liquid waste and other garbage at a manufacturing unit in Bahadurgarh. Ignoring basic safety provisions even at the cost of human life is, sadly, endemic.