Workers' safety last on builders' mind in Gurugram

Tribune News Service

Sumedha Sharma

Gurugram, August 4

“My brother Kumod is among thousands of workers who risk their lives each day because contractors refuse to shell out money to safeguard their lives. He was a crane operator and whenever he complained about safety, he was told to work the way it was or quit,” says Pramod Kumar. Kumar, a construction worker, is the elder brother of Kumod, one of the four workers who died after falling from the 17th floor of Palm Hills Society in Sector 77, Gurugram, while dismantling a tower crane.

Editorial: Safety first

What’s must

Gloves | Face shields | Chemical splash goggles | Respiratory protection | Fall protection equipment when working above 6 ft

Working on action plan

We keep issuing challans, but labourers are scared to complain for fear of losing work. We are working on a stringent action plan. — Ashok Nain, Dy Director, Industrial Safety

The victims’ kin said the tragedy could have been averted had safety equipment been in place. The victims, Mohammad Tahmid (27), Kumod (32), Nabin (27) and Parmeshwar (35) were from Bihar.

Barring a few, workers do not have anything more than a helmet in the name of safety. While contractors and builders claim they provide all safety equipment to workers, there are hardly any site visits by the authorities concerned to nail their lie.

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