Workplace safety in shipbreaking industry sees significant improvement: BILS

There has been a notable improvement in the safety conditions within the shipbreaking industry, with a significant reduction in workplace accidents and worker fatalities, according to a report published by the Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS) today (30 June).

From 2015 to June 2024, a total of 124 workers have been killed, averaging 13.55 deaths per year until 2023. This year, only one worker fatality has been reported up to June, indicating a substantial decrease, said BILS Coordinator Fazlul Kabir Mintu while presenting the report at the IPSA HRD Centre in Chattogram's Sitakunda. 

Additionally, the number of accidents has dropped from 19 in the first six months of 2023 to 12 in the same period this year, the report revealed.

The data suggests that both the rate of workplace accidents and worker deaths have decreased in the first half of 2024. 

This improvement has been attributed to the establishment of four green shipyards, the ongoing development of additional green shipyards, and a general slowdown in business within the shipbreaking sector. 

Speaking at the event as the chief guest, Sitakunda Upazila Nirbahi Officer KM Rafiqul Islam highlighted the inherent risks of the shipbreaking industry due to the handling of heavy materials. He emphasised the need for ensuring the occupational health of workers and the safety of yard infrastructure to make the industry sustainable. 

He called for collaboration among all industry stakeholders, including owners and workers, to solve difficult problems with honesty and sincerity. He also noted the discrepancy in compensation, where accident victims receive compensation while the injured often lack medical facilities and legal support.

Shipbreaking Workers Trade Union Forum convenor Tapan Dutta presided over the event attended by Social Services Directorate Officer Lutfun Nesa Begum, Sitakunda Fire Station Senior Station Officer Nurul Alam Dulal, Kumira Fire Station Senior Station Officer Al Mamun, Shipbreaking Workers Trade Union Forum Joint Convenor AM Nazim Uddin, and Jatiya Sramik League Sitakunda-Barbakund Regional Committee President Mahabubul Alam. 

Participants at the meeting raised concerns about a hospital built in Bhatiari by the Bangladesh Ship Breaker and Recyclers Association (BSBRA), which is now being rented out to private management, depriving shipbreaking workers of medical facilities. 

They demanded initiatives to upgrade the hospital to a modern standard and establish it as a specialised facility for shipbreaking workers. 

Additionally, the need for a sufficient number of ambulances in the shipbreaking industrial area was emphasised to ensure prompt and proper treatment of injured workers. 

It was also reported that grievance support was provided to 15 dismissed workers in the last six months based on verbal instructions from the owner.