Health risks are increasing day by day in the workplace in the country. Injuries and deaths are also increasing. Among these, the highest number of deaths occur among workers in the transport sector. Deaths in the service and construction sectors are still higher. Workplace deaths in the country have increased almost three times in a span of 10 years. 320 people died in 2014, and 857 people died in 2023.
The death toll has gradually increased every year. A total of 5,235 people have died at work in the country in the past 10 years. Most of these deaths occurred in Dhaka. 98 percent of the dead were men, and only 2 percent were women workers. This figure was obtained by analyzing data from the 2023 report of the Safety and Rights Society (SRS), a non-governmental organization that deals with workplace accident injuries and deaths in the country. Health and Safety Day at Work is being celebrated in this situation on Sunday.
According to the National Occupational Health and Safety Policy (2013), this day has been celebrated on April 28 every year since 2016 by the initiative of the Ministry of Labor and Employment. The theme of this year is "healthy workers, a beautiful working environment, and smart Bangladesh.".
According to experts, a workplace accident is an unexpected event that occurs in the work environment, resulting in the injury or death of an employee. Workplace accidents occur in any industry, including construction, manufacturing, services, agriculture, and transportation.
There are several causes of workplace accidents, including road accidents, explosions, electrocutes, lightning, falls from the floor or above, being hit by hard or heavy objects, drowning in water, being burned by fire, exposure to poisonous gases, and the collapse of hills, ground, bridges, buildings, roofs, and walls.
"We collect, store, and review annual, monthly, and weekly data to produce comprehensive annual reports. In this case, the 2023 report is our latest report. We have reviewed the data from the last 10 years and found that workplace safety risks are increasing in the country. Accidents and deaths are increasing, which is very worrying," said Sikander Ali Meena, Executive Director of SRS.
Abdur Rahim Khan, Inspector General of the Directorate of Inspection of Factories and Institutions (BIDA), told reporters in a press conference on Saturday that more than 10,000 factories have been inspected under the leadership of BIDA in the fiscal year 2022–23. These factories have been asked to correct the errors. A license has been given to 10,205 companies. 31 thousand 338 licenses have been renewed. The inspection showed that there are 2 lakh and 18 thousand unregistered factories in various sectors. There is no database of workers yet. So a labor information data system is being developed. The personal data of the workers will be presented here, through which their health and safety are expected to be more protected.
According to the Bangladesh Workplace Death Report 2023, 320 people died in 2014, 373 in 2015, 382 in 2016, and 437 in 2017. 593 people died in 2018. During these five years, the number of deaths increased. In 2019, it decreased slightly to 572 people. The death toll dropped further to 433 in 2020. After being slightly less for these two years, it jumped again to 538 in 2021, 712 in 2022, and lastly, 875 died last year. Of these deaths, 530 people died in workplace fires. A maximum of 77 people died in 2023. Meanwhile, 340 workers (39 percent) died in the transport sector in 2023. 185 people (21 percent) died in the service sector. Most of them are electricians. Apart from this, 174 people died in the construction sector, 96 in the manufacturing sector, and 80 in the agriculture sector. A maximum of 32 people died in the manufacturing sector in the garment industry. The highest workplace deaths in the country occurred in the months of July and December 2023. Among workplace deaths in 2023, the highest number of 132 people died in 91 incidents in Dhaka. After that, 68 people died in 54 incidents in Chittagong, and 55 people lost their lives in 32 incidents in Gazipur.
According to that report, 25.14 percent of those who die at work every year in the country are between the ages of 21 and 30.
Deaths due to occupational diseases are not accounted for.
Khondakar Abdus Salam, consultant of the Bangladesh Institute of Labor Studies (BILS) and an expert on health and safety in the workplace, told Khaborer Kagoj that apart from the exporters of the country, thousands of institutional and non-institutional factories do not have any international standards or domestic safety management.
He further said that although there is some discussion about accidents in the transport sector, workers in different sectors do not pay much attention to the health risks created by exposure to various chemicals or germs. Many industries are the source of respiratory diseases, cancer, and other diseases. No work is done in those sectors. As a result, there is no account of how many people die from such illnesses.
