Ahmedabad: At present, discussions about safe work environment i.e. safety at work place have gained momentum. But this consideration is limited to only 10 to 20 percent of the country’s workforce. According to government statistics, even today 80 to 90 percent of India’s workforce works in the unorganized sector. But the issue of safety of such workers who play an important role in the country’s economy never becomes a topic of discussion. A large number of unorganized workers work in an unsafe environment, especially in the construction sector and industries. Meanwhile, 26 workers died in the last two months in new construction sites and industries in Ahmedabad city.
Serious lapses in safety in most cases:
A total of 26 workers died in Ahmedabad city between June 11 and August 10, including 16 working on new construction sites and 10 in industries. In which a woman and a minor are also involved. Most of the deaths on construction sites are caused by workers falling down while working at height, according to police records. While in the industrial units mainly workers died due to electrocution and burns while working on various machines.60 percent of the workers who died were under 30 years of age. Laborers come from different states in Gujarat in search of work. They live there with their families while working at construction sites and industries. In such a place, the safety of him and his family is threatened due to lack of proper security system. Apart from this, when the breadwinner of the family dies, his family is stranded in an unknown state. Construction sites and industries are not properly planned for the safety of workers. Also accidents occur in construction techniques and industries with workers who are not given the necessary tools and guidance to operate the machines. In some cases they die, in others they become disabled for life.
38 workers die every day on construction sites:
In the unorganized sector, some laws have been made specifically for construction workers. But since the workers are not aware of the law, such laws remain only on paper. Mostly they do not get compensation and no action is taken against those responsible. According to the survey, every day in India 38 workers die on construction sites while three workers die in factories. Still some such incidents are not reported due to various reasons. Despite the large number of such accidents taking place, proper measures are not taken for the safety of lakhs of unorganized workers.
