Desk Report: Thousands of workers at different dockyards in Nesarabad upazila work without any safety measures and equipment, risking their lives, reports Daily Star.
As a result, accidents often occur there, some of them fatal. Recently, two people were electrocuted at two separate dockyards there.
On a visit to several dockyards, this correspondent saw electric wires spread all around the dockyard while uncovered electric wires were found tied to a pillar.
Although gloves, helmets, protection boots, safety belts and other equipment are necessary for working in dockyards where the workers have to work with electricity, gas, iron bars as well as iron cutters, not a single worker at any dockyard in Nesarabad has any safety equipment.
“We are working in the dockyard without any safety measures as nobody has given us the equipments,” said Akram Hossain, a worker at Salehia Dockyard in the upazila.
They do not wear helmets even when they work on a ship, he added.
“To work amidst scorching heat, we need to wear protection boots to protect us from the heat of the iron,” said Akram Hossain, another worker there.
“We asked the contractor to arrange safety equipments for us, but he did not pay any heed,” said worker Goutom.
“We work here amidst unsafe environment as we have to depend on the earning from the dockyard,” he adds.
Md Abul Kalam, an employee of Salehia Dockyard in the upazila, said they urged the contractor to arrange safety equipments for the workers, but nothing has changed.
“We only lease the dockyard land to the contractors, who make new water vessels or repair old ones,” he said, adding that the contractors are responsible for the other works connected to repair or construction of vessels.
This correspondent tried to talk with several contractors, but they declined to make any comment over the issue.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer Abu Sayeed said he is unaware of the unsafe environment in the dockyards.
“I will look into the matter,” he said, adding that necessary steps will be taken to ensure safer working places at the dockyards.
There are at least 25 dockyards on the two sides of the river Sandha under Nesarabad upazila, and over 3,000 workers in different categories work there.
Construction of water vessels has been going on there for around 30 years, and it has spread rapidly during the last eight years. Different types of water vessels, including motorised passenger carrying trawlers and sand carriers are made there.
As labour and other costs are cheaper in Nesarabad than other areas of the country, people from different areas come here to make new water vessels or repair the old ones.