CONRAD DIAS
Ranchi, May 10: Lack of safety equipment has become a concern for workers working in factories and at construction sites. These labourers are not provided with basic safety equipment such as helmets and safety harness while working in extremely dangerous conditions.
Majority of daily wage workers who work at construction sites of upcoming multi-storeyed apartments do not have a safety harness to protect them from any accident.
Krishna Nayak, a daily wage worker who works at a construction site at Bahu Bazaar, Ranchi said that the laborers work by risking their life.
“Many a times, we use equipment that is not safe at all while working on the construction of tall buildings. We do not have any helmet or protective belts. If we fall from such height, we will be dead,” he said.
The former general secretary of Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) said that the condition of labourers in Jharkhand is very poor and they lack many basic amenities as well.
“Majority of labourers in the state who work for factories or for builders do not have any protective gears. I think these are the loopholes in the system. Many a times these equipments are provided by the government but it does not reach the workers. And the condition of workers is so bad that at times they sell these equipments for extra money. I think government should look after this,” said the former general secretary.
Many workers who work at construction sites often suffer from Silicosis, a chronic respiratory ailment caused by inhaling silica dust over a long period of time. This is because they don’t have proper masks to cover their faces while working in such hazardous environment.
In order to get a statement on this issue, lagatar24.com contacted the labour department and was informed that the Labour Commissioner is unavailable so an official statement cannot be provided at the moment.
