Workers’ safety

On December 3, four factory workers in Karachi died due to suffocating on a poisonous gas that leaked while they were working. Unfortunately, this is not the first time a poor labourer has lost his life. Every day there is news of yet another worker having lost his life in some accident or the other. In the past, at the Steel Mills, it was the duty of the safety department to check for the presence of any poisonous gases, and only after it gave clearance did others enter the tunnels. Workers were also given gas masks for safety. Most factories now do not even have safety departments, nor are their workers insured. There are numerous cases of factory fires in which dozens of people have lost their lives. Those in charge simply say that it was the result of a ‘short circuit’. No one is ever held responsible, so such incidents continue. It is the duty of the state to ensure that safety measures are implemented by all the factories and department. Those who fail to comply should be penalised or their factories shut down. The media too should name the culprits of such incidents.

Malik ul Quddoos

Karachi