Burimari stone crushers expose workers to health risks

LALMONIRHAT, Apr 02: Rampant use of stone crushers is posing health hazards to several thousand workers who carry stones or operate the machines in the Lalmonirhat's Burimari land port area under Patgram upazila.
Visiting some stone crushing sites, this correspondent has recently found that most labourers have no health safety equipment for crushing stones. They have for long been working without wearing face masks or hand gloves.
The dust entering their lungs can cause many difficulties, said a worker.
Saleha Begum, a widow labourer, alleged that they have no other alternatives but to work in stone crushing fields.
"We get only Tk 350 each after working from morning till evening," she said.
"Getting only Tk 350-380 as wages per day is too scanty to survive nowadays," she added.
Abu Alam, another labourer, said, "Maize and tea farming has become popular in our area. If the government can set up agro-based industries here, it will create job opportunities for all of us."
"If it is done, then we'll be able to move away from hazardous works like stone-crushing," he added.
When asked, Dr Abul Kashem, former civil surgeon (CS) of Lalmonirhat, said, "Stone dust is very harmful for our lungs and respiratory system. If a person works for long in stone crushing sites, he/she may suffer from acute lung and bronchial diseases."
"Many young labourers of this area died in the past few years due to silicosis diseases," he added.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md Saifur Rahman of Patgram said, "We have initiated several programmes to make stone crushing workers aware of their health safety. We even encourage the employers to provide their labourers with all the safety tools," he added.
ahasnathrana@yahoo.com