Safety measures absent at construction sites

Shamsul Huda | Published: January 24, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00

Construction works at different areas of the city are being done violating building codes; nor are safety rules being followed, putting many people at great risk, experts said.
The FE correspondent while visiting sites in Jatrabari, Magbazar, Shantinagar, Mouchak, Satrasta, Kawranbazar, Gulistan and Sayedabad found that the existing safety rules and building codes were being violated during construction works.
Safety measures are not being maintained as per tender documents and national building code, visits to some construction sites revealed.
According to a Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) source every construction firm is supposed to maintain safety measures and to keep traffic movement around the sites normal at their own cost.
He said the government is aware of the problems, but it is the responsibility of the individual departments under which projects are being implemented.
In the days past little budget was allocated by the government in the projects for maintaining safety measures and usually it was the contractors' duty to maintain safety at their own costs.
But currently in many projects the government keeps extra budget for ensuring safe working environment.
The DCC official said, "As an overall regulatory body, we keep watch on projects sites regarding safety matters and if some one does not maintain we issue them letters repeatedly."
A top Bangladesh Association of Construction Industry (BACI) office bearer said practically the firms are not maintaining measures as per national building code.
He said even many firms do not erect fences at their sites to ensure a safe workplace.
Another BACI office bearer said, "In some international tenders for the foreign funded projects there are budgets for safe working environment but in the government funded projects we do not get such budget."
"Some contractors maintain safety and security at their own costs, but there many do not maintain these," he said.
A PWD high official said for this, the lives of the people who have to move near the sites and vehicles plying under the construction sites are at risk.
He said workers in flyovers, bridge and high rise building sites are seen wearing 'lungis' as there is no awareness among them.
He said they do not use welding goggles, safety belts, helmets and boots. Even they talk over mobile phone when they are working in risky positions in high rise buildings and flyovers.
People keep construction materials on the roads blocking traffic and some workers are operating heavy equipments and vehicles without proper training, an engineer working with a private construction firm said.
He said more than 50 accidents happened at different construction sites in the city in the last five years but the government is still not aware of the incidents and no law enforcement and monitoring exist at the construction sites.
The PWD source said, "Our workers traditionally wear lungis and they do not wear safety kits."
He said, "Our workers are also not educated nor trained in operating and movement of heavy equipment."
A Rajuk official said there are clear and specific indications in the labour law to ensure labour safety and a department in the labour ministry is responsible to enforce laws at the construction sites.
The official said, "International labour organisations also monitor the issues but I do not know how such things continue to occur."
He said the existing culture at the construction sites indicates that labour safety laws and safety measures mentioned in the tender documents and also in the laws and regulations are not being followed properly.