Construction workers’ safety at bottom of builders&#39;, contractors&#39;, engineers&#39; agenda

Construction workers’ safety at bottom of builders', contractors', engineers' agenda

By Vipul Pandya*
The construction sector in India is the country’s second-largest economic segment after agriculture. It employs more than 40 million people, contributing nearly 8% to the national GDP. According to an industry estimate, the Indian construction industry is worth Rs 9,000 billion. Prior to the global economic crisis in 2008, the industry grew at more than 10% during 2005–07.
After 2008, the growth moderated, with the industry registering an average real growth rate of 5% since 2008. However, the industry is now expected to recover with the formation of a stable government at the Centre with its thrust on infrastructure development to revive economic growth.
Infrastructure projects are major demand drivers in the Indian construction industry accounting for an estimated 49% of industry value followed by real estate and housing (42%) and industrial projects (5%).
Construction is an industry that requires working at ever-changing locations and work environments. Nearly 6.5 million people work at approximately 2,52,000 construction sites across the nation on any given day. Construction is one of the important economic activities in India. It offers employment opportunities to all categories of people right from highly skilled to totally unskilled labour.
In urban sector an increasing number of workers has taken up construction work as a means of immediate employment, which provides cash earnings at the end of the day. Rural masses also migrate to urban areas in search of job to get involved in this second largest occupation. In metropolitan cities, the construction work is predominantly a male-dominated economic activity due to the arduous nature of work to be performed by workers.
Construction safety in India is still in its early stage, because safety laws are not strictly enforced. Contractors ignore many basic safety rules and regulations from the start of any work. Although to improve working conditions, the government has enacted specific legislations like the Minimum Wages Act, the Workmen’s Compensation Act of 1923 (modified in 1962), and the Contract Labour (Regulation and abolition) Act of 1970, very few of their provisions are put into practice.
The National Building Code of India, 2005, provides guidelines for regulating construction activities for a building across the country, along with many IS codes of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), such as SP70-Handbook on Construction Safety Practices for site engineers, project managers, and engineers-in-charge of buildings and civil works.
Even then, workers’ safety in the Indian construction industry is frequently pushed to the bottom in the priority list of most of the builders, contractors, and engineers, many of whom are unaware of any norms and regulation.
In developing countries, safety rules usually do not exist, and even if they exist, regulatory authorities are unable to implement such rules effectively. Therefore, it is up to the construction professional to inculcate and concretise these safety norms in their working and set up desired standards.
This can definitely reduce accidents that directly or indirectly reduce project cost and ultimately delays. In India efforts should be made to raise the level of awareness among the workers and employers about the importance of health and safety-related issues.
In the State of Gujarat, in the year of 2018, 144 accidents were reported from construction sites resulting in death of 137 workers. The data was collected through RTI from all police stations across the state and news clippings. In the last decade 1,405 accidents were reported, including 990 fatal accidents and 415 non-fatal accidents.
Section 39 of the Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Condition of Service) Act, 1996, provides reporting accident to the authority appointed under this Act. But enforcement is so weak that there is a huge gap between the number of accidents taking place and reported accidents.
Some data of accidents are available but there is paucity of data on occupational diseases. In the construction industry, workers pose risk of getting occupational dermatitis, cancer, asbestosis, silicosis, muscular skeletal disorder, respiratory diseases etc. Despite all odds there is some hope from Gujarat Building and other Construction Workers Welfare (BOCW) Boards. The BOCW Board has begun Dhanvantari Arogya Rath to help cure occupational diseases.
In the scheme, registered construction workers can get benefit up to Rs 3 lakh. The Board reimburses medical expenses, gives Rs 1,500 financial assistance per month in case of disability of up to 90% and Rs 3,000 in case of 90 to 100% disability due to occupational injury and diseases.
Trade unions and NGOs can also help victims by bridging the information gap and set up a system to confirm occupational diseases and claim benefits under the scheme.
—
*Director, Bandhkam Majur Sangathan, Ahmedabad

Comments

1857 War of Independence... when Hindu-Muslim separatism, hatred wasn't an issue

"The Sepoy Revolt at Meerut", Illustrated London News, 1857 By Shamsul Islam* Large sections of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs unitedly challenged the greatest imperialist power, Britain, during India’s First War of Independence which began on May 10, 1857; the day being Sunday. This extraordinary unity, naturally, unnerved the firangees and made them realize that if their rule was to continue in India, it could happen only when Hindus and Muslims, the largest two religious communities were divided on communal lines.

The curious case of multiple entries of a female voter of Maharashtra: What ECI's online voter records reveal

By Venkatesh Nayak* Cyberspace is agog with data, names and documents which question the reliability of the electoral rolls prepared by the electoral bureaucracy in Maharashtra prior to the General Elections conducted in 2024. One such example of deep dive probing has brought to the surface, the name of one female voter in the 132-Nalasopara (Gen) Vidhan Sabha Constituency in Maharashtra. Nalasopara is part of the Palghar (ST) Lok Sabha constituency. This media report claims that this individual's name figures multiple times in the voter list of the same constituency.

N-power plant at Mithi Virdi: CRZ nod is arbitrary, without jurisdiction

By Krishnakant* A case-appeal has been filed against the order of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and others granting CRZ clearance for establishment of intake and outfall facility for proposed 6000 MWe Nuclear Power Plant at Mithi Virdi, District Bhavnagar, Gujarat by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) vide order in F 11-23 /2014-IA- III dated March 3, 2015. The case-appeal in the National Green Tribunal at Western Bench at Pune is filed by Shaktisinh Gohil, Sarpanch of Jasapara; Hajabhai Dihora of Mithi Virdi; Jagrutiben Gohil of Jasapara; Krishnakant and Rohit Prajapati activist of the Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a notice to the MoEF&CC, Gujarat Pollution Control Board, Gujarat Coastal Zone Management Authority, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and case is kept for hearing on August 20, 2015. Appeal No. 23 of 2015 (WZ) is filed, a...

Spirit of leadership vs bondage: Of empowered chairman of 100-acre social forestry coop

By Gagan Sethi* This is about Khoda Sava, a young Dalit belonging to the Vankar sub-caste, who worked as a bonded labourer in a village near Vadgam in Banskantha district of North Gujarat. The year was 1982. Khoda had taken a loan of Rs 7,000 from the village sarpanch, a powerful landlord doing money-lending as his side business. Khoda, who had taken the loan for marriage, was landless. Normally, villagers would mortgage their land if they took loan from the sarpanch. But Khoda had no land. He had no option but to enter into a bondage agreement with the sarpanch in order to repay the loan. Working in bondage on the sarpanch’s field meant that he would be paid Rs 1,200 per annum, from which his loan amount with interest would be deducted. He was also obliged not to leave the sarpanch’s field and work as daily wager somewhere else. At the same time, Khoda was offered meal once a day, and his wife job as agricultural worker on a “priority basis”. That year, I was working as secretary...

Proposed Modi yatra from Jharkhand an 'insult' of Adivasi hero Birsa Munda: JMM

Counterview Desk The civil rights network, Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha (JMM), which claims to have 30 grassroots groups under its wings, has decided to launch Save Democracy campaign to oppose Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Vikasit Bharat Sankalp Yatra to be launched on November 15 from the village of legendary 19th century tribal independence leader Birsa Munda from Ulihatu (Khunti district).

Ground reality: Israel would a remain Jewish state, attempt to overthrow it will be futile

By NS Venkataraman* Now that truce has been arrived at between Israel and Hamas for a period of four days and with release of a few hostages from both sides, there is hope that truce would be further extended and the intensity of war would become significantly less. This likely “truce period” gives an opportunity for the sworn supporters and bitter opponents of Hamas as well as Israel and the observers around the world to introspect on the happenings and whether this war could have been avoided. There is prolonged debate for the last several decades as to whom the present region that has been provided to Jews after the World War II belong. View of some people is that Jews have been occupants earlier and therefore, the region should belong to Jews only. However, Christians and those belonging to Islam have also lived in this regions for long period. While Christians make no claim, the dispute is between Jews and those who claim themselves to be Palestinians. In any case...

Two more "aadhaar-linked" Jharkhand deaths: 17 die of starvation since Sept 2017

Kaleshwar's sons Santosh and Mantosh Counterview Desk A fact-finding team of the Right to Feed Campaign, pointing towards the death of two more persons due to starvation in Jharkhand, has said that this has happened because of the absence of aadhaar, leading to “persistent lack of food at home and unavailability of any means of earning.” It has disputed the state government claims that these deaths are due to reasons other than starvation, adding, the authorities have “done nothing” to reduce the alarming state of food insecurity in the state.

Morbi’s ceramic workers face silicosis epidemic, 92% denied legal health benefits: PTRC study

By Rajiv Shah A new study by the Gujarat-based health rights organisation, Peoples Training and Research Centre (PTRC), warns that most workers in Morbi district’s ceramic industry—which produces 90% of India’s ceramic output—are at high risk of contracting silicosis, a deadly occupational disease.

Govt of India "tarnishing" NGO reputation, dossier leaked selectively: Amnesty

Counterview Desk Amnesty International India has said that a deliberate attempt is being made to tarnish its reputation by leaking a dossier, supposedly made by investigating agencies, to media without giving it access to any such information. The high profile NGO’s claim follows a Times Now report about proceedings launched by investigative agencies, including Enforcement Directorate (ED) against the rights body for “violations” of rules pertaining to overseas donations.

Search This Blog