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61 pc workers suffer health issues: study

Unsafe work environment at Savar leather processing units

Staff Correspondent
Due to unsafe work environment at most of the leather processing units across Savar, workers are facing various occupational health and safety crisis, according to a study.
The study, based on interviews of 105 workers with more than eight years of work experience, revealed that around 93 percent of them did not receive any training.
Bangladesh Occupational Safety, Health and Environment Foundation (OSHE) conducted the “Baseline Study on Occupational Health and Safety in Leather Supply Chain of Bangladesh" from October 11 to November 20 last year.
Sarmin Sultana, lead researcher of OSHE study team, also a faculty member of Bangladesh University of Health Sciences, unveiled the study at a roundtable in Dhaka's Cirdap auditorium yesterday.
The respondents work in tannery, leather goods and footwear industries - 42 percent, 29 percent and 29 percent respectively.
Of the respondents (from 18 to 67 years of age), 79 percent studied up to primary level and their monthly family income is around Tk 10,756 on average.
According to the study, 61 percent of the workers suffer from health related problems or accidents, while there is no formal or informal response mechanism in this regard.
Some of the health hazards include burn injuries, breathing problem, ulcer, body ache, blurred vision and red eyes. The perceived factors related to the health problems include chemicals used in manufacturing process (19 percent), chemical gases (22.1 percent), inadequate lighting (32.7 percent), dust (15.4 percent), noise (17.3 percent), polluted environment (21 percent), and lack of safety measures (1.9 percent).
Speaking as chief guest, Amar Chan Bonik, additional inspector general of the department of inspection for the factories and establishment, said, "We are working to finalise an action plan. It will be completed by March."
"We have fixed a target of inspecting 7,000 factories, keeping the labour safety issue at the centre"
Speaking as special guest, Sanjiv Pandita, regional representative of Solidar Suisse a platform working to ensure safe environment for workers, urged both the public and private sectors to work together to address the issues.
Prof Syed Shamsuddin of Institute of Leather Engineering and Technology at Dhaka University, Abul Kalam Azad, president of Tannery Workers' Union, and Ziaul Karim, manager (compliance) at Apex Footwear Ltd, participated in the discussion as panelists.
Sukkur Mahmud, chairperson of National Coordination Committee for Workers' Educatio; Kazi Sayfuddin Ahmed, adviser to Bangladesh Employers' Federation, and representatives from the government and NGOs spoke at the event.