STAR BUSINESS REPORT

A culture of impunity has arisen over workplace accidents and the resultant deaths of workers in Bangladesh. This is because justice is yet to be ensured in related cases, even though such accidents, deaths, and injuries are recurrent.

“This has created a sense that there is no justice over such accidents. This is why no one cares,” said Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmmed, executive director of the Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS), yesterday.

His comments came in reaction to a massive fire that swept through a chemical warehouse and an adjacent clothing factory in Shialbari of the capital’s Mirpur on October 14.

At least 16 workers lost their lives, reflecting the failure of the authorities concerned to ensure compliance with labour and other relevant laws.

Just three weeks ago, a blaze at a warehouse in Tongi, Gazipur, claimed the lives of four firefighters.