Lack of safety measures put Bengaluru construction workers at risk

People migrating to the city to make a better life for themselves are often seen taking up jobs as construction workers.
Building and Construction Workers Act does not specify what safety gear is needed by construction workers while on duty (File | EPS)
Building and Construction Workers Act does not specify what safety gear is needed by construction workers while on duty (File | EPS)

BENGALURU: People migrating to the city to make a better life for themselves are often seen taking up jobs as construction workers. But unfortunately, for many, safety measures are ignored, which makes them prone to falling from heights, getting injured when a building collapses, electrocution, and so on.

Balakrishna, a 37-year-old construction worker from a village in Andhra Pradesh, has been living in the city for 12 years now. He told us, “I have been a labourer for 11 years now and earn Rs 300-Rs 400 a day depending on the workload. On some days, if the contractor wants us to speed up the work, we stay extra works. So when we have to work in a hurry, safety is not a priority. We try to finish fast and go home. Contractors don't bother about safety measures either," he says.

Working without safety gear puts
construction workers at constant risk

However, since the pay is better than what they get in their hometowns, they are willing to risk their lives. “We don't have any other choice. It is hard, and we get injured every other day, but that is what the job demands,” Balakrishna adds.

Another construction worker, 32-year-old Rangaraju Velu, migrated from a village near Madurai with his family. “I came here with my friend Vishweshwar to the city five years ago. Few months after my friend and I started doing construction work in Hebbal, he fractured his arm after falling from the first floor of a building. Luckily, he survived,” Rangaraju recalls. “Every day before I leave home, my wife prays for my safe return,” he says.

Additional Labour Commissioner HL Guruprasad says that the Labour Department can only exercise power if the building is under construction. “After construction, we have no jurisdiction. We have prosecuted builders before, and they've had to pay a fine of Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000, depending on the issue,” he says.

Safety nets, sheets, belts a must

According to the Building and Construction Workers Act, “the keeping of safety nets, safety sheets and safety belts where the special nature or the circumstances of work render them necessary for the safety of the workers” is a mandate. The Act, however, does not specify what safety gear is needed by construction workers while on duty.

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