Workplace hazard: Worker dies from inhaling toxic vapour

They had initially refused to descend the 10-foot manhole, but the chief inspector had threatened to fire them

BAHAWALPUR:  

A sanitary worker died on Tuesday night and three others fainted after inhaling toxic vapour while working on a 10-foot deep manhole.

They had received instructions from Chief Sanitary Inspector Nasir Iqbal to clean up the sewerage line in Street 8, Ghausiya Colony, which involved descending a 10-foot deep manhole. According to other TMA sanitary workers, Yousaf Masih and the other three sanitary workers had initially refused to descend the manhole. They said the chief sanitary inspector had threatened to fire them if they disobeyed him.

They said that Yousaf Masih had gone down the manhole first. He did not have protective gear. Within minutes, he fainted and fell. The other workers, Habib, Khaleel Ahmad and Abdul Hameed, had descended the manhole one after the other. All of them fainted.

Rescue-1122 was informed and a team arrived. They managed to take the four sanitary workers out of the manhole and to a hospital for treatment. Yousaf Masih died but the others survived.

Following Yousaf Masih’s death, scores of TMA sanitary workers and their families held a demonstration against Chief Sanitary Inspector Nasir Iqbal. They blocked TMA Chowk and demanded that the police register a case against him.

The protesters carried the body and walked towards Chowk Allahwala where TMO Muhammad Saleem Aamir met them and took them to the TMA where Anjuman Tajraan president Haji Muhammad Yameen, and Councillors Abdul Rasheed Shakir and Haji Muhammad Saleem spoke to them. They expressed solidarity with the sanitary workers and demanded that Nasir be suspended from service.  The TMO issued suspension orders for Nasir Iqbal, In-charge Habibullah and Muhammad Yar. He also ordered an inquiry and said strict action will be taken against them if the officials were found responsible for negligence. Liaquatpur TMA Administrator Zahoor Hussain Bhutta visited Yousaf Masih’s widow and offered her a job with the TMA. He also gave her a compensation cheque for Rs600,000.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 26^th, 2016.