DAHARKI:
All business owners are liable for the safety and security of their own workers, even if there are no written or signed documents. It should be the first and foremost priority that every business should strive for, since a satisfied workforce will work more efficiently. Unfortunately, even in First World countries this has not been the case.
From the 1990s, workers’ lives were always at risk. Some were dying while transferring hefty goods on their backs as slaves while others met their fate while digging for coal. Many have even lost their lives in fatal accidents that could have been easily prevented if precautionary measures had been taken by owners.
Recently, in Karachi a factory went up in flames and three workers lost their lives. The fire brigade finally arrived an hour late, after the whole factory had been completely burnt down, and to everyone’s surprise, they had no water. The trucks tank was completely empty. Such incidents are common occurrence in the industrial capital of Pakistan.
No business owner should risk human life. The government should set up and strictly implement proper safety guidelines, tailor-made for each specific industry. Workers and labourers need to be empowered.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 15th, 2021.
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