Unsafe working conditions

Agas explosion in Loralai district of Balochistan on January 28 in which eight mine workers died, has once again highlighted the disregard for safety measures in mining, which puts at risk the lives of the workers. The blast occurred when 200 minters were working 600 metres underground in a coal mine, undoubtedly in poorly ventilated and hazardous working conditions. Perhaps, as is wont to happen in such cases, there will be a call for an investigation, which may or may not see the light of day but for all practical purposes, it is clear that negligence is to blame. Towards the end of November last year, two coal miners lost their lives in a similar explosion in a mine in Tora Wari in Hangu district. The workers interviewed by the investigating officer told him that they could not rescue the men who died in the mine because they did not have the required equipment. Mine owners have ignored the instructions issued to them on the need to provide basic facilities and safety equipment to their workers. Newspaper reports on coal miners’ deaths on the job are always tragic; that they would expose themselves to such dangerous conditions without proper protection shows the level of financial desperation they are mired in.

Last year’s fire in a garment factory in Karachi that killed more than 250 workers put the plight of Pakistani workers in world headlines, highlighting just how little protection they have. Their employers, be they coal miners or garment factory owners, can get away with murder but for those working in hazardous conditions, like the coal miner breathing in toxic fumes, there is no access to legal recourse, let alone a mask to protect him. What then is the solution? It is up to the state to investigate and prosecute the negligent party responsible for the loss of lives. Ultimately, the coal mine owners are responsible for providing a safe working environment for their workers in accordance with the law, which protects workers from being exposed to risks in this manner.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 2^nd, 2013.