Another industrial tragedy

The collapse of a factory building in Lahore that so far has claimed the lives of at least 18 people and injured at least 55 is neither unexpected nor unusual. There may be as many as 100 people still under the rubble, some of whom may survive but many will not. The four-storey unit made plastic bags and it is reported that there were children working there in addition to the adult workforce. The collapse happened in the evening, the building is at the end of a narrow lane and despite emergency services being quickly on the scene, they had difficulty operating heavy equipment for fear of injuring those still beneath the rubble. The incident will fade from the headlines within days at most, and therein lies the rub.



The absence of any kind of institutionalised safety culture in Pakistan means that building standards are low, safety features in buildings absent and safety awareness in staff groups poor. In this instance, the building had been severely damaged in the October 26 earthquake, and large cracks had appeared in it. The owners had been advised to repair the building before bringing it back into use, advice they chose to ignore and carried on with the construction of an additional storey, adding to the stresses on an already damaged building.

Anywhere else in the world, the owners would have been swiftly detained, with the possibility at the very least of facing manslaughter charges at a future date. This is unlikely to happen. Political contacts will be worked, money will change hands, there will be a botched inquiry and those responsible for the deaths of yet another group of poor workers will walk away from any responsibility, free in the knowledge that their country will always look after those who have deep pockets.

There will be histrionic hand-wringing by political leaders, all of whom know exactly why the building collapsed and have zero intention of changing anything that might avert similar collapses in the future. The rubble will be cleared, the bodies buried and it will be business as usual — until the next time.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 6^th, 2015.

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