Over 1,000 die in workplace accidents in 2021

Some 1,053 workers died and 594 got injured in various accidents at their workplaces in 2021.

Last year, 147 workers were tortured to death at their workplaces and 125 were injured due to torture.

There were 431 incidents of labour unrest in different business sectors, of which 162 were in the readymade garments sector, according to a recent survey conducted by Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (Bils), says a press release.

The survey, "Newspaper-based Bils Survey on Labour and Workplace Situation in Bangladesh in 2021," was done based on 2021 newspaper reports about workplaces in Bangladesh.

According to the survey, among the 1,053 deceased, 1,003 were male and 50 were female workers. The highest number of 513 workers died in the transport sector, while 154 workers, the second highest, died in accidents in the construction sector.

In 2020, a total of 729 workers died in workplace accidents. Of them, 36 were male, and 48 were female.

Of the 594 workers injured in accidents at their workplaces in 2021, 561 were male and 23 were female. In 2020, the number of workers injured in accidents at workplaces was 433; of them, 387 were male and 46 were female.

Road accidents, electrocutions, thunderstorms, fires, falling from above, toxic gases, wall/roof collapses, cylinder explosions etc. are some of the causes of accidents at workplaces.

According to the survey, in 2021, 286 workers were tortured at workplaces; of them, 232 are male and 54 are female workers. Of the 286 tortured labourers, 147 were killed, 125 injured, six went missing, two committed suicide and five were rescued after abduction.

The highest number of 99 workers were tortured in the transport sector; among them 76 were killed and 19 were injured. The second highest number of 38 housemaids were tortured; of them, 12 were killed and 24 were injured and 2 committed suicide.

Among the 431 incidents of labour unrest of 2021, the highest number of 172 labour movements took place in the readymade garments sector while 50 movements, the second highest, took place in the transport sector.

During the movements, six labourers including one female were killed and 163 workers, including 137 RMG labourers, were injured. Among the injured, 122 were male and 41 were female.

According to the survey, the highest number of 126 labour movements were created demanding arrears of wages.

The number of reported labour movements was 593 in 2020.