E-Paper
Labourer’s death: Safety goes for a toss at construction sites in SAS Nagar
The death of a 42-year-old worker after he fell off the 16th floor of an ongoing construction project, Homeland Heights, opposite Sohana’s Singh Shaheedan Gurdwara in SAS Nagar on Thursday has brought to the fore the vulnerability of construction workers in the absence of safety measures.
The death of a 42-year-old worker after he fell off the 16th floor of an ongoing construction project, Homeland Heights, opposite Sohana’s Singh Shaheedan Gurdwara in SAS Nagar on Thursday has brought to the fore the vulnerability of construction workers in the absence of safety measures.
Vir Singh, who hailed from Uttar Pradesh, was injured after he fell into a lift channel. He was rushed to a local hospital where he succumbed.
Workers at the construction site said the victim (Vir Singh) was neither wearing helmet nor safety belt when he fell down, leading to his death.
Workers engaged at various construction sites across the SAS Nagar city are made to work without basic equipment like safety shoes and gloves. One can see labourers’ children playing at these sites, also exposing them to life-threatening hazards. Besides, they are not provided daycare facility while their parents work at the sites.
“We are not provided safety equipment such as helmets or harness. Had Vir Singh been provided with a harness, his life could have been saved,” said Vinod, a worker at the same construction site.
“Forget about safety gear. We never get shoes or gloves from the contractor or builder. How will we carry construction material on our heads with a helmet?” said Ram Lal, a construction worker at an under-construction building in the district courts complex in SAS Nagar.
