e_Paper, Wednesday, July 05, 2017

News 5
WEDNESDAY, JULY 5, 2017
Only 6 inspectors for 5,000 boilers in Bangladesh
• Ibrahim Hossain Ovi
CURRENT AFFAIRS
After another industrial accident
related to a boiler explosion in Gazipur
yesterday that killed 11 people,
the Dhaka Tribune has found that
there are only six available inspectors
to monitor over 5,000 boilers
in the country.
The blast yesterday morning occurred
at Multifabs Ltd, a four-storey
apparel factory in Kashimpur’s
Nayapara area, while maintenance
work was being done.
The explosion at the boiler, located
in a tin-roofed shed, partially
damaged the nearby factory building.
There are currently, 10 inspectors
under the Office of the Chief
Inspector of Boilers to inspect the
boilers of all industrial capacity
with only six inspectors on regular
inspection duty.
Neither the chief inspector nor
the three deputy chief inspectors
go on regular field visits.
According to the Office of the
Chief Inspector of Boilers, in the
fiscal year 2015-16, the government
inspected and permitted the
operations of 5,035 boilers. It also
approved the licence of operation
to 578 imported boilers and locally
made 263 boilers.
On September 10, 2016, at least
24 people were killed and more
than 50 injured when a boiler at a
packaging factory, Tampaco Foils
Ltd, exploded in Tongi.
“Since there is severe shortage
Boiler blast kills 13 workers in Gazipur factory
• Adil Sakhawat and Raihanul
Islam Akand, Gazipur
CURRENT AFFAIRS
At least 13 people have been killed
and over 50 others injured in a boiler
explosion in a Gazipur factory,
and the survivors blame lack of
safety measures for the accident.
The explosion took place in the
four-storey apparel factory of Multifabs
Ltd early yesterday. The victims
include all the boiler operators
of the factory, said Assistant Director
Akhtaruzzaman of Fire Service
and Civil Defence in Gazipur.
Gazipur firefighters suspended
their rescue operation in the factory
last night as there was no more
claims of missing persons.
Nine of the victims were identified
as of last night. They are: Assistant
Engineer Mujibur Rahman, 50,
Fireman Amin Hossain, 40, Boiler
Operator Mahbubur Rahman, 25,
Boiler In-Charge Abdus Salam, 32,
and workers Biplob Chandra Shil,
36, Gias Uddin Soial, 30, Ershad,
Monsur and Solaiman.
Gazipur district administration
has handed six bodies over to their
families so far and given each family
Tk20,000 to cover funeral costs.
The injured survivors are now
undergoing treatment at different
hospitals in Gazipur as well as in
Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Shariful Islam, a cleaner and
fireman in the factory who sustained
injuries in his head and left
hand, said: “Before the explosion,
the safety bulb gave a signal and we
heard some strange noise coming
from the boiler. As we ran out, the
authorities and the boiler operator
said it was nothing. Shortly after
that, there was a blast. Next thing
of inspectors each inspector has
to check 50 to 80 boilers a month
within 20 working days. This time
limitation creates an impossible
amount of pressure on the inspectors
and does not allow them to do
their job properly,” said an inspector
seeking anonymity.
President of Bangladesh Export
Oriented Garments Washing Industries
Owners Association Gazi
Ahmad Hasan said: “As per existing
rules and regulations a boiler is
supposed to be inspected every six
months but because there are not
enough inspectors in the department,
the inspections do not happen
regularly.
“Sometimes the factory owners
have to directly contact the
inspectors for getting their boilers
inspected.”
Government officials admit
there is a shortage of employees in
the department and said they have
to work on a priority basis with
boiler inspections.
“We have to inspect boilers on
a priority basis, meaning the older
ones get checked first and the
newer ones end up on the waiting
list,” said engineer Md Sharfat Ali,
inspector of boilers.
Currently, there are three boiler
inspection offices in Dhaka, Chittagong
and Rajshahi with just eight
inspectors out of a total 30 staff
members.
I know, I was in a hospital.”
The district administration
promptly formed an eight-member
probe committee led by Gazipur Executive
Magistrate Rehanul Islam.
Speaking to reporters after the
visit, the committee members said
they primarily found that the exploded
boiler had expired on June
24 and had not been replaced.
“However, we are not yet sure
whether the explosion happened
due to the boiler’s expiration,” one
of the members added.
Gazipur Fire Service and Civil
Defence has formed another
three-member committee to investigate
the incident.
When contacted Multifabs Ltd
Chairman and Managing Director
Mahiuddin Faruqui said: “We will
definitely compensate and provide
jobs for the family members of
those who died or were injured.”•
In December last year, the Industries
Ministry sent a proposal to
the Public Administration Ministry
to increase the number of staff employed
there and upgrade the office
of the chief inspector of boilers to
cope with the rapid expansion of
industries.
The ministry also proposed a
staff increase of 235 people and setting
up five more offices in Gazipur,
Narayanganj, Mymensingh, Khulna
and Rangpur.
“I think, there is a lack of cooperation
between the Department
of Inspection for Factories and Establishments
and the Office of the
Chief Inspector of Boilers. The lack
of monitoring by the government is
Firefighters look for dead bodies and survivors in the rubble of what was a four-storey apparel factory in Gazipur before a
boiler exploded early on Tuesday
MEHEDI HASAN
Call for expanding Accord
inspection to boilers
• Tribune Desk
CURRENT AFFAIRS
DT
also a problem in this case.
“As a result, workers in factories
become victims of industrial accidents.
To fix this rise in number
of deaths from industrial accidents
the government needs to significantly
increase the number of inspectors.
“Otherwise, the death toll will
keep rising from these accidents,”
said Sirajul Islam Rony, president
of the Bangladesh National Garment
Workers Employees League.
However, factory insiders admit
that a lack of proper maintenance,
unskilled machine operators and
lack of enforcing and implementing
laws are also responsible for
industrial accidents like boiler explosions.
President of Bangladesh Export
Oriented Garments Washing Industries
Owners Association Gazi
Ahmad Hasan said: “Accidents can
happen from a lack of maintenance
and unskilled machine operators. If
a boiler is well maintained, then the
likelihood of accidents will be less.
“Using older boilers is obviously
more risky because they do not
have the safety mechanisms like
the newer ones that have several
safety measures.”
Chief Safety Inspector engineer
Mohammad Abdul Mannan said
the explosion at Multifabs Ltd was
most likely caused by someone ill
equipped to handle the machine.
He said the boiler which had
an automatic electric system was
run manually and that caused the
pressure to rise to the point of explosion.
•
International labour rights groups
have called for including boiler inspection
at Bangladesh RMG units
by the Accord on Fire and Building
Safety in Bangladesh.
Referring to the Multifabs Ltd
factory boiler blast in Gazipur,
a statement issued yesterday by
these organisations says: “The
boiler explosion shows the danger
of poorly maintained and uninspected
boilers in the garment industry
in Bangladesh.”
The statement was issued by
the Witness Signatories of the Accord
on Fire and Building Safety
in Bangladesh, Clean Clothes Campaign,
International Labor Rights
Forum, Worker Rights Consortium
and Maquila Solidarity Network.
They called for immediate expansion
of the Accord safety standard
and its inspection programme.
They also called for addressing
other safety hazards – defects in
factory generators, gas lines and
freight elevators – that have caused
accidents, injury and death in garment
factories.
The statement says the
organisations are in the process of
confirming which brands sourced
from Multifabs and have already
identified at least one brand that
is a member of the Alliance for
Bangladesh Worker Safety, which
also does not cover the safety of
boilers. •
TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR TODAY
LIGHT TO MODERATE
RAIN LIKELY
WEDNESDAY, JULY 5
Dhaka 33 26 Chittagong 32 27 Rajshahi 33 26 Rangpur 31 25 Khulna 32 26 Barisal 33 27 Sylhet 31 25
DHAKA
TODAY
TOMORROW
SUN SETS 6:50PM
SUN RISES 5:16AM
YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW
34.2ºC
23.5ºC
Jessore
Rangamati
Source: Accuweather/UNB
PRAYER
TIMES
Cox’s Bazar 30 26
Fajr: 4:45am | Zohr: 1:15pm
Asr: 5:15pm | Magrib: 7:00pm
Esha: 8:45pm
Source: Islamic Foundation