OHS provisions at Bangladesh Labor Law 2006 (amendment 2018)

Occupational Health and Safety has been discussed a lot in the context of major accident held in Bangladesh RMG industry in 2013. Most of the times, OHS has been suggested as CSR contribution. However it is widely understood that OHS interventions have certain business case. Business cases are the motivation but the laws are requirements. The Bangladesh Labor Law 2006 (amendment 2013) has certain OHS provisions which are legal requirements for the Bangladesh industries to comply. Bangladeshi textile and clothing manufacturing companies must comply with those laws. This article summarizes the OHS laws in Bangladesh.

In the Bangladesh Labor Law health and hygiene related provisions are mentioned at section 51 to 60 and safety of workers related provisions are mentioned at section 61 to 78.

1. Cleanliness: As per this section 51, every establishment shall be kept clean and free from effluvia arising from any drain, privy or other nuisance. The floors of every work-room shall be cleaned regularly, effective means of drainage shall be provided and maintained, the factory shall be re-painted or re varnished at least once in every three years and be cleaned at least once in every fourteenth months, finally the date on which the processes are carried out shall be entered in the prescribed register.

2. Ventilation and temperature: Section 52 of the law states that, in every work-room and in every establishment adequate ventilation by the circulation of fresh air and comfortable temperature shall be maintained to prevent workers’ injury to health.

3. Dust and fume: As per the section 53 of the law, in every establishment effective exhaust appliance shall be applied as near as possible to the point of origin of the dust, fume or other impurity, which are likely to be injurious to the workers and such point shall be enclosed so far as possible.

4. Disposal of wastes and effluents: According to Section 54, effective arrangements shall be made in every establishment for disposal of wastes and effluents due to the manufacturing process carried on therein.
5. Overcrowding: As per Section 56 of the Act, to prevent injury to the health of the workers, overcrowding of every work-room in any establishment shall be prevented and at least 9.5 cubic meter of space for every worker employed in a work-room in the establishment shall be provided.

6. Lighting: As per section 57 of the Act, in every part of an establishment where workers are working or passing, there shall be provided and maintained sufficient and suitable lighting, natural or artificial, or both and all glazed windows and skylights used for the lighting of the work-room shall be kept clean on both the outer and inner surfaces and free from obstruction as far as possible.

7. Drinking water: As per section 58 of the act, effective arrangement of sufficient supply of wholesome drinking water for all workers employed in every establishment shall be provided and maintained at a suitable point conveniently situated therein.

8. Latrines and urinals: As per section 59 of the act, in every establishment sufficient latrines and urinals, separately for male and female workers, adequately lighted, ventilated, conveniently situated and accessible to workers at all times while they are in the establishment shall be provided and maintained in a clean and sanitary condition at all times with suitable detergents and disinfectants.

9. Dustbin and spittoon: As per section 60 of the act, in every establishment there shall be provided, at convenient places, sufficient number of dustbins and spittoons which shall be maintained in a clean and hygienic condition. No person shall throw any dirt or spit within the premises of an establishment except in the dustbins and spittoons provided for the purpose.

10. Fire safety: Section 62 of the act states that, every establishment shall be provided with at least one alternative connection stairway with each floor and such means of escape in case of fire and for carrying fire-fighting apparatus. In every establishment the doors affording exit from any room shall not be locked or fastened so that they can be easily and immediately opened from inside while work is being carried on in the room. In every establishment, every window or other exit affording means of escape in case of fire shall be distinctively marked in red Bangla letters of adequate and clearly understandable size. A free passage-way giving access to each means of escape in case of fire shall be maintained for the use of all workers in every room of the establishment.

11. Fencing of machinery: Section 63 of the act states that, in every establishment all dangerous machinery must be securely fenced; e.g. every moving part of a prime mover and every fly wheel connected to a prime mover, the head-race and tail-race of every water wheel and water turbine, every part of an electric generator, every part of transmission machinery and every dangerous part of any machinery.

12. Work on or near machinery in motion: Section 64 of the act states that, work on or near machinery in motion shall be carried out only by a specially trained adult male worker wearing tight-fitting clothing whose name has been recorded in the register prescribed in this behalf and while engaged he shall not handle a belt at a moving pulley unless the belt is less than fifteen centimeters in width and unless the belt-joint is either laced or flush with the belt.

13. Cranes and other lifting machinery: Section 68 of the act states that, every part of cranes and other lifting machinery, including the working gear, whether fixed or movable, ropes and chains and anchoring and fixing appliances shall be of good construction, sound material and adequate strength, properly maintained, thoroughly examined by a competent person at least once in every period of twelve months and a register shall be kept containing the prescribed particulars of every such examination.

14. Hoists and lifts: Section 69 of the act states that, in every establishment every hoist and lift shall be of good mechanical construction, sound material and adequate strength, properly maintained, shall be thoroughly examined by competent person at least once in every period of six months, a register shall be kept containing the prescribed particulars of every such examination, every hoist way and lift way shall be sufficiently protected by an enclosure fitted

with gates, and the hoist or sift and every such enclosure shall be so constructed as to prevent any person or thing from being trapped between any part of the hoist or lift and any fixed structure or moving part, every gate shall be fitted with interlocking or other efficient device to secure that the gate cannot be opened except when the cage is at the landing and that the cage cannot be moved unless the gate is closed.

15. Excessive weights: Section 74 of the act states that, no person shall be employed in any establishment to lift, carry or move any load so heavy as to be likely to cause him injury.

Collected from : Mir Abdullah Al Mahfuz