Why workplace safety should be a fundamental right

While industrial accidents have been occurring at regular intervals, snuffing out human lives, there is not much public debate on the issue in the media or in academic circles

Yesterday was World Day for Safety and Health at Work (according to the ILO), and simultaneously International Commemoration Day for Dead and Injured Workers (according to the International Trades Union Confederation). And April 23 marked the fifth anniversary of the Rana Plaza industrial accident in Bangladesh — yet another opportunity for the world to think about and undertake policy actions to enhance workers’ safety.

   

Occupational safety and health (OSH) is a key concern in India. We have an institutional framework in place, comprising labour laws (such as the Factories Act, 1948, and the Building and Other Construction Workers Act, 1996);