The Cost of Carelessness: How Much Longer Will We Pay?
AN explosion and fire occurred while gas cylinders were being unloaded from a covered van at a garment factory compound at Jamgora, Ashulia, outskirts of Dhaka on Sunday night, leaving at least eight people dead and many others injured. The massive explosion also damaged the factory and surrounding structures.
Questions now arise how such a high-risk task is allowed to be performed without proper training, expertise, and safety protocols? Is the chaotic state of gas cylinder transportation we witness across the country, including the capital, Dhaka, not truly alarming? After all, calling a gas-filled cylinder a “live time bomb” would hardly be an exaggeration!
We likely witness the grim reality of the adage “a little knowledge is a dangerous thing” most acutely in the workplace.
In the country, countless incidents occur daily, ranging from boiler explosions and fatalities caused by falling heavy objects at construction sites to workers getting trapped in machinery, electrical accidents, and road accidents involving unskilled drivers.
Even though the contexts may differ, the same underlying weakness is often found behind most incidents.
One might possess general knowledge across various subjects, but every task requires specific expertise, and training, particularly in high-risk sectors such as industrial plants, hospitals, power and gas utilities, construction, or the operation of machinery.
The developed world has not left such risks to individual caution alone. They place great importance on the concept of a “competent person” — an individual with the appropriate skills — in high-risk workplaces.
Only those capable of identifying hazards, ensuring necessary safety measures, and taking swift action in dangerous situations are entrusted with these responsibilities.
The core philosophy of the developed world is that it is far better to eliminate risks before an accident occurs than to seek out the person responsible after the fact.
Should we not also follow that path?
Regrettably, however, we realize this only when the ladder breaks and we fall. It is precisely for this reason that safety protocols are not merely a formality, but a responsibility towards human life.
Therefore, factory owners must understand that hiring skilled personnel is not an extra expense, but an investment; saving on safety for a single day can invite years of loss.
It is the responsibility of the concerned authorities to ensure that rules are actually being followed in practice, rather than merely existing on paper.
Those involved must remain vigilant to ensure that the negligent attitude of “nothing will happen” does not become the prelude to yet another fatality.
