At least 17 factory workers were killed in a factory fire in Pakistan’s largest city and financial hub, Karachi, raising questions about industrial safety in a country not new to such accidents. It came reminding the fact that we have learned nothing from the Baldia factory fire of 2012.
The blaze at the Korangi factory broke out in conditions where there was only one exit, leaving workers with no route to escape; windows and other exits had been barricaded and could not be opened up in time, even as relatives screamed for help outside. There are also reports of the usual delay in fire tenders reaching the scene.
The fire spread rapidly due to the presence of adhesive material and chemicals, used in the manufacture of leather bags and briefcases, in the factory. Many workers had been trapped inside the workplace, and most of the 16 died of suffocation after they inhaled smoke. Fire brigade experts declared the blaze a third-degree fire.
The main issue here is why we face one tragedy after another without learning anything. The Baldia fire was a deliberate arson incident. However, the lack of safety exits and other protocols contributed to the scale on which lives were lost. Had the safety measures been put in place this time round, people may not have died.
The unfortunate reality is that most health and safety laws are rarely enforced in Pakistan. Industrial units often operate in residential areas, at times storing hazardous chemicals, while fire drills and safety mechanisms at most units are unheard of.
No one appears concerned about the loss of human life and what it means for families that lose a wage-earner and a loved one. The government should relocate the factories from residential areas to designated places take steps to prevent and deal with fires and other accidents in the factories.
If the state values human life, then it should enforce health and safety protocols at industrial units across the country. The perpetrators of negligence should be severely punished and the monitoring system should be tightened so that no further carelessness could lead to the loss of precious human lives.
