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The RTI petition filed by the Bandhkam Mazdoor Sanghathan (BMS) revealed
* In 2006 alone, a total of 72 people lost their lives in 58 accidents that occurred at construction sites in the eight districts of Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Jamnagar, Rajkot, Gandhingar, Porbandar and Bhavnagar
* Out of the 58 accidents, 45 had occurred in the public sector
* Vipul Pandya, general secretary of BMS says, "Hardly any safety measures are followed at construction sites. The workers take a big risk every time they climb upon a scaffolding or enter a pit. In most cases, the workers don't know who they are working for, do not have any identity card and are unaware of their rights."
The labourers at construction sites are predominantly tribals
* They basically come from Dahod and Panchmahals districts of Gujarat, Banswara district of Rajasthan and Jhabua in Madhya Pradesh.
* Most of them are daily wagers shuttling from one site to another.
* This transient nature of their work ensures that they do not end up on the sign rolls of any contractor
No back-up support for them yet in sight
* There are about 100,000 construction workers in the city and most of them work under unsafe conditions.
* Only a few sites provide for a crèche on the sites
* In many places there are no facilities for even drinking water
* A welfare board formed under the Gujarat Buildings and other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Workers) Act is yet to start functioning. This, despite identity cards being issued to close to 400 workers, and the board having a corpus of Rs 56 crore
* H G Patel, Assistant Director, Industrial Safety and Health says, "The various welfare schemes under the board have been approved by the Government, and they will be implemented soon. There is a 25-point safety checklist for construction sites, and those found flouting these are prosecuted"
Safety measures provided under the Buildings and other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Workers) Act, 1996 and the Gujarat Rules of 2003
* Section 38 of the Act stipulates that on every construction site that employs more than 500 workers, the employer should constitute an internal safety committee. (Rule 68 says that a written statement of such a safety policy shall be given to the appropriate authority, which is the Director, Industrial Safety and Health in this case)
* Section 34 provides for free accommodation for workers on or near the site
* Section 33 provides for adequate toilet and drinking water facilities
* Section 36 provides for a well-equipped first aid kit on all construction sites
* Section 35 provides that there should be a separate well ventilated room/rooms on construction sites that employ more than 50 female workers. (This is meant for children under the age of six. This crèche facility is absent in most cases)
* Rule 72 stipulates that workers should be provided with adequate safety measures while working on excavation sites or at great heights
* Rule 76 states that the employer should provide safety helmets, gloves and gumboots to all workers. It also provides for protection against electrical hazards
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