THE COLLAPSE OF A BUILDING IN BANGLADESH

      A tragedy that will not be forgotten in Bangladesh happened on the 24^th of April 2013, and was considered to be one of the worst structural accidents ever in modern human history. This is the collapse of an eight storey building in the suburbs of Dhaka. The building contained shops, apartments and many clothing factories.  According to the Bangladeshi government, 1128 people died and 2515 were injured and most of them with serious injuries.

     A thorough investigation was done and many issues were the reason to this tragedy, but negligence from the building`s owner was said to be an important reason. The building was designed for only apartments and shops and not for factories, because it wasn’t strong enough to support the weight of the heavy machinery used in these factories. A day before the collapse, inspectors issued warnings to evacuate the building after noticing huge cracks that caused an alarming attention, but workers were forced to work after being threatened by the factory managers with losing their jobs if they did not come to work. Some shops accepted the inspector`s warning and closed their shops, but some just neglected the warning of evacuation issued by the inspectors. Another major reason that should be taken under consideration is the fact that the construction companies use cheaper building materials in order to create vast amount of profits, without caring about the dangers that might come through using these cheaper materials. This is being done because of a corrupt administration, regulations are not followed and thus no inspection is being done during the building of the structure.

      Such a tragedy should be taken with great ethical concerns and the safety of workers should be the first priority to all companies or building owners. This tragedy shouldn’t have happened if the authorities issued firm and strict regulations that should be followed by the construction companies and also by the owners of buildings. Specifications should be adjusted and strict punishment to those who neglect these specifications, in order to implement the safety of the workers and to save the lives of innocent workers.

        Greed and the making of faster profits will always be the reason for many major problems that will face the poor. Governments all over the world should implement strict rules, and firm regulations to preserve the safety of people. Many people in poor countries are forced to work in severe working conditions without the protection of authorities. The world community and the major worldwide organizations should stand together to help the poor countries and preserve the safety of workers all over the world.

Reference:

1.  http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-22476774

2.  http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/14/world/asia/bangladesh-building-collapse-aftermath/

3. http://www.business-humanrights.org/Documents/Bangladeshbuildingcollapse