Workers’ safety to be builder’s job

Vijayawada: House owners, builders or anyone who hires labourers on daily or contract basis for activities like construction, plumbing, electrical repairs etc. would be hereafter be held responsible for any loss of life during the task.

The concerned persons will be booked under IPC Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), a non-bailable offence. This decision by the Vijayawada police came after a series of deaths of labourers in unsafe work place was registered in the city.

People usually hire labourers available at particular centres of the city. However, there is a danger of loss of life due to lack of basic precautionary steps taken for the safety of workers, particularly at construction sites.

In one such case, two labourers died after inhaling toxic gases released by a container they were unloading from a lorry at Autonagar a few days ago.

Police commissioner A.B. Venkateswara Rao said that to the negligence of the employer, labourers who come seeking work from rural areas should not be the victims.

“To ensure that no such deaths occur hereafter, stringent action will be taken. It will be considered a serious offence if employers fail to take precautions and provide basic safety equipment to labourers,” Mr Rao said.