The Bangladesh Labour Act 2006, hereinafter referred to as the BLA 2006, is the country's primary statute governing the occupational safety and health of workers. This Act has put obligations upon employers and others toward workers in most industrial and commercial settings. Owners, directors, managers of the company included in the term 'employer* are required by the Act to offer basic safety precautions, which are outlined in sections 61-78.
The Act imposes a general requirement on employers, stating that no building, wall, tunnel, road, gallery, stairway, or other structure in a factory shall be constructed, positioned, or maintained in such a way as to pose a danger of physical injury. Each establishment must have fire alarms and fire exits, as well as at least one alternative stairway connecting each floor as a safe exit. Employers are required to encircle their machinery with fencing. All shafts, clutches, driving straps, set screws, rotating shafts, spindle wheels or pinions, and spurs must be securely fenced.?
★To ensure the workplace safety, the Act requires employers to examine machineries which are in motion, self-acting machine, cranes, hoists, lifts, and other rotating machinery, on a regular basis, and to operate these machines with adequate safeguards and protection. Section 75 contains provisions pertaining to eye safety of workers. Additionally, Section 77 forbids workers from performing tasks where fumes are likely to involve risks without taking precautions. Section 78 requires precautions as to explosive or inflammable gas, dust, etc.
Workers shall not be allowed to lift, carry, or move excessive weights that are likely to injure him. Any fixed vessel, sump, tank, pit, or tunnel that may be a source of risk due to its depth, location, construction, or contents must be either securely covered or fenced.
The Bangladesh Labour Act 2006 ensures some special provisions regarding employees' health and safety under chapter VII in sections 79-88. According to this chapter, the workers should be informed about such operations which are hazardous and also harmful for their health. Employees have a right to know about certain accidents and dangerous incidents that may occur at their employment. Working in motion of any part of the machinery near a dangerous machine, as well as underground and under water, is prohibited for women workers.!! The government can declare
any operation that exposes workers to a substantial risk of bodily injury, poisoning, or disease as hazardous under the provisions of this chapter of the BLA 2006.