Risks 14th July 2007 reported that India's ship breaking yards are exposing workers to horrific conditions with hardly any safety measures.
After returning from a fact-finding mission to ship breaking yards in Mumbai, GMB national secretary for shipbuilding Keith Hazlewood said there 'were no safety provisions', adding: 'I had never seen anything like the conditions the ship breakers were having to work in.' He said there was 'a constant haze of burning and toxic fumes across the yard, no safety gloves or boots.
Some of the workers were wearing flip-flops and some were in their bare feet. No protective clothing whatsoever. Under foot was thick oil where the plates were being cut, creating yet another hazard.
The removal and handling of asbestos took place with no protection whatsoever.' He said an average ship contains between 100 and 600 tonnes of asbestos and workers remove it with little or no protection. 'We must try and help their union get more organised to protect these workers,' he said. 'The environmentalists who helped drive this industry from Britain must also be asked to help to improve the working conditions of these workers.'
TUC Risks www.tuc.org.uk/risks
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