TheSchwimmer #10

TheSchwimmer 10 | july 2019 | edited by Sibylle Hofter

from the
SHIPBREAKING WORKERS OWN PHOTO ARCHIVE
photos by AVRN JUSTICE

multi-layered first-hand photography, secretly produced on mobile phones since august 2018 in ship-breaking yards in Bangladesh.


INTRODUCTION TO SHIPBREAKING IN BANGLADESH
15,000 - 20,000 workers work in approx. 50-60 active shipbreaking yards.
The working and living conditions of shipbreaking workers are threatened by poverty/migration, asbestos, toxic smoke, personal exhaustion alongside with a multitude of further hazards.
Officially most of the workers don't work, because they don't have any working papers. No pension, no paid leave, no
health insurance. No work = no pay.
112 workers died by accidents in the 6 years from 2013 to 2018.
Most of the workers come from remote villages and have no idea about asbestos, glass wool or the toxic fumes produced during flame cutting. Most of them receive neither personal protection gear and nor get trained how to handle the equipment safely.
33 of 101 long-term workers were positively tested for asbestosis. Asbestos boards are sold to local carpenters.
Just like any other non-re-usable material, waste oil is often dumped into the sea.
Current scrap vessel prices of 400-450$/ton are paid by the workers and environment.
Avrn Justice took the pictures in this booklet solely in a shipyard taking part in a transformation program to become a green yard.

ACCIDENTS
112 workers died in 6 years 2013-2018 in the Sitakundo Shipbreaking yards. 2013 26 dead, injured 40: 2014 15 dead, injured 34: 2015 14 dead, injured 27; 2016 23 dead. 31 injured: 2017 15 dead, 22 injured: 2018 19 dead. ressouce:
Vhorer Dak. 2018- 01- 18. Unknown number of unreported cases.

COMPENSATION
For a dead worker the family gets 1 lak (aprox 1050€ ) compensation from the company, if the company doesn't deny the accident. Invalides receive 1.25 lak (aprox 1300 € ) compensation. Sometimes it is hard or impossible to receive compensation, because workers usually don't have an employment contract.
If injured one cannot apply for support from governmental welfare fund.
Usually the yard takes treatment expenses for up to 2 weeks.

HAZARDOUS MATERIAL
Most of the workers come from remote villages and have no idea about asbestos, glasswool or toxic smokes during flame cutting of dried oil or paint.
The vast majority of workers don't receive even basic personal protection items. And they don't get trained, although training is compulsary. The last NGO offering training closed its Sitakundo office at the end of 2018.

ASBESTOS
33 of 101 long-term workers were positively tested for asbestosis (source:
OSHE). Asbestosis means the asbestos fibres started a progressive process in the lungs firstly with symptoms similar to copd but sooner or later irreversibly letal. Several kinds of cancer are specific to persons exposed to asbestos. Non of the victims receive any support from anywhere.
If asbestos comes as boards, it is sold to local carpenters. where they are processed without any personal protection. You can find the furniture not only in workers homes. The leftovers from the workshops are dumped alongside village roads.

ENVIRONMENT
Not only google maps knows that waste oil is often dumped into the sea. Just like soft asbestos, glass wool, bilge water or any other non-re-usable material

THE WORKERS DEMANDS
Ship owners must take responsibility according to the duration of their ownership.
The implementation of environmental and social standards according to 2018
Bangladeshi law.
Monitoring without prior announcements and by international entities and senior ship-breaking workers. Violations of the standards must be consequently persecuted.
Compensation by an international fund for victims of hazardous materials. specially asbestos victims.