Lack of protective gear cost five sewage workers their lives: Report

New Delhi: The five sewage workers who died recently while cleaning a sewer tank in west Delhi's Moti Nagar did not have personal protection equipment, according to a Delhi government enquiry report that was released on Tuesday.

According to the report filed by K R Verma, the Additional Labour Commissioner-II, all the five workers employed through the Unnati Engineering and Contractor Pvt. Ltd were covered under the Employee's State Insurance (ESI) and Employees' Provident Fund Scheme. 

The notices under the provisions of the Contract Labour Act, 1970 and the Minimum Wages Act, 1948 have been issued to both the contractors -- DLF (which built the flats) and JLL, tasked with the maintenance of the septic tank -- as well as principal employer Unnati Engineering and Contractor Pvt. Ltd, the report said.

 "The deceased workers were allowed to enter the septic tank of the Sewage Treatment Plant without personal protection equipment," states the report. 

Also, notice under the Factories Act, 1948 and the rules framed under it has been issued to them, the report said. 

It also stated that since all the deceased were covered under the ESI scheme, the provisions of Employees Compensation Act, 1923 are not applicable in this case, however, necessary action will be taken. 

According to the ESI department, in such death cases, the ESI gives pension to the dependents of the deceased equivalent to 90 per cent of wages on which last ESI contribution has been deducted/deposited, the report said. 

In addition to this, the dependent family members would be entitled to medical benefit for whole life period as per rules, it said. 

The incident triggered a blame game between the AAP and BJP. The Delhi government had ordered a probe into the incident.