Course:SPPH381B/Essay 3/Shipbreaking-AlberijeLeku

Introduction

Shipbreaking is a process whereby obsolete ships are dismantled for disposal and salvaging of raw material. The process was once highly mechanized and was done primarily in developed, Western countries. However, during the 1960s, the appeal of lower-cost options became clear, and the industry was moved to developing countries such as Bangladesh, India, China, and others. Worldwide, over 100,000 workers are employed at ship breaking yards. One primary reason that ship breaking in these countries was an attractive option is that there were no legal barriers to bringing a ship to shore and beginning the breaking process right on the beach. Unfortunately, cheap labor is often accompanied by poor health and safety standards, which can put these workers at great risk of disease or injury. Research also suggests that children can comprise nearly 11% of the shipbreaking workforce in these nations. To make matters worse, the government in Bangladesh has not officially recognized ship breaking as an industry, and thus it is not subject to any labor laws that protect workers.

Hazards

Over the last 20 years in Bangladesh, over 400 workers have been killed, and over 6000 workers have been seriously injured on the job. One of the most serious hazards is the high risk of explosions that comes with the ship breaking process. Workers often are required to enter fuel and cargo tanks to clean them before the scrapping process can begin. This exposes employees to the hazard of explosions, fires, falls and confined spaces. Various hazardous materials that are used in the process of ship manufacturing have to be monitored to avoid injury to the workers that dismantle the ships.

Carcinogens and Toxins

Furthermore, carcinogens and toxic substances are released during the process, including mercury, lead, asbestos, isocyanatates and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

Physical Hazards

Hot work operations (which includes welding, burning and cutting) expose workers to increased risk of fires, explosions, toxic fume inhalation, UV radiation and heat exhaustion, as these often occur in confined spaces. Unsafe access to areas on dismantled ships could cause falling or crushing injuries. Many spaces inside the vessels also have inadequate illumination, which can lead to slips, falls, electric shocks and burns, and impeded access to exits in the event of an emergency. The large size of the ships means that objects can fall from overhead and cause head injuries or even death. Also, The cutting of metal for scrapping also presents hazards of laceration and punctures by sharp objects, which can also subsequently lead to infections.

Controls

Proposed controls for the hazards present at ship dismantling facilities include tasks such as taking inventory of hazardous materials and promptly removing them before workers begin dismantling. Controls to prevent tools from falling and injuring workers below include measures such as tying or suspending tools by safety lines.