How many workers die or are injured at the workplace in Bangladesh

The ILO estimates that each year 11,700 workers die in Bangladesh in work-related ‘accidents’. It also estimates (2005) that another 28,600 die from industrial diseases and 8.9 million suffer work-related injuries.

To see how this comparies to other Asian countries, click here
Note that these are 2002 estimates

However, the Government’s figures of death and injury, which are published by the Factory factory inspectorate, stated that in there were only 11 deaths and 286 other injuries.

Source : Statistics Cell, Department of Inspection for Factories & Establishments

The difference between the Bangladesh government's and ILO figures can in part be explained by the fact that Bangladesh law used only to require deaths and injuries in ‘Factories’ to the reported. Whilst 'factories' included ship-breaking, it did not include other 'industrial' deaths and injuries (for example, those in the construction) sector and did not include any incidents in the service or agricultural sectors.

If we make the ILO and government figures more comparable – by removing agriculture and service sector deaths from the ILO estimates and looking only at the 'industrial sector' deaths – the Government figures of 11 is still only about 2% of the ILO estimate of 683 deaths. It should be noted that these figures are not entirely comparable since the government figures still exclude construction deaths.

Since December 2006, labour law does not use the concept of 'factory' but the wider term of 'establishments' - which includes much of the service sector. Deaths and injuries in 'establishments' now need to be reported - but this still does not include incidents in the construction or agriculture sectors

It is therefore very likely that the Bangladesh figures represent a serious under-reporting of 'factory' deaths and injuries - and fails to recognie other kinds of occupational deaths and injuries in many sectors of the economy.