Nine workers lost their lives on August 14, 2026 while working aboard the former LNG carrier MT Rasi at Ferdous Steel Ship Recycling Industries in Sitakunda. An inquiry committee formed by the Ministry of Industries identified hydrogen sulphide (H2S) as the cause of death. A vernacular daily reported that the vessel had passed through several stages of inspection and clearance before dismantling began. Its reporting also shows that the pre-dismantling inspection was limited in physical coverage: inspectors did not descend into the cofferdams and observed specialised membrane tanks only from a distance because of the risks involved. Toxic substances, officials acknowledged, can remain hidden until dismantling progresses.
That reporting provides an important factual foundation. The engineering question that follows is more important: was the atmosphere proven safe at the exact location and moment the workers entered, and was it monitored continuously while they worked? A certificate records a condition at a point in time; it cannot guarantee that a confined space will remain safe later. H2S is heavier than air and can accumulate in low or poorly ventilated spaces. Oxygen can become deficient, while carbon monoxide, flammable vapours or other hazardous atmospheres may also be present depending on the vessel and its history.
If a hazard can hide, detection cannot be optional. In designated ship-recycling hazard zones, a calibrated personal multi-gas monitor should become part of basic Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), like a hard hat or safety footwear. The monitor should be selected according to the hazard assessment and, where appropriate, track oxygen, H2S, carbon monoxide and combustible gases. Personal monitoring must be backed by pre-entry atmospheric testing, area monitoring, ventilation, a permit-to-work system, communication, suitable respiratory protection where required, trained standby personnel and rescue readiness. No Detector-No Entry. An alarm means stop work and evacuate.
Drills are equally important. In my professional work involving industrial, offshore and petrochemical facilities in the Middle East, the USA and Bangladesh, safety was part of normal working life. Depending on the work area, we carried gas-detection equipment and task-appropriate PPE, maintained communication with the control room, and participated in emergency drills. Sometimes alarms came in the middle of the night, especially at offshore facilities; we reported with the required equipment to the designated muster point. An emergency is not the time to learn an emergency procedure. Ship-recycling yards should therefore conduct documented recurring drills, including realistic exercises covering toxic-gas alarms, evacuation, communication, muster, head count, first aid and rescue.
The broader record shows why implementation matters. According to Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies data, 137 workers died in ship-breaking accidents between 2015 and 2025; three more died in the first six months of 2026, before the nine deaths on August 14. Bangladesh has also made progress. The Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships entered into force on June 26, 2025, with Bangladesh as a party. It requires worker safety and training, emergency preparedness, monitoring, reporting and record keeping. The challenge is to make those requirements real for every worker, every shift, every day.
This is not only a ship-recycling issue. After the Tazreen Fashions fire, I wrote an article on "Tazreen Fashions Fire: A Deep Scar" on January 6, 2013. I proposed documented training, regular drills, visible safety records, written safety standards, unannounced compliance inspections and stronger professional accountability. I also argued that international standards should be used as references while systems were adapted to Bangladesh's local conditions. Thirteen years later, the principles remain, but industry, technology and international expectations have changed. Our safety system must evolve with them.
Bangladesh therefore needs a broader national framework. I propose a Bangladesh National Industrial Safety Standard (BNISS), or "Mother Safety Standard." It should establish minimum safety requirements across industries without simply copying a foreign code. It should reflect Bangladesh's workforce, language, climate, industrial practices, available resources and enforcement realities while remaining compatible with internationally accepted codes, standards and good engineering practice.
The model can be straightforward: National Mother Standard + Industry-Specific Requirements + Applicable International Requirements + Client/Project Requirements. For ship recycling, the Hong Kong Convention and relevant maritime requirements would supplement the national baseline. Other sectors would have supplementary requirements. The national floor should cover hazard identification, risk assessment, PPE, training, permit-to-work procedures, emergency communication, drills, stop-work authority, incident and near-miss reporting, inspections, corrective actions and auditable records.
I would also revive and modernise another proposal from my 2013 article. Every major industrial facility should display a Daily Safety Performance Board near its entrance. Workers, visitors, regulators, buyers and clients should see key indicators such as recent incidents, near misses, training status, the last emergency drill, active permits where applicable, gas-monitoring status and unresolved corrective actions. The aim is not to boast about "zero accidents." A reported near miss can indicate a functioning safety culture; an unreported hazard may simply be an accident waiting to happen.
Workers must also have meaningful stop-work authority. If a gas alarm activates, required PPE is unavailable, ventilation fails, or an uncontrolled hazard exists, a worker should be able to stop the job without retaliation until a competent person determines conditions are safe. No worker should be the final unprotected barrier against an invisible toxic hazard.
Bangladesh is one of the world's leading ship-recycling nations and competes globally across many industries. We compete on price, quality and delivery-but safety should not be a fourth measure added at the end. Safety should be the first condition that makes every other measure acceptable. It is not merely an additional cost of global business; it is increasingly a qualification for global business.
A successful industry cannot be measured only by tonnes recycled, garments exported, structures built or revenue earned. There is a more fundamental indicator: at the end of the working day, how many people returned safely to their families? Nine people did not return from MT Rasi. We owe them more than another investigation report. We should build a system designed to prevent the next one. Every life matters.
Lutfur R. Khandaker is PE Structural Engineer, licensed Professional Engineer (PE), based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
R. A. Khandaker is a Structural Engineer and Project Manager at MidSouth Steel, Georgia, USA.
