Challenges in Sanitation Worker Safety

Summary of Sanitation Worker Issues and Legislative Context in India

Deaths of Sanitation Workers

• Data on Fatalities:

  • Total deaths from 1993 to 2025: 1,350
  • Fatalities from 2014 to 2025: 859
  • Deaths from 2019 to mid-2026: 498
  • Deaths across 18 States and Union Territories from 2021 to 2026: 332

• Recent Incident: Four workers died in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh while cleaning a hotel’s food-waste chamber.

Legislative Context

• Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013:

  • Distinguishes between hazardous cleaning of sewers and manual scavenging.
  • Addresses the issue of employing individuals in unsafe sewerage conditions.

• Judicial Rulings:

  • In Dr. Balram Singh (2023), the Supreme Court enhanced protections by:
    • Strengthening requirements under the Safai Karamchari Andolan (2014).
    • Mandating that outsourced contracts do not involve workers entering sewers.
    • Increasing compensation for worker deaths to ₹30 lakhs.

Government Schemes and Policies

• National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem Scheme:
  • Focuses on urban local bodies.
  • Aims to reduce manual sanitation work through mechanisation.
  • Criticized for failing to effectively minimize hazardous tasks leading to worker deaths.

Social Issues

• Marginalized Communities:
  • Workers in sanitation jobs are often from historically marginalized castes, highlighting social equity problems in employment.

Enforcement and Compliance Issues

• Regulatory Non-compliance:
  • Private contractors and municipal bodies regularly violate the Prohibition Act.
  • There are significant issues, including the use of undocumented daily-wage workers to circumvent regulations.

Conclusion

• The persistent deaths of sanitation workers despite existing legislation and court orders underline critical gaps in enforcement, social security, and the effectiveness of government schemes. The need for formal employment status and improved safety measures remains urgent to actualize legislative aims and protect workers effectively.