Over 90% of dead sewer workers lacked safety gear: Audit
A new audit found that more than 90% of sewer and septic tank workers who died in 2022 and 2023 didn't have basic protective gear.
The study looked at 54 deaths across eight states and Union Territories and showed just how unsafe—and unprotected—these jobs can be.
Only 1 worker received safety training
In 47 out of 54 cases, workers weren't given any safety gear or machines to help with dangerous tasks.
Only one worker received safety training, and many weren't even told about the real risks before starting the job.
Informally employed workers had no legal protection
Nearly all the workers who died were informally employed, so they had no legal protection if something went wrong.
This left them exposed to unsafe work and made it hard for their families to get justice or compensation.
Government launched NAMASTE scheme in July 2023
After these findings, the government launched the NAMASTE scheme in July 2023 to make sewer work safer—by giving out PPE kits and safety gear.
Over 84,000 workers have been identified so far; more than half now have protective gear thanks to this program.