THE methane explosion near Quetta that killed 34 coal miners is the latest entry in Pakistan’s long register of preventable workplace deaths. The men were trapped between 760m and 1,200m underground after interconnected mines collapsed; most came from Shangla, and 23 belonged to one village. Some were sons of miners lost in earlier accidents, a cruel inheritance created by poverty and official neglect. An inquiry and Rs500,000 compensation have been announced, but neither answers the central question: why were workers allowed into a mine without safeguards capable of detecting and dispersing methane, ensuring ventilation, maintaining alternative exits and mounting a rapid rescue? The investigation must establish when the mine was last inspected, whether gas monitors worked, what violations had been recorded and who authorised operations. Its findings must be published, and negligence must carry criminal and financial consequences. Otherwise, the familiar ritual will repeat itself: condolences, cheques, a committee, and silence once the graves have been filled.

That ritual is not confined to mining. More than 260 workers died in the Baldia factory fire, where a perilous workplace became a death trap. Twenty-nine workers were killed in the 2016 Gadani shipbreaking inferno, while labourers in stone-crushing units continue to contract fatal silicosis amid weak enforcement and inadequate medical support. Different industries, hazards and provinces; the governing culture is the same. Employers cut costs, inspectors overlook violations, workers desperate for wages accept risks, and the state intervenes only after mass casualties. Pakistan needs more than sector-specific inquiries. Provincial governments must enforce modern occupational safety laws across mines, factories, construction sites, shipbreaking yards and hazardous workshops; register workers and establishments; publish inspection and accident records; and protect labourers who report unsafe conditions. Independent audits should be mandatory for high-risk enterprises, repeat offenders should be closed, and compensation should reflect lost earnings and dependants’ needs. Unregistered workers and bereaved families must not be left outside pension, insurance and statutory compensation systems because employers failed to document them. Until preventable deaths cost negligent owners and officials more than compliance would have, our workplaces will remain sites where poverty is exploited and mourning becomes routine.

Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2026