Suspected of inhaling poison gas, a worker in a tannery in India died
A tannery worker in the Jajmau district of Kanpur, India, died after inhaling toxic gases while cleaning a cesspool.
Recently, according to local media reports in India, three workers, Suresh, Sanjay Kumar and Rakesh, fell and were trapped in the sewage tank of the tannery. Although other workers managed to pull them out and take them to the hospital, 50-year-old Suresh was not able to save his life and was subsequently pronounced dead. Two other workers are being treated. Suresh's family alleged negligence in controlling the tannery, claiming that management had failed to provide proper safety equipment.
Prakash Mishra, a police officer in the Jajmau area, said: "There will be an investigation into the allegations of the families of the deceased and the circumstances of the death of the worker. "Although the cause of death has not been confirmed, it is likely to be related to the release of hydrogen sulfide gas, i.e., H₂S. Although hydrogen sulfide is a colorless and odorless gas, it is highly toxic. Hydrogen sulfide poisoning is more common in pipeline dredging, sewage dredging and other hydrogen sulfide confined space operations.
It is understood that in October 2018, a similar accident occurred in a local tannery, where workers were poisoned by inhaling hydrogen sulfide while cleaning the sewage pool, which directly caused the death of one tannery worker and the illness of three tannery workers.
The Jajmau region of Kanpur is home to a concentration of Indian tanneries, with the Kanpur leather industry accounting for about 30% of India's leather trade. The Kanpur leather industry provides direct and indirect employment for around 1 million people in Kanpur and Unao districts.
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The latest report from the Bangladesh Export Promotion Board (EPB) said the country's leather industry generated $794 million in export earnings in the first nine months of the current financial year, from July 2023 to March 2024. This figure represents a decrease of 13.6% compared to the same period last year.
Among them, the export of finished leather performed well, with a year-on-year increase of 9.8% to 102.4 million US dollars. Exports of leather goods also increased, reaching US$301 million, an increase of 2.7%. The export revenue of leather shoes has decreased significantly, and the total amount is low, falling by more than 25%, only slightly more than 390 million US dollars.
A fire broke out and three shoe factories in India were burned down
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"A total of 25 fire engines rushed to the scene," Garg said. The fire has been extinguished and cooling is underway. He added that the cause of the fire has not yet been determined.