Things That Bang

It isn't the cows or Taslima Nasreen who is making news in America but the barefoot foundry men making man holes for New York and New Orleans. It came as a rude shock to see pictures of bare chested and bare foot men working with molten steel in a Howrah factory in Kolkata.

Seemingly impervious to the heat from the metal, the workers at one of West Bengal's many foundries relied on strength and bare hands rather than machinery. Safety precautions were barely in evidence; just a few pairs of eye goggles were seen in use on a recent visit.

The foundry, Shakti Industries in Howrah, produces manhole covers for cities in the United States, Europe and the Middle East. The company makes covers for Con Edison and New York City's Department of Environmental Protection, as well as for departments in New Orleans and Syracuse, New York.

The scene was as spectacular as it was anachronistic: Flames, sweat and liquid iron mixing in the smoke like something from the Middle Ages.

The owner of Shakti industries proudly showed his factory to the photographer but has now come to regret his actions hoping that the backlash may not cause him to loose his contracts.

He was adamant that no accidents have happened in his factory but the lack of protective gears tell another story.

India's 1948 Factory Safety Act addresses cleanliness, ventilation, waste treatment, overtime pay and fresh drinking water, but the only protective gear it specifies is safety goggles.

Modi said that his factory follows basic safety regulations and that workers should not be barefoot. "It must have been a very hot day," when the photos were taken, he said.

Should it not be mandatory for the workers to wear sandals no matter what along with some sort of protective clothing?