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The Bhopal Tragedy Of Bhopal

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In the United States, the 20th century is thought of the time when the safety revolution is noted as happening. In other parts of the world, safety has taken a backseat to other issues. The prevalence of abundant cheap labor has resulted in a number of safety violations that have contributed to outright disasters, causing human suffering on a scale most Americans can’t imagine. One such tragedy, in which all safety professionals should familiarize themselves on, is called the Bhopal Tragedy. The Bhopal Tragedy is one of the greatest injustices brought on by a lack of workplace safety in the 20th century. It is even considered the worst industrial disaster the world has yet seen. However it has largely been forgotten by the majority of …show more content…

For example, in the book, The Basics of Occupational Safety, author David Goetsch, states that, “The International Medical Commission visited Bhopal to assess the situation and found that as many as 50,000 other people were exposed to the poisonous gas” (Goetsch, 2010, p. 7). Other sources said that the complete death toll is much higher than what has been previously established and that many more people are continuing to suffer the lingering effects of the gas leak to this day. Although the numbers of people with illnesses related from the spill continue to rise, so has the long term death toll as a result of the accident. Some figures show that in the year 2002, the number of people who have ultimately died has risen to over 20,000 people and will continue to rise in the future (Sarangi, 2002). The company that is most considered responsible is called Union Carbide. Though it is an American owned company, they had a chemical plant located directly in Bhopal India, ran by a subordinate company, Union Carbide India, Ltd. There has been speculation on the exact cause of the leak at the chemical plant. Topics have ranged from negligence, faulty equipment, lack of safety standards, and even so far to warrant the gas leak as an act of sabotage. Indian officials contend that signs of criminal negligence have even been found in key

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