November 25, 2025
THIMPHU – Five workers balanced on bamboo scaffolds while roofing a four-storey building in Bebena. None wore safety harnesses, and their helmets lay untouched on the ground below.
Supported by mere planks at a dangerous height, they continued their work, caught between fear and the need to earn a living.
This is a common violation of the Labour and Employment Act of 2007, which mandates that employers are responsible for occupational health and safety, including providing protective equipment and ensuring proper work arrangements.
The regulations require an employer to ensure the health and safety of all employees at the workplace. However, practices on the ground often tell a different story.
“It is scary to work from this height because if we fall, we could lose our life,” an Indian worker Nitasha said. “Safety gear is necessary, but we are not used to it. The house owner provides us with safety gear.”
Another worker said the safety gloves and boots provided by the contractor protected them from burns caused by hot concrete. “We got gloves and boots, but we haven’t received helmets yet,” he said.
House owner Tenzin Dorji claimed workers are provided with safety belts but often refuse to wear them. “Workers are reluctant to use the harness,” he said. “They do not strictly follow the occupational and health safety (OHS) requirements.”
Engineer Pema Lethro, 31, has observed similar behaviour. He said some workers don’t want to wear helmets. “Foreign workers often say they are used to heights, that they have worked on 10-storey buildings. That mindset makes safety enforcement harder.”
This reluctance is visible across Thimphu, where helmets often lie unused while workers move around in slippers or worn-out trainers.
Officials from the Department of Labour (DoL) say occupational health and safety violations remain a major concern, particularly in informal construction sites across the country.
From 2020 to 2025, inspectors issued 1,366 improvement notices and 1,097 penalty memos. Notices peaked at 702 in the fiscal year 2022–2023, following the resumption of inspections after pandemic disruptions.
Penalties increased to 536 in fiscal year 2023–2024, indicating that employers failed to address earlier violations or repeatedly engaged in high-risk practices.
Between July and November 17 this year, labour officials issued 22 improvement notices and 17 penalty memos. The most frequent breach remains personal protective equipment (PPE) related failures, with 1,095 cases involving workers failing to use equipment and 534 involving employers failing to provide it.
Another 207 cases involved electrical safety violations.
The DoL fines workers Nu 1,875 to 7,500 for not using PPE, and employers Nu 11,250 to 45,000 for failing to provide it.
“We enforce the rules mainly to protect both workers and employers,” said DoL Director Lham Dorji. “If a worker dies, then the employer has to bear the cost of a human life.”
He said private house construction sites remain the main source of violations, due to informal work arrangements and weak safety systems.
The department and accredited institutes have trained over 300 construction safety supervisors, 50 general safety supervisors, and 15 safety officers in fire safety and first aid. However, the department faces challenges due to shortages in manpower and budget.
“With the current manpower, the DoL can’t regulate Thimphu alone,” an official said. “This should not be seen as a cost but as an investment.”
Common injuries reported at the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital include burns, machinery accidents, and injuries from falling objects.
Experts suggest that free medical care, while beneficial to workers, may reduce employers’ incentives to invest in safety.
“Workers benefit from free care, but the hazards remain largely unaddressed,” an occupational safety analyst said.
Non-compliance with OHS rules is classified as a fourth-degree felony under the Labour and Employment Act.