Construction work is Bangkok’s most dangerous job

Jon WhitmanPublished: 11:03, 05 October 2022| Updated: 17:14, 09 January 2024

550 1 minute read

Construction work is Bangkok’s most dangerous job — Workers balance themselves on the scaffoldings at a construction site in Bangkok, Thailand Wednesday, June 20, 2012. (AP Photo/Apichart Weerawong)

For years, fishing was considered the most dangerous job in Thailand. It’s common for fishing boats to have children working long hours on board. The climate, physical effort and bad diet are responsible for many fishermen, including a lot of children, dying or putting their lives in danger.

The good, or bad, news, depending on your position, is that there is not much fishing in Bangkok. In the nation’s capital, construction work is the most deadly job. An important number of construction workers endure conditions that are well below minimal standards, and violations of human rights are common.

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Construction work is Bangkok's most dangerous job | News by Thaiger — More than 18,000 workers were hurt or killed just doing their jobs in Bangkok last year.

Constructions workers, many with no training and little experience, are forced to work in all weathers. Working hours are long and produce fatigue and climate conditions make their work even more dangerous. More than 4,500 workers were killed or injured on building sites in Bangkok last year, with another 1,500 coming to harm on road construction sites. Forced to work in temperatures as high as 35 degree Celsius and throughout the rainy season from June to August, something needs to be done to highlight the plight of these workers, often migrants far from home.

Bangkok was named as the leading province with the highest number of accidents. More than 18,000 workers were hurt or killed doing their job in the city last year.

The situation is a hot topic internationally, with thousands of construction workers, many originating in Southeast Asia, killed during the construction of stadiums and facilities for the upcoming Qatar FIFA World Cup.

More than 6,500 migrant workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have died in Qatar since it won the right to host the World Cup 10 years ago. An average of 12 migrant workers from these five Asian nations have died each week since 2010.

Data from India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka revealed there were 5,927 deaths of migrant workers in the period 2011–2020. Separately, data from Pakistan’s embassy in Qatar reported a further 824 deaths of Pakistani workers, between 2010 and 2020.

Jon Whitman

Jon Whitman is a seasoned journalist and author who has been living and working in Asia for more than two decades. Born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland, Jon has been at the forefront of some of the most important stories coming out of China in the past decade. After a long and successful career in East sia, Jon is now semi-retired and living in the Outer Hebrides. He continues to write and is an avid traveller and photographer, documenting his experiences across the world.