Worker crushed to death after falling into machine at Hattar paper mill

HARIPUR: A factory worker was crushed to death by heavy machinery at a paper mill in the Hattar Industrial Estate, marking the second fatal industrial accident within a month and sparking outrage over allegedly lax safety standards.

The victim, identified as Shan Haider, son of Umar Daraz, died on the spot late Saturday night after falling into a machine during his shift at the Qartas Paper Mills, labour union officials said.

Emergency responders and workers retrieved Haider’s body from the machinery after a grueling operation lasting several hours.

The body was subsequently shifted to the Rural Health Centre (RHC) in Kot Najibullah for post-mortem examination.

The incident has triggered sharp criticism from local labour unions, who accused the factory management of gross negligence and violating occupational safety laws.

“Workers in the Hattar Industrial Estate are being treated worse than animals,” said the president of the local labour union, who arrived at the scene shortly after the accident.

 “The management’s extreme carelessness and total lack of safety protocols are directly responsible for this tragedy.”

According to labour sources, Qartas Paper Mills has a history of minor and major safety lapses, yet regulatory bodies have repeatedly failed to enforce compliance or penalize the administration.

The accident comes just weeks after another labourer was killed under similar circumstances at the Amber Chemical Factory, also located in the Hattar Industrial Estate, due to an absence of safety gear and mechanisms.

Local workers and union representatives are directing their anger not just at factory owners, but also at government regulatory bodies tasked with protecting labor rights.

Sources within the Hattar Industrial Estate claimed that officials from the labour departments keep a blind eye on the issue to favour wealthy industrialists rather than enforcing accountability.

“The institutions built to protect us are protecting the capitalists instead,” a senior union member stated, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Rank-and-file workers in Hattar have demanded a transparent inquiry into the incident by the provincial labour department, safety watchdogs, and local police.

Labour leaders have called on law enforcement to register a First Information Report (FIR) for manslaughter or murder against the management of Qartas Paper Mills.

They also demanded that the officials who allegedly shielded the factory from past safety audits be held legally accountable.

Meanwhile, authorities have sealed the Qartas Paper Mills in the Hattar Industrial Estate following the death of a labourer, marking the first time in the history of the industrial zone that the labour department has taken such drastic punitive action against a factory.

The closure was ordered by Deputy Director Labor Haripur, Sardar Abdul Rahman, following an official complaint lodged by Tahir Amin, Provincial General Secretary of the Insaf Labor Wing, and Abdul Wahab, Vice President of the Hazara Region.

Local labor unions and workers praised the regulator’s rare intervention, calling it a historic step toward enforcement in an industrial zone long criticized for weak oversight.

Meanwhile, local police said they are waiting for the deceased worker’s family members to arrive before registering a formal First Information Report (FIR) to initiate criminal proceedings against the factory management.