--- title: "Labour law awareness; worker falls from height" subject: "Engineering Professional Practice" chapter: 5 key: "semester_8/engineering_professional_practice:labour-law-worker-death" source: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_8/engineering_professional_practice/labour-law-worker-death site: BCT Engineering --- # Labour law awareness; worker falls from height Engineering Professional Practice · Chapter 5: Regulatory Environment - Asked in: 2071 Magh, 4 marks - Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort) on 2026-10-14 - Page: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_8/engineering_professional_practice/labour-law-worker-death - Whole chapter: https://www.bctengineer.com/md/semester_8/engineering_professional_practice/chapter-5 ## Question Why should you be aware of Labour Law? What will you do if a construction worker dies by falling from height in your site? ## Short answer Engineers must know labour law because they are the employer's representative for wages, safety, welfare and dispute settlement. If a worker falls to death, stop work, give first aid, secure the site, report to police and labour office, ensure compensation, investigate the cause and improve safety. Do not hide facts. ## Answer #### Why an engineer should know Labour Law Labour law regulates the relationship between employer and worker: wages, working hours, safety, welfare, compensation and dispute settlement. In Nepal the main law is the Labour Act (the Labour Act 2048, now replaced by the Labour Act 2074) with its Rules. An engineer who manages a site is in practice the employer's representative, so he must know it because: - Construction employs large numbers of labourers, and the engineer is responsible for their wages, working hours, leave and overtime. - The Act makes the employer duty-bound to provide a safe workplace, safety equipment and first aid, so a site engineer who ignores it can be held liable. - Wrong handling of labour matters causes strikes, disputes and delay, which raise the cost and time of the project. - It protects the engineer from penalties, and the firm from compensation claims after accidents. - It supports the engineering code of ethics: the safety and welfare of people is the first duty of an engineer. - Contracts and tenders require compliance with labour law, including payment of the minimum wage and social security contributions. #### Action when a worker dies by falling from height 1. **Rescue first.** Stop work in the area, give first aid, and take the injured worker to the nearest hospital. Call an ambulance and the police. 2. **Secure the site.** Do not disturb the accident spot, except to prevent further danger. Keep the evidence (scaffold, harness, photographs). 3. **Report.** Inform the police, the employer or head office, the client or consultant, and the labour office within the time the Act prescribes. Inform the family of the deceased respectfully. 4. **Compensation.** Make sure the family receives the compensation, funeral expenses and dues fixed by the Labour Act and Rules, and any insurance or social security benefit. Do not delay, or pressurise the family into settling for less. 5. **Investigate.** Form a small inquiry to find the cause: missing guard rails, no safety harness or helmet, a weak scaffold, no training, or pressure to work fast. 6. **Correct.** Provide fall protection, safety nets, scaffold inspection, welfare facilities and training, and enforce safety rules strictly. Stop similar work until the site is safe. 7. **Honesty.** Report the facts truthfully. Do not hide the death or blame the dead worker without evidence; that would break the code of ethics of the Nepal Engineering Council. ## Check yourself The answer's key points as multiple-choice questions, with the correct option and why. 1. What is the first action when a worker falls and dies? A. Hide the accident B. Rescue and first aid, stop work in the area and call ambulance and police C. Start an inquiry first D. Pay a settlement Answer: B. Rescue and first aid come first, with ambulance and police called. (Key point: First action) 2. Why keep the accident spot undisturbed? A. To preserve evidence such as scaffold, harness and photographs B. To delay work C. To punish the worker D. No reason Answer: A. The spot is secured as evidence except where needed to prevent further danger. (Key point: Evidence) 3. What should the engineer do about compensation? A. Pressurise the family to settle for less B. Ensure the family receives compensation, funeral expenses and dues fixed by the Labour Act and Rules C. Wait for a lawsuit D. Pay nothing as the worker was careless Answer: B. Compensation and dues under the Act must be ensured without delay or pressure. (Key point: Compensation) 4. Which action would break the NEC code of ethics? A. Report facts truthfully B. Hide the death or blame the dead worker without evidence C. Investigate the cause D. Improve fall protection Answer: B. Concealing the death or blaming without evidence breaks the code. (Key point: Honesty) ## Related in Engineering Professional Practice - [Business law and labour law in Nepal](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_8%2Fengineering_professional_practice%3Abusiness-labour-law-nepal) — Engineering Professional Practice, chapter 5, asked 2× - [Contract law and labour law in Nepal](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_8%2Fengineering_professional_practice%3Acontract-law-labour-law-nepal) — Engineering Professional Practice, chapter 5 - [Site engineer uses weaker mortar and concrete mix](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_8%2Fengineering_professional_practice%3Amortar-ratio-friend-silence) — Engineering Professional Practice, chapter 7 - [Tort law; copyright vs patent right](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_8%2Fengineering_professional_practice%3Atort-reasons-copyright-patent) — Engineering Professional Practice, chapter 2 - [Building near river bank; stop construction?](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_8%2Fengineering_professional_practice%3Abuilding-on-river-bank-flood) — Engineering Professional Practice, chapter 7 ## Related in other subjects - [Falling mass on bar with spring, 130 cm](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_4%2Ftheory_of_structures_i%3Afalling-mass-bar-spring-130cm) — Theory of Structures I, chapter 2, asked 2× - [Falling mass on bar with spring, 125 cm](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_4%2Ftheory_of_structures_i%3Afalling-mass-bar-spring-125cm) — Theory of Structures I, chapter 2, asked 2× - [Site investigation for road construction](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_3%2Fengineering_geology_i%3Asite-investigation-for-road-construction) — Engineering Geology I, chapter 1 - [Should technicians also be good citizens](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_5%2Fcommunication_english%3Aeven-best-technicians-good-citizens) — Communication English, chapter 2, asked 2×