"Working To Their Deaths: Stones, Labourers All Get Crushed in Pakistan", 8 October 2023

Thousands of labourers are working to their deaths at stone-crushing and silica-emitting plants across the country, but particularly in Punjab, at an alarming rate, with little regulatory framework to offer them any protection or compensation.

This was discovered in an investigative study by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) titled "Fighting to Breathe"...

The report came about after concerns were raised over deaths caused due to the lung disease, silicosis - most common among those working at or near stone-crushing plants... The report delved into poor occupational safety and health (OSH) conditions in Punjab's stone-crushing factories, where workers -- devoid of even the most basic of protection equipment such as face masks -- face grave risks of contracting terminal lung diseases such as silicosis.

Moreover, the report's author, Khawar, had filed a representation before the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 2014 following the deaths of 18 labourers from his native village in Gujranwala. 

...The report found that the average age for patients who died due to silicosis was just 29, with the youngest fatality recorded in a 15-year-old.

However, the most common age at which labourers died was 25. 

...The report suggested the government set up a legal and regulatory framework at the national level, which imposes technical standards, technical advisory services, effective inspection mechanisms, and proper reporting systems to guard against the spread of silicosis. 

The authorities must support the regulatory framework and empower them to carry out their functions and give labourers legal recourse in cases of ineffective implementation.