Around 8 pm on September 26, Vijay Mahato, a 29-year-old worker from Jharkhand, was on a bus deep in the jungles of Cameroon. He and 17 of his workmates were returning to their living quarters after a long day, working to install power transmission lines. They were looking forward to a good night’s sleep.

But as the vehicle rumbled along the jungle road, it smashed into a parked trailer.

The driver of the bus, a native Cameroonian, and another worker from Jharkhand, Hemlal Mahato, died on the spot. “Most of us were injured,” Vijay said. “My head, hands and legs were cut open and bled.” He and the others were rushed to a hospital for treatment. Bhubneshwar Mahato, one of the workers, lost his left arm in the accident.

Vijay remained in the hospital for a day. The company he and the others worked for, Transrail Lighting, covered the cost of their treatment. It gave Vijay 13 days of rest following the accident.

But in October, Vijay recounted, though he had not fully recovered, the company instructed him to return, warning that he would be marked absent if he did not, and that money would be cut from his pay. Further, although he had a relatively senior role...