Occupational Health problems in Informal Sector in India need immediate attention

Abstract

Occupational structure is classified as primary, secondary and tertiary sector and all are having organized and unorganized sector. Informal sector or unorganized sector includes all those workers and tiny economic units that are not recognized, recorded, protected or regulated by formal arrangements in law or in practice. 1 Unorganized workers do not have social security benefits which workers in the formal sector enjoy from their employers and government. These workers are often exposed to various occupational hazards during their course of employment. Due to a lack of regulations governing occupational safety and standards in the unorganized sector, the occurrence of occupational diseases in common among these workers. About 340 million Indian i.e. 92% of the workforce is engaged in the informal sector. 2 Each year around 18 million Indian enters into the labour market, less than 3.45 million jobs are available that pushes 14.5 million into informal Sector and severe unemployment. 3 The most common examples of informal employment in India are agriculture, construction work, carpet weaving, beedi making, garment making, blacksmith and welding, pottery, agarbatti making, food vending, domestic employment, auto and rickshaw driving, local car and two wheeler workshops, rag picking and manual scavenging. All these employments are associated with exposure to hazards and risks to various occupational diseases. These hazards are physical, chemical, mechanical and biological environment at the workplace which is neither monitored not controlled by any regulatory body. Several occupational injuries, respiratory diseases, cancers, dermatitis, pneumoconiosis and zoonoses commonly affect the workers. Workplace related accidents and injuries are often seen to occur leading to death and disability. The workers of informal sector do not have access to any organised occupational health service. This results in neglect and delay in seeking care in case of any disease or disability arising out of occupational hazards. It also leads to a deficiency of provision of healthful working conditions for these workers. The informal sector has seven specific problems that expose them to different occupation health hazards. 1. Workers in the informal sector are mostly not covered by social security scheme as Indian Industries Act 1948 even with its amendment do not cover factories having less than 10 employees. 4 In India, 55.86 million establishments (95.50%) were having 1-5 workers, around 1.83 million establishments (3.13%) were having 6-9 workers, while 0.8 million establishments (1.37%) employed 10 or more workers. 5 Thus around 98% of Indian establishments are not providing security for health care; incapacity for work due to illness; disability through work; unemployment; maternity leaves; child maintenance; old age pension or support to the family after the death of the breadwinner.