PERVAIZ NAEEM.

ABSTRACT

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to observe the general environmental conditions of the cottage industry and the health problems faced by the workers.

Design: Cross-sectional study using convenience sampling Place and Duration of study: Cottage industries located in the residential area of Korangi were visited.

Subjects and methods: Six industries were visited and all the available 24 workers were interviewed through a structured questionnaire with both open- and close-ended questions.

Results: The level of noise was above 95 decibels particularly in the injection plastic industry and temperature in all the industries was above 380 C; more so in the injection plastic and toys industry. The majority of the workers were females and children aged 10-18 years. The work ergonomics varied significantly in all the industries (p<0.003) and ranged from standing to bending for long hours The major symptoms of the workers included Lack of concentration (33.3%), headache (37.5%), fatigability (39.2%), reduced appetite (25%), Backache (29.2%), numbness (33.3%), joint pains (33.3%), vertigo (29.2%), and cough (16.7%). All these complaints were not related to the type of industry and majority (91.7%) of the workers in all industries had no knowledge of the adverse effects of the material that they were using.

Conclusions: The study suggests that this neglected industry needs to be covered under the labour laws and the workers particularly females and children should be protected from adverse effects of the chemicals used.

For Full text contact to:
Prof. Dr. Farah Mansuri
editor@annals-ashkmdc.org

Regional Program Coordinator IUCN, Nepal *