Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Asian Pacific Newsletter2 2008
Asian Pacific Newsletter2 2008
O N O C C U PAT I O N A L H E A LT H A N D S A F E T Y
Volume 15, number 2, September 2008
OSH – A societal
responsibility
Asian-Pacific Newsletter
on Occupational Health and Safety
Contents
Volume 15, number 2, September 2008
27 Editorial
Occupational safety and health – A societal
Sameera Al-Tuwaijri, ILO
responsibility
The Editorial Board is listed (as of 1 January 2008) 36 Occupational safety and health as a contribution to a
on the back page. sustainable socio-economic development in China
Martin Braun, Germany
This publication enjoys copyright under Protocol 2 of
the Universal Copyright Convention. Nevertheless, 38 News from Nepal
short excerpts of the articles may be reproduced Paras K. Pokharel, Prajjwal Raut, Nepal
without authorization, on condition that the source Erkki Kähkönen, Finland
is indicated. For rights of reproduction or translation,
application should be made to the Finnish Institute of 40 Lung function abnormalities among workers exposed
Occupational Health, International Affairs, Topeliuk- in welding operations
senkatu 41 a A, FI-00250 Helsinki, Finland. Chandrasekharan Nair Kesavachandran, Vipin Bihari,
India
The electronic version of the Asian-Pacific Newslet-
ter on Occupational Health and Safety on the Inter- 42 Respiratory morbidity among miners in Rajasthan
net can be accessed at the following address: state – Report of a pilot study
http://www.ttl.fi/Asian-PacificNewsletter Debasis Chatterjee, Sarang Dhatrak, Subroto Nandi,
B. B. Mandal, Sachin Narwadiya, India
The issue 3/2008 of the Asian-Pacific Newsletter
deals with women and work.
Printed publication:
ISSN 1237-0843
On-line publication:
ISSN 1458-5944 The responsibility for opinions expressed in signed articles, stu-
dies and other contributions rests solely with their authors, and
© Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, 2008 publication does not constitute an endorsement by the Interna-
tional Labour Office, the World Health Organization or the Fin-
nish Institute of Occupational Health of the opinions expressed
in them.
E
very day, people all over All these examples show that the impact of an ac-
the world die, are injured cident or disease does not stop with the victim – all of
or become sick in the society is involved, and therefore all segments of society
course of their work. should participate in the endeavour for safer and health-
Whose responsibility is it to reduce the number of ier workplaces. True to its traditions, the ILO has taken
accidents and exposures that give rise to these deaths, the lead in encouraging the trend in this direction, and
injuries and diseases? was one of the organizers of the recent Safety and Health
The International Labour Organization, from its very Summit held in Seoul, Republic of Korea. The Declara-
foundation in 1919, has always understood that there are tion, adopted at the Summit, recognized – for the first
several components of society that carry this responsi- time in an international instrument – that:
bility. This, of course, is implicit in its tripartite nature – “Promoting high levels of safety and health at work is
it has always been clear that the problems of workplaces the responsibility of society as a whole and all members of
had to be tackled through the collaboration of govern- society must contribute to achieving this goal by ensuring
ments and social partners (workers and employers). The that priority is given to occupational safety and health in
preamble of the ILO’s Constitution specifies “the protec- national agendas and by building and maintaining a na-
tion of the worker against sickness, disease and injury tional preventative safety and health culture.”
arising out of his employment” as one of the main tasks It is significant that in addition to representatives of
of the organization, and over the years it has devoted a governments and of workers’ and employers’ organiza-
significant part of its efforts to do just that: 36 out of the tions, this declaration carried the signatures of top ex-
188 Conventions of the ILO adopted to date deal with ecutives of large multinational corporations, of promi-
occupational safety and health issues. nent research institutions and professional organizations
While three major components of society – govern- in the OSH field, and of insurance institutions covering
ments, workers and employers – should continue to play a occupational risks.
major role in the protection of workers’ safety and health, I salute this major achievement, and I salute your
it is important to look at the issue from a broader per- journal for devoting a complete issue to this very impor-
spective of society as a whole. This is because the impact tant and topical subject.
of occupational accidents and diseases on society is very
high. Families, dependent children in particular, suffer
enormously when a breadwinner dies or loses income
because of temporary or permanent incapacity. Social
and health insurance funds have to pay out enormous
amounts to accident victims and to the sick. Enterprises
have to spend large sums on retraining the victims as
well as those replacing workers unable to do their former
tasks. Enterprises may lose production capacity, and not Dr. Sameera M. Al-Tuwaijri
only they but the consumers of their products and the Director
users of their services may have to incur large losses. In International Programme on Safety and Health at
addition, many accidents involve damages to the public Work and the Environment (SafeWork)
and the environment as well, sometimes (as in Bhopal International Labour Office
and Seveso) on a catastrophic scale. al-tuwaijri@ilo.org
E
ach year, more people die in work-related accidents resulting from
the world through accidents decades of accident prevention work
and diseases than die in wars
as the fast-changing and in-
by social security and other institu-
tions, both industrialized and devel-
The
creasingly inter-related world econo-
my brings new risks and new dangers
oping economies are now faced with
new challenges to safety and health.
economic
to the workplace. Improving the safety Many countries are experiencing a rise impact
and health of workers urgently requires in chronic diseases linked to chang-
a concerted global effort from political, ing lifestyles and environmental fac- of work- health promotion activities. Dynamic
social and business leaders. tors, such as asbestos, which remains safety and health strategies can sub-
An important step towards an in- a critical risk for Asian countries in related stantially reduce work-related acci-
dents and illness levels, avoid need-
ternational consensus was made at the
first high-level international Safety and
particular.
The current phase of globalization accidents less human suffering, and contribute
Health Summit, which took place in
Seoul, in the Republic of Korea on 29
is accompanied by a growth in infor-
mal employment, increased migration
and to economic and social progress.
Safety and health at work must be
June 2008, prior to the XVIII World and profound social shifts, posing new
challenges to safety and health at work,
diseases is recognized as a strategic asset for com-
panies and society, and greater invest-
Congress on Safety and Health at Work.
The Summit gathered some 50 high- especially in countries with less devel- massive. ment by society is now needed.
level representatives, including govern- oped prevention cultures. New tech- We must be realistic; it will be a
ment ministers, CEOs of major mul- nologies, including nanotechnologies, long journey before we can report a
tinational companies, social security ergonomic risks, as well as stress and serious decline in workplace accidents
leaders, senior safety and health ex- psychosocial pressures, further in- and diseases. The Seoul Declaration on
perts, and representatives of employers crease the complexity of prevention. Safety and Health provides us with a
and workers, and was jointly organized Workers’ health is an increasing- new instrument that we hope will lead
by the ISSA, the International Labour ly vital issue of economic and social to new political commitments to oc-
Organization with the Korean Occupa- progress. It is an indispensable element cupational safety and health, and raise
tional Health and Safety Agency. in the development and maintenance awareness that workers’ safety and
The Summit participants signed of human capital and of the capacity of health is a societal responsibility. To-
an unprecedented Declaration on individuals to be active in the labour gether, social security and occupational
Safety and Health at Work, which sets market. Increasingly determined by safety and health actors can mobilize
a benchmark for employers, workers both occupational and non-occupa- support and commitment to its phi-
and governments to reinforce coop- tional factors, workers’ health there- losophy, and reinforce the message to
eration to reduce workplace accidents fore requires a broad and integrated ap- the world that prevention pays.
and diseases. proach involving actors with different
Mounting evidence confirms that backgrounds and knowledge, including Seoul Declaration on Safety and
promoting safety and health at work social security and occupational safety Health at Work
not only saves lives but that investing organizations. http://www.issa.int/aiss/Resources/Con-
in workers’ health makes sound eco- Beyond the traditional focus on oc- ference-Reports/Seoul-Declaration-on-
nomic sense. The economic impact of cupational safety and health, the ISSA Safety-and-Health-at-Work
work-related accidents and diseases is supports social security policies that
massive. The financial burden of com- foster preventive approaches to pro-
pensation, health care, rehabilitation tect and promote health at work in all
and invalidity on the economy could branches of social security. Preventive
be as much as 4 per cent of national approaches broaden the nature of so- Hans Horst Konkolewsky
GDP, and even higher in some devel- cial security policies. They are a corner- Secretary General
oping countries. Increased health and stone of what the ISSA calls dynamic International Social Security Association
productivity of workers are strategic social security.
assets not only for companies in local Today’s more complex health risks
and global markets but for societies as call for these more innovative meas-
a whole. These principles were affirmed ures. For example, a sharp increase in
in the Declaration. chronic diseases shows that workplace
Despite a measurable reduction in prevention should engage in broader
T
he XVIII World Congress
on Safety and Health at
Work was organized on 29
June–2 July 2008 in Seoul,
Republic of Korea. The Congress was
organized by ILO, ISSA and Korea Oc-
cupational Safety and Health Agency,
and it gathered together more than
3,000 participants. It was unique in
the sense that, for the first time ever
in the history of the World Congress,
a Summit on Safety and Health was
arranged immediately before the Con-
gress. The Summit adopted the Seoul
Declaration, which can be read also on
the next page. The theme of the Con-
gress was Safety and health at work; A
societal responsibility.
Rich programme
The four-day Congress contained one
Plenary session, six Technical sessions,
Photo by KOSHA
close to 50 symposia, five regional
meetings, poster sessions, and speak- tional levels. She urged all ILO Mem- nor from services. ICOH wants to sup-
ers’ corner. In total, more than 450 oral ber States to ratify the ILO Promotion- port the implementation of the Decla-
communications and more than 220 al Framework for Occupational Safety ration by promoting the ICOH/WHO/
poster presentations were included in and Health Convention No. 187. She ILO proposal for Basic Occupational
the programme. The International Film noted that Finland had recently rati- Health Services, which are intended to
and Multimedia Festival as well as the fied, and the host country, Republic of be used at a very grassroots level for the
International Safety and Health Exhi- Korea, is also among those countries workers and workplaces without any
bition were also on the programme of that have ratified the Convention. kind of services available. We produce
the Congress. ICOH was represented in the Sum- good practice guidelines for practical
mit by Professor Jorma Rantanen, Pres- use in such services. We hope that we,
ident of the Organization. In his ad- on our part, can in this way support the
The Summit on Safety and implementation of the Seoul Declara-
dress he said that:
Health tion, he said.
ICOH will sign the Seoul Decla-
As many as 50 delegates representing ration on Safety and Health at Work Good examples from countries in
governments, international organiza- with great appreciation, not only be- the Asian Region were heard in the ses-
tions, and large companies, trade un- cause of its value basis and substan- sion dealing with Basic Occupational
ions and employers’ organizations, as tive objectives for provision of global Health Services. Excellent reports were
well as occupational health and safety common goods, but also because of presented by Dr. Somkiat Siriruttana-
experts throughout the world, attend- the emphasis given to practical imple- pruk of the Ministry of Public Health,
ed the Summit. Ms. Leila Savolainen, mentation. Thailand; Dr. Chen Rui of the Ministry
State Secretary, representing the Gov- In implementation we need two of Health, China; Dr. Nguyen Thi Hong
ernment of Finland, said in her address equally important arms: a) Inspection Tu of the Ministry of Health, Vietnam;
that in developing the work environ- for enforcement and advising compa- and Dr. Min Yoo of KOSHA, Republic
ment, it is essential that social part- nies in compliance of regulations; and of Korea.
ners are involved in all activities and b) Services helping the workplaces to
at all levels. She emphasized the im- make the action for OSH in practice. Suvi Lehtinen
portance of common labour standards About 85% of the world’s workers Finnish Institute of Occupational Health
and rules at the international and na- have support from neither inspection E-mail: suvi.lehtinen@ttl.fi
H
aving met in Seoul, Republic of ●● Recognizing the importance of educa- 2006 (No. 187) as a priority, as well as
Korea, on 29 June 2008 on the tion, training, consultation and the ex- other relevant ILO Conventions on
occasion of the XVIII World change of information and good prac- safety and health at work and ensure
tices on prevention and the promotion the implementation of their provisions,
Congress on Safety and Health
of preventative measures, as a means to improve national per-
at Work, jointly organized by the International
formance on safety and health at work
Labour Office, the International Social Secu-
●● Recognizing the important role played in a systematic way.
rity Association (ISSA) and the Korea Occu-
by governments and the social part- • Ensure that continued actions are tak-
pational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA),
ners, professional safety and health or- en to create and enhance a national pre-
with the participation of senior professionals,
ganizations and social security institu- ventative safety and health culture.
employers’ and workers’ representatives, social tions in promoting prevention and in • Ensure that the occupational safe-
security representatives, policy-makers and providing treatment, support and re- ty and health of workers is protected
administrators. habilitation services, through an adequate and appropriate
system of enforcement of safety and
●● Recognizing the serious consequences ●● Recognizing the importance of coop- health standards, including a strong and
of work-related accidents and diseases, eration among international organiza- effective labour inspection system.
which the International Labour Office tions and institutions, 5. Employers should ensure that
estimates lead to 2.3 million fatalities • Prevention is an integral part of their
per year world-wide and an economic ●● Welcoming progress achieved through activities, as high safety and health
loss of 4 percent of global Gross Do- international and national efforts to standards at work go hand and hand
mestic Product (GDP), improve safety and health at work, with good business performance.
• Occupational safety and health man-
●● Recognizing that improving safety and Declares that agement systems are established in an
health at work has a positive impact on 1. Promoting high levels of safety and effective way to improve workplace
working conditions, productivity and health at work is the responsibility of safety and health.
economic and social development, society as a whole and all members of • Workers and their representatives
society must contribute to achieving are consulted, trained, informed and
●● Recalling that the right to a safe and this goal by ensuring that priority is giv- involved in all measures related to their
healthy working environment should en to occupational safety and health in safety and health at work.
be recognized as a fundamental human national agendas and by building and 6. Affirming the workers’ right to a safe
right and that globalization must go maintaining a national preventative and healthy working environment,
hand in hand with preventative meas- safety and health culture. workers should be consulted on safety
ures to ensure the safety and health of 2. A national preventative safety and and health matters and should:
all at work, health culture is one in which the right • Follow safety and health instructions
to a safe and healthy working environ- and procedures, including on the use
●● Recognizing the importance of the in- ment is respected at all levels, where of personal protective equipment.
struments on safety and health at work governments, employers and workers • Participate in safety and health train-
of the International Labour Organiza- actively participate in securing a safe ing and awareness-raising activities.
tion (ILO) and the substantial role of and healthy working environment • Cooperate with their employer in
the ISSA and its members’ contribution through a system of defined rights, re- measures related to their safety and
in implementing these instruments, sponsibilities and duties, and where the health at work.
principle of prevention is accorded the 7. The World Congress on Safety and
●● Recalling that the promotion of oc- highest priority. Health at Work is an ideal forum to
cupational safety and health and the 3. The continuous improvement of oc- share knowledge and experiences in
prevention of accidents and diseases cupational safety and health should be achieving safe, healthy and productive
at work is a core element of the ILO’s promoted by a systems approach to the workplaces.
founding mission and of the Decent management of occupational safety and 8. Progress made on achieving safety and
Work Agenda, health, including the development of a health at work should be reviewed on
national policy taking into considera- the occasion of the XIX World Con-
●● Recalling that the prevention of oc- tion the principles in Part II of theILO gress on Safety and Health at Work in
cupational risks and the promotion of Occupational Safety and Health Con- 2011.
workers’ health constitute an essential vention, 1981 (No. 155). 9. The Summit participants commit to
part of the ISSA’s mandate and of its 4. Governments should taking the lead in promoting a prevent-
Conceptual Framework of Dynamic • Consider the ratification of the ILO ative safety and health culture, placing
Social Security, Promotional Framework for Occupa- occupational safety and health high on
tional Safety and Health Convention, national agendas.
C
ance and activities. After five years of effort,
hina National Offshore Oil Cor- while conducting its business. In order to meet CNOOC has devised a performance indica-
poration (CNOOC) is the domi- its commitment, CNOOC has developed a tor framework with the indicators focused
nant offshore oil and gas producer system to measure the combined social and on categories – “core” or “key” indicators. The
in China. Established in 1982, the HSE (health-safety-environment) perform- central core indicators reflect on health and
company is headquartered in Beijing and has ance. That means addressing the management safety. The core indicators are typically rele-
52,000 employees. CNOOC has maintained of all employees as well as environmental, so- vant to the practices of petroleum companies
fast and quality growth since its incorporation. cial and economic aspects of business, while and cover employment practices, community
It also conducts exploration and production maintaining a business focus to produce more and society.
outside of China. CNOOC has developed in- affordable, accessible and increasingly cleaner Protecting the health and safety of em-
to an integrated energy company with a com- energy. In other words, oil and gas are pro- ployees is the highest priority at CNOOC. The
petitive core business and synergetic business duced in a more responsible and ethical way. company has sharply cut the rate of incidents
portfolio along the value chain. It has estab- and injuries through an intense focus on im-
lished six business sectors ranging from oil proving health and safety performance. It is
Safety and occupational health are
and gas exploration and development, tech- committed to providing safe workplaces for
key elements for corporate social
nical services, logistic services, chemicals and the staff. The company has established an HSE
responsibility
fertilizer production, natural gas and power system operating to international standards. It
generation to financial services. CNOOC has begun to identify the key issues also focuses on building a safety corporate cul-
CNOOC has increased its overall commit- for corporate social responsibility (CSR); for ture through intensive training, health promo-
ment to improve living standards and enhance example,“technology cooperation and capac- tion and prevention of occupational diseases.
health and safety (H&S) and social conditions ity building, oil spill prevention and response, Safe operation and employee health are both
Process of change
Inadequate working and living conditions al-
ready provoke the population’s resentment,
which is reflected in numerous protests. It Discussion of
seems inescapable that further development a case study,
of the Chinese national economy has to be PROSYS OSH
accompanied by structural measures that im- Workshop,
prove the working and living conditions of Chengdu
broad social groups. Meanwhile, the Chinese Photo by Martin Braun
Government has noticed an urgent need for
action. The improvement of the working and
living conditions is, consequently, of higher
importance in the national strategy. The Elev-
enth Five-Year-Plan of the Chinese Govern-
ment, which became effective in 2006, aims at
a 25 per cent reduction in work-related fatal
accidents (4).
Chandrasekharan Nair
Kesavachandran, Vipin Bihari
India
Photo by C. Kesavachandran
Photo by C. Kesavachandran
ate upper airway obstruction and 15%
for severe upper airway obstruction
(Table 3).
As to lower airway obstruction,
10% of the welders had mild, 7.5% had References
1. Criteria for a recommended standard
moderate and 5% had severe lower air-
welding, brazing and thermal cutting.
way obstruction (Table 4). The preva- NIOSH Publication 1988. http://www.
lence of chronic bronchitis among the cdc.gov/NIOSH/88-110.htm Lung function test
welders was 2.5% and that of occupa- 2. Antonini JM. Health effects of weld-
tional asthma was 2.5% (Table 5). ing. Critical Review in Toxicology
2003;33(1):61–103. Table 1. Profile of the study subjects
Metal oxide particles are particu-
3. Zimmer AT, Biswas P. Characterization of
larly hazardous components of weld- the aerosols resulting from arc welding Parameters Welders (n=40)
ing fumes since they are small enough processes. J Aerosol Sci 2001;32:993– Mean ± SD
to be deposited in the terminal bron- 1008. Age (yrs) 51.7 ± 5.4
chioles and alveoli, distal to the mu- 4. Howden DG, Desmeules MJA, Saracci Height (cm) 162 ± 5.2
R, Sprince NL, Herber PI. Respiratory
cociliary cleaning mechanism. In the Weight (kg) 59.5 ± 9.1
hazards of welding: occupational expo-
present study, workers exposed to sure characterization. Am Rev Respir Dis Duration of exposure (yrs) 6.23 ± 1.5
welding fumes for six years or more 1988;138: 1047–8.
exhibited severe upper airway obstruc- 5. White LR, Hunt J, Richards RJ, Eik-Nes K.
Biochemical studies of rat lung following
tion (prevalence rate 15%) and severe Table 2. Peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) and forced expiratory
exposure to potassium dichromate or volume in 1 sec (FEV1) among welders
lower airway obstruction (prevalence chromium-rich welding fume particles.
rate 5%). Toxicol Lett 1982;11:159–63. Parameter Prediction value Welders
The habit of smoking added to the 6. Antonini JM, Lawryk N J, Krishna Murthy Mean ± SD Mean ± SD
welders’ respiratory health problems GG, Brain JD. Effect of welding fume PEFR (l/min) 491.2 ± 86.3 345.9 ± 87.1
solubility on lung macrophage viability
caused by exposure to welding fumes, FEV1 (l/min) 2.01 ± 0.62 1.97 ± 0.47
and function in vitro. J Toxicol Environ
radiation, gases and extremes of tem- Health 1999; 58:343–63.
perature in the workplace. An earlier 7. Kesavachandran C, Rastogi SK, Mathur
study indicated that effects on lung N, Bihari V. Sub clinical upper and lower
Table 3. Prevalence of upper airway obstruction among welders
function among welders may be relat- airway diseases among workers exposed
to welding operation. ICFAI Life Science
ed to their smoking habits (8). Most of Grades Prediction per- Welders (n=40)
Journal 2008;1:60–6.
the workers do their work in a closed centage n %
8. Chinn D, Stevenson I, Cotes J. Longitu-
environment without proper venti- dinal respiratory survey of shipyard work- Mild 60–70% 6 15
lation and lack of protective equip- ers: effects of trade and atopic status. Br Moderate 50–60% 4 10
ment, and are thus exposed to gases J Ind Med 1990;47:83–90. Severe <50% 6 15
9. Mur JM, Teculescu D, Pham QT, Gaert-
and fumes that cause a decline of lung
ner M, Massin N, Meyer-Bisch C, Moulin
function. Welders who worked in con- JJ, Diebold F, Pierre F. Lung function
fined spaces had reduced lung func- and clinical findings in a cross-sectional Table 4. Prevalence of lower airway obstruction among welders
tion when compared with those who study of arc welders: an epidemiological
worked in well-ventilated areas within study. Int Arch Occup Environ Health Grades Prediction per- Welders
1985;57:1–18. centage (n=40)
the same plant (9). n %
Mild 60–70% 4 10.0
Conclusions Moderate 50–60% 3 7.5
Severe <50% 2 5.0
Several toxic gases, such as carbon Dr. Chandrasekharan Nair
monoxide, ozone, and oxides of nitro- Kesavachandran, Scientist
gen, may be generated in significant Dr. Vipin Bihari, Scientist
Table 5. Prevalence of chronic respiratory symptoms among
quantities during common arc weld- Epidemiology Division welders
ing processes. Upper and lower airway Indian Institute of Toxicology Research
abnormalities were observed among (Formerly Industrial Toxicology Research Respiratory symptoms n %
workers performing welding opera- Center) Chronic bronchitis 1 2.5
tions, caused by their exposure to toxic M.G. Marg, Lucknow 226001, UP Occupational asthma 1 2.5
gases. Prevention of exposure through India Overall 2 5
effective local exhausts is the primary E-mail: kesavachandran@rediffmail.com
Introduction
The present health survey was conduct- (3). The low PEF value is due to irrita- survey were the FVC, the
ed among miners working in differ- tion of the upper respiratory tract mu- FEV1, and the FEV1/FVC
ent mines of Rajasthan state in west-
ern India. Rajasthan is geographically
cosa among the exposed workers (3).
The objective of this study was to
Rajasthan is %. The subjects were told
to take a deep forceful in-
the largest state, and has the second
highest amounts of mineral deposits
estimate the percentage of the mine
worker population employed in the or-
geographically spiration followed by a
deep forceful expiration
in India. Three-fifths of the 342,239 ganized sector of Rajasthan who suffer the largest through the mouthpiece
square kilometres of land in this state from pulmonary impairment. of the spirometer. Three
is desert (1). state, and has readings were obtained
The number of mines in the organ- for each miner, and the
ized sector and reporting to the Indi-
How the study was carried out? the second best reading was taken for
reporting and analysis of
an Bureau of Mines was 425 mines
in 2003–4. The commercial value of
The present study was undertaken by
making a preliminary survey of vari- highest data.
minerals produced from these mines
in 2003–4 was Rs 27,596,556/- (2). Ac-
ous mines located in different regions
of Rajasthan. The miners who partici-
amounts All pulmonary func-
tion test data were ex-
cording to the report of the Mine La- pated in this health survey were work-
ing in limestone, lignite, gypsum and
of mineral pressed as body tempera-
ture and pressure saturat-
bour Protection Campaign, there are
1,324 leases for the mining of major fluorite mines. Out of the subject group deposits in ed (BTPS). On the basis of
minerals, 10,851 leases for the mining of 800 miners, 260 (32.5%) were work- a subject’s performance in
of minor minerals and 19,251 licensed ing in limestone mines, 265 (33.1%) India. the pulmonary function
quarries in Rajasthan (1). in lignite mines, 248 (31%) in gypsum test, the results were in-
The population of this state is 49.7 mines and the remaining 27 (3.4%) terpreted as normal spirometry, ob-
million, out of which 2.5 million people were working in fluorite mines. structive impairment, restrictive im-
are mine workers engaged in 64 kinds For this study, a pulmonary func- pairment and combined impairment,
of metallic and non-metallic mineral tion test was carried out for the 800 i.e. both restrictive and obstructive im-
extraction activities (1). 97% of mining miners working in the above mines pairment.
activities take place outside the organ- of Rajasthan. The pulmonary func- As normal pulmonary function test
ized sector. 37% of miners are women tion test was done by using a Cosmed values change in relation to a subject’s
and 15% are children (1). Only 0.8% of Pony Graphic 4.0 Spirometer. The pa- age, sex, body height and race, the pre-
the mine workers are literate, and their rameters measured by the Spirometer dictive FVC and FEV1 were calculated
working hours average 8 to 10 hrs per were the forced vital capacity (FVC), by using the predictive equation of Ka-
day (1). In 2004 Rajnarayan R. Tiwari the forced expiratory volume in 1 sec- mat et al. (4). To determine obstructive
et al. stated that subjects who were ex- ond (FEV1), the FEV1/FVC %, the peak impairment, the predictive FEV1/FVC
posed to dust in quartz crushing units expiratory flow (PEF) rate, the forced % was calculated for each subject. If
for two or more years have low peak expiratory flow between 200 and 1200 the predicted FEV1/FVC % value was
expiratory flow (PEF) rates compared ml (FEF 200–1200), and the FEF 25– <75%, the subject was considered to
with those of workers who were ex- 75%. have obstructive impairment. For re-
posed for less than two years’ duration The parameters studied for this strictive impairment, predictive FVC
Fluorite 27 6 0 0 21
Results Mine (3.36%) (22.2%) 0% 0% (77.78%)
Pulmonary function test Total 800 108 28 10 656
Table 1 depicts the pulmonary func- (13.5%) (3.5%) (1.25%) (82%)
tion test results for 800 miners in Rajas-
than. Of the miners, 656 (82.80%) had
normal respiratory function. Among
Discussion knowledge with gratitude the coopera-
the remaining 144 miners, 108 (75%)
tion received from the staff of the Na-
had restrictive impairment, 28 (19.4%) The medical literature contains many
tional Institute of Miners’ Health, Nag-
had obstructive impairment and the re- studies which describe the prevalence
pur during the entire study.
maining 10 (6.9%) had combined im- of respiratory morbidity among work-
pairment. ers exposed to dust in industries. De-
Restrictive impairment was more spite this, very few studies have been
common than obstructive impairment done on respiratory morbidity among
and combined impairment. As Table 1 mine workers in the desert region of References
indicates, restrictive impairment was western India. 1. Madan Modi and Sohini Sengupta.
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sudharavam manavadhikar suraksha
ing in limestone mines, 17.4% in lig- centage of workers affected by pulmo-
samiti (SASUMASU). www.minelabour.
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22.2% in fluorite mines, respectively. ing sector in different mines of Rajas- 2. Controller General, Indian Bureau of
Obstructive impairment was detect- than state, western India. The pulmo- Mines (IBM). Indian minerals, yearbook
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and 3.2% in gypsum mines. Combined dust during mining operations without expiratory flow: A study among silica
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4. Kamat SR, Tyagi NK and Rushid SSA.
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ing in fluorite mines and the lowest, The deprivation of mine workers in this
9.7%, among those working in gypsum state is obvious on the basis of vari-
mines. Obstructive impairment was the ous social indicators, e.g. occupational
highest, 6.8%, among those working disease, hazardous and unsafe work- Debasis Chatterjee, Sarang Dhatrak,
in lignite mines and the lowest, 0.8%, ing conditions, violation of labour and Subroto Nandi, B. B. Mandal, Sachin
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mines. Combined impairment was the National Institute of Miners’ Health
highest, 1.21%, among those working JNARDDC Campus
Acknowledgement
in gypsum mines and the lowest, 0.75%, Amrawati Road, Wadi
among those working in lignite mines. The authors are grateful to the Director, Nagpur - 440 023
Obstructive and combined impairment National Institute of Miners’ Health, Maharashtra
were not detected among those work- Nagpur for granting the permission India
ing in fluorite mines. to carry out the study. The authors ac- E-mail: chatterjeedebasis7@hotmail.com