1. Occupational health-Indian scenario
• By
• Dr.Ashok laddha
• Occupational Health
Physician
• MBBS, PGDC
,PGDD, PGDEM, AFIH
,ACLS,BLS
• Diploma in Workplace
Health and safety. MBAHA(In –Progress)

2. Background
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India is a vast country with a surface area of about 3.3 million square kms.
In size, India is one of the most important developing countries in the world.
superpower aspiration
The total population of India is over 1.25 billion. About 72% of its population lives
in the rural area.
65.6% working population. Majority of working population is in unorganized sector
Emerging occupational health problems are to be tackled along with the existing
public health problems like communicable diseases,malnutrition, poor
environmental sanitation, and inadequate medical care.
Globalization and rapid industrial growth in the past few years have added further
to complexities of occupational health related issues.
There are over 320,000 registered industrial factories and more than 36500
hazardous factories . Approximately more than10 million persons were employed
in various factories.
The current burden of
The male: female working population ratio is over 68:32 means increased
proportion of female working population

3. Under re-cognition burden of
occupational diseases
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Under reporting system
Few corporate sector have OHS Culture
Increased share of health burden
Apathy of stakeholders
Major working population is in un-orgnized
sector with no OHS attention
• Law enforcement ?

4. Changing factors
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Globalization
outsourcing
transfer of technologies
newer type of jobs (IT, Call Centre)
change in employment patterns
Adaptation of OHS Culture

5. Major occupational risk
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Accidents
Stress
Silicosis
MSD
COLD
NIHL
Vision Problem
Byssinosis
Pesticide poisoning
Indoor air pollution

6. New stresses
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Psychological problems
Stress
Sexual harassment
Gender/Job discrimination
Asthma
Sleep disorder
Digestive problems
Cardiovascular problems etc
Dual work burden-Female
Effect on Reproductive health

7. Key Areas
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Involvement of top management and stake holders
Competence building
OHS Awareness
OHS Awareness in un- organized sector
Authentic reporting of occupational diseases and illness
Well placed reporting system
Data generation
Research
Collaboration with primary health care
Transformation to modern occupational health set up with
advanced care facility

8. Effect of the amended Factories Act
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Increased Owner’s responsibilities .
Preparation and communicating of HSE policies
Hazardous processes well defined
Mandatory Pre-employment and periodic
medical examination
• Periodic work environment monitoring
• Mx. permissible limit established for certain
chemicals

9. Training and research centre-occupational health
• Central Labour Institute (CLI), Mumbai
• National Institute of Occupational Health
(NIOH), Ahmadabad
• Industrial Toxicology Research Centre
(ITRC), Lucknow
• Central Mining Research Station, Dhanbad
• Regional OHCs at Calcutta and Bangalore
• Regional Labour Institutes at
Calcutta, Madras, Faridabad and Kanpur
• Certain medical colleges and institutes

10. Effects beyond the workplace
• Air pollution
• Water pollution
• Transmission of sexually transmitted diseases
especially in transporters and migrant
population in project area

11. Concern
• Concentration on curative approach-employer /
well as stake holder and OHS physician
• Insufficient attention to occupational health
• unorganized sector MONITORING is neglected
• Integration with primary health care ?
• Involvement of ministry of health
• Occupational health physician authority and
power?
• Incorporation of ILO Convention

12. Awareness—Target grp
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Stake holders
Employer
Employee
General public
Contractor
Contract workers
Population around the project
Unorganized sector

13. Effective tools for Awareness
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Media
OHS education
OHS Training
Involvement trade union
Roll play

14. OHS Initiative-• Limited to progressive industries
• Provision of occupational health centre in
Hazardous industries(Law enforcement)
• Full fledged occupational health centre in
certain MNCs at par with international
standard .(Management initiative)

15. Message
• As a minimum requirement, greater effort is now
needed to study the occupational health consequences
of global economic and trade reforms,
• And standards put in place to protect workers’ health.
• Adequate public-sector and union capacity for setting
standards and enforcement should also be ensured,
• International cooperation on norms of safe work; the
liabilities of manufacturers, employers, and exporters;
and work-safety rights.
• New effective system to be developed for creating
awareness