Improving workplace safety in developing countries

1. Round Table 251: Work Place Issues In
India: American Industrial Hygiene
Conference and Exposition, Orlando, May 25,
2000
email:Maharshi.Mehta@Pfizer.com
IMPROVING WORK PLACE SAFETY
IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

2. Agenda
• Workplace demographics
• Issues: Working conditions
• Current occupational health and safety
status
• Approaches adopted
• Suggested approaches

3. Workplace Demographics
• Labor Force: About 400M (44M to 90M Child
Labor)
• Unemployment Rate: 22%
• Industrial Growth 8%, Inflation Rate: 9%
• Unions represents: 25 % of industrial and service
workers in the organized sector
• 1977 law prohibits Bonded Labor Factories Act. A
1986 law bans employment of children under age
14

4. Issues-The Need
• One of world’s largest
manufacturing base
manufacturing/processing highly
toxic chemicals.
• Exposure to serious health and
safety hazards
• Conditions exacerbated by export
of hazards from developed
countries
• Hazardous conditions + scarcity
of trained EHS professionals and
infrastructure = serious threat of
occupational illnesses and
injuries.
Hence, greater role of
health and Safety
Professionals

5. Issues-The Need
• Occupational diseases occurred in early 1900 in USA
and Europe are still occurring
• Large affected population-industries, hospitals, farms,
offices
• Pro-active companies not able to practice IH due to
lack of trained professionals and infrastructure
• Quality Assurance is a concern in IH being practiced
• 7000 Industrial Hygienists Needed - 2000 CIHs for
260M people and 1 for 1B people
• Occupational Safety-Fairly good, Environment
and Ecology-Improving, Industrial Hygiene-Long
way to go.

6. Total Injury Rate/1000 worker
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
1971
1981
1991

7. Addressing the Issues
• Media Coverage
• State and Supreme Courts Ruling
– Closed down an operation or plant
– Suspended forest based activities including about
900 saw mills, veneer and plywood mills
– Relocation of thousands of hazardous industries-
Under court order, electrical supply discontinued for
companies not acting.

8. Addressing the Issues
• Amendment in legislation and increase in awareness
since Bhopal tragedy
• Multinational corporations bringing corporate OHS
culture.
• Proactive public Sector companies and large
corporations conscious about environment and safety.
• EHS associations’ role in education and awareness
• Institutions offering postgraduate safety and
environmental management program since 1979

9. Addressing the Issues-India’s first Master in
Industrial Hygiene Program
• Offered at BVM Engineering College, Sardar
Patel University, Vallabh Vidya Nagar, Gujarat,
300 miles north of Bombay with University of
Cincinnati.
• First 19 Industrial Hygienists trained
• All from the first and second class working
• Presented Technical Papers last year and this
year at AIHCs, Toronto and Orlando.

10. A student with donated books

11. Proposed Approaches
• Establish Industrial Hygiene Institute-Non-profit
Non-Governmental organization providing cost
effective consulting.
• Strengthen MIH program.
• Government on amending existing legislation:
COSHH, UK/EC Directives
• Employee State Insurance Corporation, to provide
medical AND IH Services following EC model
• Country specific certification
• Adopt a small scale industry program

12. What can we do?
• Understand the economics and culture before
intervention.
• Participate in developing local expertise.
• Exchange of hazard control technology.
• AIHA/ACGIH/NIOSH: Assist professionals
already working in emerging countries.
• DO, not talk. Facilitate, not complain
• Small step at a time is better than not walking at
all, especially on rough roads!