A study of occupational health and safety interventions in foundry MSMEs in Punjab
Student name: Ms Saloni Seth
Guide: Dr Sapna Narula
Year of completion: 2015
Host Organisation: Foundation for MSME Clusters (FMC)
Supervisor (Host Organisation): Mr Tatheer Raza Zaidi
Abstract: Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) issues are considered a work environment challenge for nations globally. OHS is a multidisciplinary field, which has evolved over the decades, due to changes in the world of work. From solely operating towards the goal of improving personal health of workers OHS now encompasses improvements in physical work environment, and in psychosocial factors. Evidence worldwide points out that OHS issues are seen to be even more significant in MSMEs, when compared to large enterprises due to lack of effective management of these issues. Given these circumstances, OHS interventions in MSMEs are imperative.
This study was based on analysing existing OHS Interventions in Foundry MSMEs in Punjab, as deployed by a European Union funded project, referred to as ‘Scaling up Sustainable Development for MSME Clusters in India’
The aim of this paper is to record perceptions of key stakeholders involved in the Foundry Industry in Punjab, specifically in the regions of Ludhiana, Phagwara and Jalandhar. The recorded perceptions mainly revolved around identifying the various health and safety hazards experienced by workers in the foundries, the various kind of interventions that are deployed as per the project, the nature of these interventions, the barriers towards its effective implementation and the extent to which Occupational Health Interventions under the project have achieved its goals
The analysis of the interventions were drawn from literature and from the experiences of several key informants (Foundry Owners, Workers, Foundry Association Presidents, Medical Practitioners, Project Coordinator, Occupational Health Expert), including both implementers of the project and recipients of the project outcomes, through various research techniques.
It was found that the process of making metal casts in foundries was associated with several types of hazards that greatly jeopardized the health and safety of foundry workers. Moreover due to the inherent characteristics associated with MSMEs, OHS interventions often took a backseat, when it came to priorities of the foundry owners. Furthermore, several external and internal barriers to the intervention have made it even more challenging to ensure the sustainability of the project.
Keywords: Occupational Health and Safety (OHS), Foundries, Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), Prevention, OHS Interventions
