Occupational health in small scale and household industries in Nepal: a situation analysis.

INTRODUCTION Making working conditions safe and healthy is the interest of workers, employers and the Government.Although it seems simple and obvious, this idea has not yet gained meaningful recognition in Nepal. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study was conducted in ten small scale industries of Kathmandu valley. Altogether 545 questionnaires on socioeconomic and occupational history were filled up. Similarly, Workplace Occupational Health Assessment was done in all ten industries. A thorough medical examination of 135 child workers was done using a structured questionnaire to find out the health effects due to occupational hazards. RESULTS Out of the total 545 workers present in the industries under study, 135 (24.8%) were child workers. Higher proportion of child workers (97%) was illiterate compared to 3% of children with primary level education. Among the child workers, 23 (17%) were girls. The majority of the child labourers were suffering from conditions like otitis externa, otitis media, scabies, anaemia, upper respiratory diseases, nasal problems, abdominal pain etc. CONCLUSION The occupational health and safety practices in small scale industries in Kathmandu have been found to be unsatisfactory. Child labour is a serious problem. Out of ten industries, six have employed child workers and the working conditions range from bad to terrible. Health and welfare of the child workers was also not satisfactory.