Humanizing work and work environment: a challenge for developing countries.

During the period from 1750 to 1850, numerous changes occurred in different industrial sectors in Europe, starting from manufacturing to transportation, for the betterment of productivity and human wellbeing. This period is designated as the period of industrial revolution. In this period, the concept of interventions revolved around the ways in which only productivity can be enhanced. Therefore application of interventions was not destined to reduce the sufferings of workers. In those days, less importance was given on human health and safety. Towards the end of 19 century, the wave of industrial revolution touched India. A large number of industries were developed by colonial British government with imported machineries from Europe and without humanizing the work and work environment. Workers’ awareness of health and safety was not there. In fact, demand for good working environment was absent in various parts of the globe. This age may be depicted as the Dark Age for industrial workers. Unfortunately, this age is persisting till now in different developing countries. Application of interventions in developing countries totally depends on the sustainability of these interventions in developing societies. Sometimes, we misunderstand this truth and try to compare with developed countries. I am still remembering thefirst day ofmy ergonomics class and the very first lecture of my teacher Prof. Rabindra Nath Sen. He was describing the application of ergonomics in developing countries. In those times we were very much enthusiastic to learn about the enhancement of productivity in unorganized sectors by the application of modern technological interventions. With a shallow knowledge about unorganized sectors, that day, it was very easy for us to think and give solutions on productivity related problems. I remembered that we vehemently opposed the concept of our teacher that low cost improvement through low cost interventions in unorganized sector was the best solution for productivity improvement. We were utterly wrong that day. It is very easy to think about the development of humanizing work and work environment in developed countries but the economic differences make it very hard to think in developing countrieswhere human health and safety is less important to think about. We can define a developing country as the country that does not allow its citizens to “enjoy a free and healthy life in a safe environment”. This is indeed a hard reality. In developing countries, man moves mountains, literally to speak, as he performs stupendous load handling either overhead or involving other body parts. Moreover the severity of load carriage is hastened manifold as the work environment is invariably hazardous, where the workers are exposed for more than ten hours a day on a regular basis. Ourworld is segregated into a group of countrieswith modern industries, stable political and economic situations, high levels of awareness about human health, and another segment of countries with immense adversities like abject poverty, political turmoil and economic instability. But gradually, this situation is changing and workers are now demanding for healthy and safe working environment even in the less developed countries. There is another demand from other side, the demand for better productivity or more productivity. This demand, in turn, ushers an even stressful condition in industrially developing countries. This is because although enhancement in productivity is given prime importance but it is not accompanied by improvements or modifications in work pattern and environment. Demand for health and safety is a common and genuine demand both from developing and developed countries. A significant difference is observed between