13-07-2012, 09:36 AM
General Workplace Conditions
Chapter 3 - General workplace conditions _OSH manual.pdf (Size: 273.12 KB / Downloads: 99)
3.1. Introduction
All work has health and safety problems associated with it and the garment industry in
Cambodia is no exception. Whether it be overcrowding because the building is too small,
inadequate fire safety because the factory is old and not purpose-built, obsolete
machinery, high dust levels in the cutting section or dangerous chemicals used in the spot
cleaning area – all represent health and safety issues that need to be addressed, often as a
matter of some urgency. Some hazards1 found in the workplace are obvious (e.g.
unguarded machinery) whereas others are much more insidious and difficult to detect
(e.g. some of the chemicals used in the factory).
When comparing different industrial activities, some people could suggest that there
“appear to be few health and safety problems in the garment sector” – look for example at
the following pictures and compare the hazards. These Cambodian port workers
unloading a cargo of cement from the hold of a ship are working in very hot, humid
conditions. The cement dust is everywhere in the hold and sticking to the workers’ sweat
on their skin (look at the legs and hands of the workers). They are also breathing in the
dust and are not wearing their dust masks. They have little in the way of personal
protective equipment (PPE) – no overalls, safety shoes etc. The cement bags are very
poorly stacked and liable to fall. Most observers would consider such conditions to be
extremely hazardous.
1 Hazard – The inherent potential to cause injury or damage to people’s health.
Picture 1: Port workers at Sihanoukville unloading a cargo of cement
from the hold of a ship.
Other hazards are not so obvious – look at this woman worker carrying this bag of
cement.
This woman worker is carrying twice the legal maximum load2 in a way that may lead to
back injury. The weight distribution is not even as she climbs up the bags of cement and
she has no PPE.
So what about workers in the garment industry? What hazards do they face at work?
2 Prakas 124 on Lifting of Heavy Objects by Physical Strength specifies 25kg as the maximum load
permitted to be lifted by females of 18 years and over. Special rules apply to pregnant or new mothers.
3.2. Core Information
Although most people have a clear idea of what safety in the workplace means, there is
often a very narrow perspective of the scope of occupational health. The most widely
accepted definition is that of the Joint ILO/WHO Committee3 on Occupational Health,
namely:
Some of the key points to remember here is that the definition looks at the mental and
social well-being and not just the physical aspects – in other words it looks at all aspects
of workers health. Further, the definition covers promotion, prevention and protection
in order to develop a holistic approach to health and safety at work thereby leading to
improved working conditions, a positive social climate and enhanced productivity.
What Types of Hazards are Found in the Workplace?
Most workplaces have a number of different hazards, which can be divided into the
following broad categories:
• Mechanical;
• Physical;
• Chemical;
• Biological;
• Ergonomic; and
• Psychosocial.
(Each of these categories will be examined in more detail later in the manual in terms of
the sources of the hazards, their effects and methods of control).
3 This definition was first adopted in 1950 and revised by the Joint ILO/WHO Committee on Occupational
Health in 1995.
Occupational health should aim at:
• the promotion and maintenance of the highest degree of physical,
mental and social well-being of workers in all occupations;
• the prevention amongst workers of departures from health caused by
their working conditions;
• the protection of workers in their employment from risks resulting
from factors adverse to health;
• the placing and maintenance of the worker in an occupational
environment adapted to his physiological and psychological
capabilities.
To summarise:
- the adaptation of work to man and of each man to his job.
What Hazards do Workers in the Garment Industry Face?
Figure 3 indicates the broad range of hazards faced by workers including those in the
garment industry:
Figure 3:
These hazards are common to many occupations and workers are often exposed to more
than one at a time. For example it is not difficult to imagine a worker in a garment factory
being in a hot, noisy environment and using an unguarded machine. With the worker
feeling tired and losing concentration in such an environment, there is the potential for an
accident if any guards are missing off the machines.
Workers do not create hazards – in many cases the hazards are built into the workplace. It
is essential that work is made safer and healthier by modifying the workplace and any
unsafe work processes.