Experts and speakers participating here at a State-level workshop on “Occupational health and safety (OHS) and silicosis/TB prevention from stone crushers and other industries” on Friday urged the State Government to prepare an exclusive policy on Occupational Health and Safety (OHS), besides urging the stone crusher owners to adopt Dust Suppression Technology (DST) in their units.
Organised by the Jeevanrekha Parishad (JRP) with the support of Workplace Health without Borders (WHWB), the workshop revealed that due to lack of awareness among workers, employers and doctors, inadequate infrastructure for diagnosis and management and lack of coordination among stakeholders for elimination of silicosis are some of the areas of concern in the State for rampant occupational health hazards and silicosis prevalence.
“In Odisha, mining is one of the main sources of livelihood and it has been observed that most of the male members of the families engaged in stone crusher and mining quarry died at an early age due to suspected TB. Since there is no expertise and facilities to diagnose silicosis at the district headquarters hospitals many of the stone crusher workers have been suffering from various respiratory symptoms and lung diseases,” observed Prof SS Patra, Community Medicine Institute of Medical Science of Sum Hospital.
Former Utkal University of Culture Vice-Chancellor Dr Bimalendu Mohanty highlighted that under Article 246, Union list- Entry 55 of the Constitution, safety, welfare and health of persons employed in mines are the concern of the Union Government while persons employed in factories are the concern of the State.
All Odisha Stone Crusher Owners’ Association president Dr Bipin Patnaik urged all the stone crusher owners to adopt dust suppression technology for welfare of the society.