Over the past five years, at least three meetings involving all stakeholders were convened to address the occupational safety and health concerns faced by workers in the unorganised sector. However, despite these consultations and a plan for a dedicated policy or guidelines, a comprehensive framework to ensure their health and safety is still pending in Tamil Nadu, with health officials noting that a number of recommendations remained on paper.
On its part, the Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services had created the Occupational, Social and Environmental Health Wing for screening, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and compensation of the unorganised sector workers including micro, small and medium enterprises and inter-State migrant workers nearly a decade ago. The wing was later made into the State Nodal Centre for Occupational Health and Safety of Unorganised Workers (SNC-OSH). Among the key focus areas was the health of the unorganised sector workers. Officials had raised the need for the inclusion of basic occupational health services and universal health coverage as per World Health Organization/International Labour Organization standards and mandatory health screening on job entry and regular check ups for all unorganised labourers.
Based on its proposal, the Health department constituted State and district-level inter department co-ordination committees and 21 disease and speciality-specific expert (technical) committees. Maintenance of log book/health profile for all workers including inter-State migrants employed for over 30 years to track long-term illnesses like silicosis, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, noise-induced hearing loss, contact dermatitis and occupational cancers to ensure health coverage was also put forward.
