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Establishment of occupational health services for port and dock workers:
The Industrial Medicine Division of the Central Labour Institute under the Directorate General Factory Advice Service & Labour Institutes, Government of India, Mumbai, conducted a national study on the establishment of occupational health services for port and dock workers, in all eleven major ports of India.
Regulation 107 of the Dock Workers (Safety, Health and Welfare) Regulations, 1990, applicable in the major ports of India, stipulates that all dock workers must be given an initial medical examination, followed by periodical examinations at such intervals as may be considered necessary by the Chief Inspector of Dock Safety. Furthermore, Regulation 115 of the above Regulations stipulates that in every port, there shall be a special medical service or an occupational health service, available at all times, and this should be headed by a doctor with specialized training in occupational health.
The main objectives of the study were:
- to assess the status of occupational health services in the major ports of India;
- to identify the difficulties encountered in implementing the provisions described above;
- to make suitable recommendations for effective compliance with the provisions.
On the basis of the observations, the following recommendations were made:
- Emphasis should be placed, on various provisions regarding the medical examinations for dock workers, arranged by the employers in the major ports.
- Centres dealing specifically with occupational health services should be established in all major ports, to carry out the specialized functions required under the statutes. Panel doctors may be appointed for the medical examination of dock workers on a priority basis.
- There is an urgent need to establish fully-fledged occupational health services in all major ports on a time-bound basis. All medical officers employed in the ports should undergo occupational health training in a phased manner.
- Medical examinations for dock workers should be conducted on a regular basis, and health records should be maintained for individual workers. The data should be computerized so that information can be processed, stored and retrieved easily.
- At least one senior-level medical officer from each port should immediately be appointed to undergo occupational health training (a 3-month Certificate Course in Industrial Health) at the Central Labour Institute, Mumbai; this officer will then be in a position to act as a key figure in the establishment of occupational health services in the ports, and to organize activities connected with health-related matters as defined by the Regulations.
- The apprehensions and misconceptions among dock workers regarding the consequences, if any, of undergoing a medical examination should be allayed by means of awareness programmes. This can be done only if there is mutual trust and understanding between workers and management. Resistance and non-cooperation may decrease once the beneficial effects of such examinations are clearly understood by dock workers.
S.K. Saxena
Directorate General Factory Advise Service & Labour Institutes
Central Labour Institute Building
N.S. Mankikar Marg, Sion
Mumbai 400 022, India
Asian-Pacific Newsletter 2/1999 p.49
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