KARACHI: Cotton dust related ailments and diseases were found to be common at the city’s seven textile mills where a majority of workers neither had safety gadgets to protect themselves from the cotton dust nor had knowledge of the health risks posed by it, revealed a study whose preliminary findings were shared at a programme held at the Aga Khan University (AKU) auditorium on Monday.

The study suggests that investment in workers’ health and safety in the textile sector could boost productivity and competitiveness of Pakistan’s largest industry.

A total of 300 workers at the seven mills — with a total workforce of 9,000 — were interviewed under the MultiTex project of AKU’s community health department and GIZ (a German development agency) with the objective to look at the severity of health risks employees at work were exposed to, and their understanding of occupational health and safety hazards.

The study found that 90 per cent of textile workers who were interviewed during the study were not aware of the health risks posed by cotton dust, while almost 80 per cent of them were not using safety gadgets like face masks that could help them protect against it.

“These preliminary findings reinforce our earlier study which found cotton-dust related diseases and ailments quite common at 15 textile mills of Karachi. A total of 372 workers were interviewed during that survey,” said AKU assistant professor Dr Asaad Nafees.

According to her, at least one in 10 textile workers developed byssinosis (a lung disease caused by prolonged inhalation of textile fiber dust), two in 10 employees suffered from shortness of breath, while three in every 10 labourers complained of tightness in the chest.

These health risks, she pointed out, reduced quality of life and resulted in absenteeism and lost productivity for the textile industry.

“With 10 million or more employees in this sector [in Pakistan], this represents a significant loss in human capital and potential manufacturing output,” she observed.

During the study, researchers used special indoor devices to measure air pollution in different parts of the mills. Workers also wore personal air monitors (to see the level of cotton dust being inhaled) and were given lung function tests before and after shifts to assess the seriousness of the daily impact of pollution.

Speakers also noted the significant contribution the textile industry was making to the country’s exports (58pc) supported by an estimated 10 million strong workforce. Productivity, they said, could be enhanced multiple times if steps were taken to improve health and safety conditions at work.

Mr Olaf Petermann representing German Social Accident Insurance said that investments in occupational health and safety would boost competitiveness of Pakistani businesses.

“The research findings shared today will help build a case for textile industry stakeholders to improve health and safety since it will benefit both workers and the financial performance of companies.”

The event ended with a panel discussion featuring representatives from the Sindh labour department, a technical consultant from SGS Pakistan and officials from non-governmental organisations, HomeNet, Pakistan Institute of Labour, Education and Research, and business associations.

Published in Dawn, October 4th, 2016