Occupational respiratory morbidity among hair and beauty salon workers in Udupi taluk, Karnataka, India

Abstract

Background The Indian hair and beauty salon industry is growing rapidly due to the demand for beauty and personal care services and products. Workers in the industry are vulnerable to several occupational factors such as chemicals, confined space, and poor ventilation. Chemicals in the products used are known or suspected to cause allergies, respiratory, neurological and reproductive health problems and cancer. Methods The present study was carried out to determine the factors associated with the occurrence of respiratory morbidity among hair and beauty salon workers of Udupi taluk, Karnataka, India. A total of 240 salon workers were recruited for the study. A semistructured, interviewer‐led questionnaire was used to collect data. Peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) was done using a JSB peak flow meter. Results The frequency of respiratory morbidity among participating beauty salon workers was 19%. Men reported respiratory symptoms more frequently than women. Receiving training on work materials and practices was a significant protective factor (odds ratio = 0.3; 95% confidence interval: 0.1‐0.7) for the occurrence of respiratory morbidity. The mean observed PEFR in these workers was significantly lower than their predicted values. While 61.2% of the workers were using some form of personal protective equipment, only 4% of workers used a mask or respiratory protection. Conclusion Hair and beauty salon workers are at risk of developing respiratory morbidity potentially from harmful exposures and lack of effective control measures at the workplace.

Occupational respiratory morbidity and associated factors among hairdressers in Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

“…The overall prevalence of occupational respiratory morbidity in this study was higher than in a couple of studies conducted in India (12.7%)43 and (19%) 15. However, lower than the studies reported in Palembang, Indonesia (40%)10 and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (57%) 16.…”

“…Hairdressers are among the higher-risk occupational groups for respiratory problems due to unsafe working conditions, a lack of training and awareness, the use of different chemicals, a lack of regular monitoring and inspections and poor accessibility and use of PPE. 15 38–41 In addition, this group of workers belongs to the informal economy, in which work-related exposure is unregulated and working conditions are substandard. They use a variety of hair products that contain chemicals that can make them vulnerable to respiratory diseases.…”

“…Occupational respiratory morbidity in hairdressers is increased by several factors 10 14 15. These workers are exposed to indoor and outdoor air pollution, allergens, workplace chemicals, tobacco smoke and confined spaces regularly and for prolonged periods.…”

“…Investigations have confirmed that the prevalence of occupational respiratory morbidity is higher in hairdressers compared with other occupations. 13 14 According to the sparse research findings, the prevalence of respiratory morbidity in hairdressers is high, with prevalence rates ranging from 19% in India 15 to 40% in Indonesia 10 and 57% in Saudi Arabia. 16 A study in Utah, USA, 17 found that hairdressers had a higher prevalence of cough, dyspnoea and wheezing (12%) than the non-occupationally exposed control group (7.6%).…”

Occupational Health Hazards among Hairdressers in Benha City

“…To reduce the occupational health hazards that threatens the hairdressers health, it is important to identify the JNSBU occupational hazards, and define which hazards are predominant and in priority. Training approaches should be developed and appropriate prevention strategies to minimize occupational health hazards (Tomar et al, 2020).…”