Working condition and health hazards in beedi rollers residing in the urban slums of Mumbai

Abstract

Background:Beedi rollers are exposed to unburnt tobacco dust through cutaneous and pharyngeal route. They are not aware of their rights. Studies have been conducted on beedi workers but not many studies are carried out in urban areas. Thus, study was carried out to understand working condition and health hazards in beedi workers residing in the urban slums of Mumbai and to know whether beedi roller are in better condition in urban areas.Aim:To study working condition and health hazard in beedi rollers in the urban slums.Materials and Methods:Descriptive, cross-sectional, community based study was carried in the urban slums of Mumbai with population of 8985 from April 2011 to June 2011. With snow balling sampling technique, 52 beedi workers were interviewed regarding their socio-economic status, working conditions and health problems after informed consent. Data entry and statistical analysis were performed using the SPSS windows version 14.0 software.Results:The mean age was 45 years with SD of 12 years. All were Hindu females. Around 42.31% were illiterate. Mean years of service were 30 years and they work on an average for eight hours. Children were not involved in beedi rolling. Most common morbidity was fatigue. None were aware of the benefits provided for them. Awareness regarding health hazard and safety measures was poor.Conclusions:The working condition of beedi rollers in the urban areas is not favourable.

Comparative analysis of respiratory health profile among female beedi and non-beedi workers in a district of West Bengal

“…Around 75% of the women make 1000 beedi per day. (16) The study from similar area of West Bengal showed that, more than half (57.28%) started beedi rolling in the age range 15 to 25 years, nearly similar to our study. The maximum and minimum age of initiation was 50 and 6 years, respectively.…”

“…17 Most common morbidity was weakness and fatigue followed by lower backache. 16 The prevalence of pallor reported was too less than the South India study (19.41% vs. 40%). 18 The proportion of beedi workers with high BP in a study from West Bengal was similar to current study.…”

Household food security in an urban slum: Determinants and trends

“…The unorganized nature of work makes these occupations vulnerable to exploitative practices followed by the business owners and, as a result, the wage levels are generally much below the minimum wages prescribed by the government. [ 5 ]…”

Call for Systematic Population-Based Cervical Cancer Screening: Findings from Community-Based Screening Camps in Tamil Nadu, India

“…Among the screened women, more than one-fifth women were bidi-workers. They have long working hours, continuous sitting work posture, exposure to tobacco dust, poor physical working conditions and non-adherence to personal protection measures (Reddy and Gupta, 2004;Sabale et al, 2012;Shukla et al, 2011;Yasmin et al, 2010;Nag et al, 2016). Evidences are emerging linking bidi-work and cervical cancer.…”