Source : The Hindu Date : 01.07.2009
Manual cleaning, a risk to workers
Rajesh B. Nair and Serena Josephine M
| Conservancy workers of a local body said they had not been immunised |
Photo: T. Singaravelou 
hazardous to health: A conservancy worker cleaning a roadside drain on Tuesday without using protective cover for the face, hands and legs. —
PUDUCHERRY: Several workers employed by government departments and private contractors to clean canals and drains are exposed to serious health hazards as they manually clean the system without wearing any safety gadgets.
Besides the existing conservancy workers of local bodies and Public Works Department (PWD) employed for regular cleaning exercise, as part of the recent drive to clear the canals of floating objects on a sustained basis for the next three months, the PWD has recruited more men for the job which has the risk of causing ailments.
Of the 19 canals selected for the special drive, six have been given to private contractors for clearing floating objects. The other canals were cleaned by the conservancy workers of the PWD. Majority of them traverse through the silt to pick up the solid objects without wearing any protective gear or preventive medical care.
Conservancy workers of a local body said they had not been immunised against infections. “Usually, the municipality makes arrangements to administer vaccinations for the sanitary workers. But in the last six months, no injection had been administered to protect ourselves from acquiring infections while working in drainages and sewerages” pointed out a worker.
“We have not received hand gloves, gum boots and masks to be used during cleaning the drains. It is very difficult to clean the drains without any protective gear. We are finding it extremely difficult to eat food after working in sewerages as the odour is unbearable,” another municipality worker added.
Left at health risks, the sanitary workers said that they suffered from skin rashes due to insect bites while working in drainages and sewerages. “Mosquitoes, small insects bite us while working and this leads to irritation and rashes on the skin,” said a sanitary worker.
A few employees pointed out that earlier, the local bodies had been distributing hand gloves, gum boots and masks for the sanitary workers. Owing to shortage of funds, these safety gadgets were not given for the workers now, they added.
Medical Superintendent of Indira Gandhi Government General Hospital and Post Graduate Institute V. Govindaraj said sanitary workers have to use safety gadgets that cover their nose, eyes, legs and hands while engaged in cleaning of drainages and sewerages.
“If protective covering is not used, they are prone to skin allergy, skin diseases, infections and respiratory diseases like pneumonia. Contaminants could cause food poisoning, diarrhoea and vomiting. There could be very severe infections,” he said.
More dangerous was the risk of asphyxiation due to the inhalation of carbon monoxide present in the sewages, Dr. Govindaraj pointed out. “The smell is noxious and could result in death,” he added.
Officials in the PWD said they did not have heavy machinery to clear the debris and de-silt the canals. “A detailed project report will soon be prepared to re-structure all canals in the urban area using funds from Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission. The fund can also be utilised to purchase machinery. We hope to have proper canals shortly, where machineries can be utilised to clear silt,” he said.
Though adequate safety equipment were being given to the conservancy staff, they refused to wear them citing inconvenience.
All conservancy workers with the PWD were also given tetanus shots as preventive measure, the official told The Hindu.
