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2.6 Hazards at work, health and the poverty trap: Working Out of Poverty

Guest post by: International Labour Organization

Article Overview: Inadequate housing and food, unsafe water, poor sanitation, hazardous working conditions and little or no access to health care – all of these contribute to ill health which is one of the main brakes on poverty-reducing development. Complications arising from undiagnosed or untreated diseases prevalent in many low-income countries and especially among rural populations (such as malaria, tuberculosis, gastro-intestinal disorders, anaemia and HIV/AIDS), combined with the health consequences of hazardous work, can be deadly and are certainly debilitating.

2.6 Hazards at work, health and the poverty trap: Working Out of Poverty

Inadequate housing and food, unsafe water, poor sanitation, hazardous
working conditions and little or no access to health care – all of these contribute
to ill health which is one of the main brakes on poverty-reducing development.
Complications arising from undiagnosed or untreated diseases
prevalent in many low-income countries and especially among rural populations
(such as malaria, tuberculosis, gastro-intestinal disorders, anaemia and
HIV/AIDS), combined with the health consequences of hazardous work,
can be deadly and are certainly debilitating.

A vicious circle of poor health, reduced working capacity, low productivity
and shortened life expectancy is a typical outcome in the absence of
social interventions addressing the underlying problems of irregular and
low-quality employment, low pay, and lack of social protection. Disability
as a result of hazardous work is a major cause of poverty, affecting entire
families.

According to ILO estimates, there are about 335,000 fatal workplace
accidents worldwide each year. Mortality rates have remained consistently high over the past decade, particularly in developing countries. Some
170,000 agricultural workers are estimated to have been killed in 1997.

Much agricultural work in developing countries is physically demanding,
involving long periods of standing, stooping, bending and carrying out
repetitive movements in awkward body positions. Poorly designed tools, difficult
terrain and exposure to the elements increase fatigue and the risk of
accidents. Even when technological change has mitigated the physical
drudgery of agricultural work, it has introduced new risks, notably those associated
with the use of sophisticated machinery and the intensive use of
chemicals without appropriate safety measures, information and training. In
developing countries, the risks are increased by the use of toxic chemicals
that are banned or restricted in other countries, unsafe application techniques,
poorly maintained equipment, lack of information available to the
end-user on the precautions necessary for safe use, inadequate storage practices,
and the reuse of old chemical containers for food and water storage.

One of the distinguishing characteristics of agricultural work is that
working and living conditions are interwoven. Workers and their families
live on the land, where there is much environmental spillover from the occupational
risks mentioned above. Wider community exposure to pesticides
may occur in the form of contamination of foodstuffs, the misuse of containers
for food or water storage, the diversion of chemically treated seeds for
human consumption, and the contamination of groundwater with chemical
wastes. Rural communities often lack the education and information they
need to respond appropriately to risks. Many workers may never see a doctor,
as none is available within a reasonable distance.

Conditions in urban informal economies are no better. The majority of
urban informal sector workers live in poor conditions and lack basic health
and welfare services and social protection. A combination of undesirable living
and working conditions results in vulnerability to diseases and poor
health. The conditions under which most informal workers operate are precarious,
unhealthy and unsafe. Many of the micro-enterprises in which they
work have ramshackle structures and lack sanitary facilities, potable water
or adequate waste disposal.

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  1.0 Overview: Working Out of Poverty
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  1.5 Skills development for sustainable livelihoods: Working Out of Poverty

Article Tags: access to health care, agricultural work, body positions, cause of poverty, gastro intestinal disorders, hazardous work, hazardous working conditions, health consequences, hiv aids, low income countries, mortality rates, poor sanitation, quality employment, repetitive movements, safety measures, social interventions, sophisticated machinery, toxic chemicals, unsafe water, workplace accidents



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