Jamshedpur, May 18: Inspectorates of Factories, Government of Jharkhand organised an awareness program on Silicosis with the sponsorship of Tata Steel at Safety Excellence Centre, Bistupur.
A K Mishra, Chief inspector of Factories graced the programme as Chief Guest, S S Pathak, Deputy Labour Commissioner, Shyam Sunder, Chief Corporate safety, Tata Steel, Vilas N Gaikwad, Chief Safety & Ergonomics, Tata Steel along other dignitaries were present during the function. Proprietors and workers from various industries of Jharkhand participated in the work shop. On this occasion a leaflet on Silicosis Awareness was released by the Chief Guest.
A K Mishra, Chief, Inspector of Factories in his inaugural speech emphasized the adverse effects of some operation like grinding at Quartz quarry which may cause silicosis diseases. He also added that the disease cannot be cured but can be prevented by controlling the dust generation at source, use of proper PPE and regular medical checkups.
In his speech he reminded the responsibilities of owners, occupiers and medical practitioners in bringing into the notice of Chief Inspector of Factories whenever such cases are identified. He advised the owners of the factories to constitute their own Occupational Safety & Health committees to improve their industrial hygiene.
He also informed the legal rights of the workers in this regard as advocated by the Supreme Court of India. Mishra discussed on the following future improvement endeavors from Inspectorates of Factories, Govt of Jharkhand which are in progress -Constitution of medical board with its regional governance structure, Industrial Hygiene Laboratory and Mobile van for monitoring air pollution, worker`s health check-up etc. SS Pathak, Deputy Labour Commissioner in his speech reiterated the importance of ensuring the wellness of employee�s health and safety.
A film show on Silicosis was also screened in the function which displayed some of the laborers grievously affected by silicosis.
Later Dr. Smita Gaikwad, Dr. Sourav De from Tata Steel and Dr. K J Parikh from Safety Excellence Centre presented physiological details of human respiratory system, types of occupational hazards, what is silicosis?, its types, industries causing silicosis, seriousness of the problem, workers at risk, symptoms and signs of silicosis, diagnosis, complications, prevention and management.