A STUDY ON OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH HAZARDS AMONG BEEDI WORKERS IN KANNUR DISTRICT, KERALA

Abstract

Context: A beedi is a leaf rolled cigarette made of coarse uncured tobacco. Beedi rolling is a labour-intensive job and exposes the workers to tobacco dust for hours daily. Chronic exposure to unburnt tobacco and working continuously in improper postures makes them vulnerable to various health issues. Aim: To study the working conditions and health hazards among the beedi workers in Kannur district, Kerala Methods and materials: A cross-sectional study, using A validated close-ended questionnaire was conducted among 384 workers from ten primary units of a Co-operative Beedi Manufacturing society in Kannur district, Kerala from January 2020 to June 2020. Results:The median age of the workers was 53 years. Four-fth of the participants (78%) worked for eight hours a day and rolled 800 beedis per day on average. They were working in dusty environment and in improper postures. Almost 90% of the participants had some health issues, the common being problems related to eye (90%), musculoskeletal problems (87%), and respiratory problems (66%). Almost half of the participants had problems related to skin. Conclusions: Beedi rollers works in the dusty environment without proper protective wears and in the same posture continuously for hours which makes them vulnerable to various health issues. Conducting awareness programmes on risk reduction at the beedi manufacturing units by governmental or nongovernmental organizations might reduce the health problems related to the profession