Document Type : Review Article

Authors

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, United States

Abstract

Objective: We conducted a scoping review to explore the excessive burden of disease and injury that garment industry workers experience in low-middle income countries (LMIC).
Evidence Acquisition: We employed Arksey and O’Malley’s methodology for scoping review to systematically identify and review eligible articles. A research question, “What is the available evidence in existing literature on health outcomes among workers in garments industry in LMIC?” guided the review. We synthesized and reviewed the existing evidence of health outcomes among garment workers in LMIC from these articles. Eligibility criteria for the articles included peer-reviewed research articles of studies conducted in LMIC and specified common health outcomes among garment industry workers. We included articles from 2010 to 2016 and were published in English.
Results: Nineteen studies from LMIC were included yielding descriptions of seven groups of health problems: orthopedic, respiratory, nutrition and digestive, vision or hearing, dermatological, female reproductive, and other health problems. Females represented majority of most study samples highlighting key disparities in women’s health outcomes such as nutrition and reproductive health needs.
Conclusions: Physical and mental health burdens are high among garment workers in LMIC. In addition, addressing the health needs of garment workers is a major women’s health issue. Our findings suggest the needs for a better documentation and research of health outcomes related to work among garment industry workers to address work conditions and health risks in LMIC.

Keywords

1. International Labour Organization. World statistic. 2019, [cited 2019 August 9]. Available from: https://www.ilo.org/moscow/areasof-work/occupational-safety-and-health/WCMS_249278/lang--en/index.htm. ## 2. Global Burden of Disease Study Collaborators. Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 301 acute and chronic diseases and injuries in 188 countries, 1990-2013: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. Lancet. 2015;386(9995):743–800. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(15)60692-4. [PubMed: 26063472]. [PubMed Central: PMC4561509]. ## 3. Haagsma JA, Graetz N, Bolliger I, Naghavi M, Higashi H, Mullany EC, et al. The global burden of injury: Incidence, mortality, disability adjusted life years and time trends from the Global Burden of Disease study 2013. Inj Prev. 2016;22(1):3–18. doi: 10.1136/injuryprev-2015-041616. [PubMed: 26635210]. [PubMed Central: PMC4752630]. ## 4. London L. Worker health and safety, international issues. International encyclopedia of public health. 2008. p. 617–25. doi: 10.1016/b978-012373960-5.00407-x. ## 5. Wu Y, Schwebel DC, Hu G. Disparities in unintentional occupational injury mortality between high-income countries and lowand middle-income countries: 1990-2016. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018;15(10). doi: 10.3390/ijerph15102296. [PubMed: 30347672]. [PubMed Central: PMC6210857]. ## 6. Manimaran S, Rajalakshmi R, Bhagyalakshmi K. A model of occupational safety and health management system (OSHMS) for promoting and controlling health and safety in textile industry. Technol Health Care. 2015;23(1):1–8. doi: 10.3233/THC-140866. [PubMed: 25351276]. ## 7. Keane J, te Velde DW. The role of textile and clothing industries in growth and development strategies. Investment and Growth Programme Overseas Development Institute; 2008. ## 8. Singh N. Safety and health issues in workers in clothing and textile industries. Int J Home Sci. 2016;2(3):38–40. ## 9. Lohmeyer N, Schüßler E. Rana Plaza as a threat to the fast fashion model? An analysis of institutional responses to the disaster in Germany. In: Becker-Leifhold C, Heuer M, editors. Eco-friendly and fair: Fast fashion and consumer behaviour. Sheffield: Greenleaf Publishing; 2018. p. 3–14. doi: 10.4324/9781351058353-1. ## 10. Arksey H, O’Malley L. Scoping studies: Towards a methodological framework. Int J Soc Res Methodol. 2005;8(1):19–32. doi: 10.1080/1364557032000119616. ## 11. Ashraf HD, Younus MA, Kumar P, Siddiqui MT, Ali SS, Siddiqui MI. Frequency of hearing loss among textile industry workers of weaving unit in Karachi, Pakistan. J Pak Med Assoc. 2009;59(8):575–9. [PubMed: 19757712]. ## 12. Saha TK, Dasgupta A, Butt A, Chattopadhyay O. Health status of workers engaged in the small-scale garment industry: How healthy are they? Indian J Community Med. 2010;35(1):179–82. doi: 10.4103/0970-0218.62584. [PubMed: 20606949]. [PubMed Central: PMC2888354]. ## 13. Ahmed S, Raihan MZ. Health status of the female workers in the garment sector of Bangladesh. J Faculty Econom Administr Sci. 2014;4(1):43–58. ## 14. Akinpelu AO, Oyewole OO, Odole AC, Ogunbamowo FD. Work-related musculoskeletal pain and health-seeking behavior among Nigerian sewing machine operators. Trop J Med Res. 2016;19(2):152. doi: 10.4103/1119-0388.185446. ## 15. Bandyopadhyay L, Baur B, Basu G, Haldar A. Musculoskeletal and other health problems in workers of small scale garment industry– an experience from an urban Slum, Kolkata. IOSR J Dent Med Sci. 2012;2(6):23–8. doi: 10.9790/0853-0262328. ## 16. Dantas Ide P, Valera FC, Zappelini CE, Anselmo-Lima WT. Prevalence of rhinitis symptoms among textile industry workers exposed to cotton dust. Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2013;17(1):26–30. doi: 10.7162/S1809-97772013000100005. [PubMed: 25991990]. [PubMed Central: PMC4423310]. ## 17. Hasnain G, Akter M, Sharafat SI, Mahmuda A. Morbidity patterns, nutritional status, and healthcare-seeking behavior of female garment workers in Bangladesh. Electron Physician. 2014;6(2):801–7. doi: 10.14661/2014.801-807. [PubMed: 25763149]. [PubMed Central: PMC4324275]. ## 18. Hinson AV, Lokossou VK, Schlunssen V, Agodokpessi G, Sigsgaard T, Fayomi B. Cotton dust exposure and respiratory disorders among textile workers at a textile company in the southern part of Benin. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2016;13(9). doi: 10.3390/ijerph13090895. [PubMed: 27618081]. [PubMed Central: PMC5036728]. ## 19. Kebede Deyyas W, Tafese A. Environmental and organizational factors associated with elbow/forearm and hand/wrist disorder among sewing machine operators of garment industry in Ethiopia. J Environ Public Health. 2014;2014:732731. doi: 10.1155/2014/732731. [PubMed: 25298780]. [PubMed Central: PMC4178914]. ## 20. Makurat J, Friedrich H, Kuong K, Wieringa FT, Chamnan C, Krawinkel MB. Nutritional and micronutrient status of female workers in a Garment Factory in Cambodia. Nutrients. 2016;8(11). doi: 10.3390/nu8110694. [PubMed: 27827854]. [PubMed Central: PMC5133081]. ## 21. Mehta R. Major health risk factors prevailing in garment manufacturing units of jaipur. J Ergon. 2012;2(2). doi: 10.4172/2165-7556.1000102. ## 22. Metgud DC, Khatri S, Mokashi MG, Saha PN. An ergonomic study of women workers in a woolen textile factory for identification of health-related problems. Indian J Occup Environ Med. 2008;12(1):14–9. [PubMed: 20040992]. ## 23. Ravichandran SP, Shah PB, Lakshminarayanan K, Ravichandran AP. Musculoskeletal problems among workers in a garment industry, at Tirupur, Tamil Nadu. Indian J Commun Health. 2016;28(3):269–74. ## 24. Salmani Nodoushan M, Mehrparvar AH, Loukzadeh Z, Rahimian M, Ghove Nodoushan MA, Jafari Nodoushan R. Evaluation of respiratory system in textile-dyeing workers. Med J Islam Repub Iran. 2014;28:88. [PubMed: 25664289]. [PubMed Central: PMC4301238]. ## 25. Sarder B, Imrhan SN, Mandahawi N. Ergonomic workplace evaluation of an Asian garment-factory. J Hum Ergol (Tokyo). 2006;35(1-2):45–51. [PubMed: 18516877]. ## 26. Serinken M, Turkcuer I, Dagli B, Karcioglu O, Zencir M, Uyanik E. Work related injuries in textile industry workers in Turkey. Ulus Travma Acil Cerrahi Derg. 2012;18(1):31–6. doi: 10.5505/tjtes.2011.54376. [PubMed: 22290047]. ## 27. Silpasuwan P, Prayomyong S, Sujitrat D, Suwan-Ampai P. Cotton dust exposure and resulting respiratory disorders among home based Garment Workers. Workplace Health Saf. 2016;64(3):95–102. doi: 10.1177/2165079915607495. [PubMed: 26558684]. ## 28. Tiwari RR, Pathak MC, Zodpey SP. Low back pain among textile workers. Indian J Occup Environ Med. 2003;7(1):27–9. ## 29. Van L, Chaiear N, Sumananont C, Kannarath C. Prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms among garment workers in Kandal province, Cambodia. J Occup Health. 2016;58(1):107–17. doi: 10.1539/joh.15-0100-FS. [PubMed: 26597050]. ## 30. Berberoglu U, Tokuc B. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders at two textile factories in edirne, Turkey. Balkan Med J. 2013;30(1):23–7. doi: 10.5152/balkanmedj.2012.069. [PubMed: 25207064]. [PubMed Central: PMC4116035]. ## 31. Punnett L, Wegman DH. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders: The epidemiologic evidence and the debate. J Electromyogr Kinesiol. 2004;14(1):13–23. doi: 10.1016/j.jelekin.2003.09.015. [PubMed: 14759746]. ## 32. Wang PC, Rempel DM, Harrison RJ, Chan J, Ritz BR. Work organisational and personal factors associated with upper body musculoskeletal disorders among sewing machine operators. Occup Environ Med. 2007;64(12):806–13. doi: 10.1136/oem.2006.029140. [PubMed: 17522131]. [PubMed Central: PMC2095384]. ## 33. Robbins M, Vickery K. Sick and tired: The impact of gender roles on Garment workers’ health. Made by Women: Gender, the global garment industry and the movement for women workers’ rights”. Amsterdam; 2005. 40 p. ## 34. Rempel DM, Wang PC, Janowitz I, Harrison RJ, Yu F, Ritz BR. A randomized controlled trial evaluating the effects of new task chairs on shoulder and neck pain among sewing machine operators: The Los Angeles garment study. Spine. 2007;32(9):931–8. doi: 10.1097/01.brs.0000261028.88020.fc. [PubMed: 17450065]. ## 35. Ikhar D, Deshpande VS. Intervention of ergonomics in hand driven cotton spinning operation. Int J Ergon. 2011;1(1):12–9. ## 36. Vandyck E, Tackie-Ofosu V, Ba-ama E, Senayah W. Effects of ergonomic practices on garment peoduction in Madina, Ghana. Int Res J Art Soc Sci. 2014;3(1):1–7. ## 37. Erdinc O, Vayvay O. Ergonomics interventions improve quality in manufacturing: A case study. Int J Ind Syst Eng. 2008;3(6):727. doi: 10.1504/ijise.2008.020683. ## 38. McMullen A. Shop’til they drop: Fainting and malnutrition in Garment workers in Cambodia. Phnom Penh, Cambodia: Labour behind the Label; Community Legal Education Centre; 2013. ## 39. Joseph B, Chanda A, Oommen AA; d’Almeida. Poor intake of selected nutrients by women workers in a garment factory. Health Popul Perspect Issues. 2005;28(1):26–31. ## 40. Global alliance for improved nutrition. 2017, [cited July 25, 2017]. Available from: http://www.gainhealth.org/.## 41. Jahan N, Malek A, Iqbal M, Salahuddin AFM, Akhter S. Health and occupational safety for female workforce of garment industries in Bangladesh. J Mech Eng. 2010;41(1):65–70. doi: 10.3329/jme.v41i1.5364. ## 42. Yeager R, Goldenberg E. HER project women’s health program delivers real business returns. Global Bus Org Excel. 2012;31(2):24–36. doi: 10.1002/joe.21412. ##