Employmentweb_low

eMployMent relations and health inequalities: pathways and MechanisMs
Informal jobs and non-fatal occupational injuries
objectives: in brazil, workers without a formal job contract represent approximately half of the labour force, yet there
are no official statistics on occupational injuries for them. this study estimates the annual incidence of non-fatal workrelated
injuries for workers with and without job contracts and examines gender differences.
methods: this is a community-based study carried out with a random cluster area sample of the residents of salvador,
the capital of the state of bahia, in northeast brazil, with a population of 2.7 million inhabitants. individuals from 18 to 65
years of age who reported having a paid job comprise the study population (n=2907). data were obtained in individual
household interviews with questionnaires applied by trained field workers.
results: the overall estimated annual incidence rate (ir) was 5.6/100 full-time equivalent workers (Fte). the incidence
of injuries differed between workers with informal (ir=6.2/100 Fte) and formal jobs (ir=5.1/100 Fte), and according to
gender (ir=5.8/100 Fte for female and 5.5/100 Fte for male), but these differences were not statistically significant.
statistically significant positive associations between informal jobs and non-fatal work injuries were observed among
women with medium education [incident rate ratio (irr) 2.02, 95% ci 1.00-4.00] and women with black skin (irr 1.71, 95%
ci 0.99-2.97) who perceived a job as dangerous (irr 2.00; 95% ci 1.09-3.64) or who had no occupational training (irr 2.08;
95% ci 1.05-4.20).
Conclusions: this study shows that non-fatal work injuries are a common health problem among adults in urban
brazil, regardless of the type of job contract or gender, which points to a need to improve workers' health and safety
programs for formal and informal hired workers.
Source
santana, v. s., & loomis, d. (2004). informal jobs and non-fatal occupational injuries. Annals of Occupational Hygiene, 48(2), 147-157.
Informal recycling and occupational health in Santo André, Brazil
the collection of recyclables is a widespread activity among the urban poor, particularly in countries with large socioeconomic
disparities. the health of recyclers is at risk because of unsafe working conditions, socio-economic exclusion and
stigmatisation. our study focuses on the health problems and occupational risks of informal recyclers (known in brazil as
catadores). in 2005, we conducted an in-depth socio-economic survey of 48 informal waste collectors in santo andré, brazil.
almost all workers reported body pain or soreness in the back, legs, shoulders and arms. injuries, particularly involving the
hands, are frequent. Flu and bronchitis are common, and one recycler had contracted hepatitis-b. policy-makers at all
levels of government need to address the pressing health issues affecting large numbers of informal recyclers in brazil and
abroad. recyclers need to be involved in the design of waste management policies and the public must be educated about
the important environmental service these people provide.
Source
gutberlet, J., & baeder, a. M. (2008). informal recycling and occupational health in santo andré, brazil. International Journal
of Environmental Health Research, 18(1), 1-15.
selected case studies
Case study 51. Migrant Filipina domestic workers. - victora porthé and emily q. ahonen
Filipinos are on the move. in 2006, there were more than a million Filipinos working abroad. while they may end up in any
part of the world, many Filipinos migrate to the Middle and Far east (ehrenreich & russell hochschild, 2002). about two-thirds
of those workers are women (salazar parreñas, 2002). once in the destination country, many work in household services. in
fact, according to the philippine overseas employment administration (sena, 2007), 98 per cent of the Filipino household
workers abroad are women. in 2005, Kuwait, hong Kong, and lebanon were the top destinations for Filipina domestic workers.
these women leave the philippines because of a complex mix of political and economic causes. after iworld war ii,
when it gained independence from the united states, the philippines were the second richest country in asia. when elected
president Ferdinand Marcos was unable to seek a third term, he continued to rule by decree beginning in the early 1970s.
in 1986, benigno aquino, who was the opposition leader, returned from exile and was assassinated. under pressure, Marcos
allowed an election, which was believed fraudulent and was followed by street protests. eventually, aquino’s widow, corazon
aquino, was recognised as the winner. after the nonviolent people power revolution, she called for the creation of a new
constitution. brief growth was followed by the asian financial crisis of 1997, which continues to undermine the philippines’
economy. today, there is widespread poverty in the country.
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