Knowledge, attitude and practices related to occupational health problems among garment workers in Tamil Nadu, India

The garment manufacturing process is a labour intensive task. The workers in this are employed in three different sections namely cutting, stitching and finishing. As these workers perform repetitive tasks throughout the workday, they face several work related problems. The aim of this study was to assess the level of awareness of health problems among garment workers and their attitudes and practices to prevent the same. In a cross-sectional study (n=216) the workers employed in the three sections had high levels of knowledge of the health problems, but the knowledge of personal protective equipment differed by section. More than one half of the workers in all the sections were aware of the benefits of personal protective equipment (PPE), but only a few workers in the cutting section were using PPE. There was a wide gap between their knowledge level and practice with protective devices.