Indian Journal of Health Social Work
Abstract
Background: Occupational Health and Safety is among those areas within health which has
been constant concern but specific and limited focus has been provided only in the wake of
accidents and disasters. There is a dynamic within the specific domain that informal sector
concerns are prioritized and rightfully so but that does not translate to the absence in other
sectors. Transportation has an interplay of both informal and formal sector concerns of workers.
Loco-Pilots are an important component of rail transportation, in the formal sector and essential
to the operational functioning of Indian Railways. Aim: This paper tries to understand the
availability and accessibility of restrooms of loco-pilots who are on-duty functioning as part of
their occupational requirement. Methodology: The study was conducted in the Malda Division
and data was collected through questionnaire and interviews for quantitative and qualitative
respectively. The study was a small sample study wherein the universe was 24 and 18 respondents
responded to the questionnaire and 8 interviews were conducted. Results and Conclusion:
The study resulted in thematic findings that Locomotive Cabs do not have the availability of inbuilt Restrooms due to which Loco-Pilots miss a major health and sanitation component in their
immediate occupational setting and environment. The accessibility of restrooms is a concern
because there is limited source of restrooms which they can use and, they cannot afford to use
restrooms because there is limited halt time unless it is a major halt. This trivecta of problems
directly affects their health considering the factors of age, probability of bladder control and
associated risk of disease.
Keywords: Occupational Hazard, Sanitation, Availability, Accessibility
