MEPICAL FACILITIES

Medical facilities may be a useful service in that they provide immediate first aid and medication to injured employees.

However, what will be shown below is that these services are far from neutral, and in many cases are another aspect of control over workers' lives.

5.1. Q. What type of medical facilities do you have?

In all large and some of the medium foundries there were first aid clinics with full time industrial nurses, sisters and/or

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first aiders.· All· the large and 2 of the . medium foundries employed medical doctors on a once-weekly basis. The clinics seemed geared towards increasing productivity as illustrated by shop stewards working at large foundries:

(a)

(b)

"We start work at 6.30. The clinic opens from 8.30 t i l l 9.00 and then at tea time and lunch-time.

If we get there before time they chase us away like dogs" •

"When one is hurt they just bandage him up and tell him to go back •.. or el se he's fired".

Furthermore, shop stewards said that workers mistrusted the· clinic staff because not only did they receive inadequate treatment when injured but also were never told what was wrong with them when i l l .

5.2. X-Rays

Workers should be X-rayed at least on an annual basis for signs of lung dis~ase b~6ause of the high dust levels in. S.A; foundries.'·

Table 14 shows the number of foundries where workers were screened and the total number of workers involved.

TABLE 14 X-RAY SCREENING OF WORKERS USE OF X-RAY FACILITIES BY FOUNDRIES

-

Foundr;l Size Resular X-Ra;l Irresular X-Ra;ls

,

Large 3 0

Medium

a

2

Small 0 2

V.Small 1 1

TOTAL ·12 5

- - - ---

% of Foundries 40% 17%

-

No X-Rays

1 3 4

- - 5

- -

13 43%

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TABLE 14 (cont.)

NUMBER OF WORKERS INVOLVED:

Regular X-Rays Irregular X-Rays No X-Rays

EAC B EAC B EAC

No. of workers 1024 4308 93 430 197

TOTAL 5332 523 1190

% of Total Workforce 76% 7%

76% of the total work force were X-Rayed regularly, viz. once or twice a year.

17%

B 993

However the S.A. National Tuberculosis Association (SANTA) was responsible for 37% of the total number screened. It should be noted that SANTA ~ses minature X-Ray plates about 1!9th of the size of standard plates. Although they notify management to refer workers who show any abnormalities to a clinic for proper tests, i t is difficult to detect early signs of diseases, such as silicosis~on these small plates.

The results of X-Ray tests maybe abused by management.

There were numerous accounts by shop stewards claiming that workers were fired on the basis of X-Ray tests. Workers were either fired after the results of their X-Rays became available, or, in the case of migrant workers, their contracts were not renewed.

This was also expressed (in quite sinister terms) by a manager of a medium sized foundry, who, when asked

"What do you do with your "TB" cases?"

responded that:

"Every now and again we give the place a springclean".

Because workers are not told what is wrong with them they are unaware as to what treatment they should seek. This creates two problems: Firstly, untreated T.B. sufferers may spread the disease to' other members of their households and communities.

Secondly, silicosis sufferers do not know they are eligible for compensation and thus do not file claims.

This issue is even more complex in that silicosis

" predisposes aT. B. infection. (29)

5.3. Hearing Tests

According to the factories Act, (1941), workers exposed to noise greater than .'85 dB (A) should have their hearing checked once. a year to detect hearing losses. (30) As shown in Table

15,

only 4 foundries, comprising 46% of the workforce claimed that such tests were regularly carried out.

TABLE 15 Q: DO EMPLOYEES UNDERGO ANY HEARING TESTS?

RespQ!!se No. 0 f Foundr ie.s % Found.ries No. of Workers % \'iorkers YES

NO

4 26

13%

87%

3263 3782

46%

54%

In one case where the Health & Safety Officer claimed that they did regular hearing tests on all workers, shop stewards I\" had no knowledge of the se.

, Although management, by regular chest and in some cases hearing loss screening, appeared to be concerned about the well being of its workers, little effort was made to prevent workers from becoming,ill. This is illustrated by the approach adopted

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towards dust control and use of respiratory protection in dusty work environments.

5.4. Dust Control

Little emphasis was placed in monitoring dust levels

in the foundries studied. When asked the question "Have dust levels in the foundry ever been determined~ only nine out of thirty

foundry representatives answered in the affirmative. The rest, 70% comprising 76% of the workforce, had never determined dust levels in their plants, as shown in Table 16.

~L'ABLE

¹⁶ DETERMINATION OF DUST LEVELS IN FOUNDRIES RESPONSE

YES, L5 :tears a9:⁰ YES">s :tears a9:o NEVER

1 ⁰ 3

4 1 8

0 1 5

2 0 5

7 2 21

23% 7% 70%

1538 152 5355

% Workforce 22% 2% 76%

5,5. Respira tors

There are 3 departments where due to the high levels of dust emmitted, i t is imperative that in the absence of dust control, respirators be supplied for worker protection. These are molding, fettling, and shake out. However Table 17 below prints an ugly

picture~ Most employers did not supply respiratory protection to workers. As a result, 87% of the molders, 85% of the workers

"

"

,-,

in th~ shake out, and 59% of fettlers were not given any respirators.

TABLE 17

Foundry size CJl a: _LARGE

><E-< a _MEDIUM

op:;il

QP<H _::lP< SMALL (JJCJl

V.SMALL