Safety practices in informal industrial segment of Pakistan

This research endeavor is aimed at investigating the current status of health and safety (HS) practices in informal organizations. Data was collected from 35 small manufacturing firms and 156 construction sites, operating in small towns, using systematic observation and unstructured interviews of both employers and employees. Survey results showed that the working environment in Pakistani informal organizations is poor, as both employers and employees are either not familiar or not performing their due roles towards safety practices. Results also showed that noise, presence of perilous chemical and ergonomic hazards were widely present at work settings. It was also noticed that most of the incidents went unreported due to informal industrial settings. The outcomes of the study offer a direction for policy makers, i.e. to focus on largest employing sector where employees are prone to high level of risks. This study, if implemented, will also help employees indirectly by creating a pressure on employers to offer conduce and thriving environment.