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Panaji: With Covid-19 cases on a rise, industry heads are worried that the mandatory physical tests for workmen could actually expose them to the virus.
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has written to the inspectorate of factories and boilers and asked for the periodic health checks to be relaxed till July 2021 which would be a relief not just for industries but for the health department too.
“Although these checks are vital for the overall health and safety of the workmen, in the present scenario, they may pose a health risk on account of probable spread of Covid-19 due to the use of common medical tools and equipments during the medical tests,” CII – Goa chairman Blaise Costabir said.
He added that the request for relaxation is not to cut costs but to ensure that workers’ lives are not jeopardised.
The Goa Factory Rules 1985 makes it mandatory for industrial workers to undergo periodic medical tests at various intervals. Depending on the nature of the job, workers are tested either every six months or once a year. The Goa Daman and Diu Public Health Act, 1985 and Goa Daman and Diu Public Health Rules, 1987 stipulate that every migrant worked engaged at construction sites shall be screened and given a health card, which has to be renewed every three months.
Aside from asking for all medical examinations to be deferred till June 2021, CII has also recommended that a self-declaration could be obtained from the worker and the factory about the employee’s health status.
“Due to lockdown, there has been large scale migration of existing workforce and to resume economic activities, industries may need to engage new workers. Therefore, in such cases, we would like to propose that the mandatory health check be done away with and a self-declaration be obtained,” Costabir said.
With the state’s health infrastructure already burdened with Covid-19, the government should consider modifying the rules and laws to provide relief to the industry, which is suffering from acute labour shortage.
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has written to the inspectorate of factories and boilers and asked for the periodic health checks to be relaxed till July 2021 which would be a relief not just for industries but for the health department too.
“Although these checks are vital for the overall health and safety of the workmen, in the present scenario, they may pose a health risk on account of probable spread of Covid-19 due to the use of common medical tools and equipments during the medical tests,” CII – Goa chairman Blaise Costabir said.
He added that the request for relaxation is not to cut costs but to ensure that workers’ lives are not jeopardised.
The Goa Factory Rules 1985 makes it mandatory for industrial workers to undergo periodic medical tests at various intervals. Depending on the nature of the job, workers are tested either every six months or once a year. The Goa Daman and Diu Public Health Act, 1985 and Goa Daman and Diu Public Health Rules, 1987 stipulate that every migrant worked engaged at construction sites shall be screened and given a health card, which has to be renewed every three months.
Aside from asking for all medical examinations to be deferred till June 2021, CII has also recommended that a self-declaration could be obtained from the worker and the factory about the employee’s health status.
“Due to lockdown, there has been large scale migration of existing workforce and to resume economic activities, industries may need to engage new workers. Therefore, in such cases, we would like to propose that the mandatory health check be done away with and a self-declaration be obtained,” Costabir said.
With the state’s health infrastructure already burdened with Covid-19, the government should consider modifying the rules and laws to provide relief to the industry, which is suffering from acute labour shortage.
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