Occupational safety and health development and challenges in Ethiopia: a case study of the Hawassa Industrial Park

Background: In Ethiopia, industrial parks that specialise in garment production are increasing in number and have created job opportunities for more than 45 000 workers. However, healthcare services, including occupational safety and health (OSH), are not commensurate with the growth and needs of the industry. Objectives: We assessed the supply and demand, barriers, governance, and regulation of health services and OSH at Hawassa Industrial Park, the largest industrial park in Ethiopia. Methods: Qualitative and quantitative data were collected via interviews with 260 randomly selected workers, focus group discussions with workers and health professionals, and key informant interviews with industrial park management, and government and non-government stakeholders. Ethiopian OHS polices, regulations, guidelines, directives, and strategies were also reviewed. Results: Hawassa Industrial Park hosts 21 globally known companies and more than 23 000 workers. Of the 260 workers interviewed, most (83.1%) were aged 18-24 years. Findings included that the delivery of OSH and primary healthcare is inadequate to ensure safety and meet workers' needs. Use of personal protective equipment is erratic; conditions in the cafeteria are unsanitary, as is the water; use of bathrooms is restricted; workers work long shifts with short breaks; wages are low; and healthcare is expensive, increasing the risk of occupational injuries and diseases. Workers have no OSH committee or trade unions, and Ethiopian Government regulations and enforcement are weak. There is no collaboration between the Park and the Ministry of Health to provide primary healthcare services for the workers. Conclusion: The workers in Hawassa Industrial Park urgently need improved access to, and coverage for, primary healthcare, including OSH; higher wages; and empowerment to exercise their right to organise. All stakeholders need capacity building to enable them to implement OSH.

Clinical study of iodine as a chemotherapeutic agent for the control of dental plaque and gingivitis in man.

The present investigation was conducted to study the effect of the local use of iodine solution as a chemotherapeutic agent on the degree of dental plaque formation and ongingival status in the presence and absence of mechanical oral hygiene. Thirty-six male dental students, 20 freshmen and 16 sophomores, at Case Western Reserve University, participated in the study. All subjects received a prophylaxis and oral hygiene instruction to reduce their plaque and gingival scoeres before the start of the experiment. The 20 freshmen dental students were selected for the test of iodine used in a form of mouthwash. The subjects were randomly divided into two groups. One group received a 0.02% iodine mouthwash, the other a placebo solution of distilled water. Each student was randomly assigned to brush and floss the right or left side of his dentition once daily. The students rinsed with 7.5 ml. of the assigned solution twice daily. The 16 sophomore dental students were selected for the test of iodine applied topically on the tooth surfaces. The subjects were assigned to a randomized block design in which each quadrant received one of the following treatments daily: topical application of iodine solution (2.0% I2 and 2.4% NaI) with brushing and flossing, brushing and flossing only, topical application of iodine solution only, and topical application of distilled water only...