Health Problems of Indian weavers.

Usually you hear or read that our weavers are facing numerous problems in running a weaving factory and marketing their products.

I would like to highlight the health issues faced by our weavers, but no concerted efforts have been made to relieve their pain and suffering.

Weavers have health and medical problems as a result of working long hours which is an occupational hazard.
1. Prevalence of lower back pain among the handloom weavers.
2. Powerloom weavers are usually standing at work, this causes great stress and pain on the muscles and joints of the leg and hip.

Handloom weaving is back breaking work, as weavers working all day long in one position makes the body very painful especially the hands and legs, sitting long hours given them a very serious health issue: Weaver's Bottom which is a form of bursitis that is usually caused by prolonged sitting on hard surfaces that press against the bones of the bottom or midbuttocks. Also known as ischial bursitis.

On the average, weavers are of a low socio-economic status and although they are occasionally eligible to receive government aid to purchase looms,accessories and raw materials,this assistance is not sufficient to sustain long-term business. 

Moreover many weavers do not own looms and instead, work for the others who have weaving factories.Inadequate salaries and lack of own machines, result in workers having to work long hours to meet basic food and housing needs.

Weaving involves manually sorting raw materials, carding and spinning with a cord machine and dyeing the fibers with acid and chrome. Pre-weaving fibers are boiled in an acetic acid and dye solution washed in running water and dried. 

Weavers use hand-operated looms that require the weaver to sit or stand at the loom or operate pedals. These actions require repetitive movement of the upper and lower limbs to operate pedals and shuttles with the arms raised away from the body. 

Post-weaving activities include clipping threads, embossing and carving art designs, mending, edge bending and chemical washes to produce the finished product. 

In addition to awkward positions, workers are exposed to noise and dust pollution during these processes.Long work hours and strenuous activities put weavers at risk for work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs), predominantly low back pain (LBP). WMSDs are a major health problem among workers.

Our weavers don't have the means to upgrade the machinery or modernize the environment in factories, but continue to work in factories that their grandparents or great grandparents had set up affecting their health and productivity greatly.

"The remains of the old must be decently laid away; the path of the new prepared. That is the difference between Revolution and Progress."

Devanga's Vidhana
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