Informal sector work in Southern Africa – social justice and workers' health

The growth in the informal sector is an international phenomenon that has been spawned by globalisation. It constitutes 50% to 80% of the economy in developing countries. While in developed countries the informal sector may benefit from existing established health, safety and welfare structures, workers in developing countries generally lack such resources. The sector is characterised by hazardous work in a broad range of activities, with exposures several fold higher than the formal sector and large numbers of women workers and children experiencing considerable exposure. In the informal stonecrushing and metal industries in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, workers report a high prevalence of respiratory outcomes (5-30%) and musculoskeletal disorders (22%), much of which are likely to be work-related. Children are frequently exposed either through direct work, or indirectly by their close proximity to work activity. Lack of resources prevents these workers from investing in any meaningful forms of hazard control. The informal sector is an integral part of the economies of countries in Southern Africa. Governments that have encouraged the informal sector are responsible for the protection of workers' health, while simultaneously addressing socio-economic factors contributing to their poverty. Innovative policy frameworks addressing the working environments need to ensure the protection of workers, provision of resources to achieve such objectives, programmes on raising awareness, providing technical expertise in hazard control and medical surveillance. Policy frameworks need to consider broader social issues which impact on workers and their families, such as HIV/AIDS, TB, child labour, women at work and child support.