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Activities

PTRC conducts various activities to address occupational safety and health issues across Gujarat. Our comprehensive programs focus on training, awareness, advocacy, networking and support for workers. We focus on enfrocement of provisions of the Factory Act and ESI Act. We help workers covered under ESI Act to claim various benefits they are enttiteld to. We help workers get diagnosed for occupational diseases.

Our Activities

  • Occupational Safety & Health Training
  • Legal Counseling & Support
  • Advocacy & Campaigns
  • Research & Documentation
  • Diagnosis & Treatment Camps
  • Networking
  • Publications
  • Organise Meetings, Workshops, Seminars, Trainings

Achievements

  • Trained over 500 shop floor workers and trade union activists in occupational safety & health
  • Reached over 25,000 industrial workers with HIV/AIDS awareness information
  • Educated over 3,000 students in schools in Baroda through adolescent education programs
  • Published 118 issues of SALAMATI newsletter (1988-2017)
  • Helped workers claim various benefits entitled under Employees State Insurance Act
  • Conducted successful Campaign on Dust related Lung Diseases in Gujarat
  • Created awareness through exhibitions and publications
  • We helped hundreds of families who lost the breadwinner in Silicosis to successfully claim financial assistance from Government

Current Programs

  • Presently we are engaged in locating silicosis patients in Morbi and Surendranagar districts. Thangadh in Surendranagar district is known for its ceramic industry for a long time. There are around 250 ceramic units. Dharangadhra in the same district is known for sand stone scuptures. Large numebrs of workers engage themsleves in making beautiful sculptures.They are exposed to fine silica particles and cotnract silicosis. Morbi is known as hum for ceramic industry where over 2000 units exist. We have sucessfully located over 350 silicosis victims in these 2 districts.
  • Empowering victims of silicisis.
  • Advocacy for getting rehabilitation policy for silicosis victims framed.
  • Legal support to the victims of occupational diseases for claiming their legal righs.

Other Services

We advice Trade Unions on OHS issues, as and when they need. We have been advising TUs as well as individual workers, citizens, NGOs and others on wide range of OHS issues. Information on various work place hazards is sought or the procedure to claim various benefits of ESI. Some inquire about legal provisions for this and some want us to forward their complaints to Factory Inspectorate or other authorities. We liaise with ESI hospital, ESIS administration and ESIC local offices apart from Directorate Industrial Safety & Health We have helped victims of occupational diseases even to get proper treatment. We helped workers of Hema Chemicals, victims of chromium exposure to get diagnosed and claim compensation.

Campaigns

Grassroot OHS groups all over world observe 28th April as International Workers Memorial Day. We have been observing this day since 1992. This is an occasion offered to the people to join paying tributes to the diseased workers and raise their voice to protect workers Health and Safety at work.

Exhibition

We have been organizing exhibitions in industrial areas since long. In course of time we have different sets of posters. A set of posters give information on Occupational Diseases. While another one is about Bhopal Gas tragedy. We have prepared posters on hazardous of various industrial materials on various body parts. This exhibition : ‘Our Body Our Work’-is organized at several places all over Gujarat. Poster exhibition gives us an opportunity to come in diret contract with people from all walks of life to whom we introduce our activities and publications.

Advice Center for OHS

PTRC operated advice centre for occupational safety & health in Vadodara for 2 years in 2008 -2010. The centre provided information on hazards, ways of prevention and laws. It helped workers in diagnosis of occupational diseases and claim for compensation. It helped in locating the lawyer, preparing petition and explaining procedures. The centre was equipped with audiometer, Spiro meter and other basic instruments for clinical check up.

Our Funding Partners

PTRC has been supported by National and International organizations since 1992:

  • International Federation of Chemical, Energy and General Workers' Unions (ICEF/ICEM); Belgium
  • Global Greengrants Fund (GGF), USA
  • Society For Participatory Research In Asia (PRIA), Delhi, India
  • Asia Monitor Resource Centre (AMRC), Hong Kong
  • Environmental Fund For NGOs, India
  • JANPATH, India
  • Gujarat Ecology Commission, India
  • ActionAid India, India
  • Environmental Equity justice partnership (EEJP), New Delhi, India
  • Gujarat State AIDS Control Society (GSACS), India
  • Director Industrial Safety & Health (DISH), Gujarat State, India
  • Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, India
  • Bhansali Trust, India
  • Institute for Global Labor And Human Rights, USA
  • Several individual donors
  • Human capabilty Foundation
  • Bhansali Trust

Networking

PTRC is associated with/member of the following networks:

  • ANROEV (Asian Network of Rights of Occupational & Environmental Victims)
  • OHENI (Occupational & Environmental Health Network India )
  • A-BAN
  • JANPATH
  • CRCG (Child Rights Collective Gujarat )
  • JSA (Jan Swasthya Abhiyan)