Health Vulnerabilities of Textile Workers in Southeast Asia: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Objective: There is a lack of studies discussing the health vulnerabilities of textile workers in the regions of Southeast Asia. The purpose of this systematic review is to classify the distinctive types of health vulnerabilities along with the cause and effects of those vulnerabilities of textile workers in Southeast Asian regions. Materials and Methods: Search methods for systematic review were implemented using the PRISMA guidelines. Research on health vulnerabilities of garments staff in Southeast Asian countries published between July 2005 and June 2018 was found through online databases and manual searches. A literature search was conducted across Pubmed, and Google Scholar databases to identify the health hazards for workers. Results: Of the primary 16,871 papers identified, a total of 17 studies (14 quantitative studies, 3 mixed-method studies) were included. The standard of these studies was evaluated using methods from the EPHPP (Effective Public Health Practice Project. 11 were considered 'strong' from the identified studies, with the remainder being 'moderate' quality. Recorded results in these studies indicate that Southeast Asian textile workers are susceptible to many health vulnerabilities that involve physiological and physical issues. In addition, most of these health hazards are caused by the design of the garments industry, including unsanitary and unhealthy work practices, hazardous industrial conditions, and lack of protective equipment. Discussion: The systematic review indicates that the safety problems of garments employees are a new field of enquiry that requires to be better managed and solutions should be better identified. Due to the lack of comprehensive studies in other Southeast Asian countries, not much is currently known about the distinctive types of health vulnerabilities of the garments staff in these countries, other than Bangladesh and India. Having previously highlighted the health vulnerabilities of the Bangladeshi and Indian textile employees, the health vulnerabilities resulting from sudden disasters in the sector remain a neglected problem.