Health Status and Occupational Health Hazards Among Home-based Garment Workers in Semarang, Indonesia

Occupational health and safety are important issues as technology develops and work principles shift. Home-based workers in the garment industrial sector are similar to other home-based workers who work without health protection, work safety, or social insurance. The assessment and management of working environmentalhazards are further challenges in worker management, especially for home-based workers. This study is aimed at assessing the health and safety status of home-based workers in the garment industrial sector in Semarang City and to suggest safety measures for workers. Assessments were conducted using the direct survey method.The survey results from 58 home-based workers in the garment industrial sector selected through purposive sampling show that they are exposed to physical factors such as heat stress and noise (58.62%), dust and chemicals (41.38%), and ergonomic hazards (100%). The health problems experienced included dizziness and headaches (51.72%), vision problems (34.48%), ringing ears (6.9%), cough and breathlessness (8.62%), tingling (63.78%), and muscle and bone pain (67.24%). The types of injuries that occurred were joint pain (75.9%), stiffness (53.4%), and muscle pain (15.5%). This study shows that home-based workers in the garment industrial sector exposed to dust and chemical hazards are 9.4 times more likely to suffer health problems than workers with no exposure to dust and chemical hazards. Keywords: Garment, garment industrial sector, home-based worker