| Abstract: |
Occupational health and safety (OHS) in the construction sector represents one of the most pressing challenges confronting India's informal labour economy. Residential construction sites in semi-urban and rural districts exhibit compounded vulnerabilities, shaped by the confluence of unregulated contractor practices, widespread labour informality, and critically low levels of OHS awareness among workers. This empirical study investigates the state of occupational health, safety measures, and labour awareness at residential construction sites in Raisen District, Madhya Pradesh, a rapidly urbanizing region that has witnessed significant infrastructural expansion under government housing schemes yet remains largely understudied from an occupational health perspective. A structured survey was administered to 240 construction workers across 18 residential sites selected through stratified random sampling. Primary data were gathered on demographic characteristics, personal protective equipment (PPE) usage patterns, occupational hazard exposure and injury incidence, labour awareness of statutory rights and regulations, and site-level safety compliance. The findings reveal that 75.0% of workers received no prior OHS training, 64.5% were unaware of the Building and Other Construction Workers (BOCW) Act, 1996, and the composite site safety compliance score was 2.52 on a 5-point scale. Musculoskeletal disorders (72.1%), heat stress (79.2%), and dust exposure (67.9%) constituted the most prevalent occupational hazards. Safety harness non-usage stood at 81.3%, and accident registers were absent or incomplete in 64.5% of sites. The study concludes with targeted policy recommendations for regulatory enforcement, site-level safety infrastructure, and structured OHS literacy programmes tailored to semi-literate construction workers in Madhya Pradesh. |
