Small Scale Industries and Informal Sector Activity Premises: Environmental and Occupational Health Issues

Abstract

This article looks at important aspects of environmental and occupational health and safety in small-scale industries (SSIs) and informal sector activity premises (ISAPs), including current challenges and their remedial options. SSIs occupy the lower end of the manufacturing sector. ISAPs host activities that belong to the lower end of, but fall outside, the more regulated (formal) service sector. ISAPs also accommodate manufacturing-cum-service sector activities that share many characteristics with SSI activities. SSIs and ISAPs are discussed together here because they have many characteristics in common. This article broadly covers roles and characteristics of SSIs and ISAPs, environmental health issues in SSIs and ISAPs, occupational health and safety issues in ISAPs, and strategies for improving environmental and occupational health and safety in SSIs and ISAPs. Environmental health implications of SSIs and ISAPs include air, water, and noise pollution. Occupational health and safety effects of SSIs and ISAPs pertain to indoor air pollution, noise pollution, thermal pollution, and accidents. The discussion on improvement in environmental and occupational health and safety in SSIs and ISAPs includes SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analyses of environmental management practices in SSIs and ISAPs.