Up to 93 percent of workers at garment enterprises are exhausted after work, including 16.7 percent suffering headaches and over 80 percent feeling weary in their muscles and bones.

Huynh Thi Nha, 28, from Quang Ngai province, works at a garment company in HCM City that employs more than 1000 workers. For the last eight years, she has worked eight hours a days, plus extra hours. Recently she has developed abnormal signs in her health as she is always tired and numb from her waist down.

Seeing doctors, they reported that she had back pain because of poor posture at work and hunching her back for long periods. Garment workers living in the same boarding-house with Nha have similar conditions.

According to health experts, garment workers face illness caused by great pressure from work.

Doctor Dinh Quang Thanh, deputy director at HCM City-based Hospital for Function Rehabilitation and Occupational Diseases, confirmed that the number of patients who visit his hospital for curing spinal column, neck vertebrae, etc. is on the rise. The group of patients at the age of 30-40 is rising and 50 percent are workers.

A survey of the HCM City Public Health Institute at three companies in HCM City, Binh Duong and Dong Nai, with over 1000 garment workers aged 25-35, shows that 93 percent of workers felt tired after work, of which 47 percent suffering all-over tiredness, 16.7 percent had headaches, 15.1 percent felt exhausted, and over 80 percent had tired muscles, bones, necks and spinal columns.

HCM City Department of Health checked the labour environment at 396 companies in the first half of 2010 and found that most didn’t pay attention to labour and safety conditions. Just a few organized periodical check-ups for their workers as labour rules stipulate.

Health experts also warn that many garment workers have contracted pneumoconiosis, but had no idea.

PV