Activities per year
Abstract
An increasing number of people are relocating to search for work, leading to substantial implications for both local and global health. Approximately 3.6% of the global population (281 million) migrates annually. Nepal has experienced a notable surge in labour migration in recent years, with a substantial proportion of its residents actively seeking work opportunities abroad. Understanding work-related risks is crucial for informing policies, interventions, and practices that can improve the welfare of this hard-to-reach population. This scoping review aims to systematically identify and analyse occupational health hazards encountered by Nepali migrant workers employed overseas. Medline, Scopus, Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), and the NepJOL databases were systematically searched for primary research papers published in English up to July 2024. Relevant data, including workplace hazards and their impact on health outcomes, were extracted and narratively synthesised by highlighting key themes in the existing literature. A total of 24 articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in this review. Of these, twelve studies were conducted in Nepal, five in Gulf countries, four in Malaysia, two in Hong Kong, and one each in India and Korea. Workplace injuries (motor vehicle injuries, machinery injuries, falls from a height, and falls on a heavy object), poor working environment (including long working hours, work without leave, discrepancy in pay scale, limited access to drinking water and toilet/bathroom facilities), workplace abuse, sexual abuse, and torture were identified as key occupational health hazards faced by the Nepali migrant workers abroad. Multi-level intervention strategies, such as safety training standards, improving working conditions, and eliminating exploitative labour practices, are critical to improving occupational health and safety standards for Nepali migrant workers abroad. This includes creating a supportive working environment where employees can easily and timely access health services as needed.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 7568 |
Number of pages | 23 |
Journal | Sustainability |
Volume | 16 |
Issue number | 17 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Sep 2024 |
Activities
- 1 Oral presentation
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Nepali Migrant Workers and Their Workplace Occupational Health Hazards: A Scoping Review
Sharada P. Wasti (Speaker), Emmanuel Babatunde (Contributor to Paper or Presentation), Ayushka Shrestha (Contributor to Paper or Presentation), Pratikshya Wasti (Contributor to Paper or Presentation) & Vijay Gc (Contributor to Paper or Presentation)
13 May 2024Activity: Talk or presentation types › Oral presentation