Occupational safety measures and morbidity among welders in Vellore, Southern India.

Background: Welders in the unorganized occupational sector in the economically developing world are exposed to respiratory, skin, eye, ear, and neurological problems exacerbated by non-usage of personal protective equipment (PPE).

Objective: To study the frequency of health problems and the usage of PPE among welders in unorganized welding units in Vellore, India.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 150 welders to determine the frequency of skin, ear, eye, and respiratory morbidity and the usage of PPE.