Forum

Marshalls has been engaged in the issues of silicosis in the Indian sandstone sector for many years; namely education around the disease and its elimination from the supply chain.  An article published in September 2007, ‘Discovering Stone’, (1) references the Dutch report ‘From Quarry to Graveyard 2006’ and outlines Marshalls’ – the only hard landscaping company at the time belonging to the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) - efforts to implement the ETI Base Code (2) which are a set of standards focused upon workers’ rights, including health & safety and safe & hygienic working conditions.  Alongside the ongoing ETI Base Code implementation the organisation also funded a long term (from 2005 – 2012) NGO programme part of which was focused upon delivering free health camps and medicine provision in the wider quarrying communities in Kota and Bhundi in response to community-based consultations.   Mobile health camps regularly visited the remote quarrying communities where doctors and medical staff were present to undertake blood tests, diagnose and dispense free medicines.  Free follow-up home visits and the delivery of free specialist medicines were also part of the health programme.  There were 81,207 beneficiaries from this long running programme of which it is estimated 169 were identified as silicosis cases and given access to specialist care and medication.  It is also now know that tuberculosis is often a secondary problem seen alongside silicosis and that the disease itself is often misdiagnosed as tuberculosis.  There were an estimated 1,290 individuals in the community identified over the period of the programme as having tuberculosis and receiving the appropriate medical attention.  The implementing NGO reported that the introduction of specialist tuberculosis camps resulted in the number of cases presenting at the health camps falling steadily by 47% between 2006 and 2010 in the geographical areas of the health camp programme.

Chris Harrop, Marshalls’ Group Marketing Director, responsible for Sustainability, says, “Within our supply chain we have in place, with our sole supplier, many successful measures regarding the prevention of silicosis in both the manufacturing facilities and the quarries.  Various pieces of research * all point to the relatively simple and low tech solutions required in terms of minimising or eliminating silicosis risk from the quarrying and manufacturing perspective.  These include the use of dust masks, good ventilation, the tamping down of the work environment with water and a blanket ban on brushing the floor for example.  These elements are more easily communicated, implemented, monitored and regulated in manufacturing or quarrying facility that are owned or run by our sole supplier.  What is more difficult is helping to ensure that others further down the supply chain understand the benefits and take the necessary actions, engage in ongoing monitoring and in addition undertake spot checks.  The situation is a more complex matter in terms of the environment in which communities live and often work where levels of air-born silica are constantly present to varying degrees as a result of the hot climate and dust being kicked-up into the air either by wind, passing vehicles or in unregulated work environments, such as home working.  While this aspect does not constitute part of Marshalls supply chain it does impact the quarrying community as a whole and makes the monitoring of silicosis cases and the apportioning of any liability where silicosis is diagnosed more complicated.”

More recently, and as part of its ongoing Silicosis Education and Elimination Programme, Marshalls funded recent UNICEF research which looked at the impacts of the sandstone industry specifically upon children, including the wider physical aspects (3).  The company is also engaged in a detailed silicosis screening programme of workers within its own supply chain. Harrop continued, “As part of our ongoing silicosis monitoring programme, earlier this year our sole supplier sent 30 workers considered to be in ‘high risk’ job roles to be tested for silicosis.  None of them tested positive which is a good indication that the preventative actions already taken within the manufacturing facilities to deal with airborne silica are effective.  However, we are not complacent and regularly review the measures that we take.”

Employer & Worker Education – Benefits of a Sole Supplier Relationship

It is widely known that Marshalls streamlined its supply chain to work with one supplier in India, Stone Shippers.  Harrop added, “One of the main reasons for doing this was that a long term commitment from both parties made it possible to make positive and lasting changes within the quarrying and manufacturing environment regarding health and safety.  The introduction of new machinery with better dust extraction and control rooms for saw operators away from the working area help to ensure a good working environment.  Together with our sole supplier we have implemented these changes and have continued to improve working conditions and implement an ongoing monitoring programme.  Our recently revised programme of dust monitoring will be implemented during 2016.  Our sole supplier is aware that they would be legally obliged to pay compensation in cases of silicosis, and would obviously do so should the situation arise.   Our joint ongoing programme of employer and worker education has helped ensure that we continually work towards the eradication of silicosis and related problems in our supply chain facilities.”

Silicosis, Children & the Wider Quarrying Community

As part of its wider human rights programme Marshalls is deeply engaged in supporting children’s rights and undertakes a bi-annual audit of its activities against the ‘Children’s Rights & Business Principles Framework’ (4) working then to implement recommendations on an ongoing basis.  As such, Marshalls is acutely aware that children are at greater risk from environmental hazards, including silicosis, than adults due to their physical size, developing bodies, metabolic rate, natural curiosity and lack of knowledge about the threats in their environment.  According to the World Health Organisation, 24% of the global disease burden is due to environmental factors.  The figure rises to 33% for children, illustrating the huge impact that the environment can have on children (5).

Marshalls does not permit children to work in its supply chain and has been actively working since 2005 to bring about the elimination of child labour in the sandstone sector as well as implementing measures to help ensure a child free supply chain.  Marshalls funded research, detailed in the organisations most recent publication regarding children in the sandstone sector (3), highlights not only the physical impact of the sandstone in India upon children, including the impact upon growing bones and joints, eye injuries, head injuries, dust inhalation and silicosis, but also the cycle of poverty which is perpetuated by child labour serving only to undermine labour standards and hold the industry back.

Marshalls Business & Human Rights Specialist, Elaine Mitchel-Hill, says, “Silicosis remains the most important occupational lung disease and a major occupational health problem in India as a whole with small scale and informal sectors, such as the sandstone industry, often most affected.  While Marshalls undertakes education and elimination initiatives within its own supply chain a wider co-ordinated and long term sectoral prevention programme is required; especially when you consider that 94% of the sandstone extracted is for Indian domestic market.  It would be helpful to have widespread reliable data regarding the extent of silicosis in the sandstone sector as a whole.  This would allow a collaborative and co-ordinated approach in terms of educating regarding the causes and working toward the elimination of this preventable disease. We are aware that there have been calls to integrate the National Programme on Elimination of Silicosis in India (6) with the ILO/WHO Global Programme for the Elimination of Silicosis (GPES). (7)”

Prevention & Control Measures

GPES suggests that prevention of control measures are looked at in terms of; control of the source; control in the transmissions paths; measures related to the worker; and other measures related to the work environment.  Marshalls has used this model to develop its own silicosis prevention, monitoring and reporting programme.

While Marshalls’ takes all of these factors into account within its own supply chain Silicosis Education and Elimination Programme Harrop is clear that the kind of systemic change required to formalise the informal sandstone sector and vastly improve conditions for workers and their families  - addressing issues such as silicosis, health & safety, education, the elimination of child labour - can only be brought about by the engagement of the Indian government, private sector, third sector and the communities themselves. 

He commented, “The kind of transformation required to bring about improvements for workers, children, their families and the wider quarrying community is sure to take many years.  Meanwhile, Marshalls remains wholly committed to being a driving force in this process and to implementing positive change within its own supply chain.

Harrop concluded by saying that as a United Nations Global Compact signatory since 2009 the business worked to uphold the principles including human rights, labour rights, environment and anti-corruption.

“Marshalls will continue to monitor the ongoing implementation of the ETI Base Code throughout its supply chain; uphold workers’ rights and continue to drive improvement regarding health and safety, including the elimination of silicosis; work to ensure that there is no child labour within its supply chain; work to eliminate child labour within the sector; and to collaborate with other actors to create a sustainable sandstone industry in Rajasthan.”

Marshalls will co-host a ‘Sandstone Sector Stewardship Seminar’ at the Centre for Responsible Business ‘India and Sustainability Standards: International Dialogues and Conference 2016’ in Delhi (16^th  – 19^th November) which will include discussions regarding silicosis education, prevention measures and elimination.

Source:

(1)    Silicosis: Educate, Eliminate, Eradicate, author Tina Luton - http://www.indianet.nl/pdf/silicosis.pdf

(2)    ETI Base Code – http://www.ethicaltrade.org/resources/eti-base-code

(3)    The Truth About Child Labour in the Sandstone Sector – http://www.marshalls.co.uk/sustainability/document-library

(4)    CRBP – http://www.marshalls.co.uk/sustainability/document-library

(5)    CRBP Framework – http://childrenandbusiness.org/

(6)    National Programme on Elimination of Silicosis in India - http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_protect/---protrav/---safework/documents/presentation/wcms_110487.pdf

(7)    ILO/WHO Global Programme for the Elimination of Silicosis (GPES) – http://www.ilo.org/safework/areasofwork/occupational-health/WCMS_108566/lang--en/index.htm