Annual Report 2010-2011 • • • • • • • • • • All State Factory Inspectorate should have at least one Industrial Hygiene Expert. ESI Act is applicable to units employing less than 10 in Mandsaur. This should be extended to the whole of India. All civil hospitals should have OPD for occupational diseases. Moreover, a worker may not have required legal documents to support his employment like identity card or attendance card or pay slip as well as length of exposure, when he is out of employment. This stipulation, therefore, requires change. Functioning of a separate cell under NRHM/state health department should be started. Introduction of special courses of “Environment & Occupational Health” for the junior doctors and interns which has to be initiated by the State Government Immediate recruitment of certified surgeons, radiologists and chest specialists and their capacity building and training arrangement to be made on dust diseases as per WHO & ILO standard. Setting up of the Occupational Disease Diagnosis Centre (ODDC) at district level ESI, Government hospitals and NRHM centers at different location. Limiting exposure to harmful dusts can be achieved further by suppressing dust generation, filtering or capturing dust particles, diluting the concentration with fresh air, and using personal protective respiratory equipment as further possible means of preventing silicosis. All the workers migrating from one State to another state could be given identity cards to make it easier for the treating doctors to get the history of the work place, their exposure to silica dust, working conditions and health conditions of the workers. 5.17 These recommendations were forwarded to all the stakeholders by the Commission. D. Endosulfan 5.18 The Commission took cognizance of media reports with regard to the adverse effects of aerial spraying of endosulfan pesticide on the local population in Kasaragod District of Kerala. It also deputed its own team for an independent investigation, which confirmed a continued high incidence of the medical disorders recorded among people and the relief provided by the Government of Kerala made very little positive impact. Consequently, an urgent meeting of the NHRC’s Core Advisory Group on Health was convened on 24 December 2010 with a view to seek expert advice on the issue. The Core Advisory Group suggested that based upon available evidences, the Commission should recommend ban on the use of endosulfan. It was moreover suggested to recommend immediate compensation to the affected people and that rehabilitative efforts should cover all areas including provision of complete medical facilities for the affected people. 5.19 The Commission in its proceedings dated 31 December 2010 considered the views of the Core Advisory Group on Health and made detailed recommendations to the Union Government and Government of Kerala including recommending to Government of India to take administrative and legislative action to ban the use of endosulfan, conduct a nationwide survey of the problem and establishment of a palliative care centre/hospital in Kasaragod NHRC 67