Impact of Working Time on Children’s Health

Impact of Working Time on Children’s Health (Abstract, Publication info.)
Guarcello, L., Lyon, S. & Rosati, F. (2004)

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First, child labour tends to be concentrated in particularly dangerous industries. ... With respect to health hazards, work in transport, construction and mining appear to be the very worst forms of child labour. (pp. 10-11)

A second factor raising the health risks faced by child labourers relative to adults derives from the fact that children often work in informal, small scale and illegal settings which, by their very nature, are difficult to regulate (Fassa et al, 2000). ... protection promised by health and safety regulation. Even when this protection is available, it is likely to be much less effective for children since the measures are usually designed for adult, and not child, workers (ILO, 1998; Fassa et al, 2000). Hence, safety devices and clothing may not be usable by children and permissible exposure limits are usually established for adults and may not be appropriate for children. (p.11)

Given their physiological and psychological immaturity and the biological process of growth, children may be more vulnerable than adults to abuse and to given health risks. Children are more prone to injury through accidents and have been found
to be more sensitive to noise, heat, lead and silica toxicity, and ionising radiation
(Bequele and Myers, 1995; Forastieri, 1997; ILO, 1998; Fassa et al, 2000; and Woodhead, 2004). Working long hours also takes a greater physical toll on children.
Tired children may be at greater risk of contracting disease and have less strength to combat them. (p.11)

Long-run, direct effects:

While many of the health risks child labourers are exposed to threaten immediate damage to health, others are likely to develop over many years and might only become manifest in adulthood. Exposures to pesticides, chemicals, dusts and carcinogenic agents in agriculture, mining and quarrying and manufacturing increase the risks of developing bronchial complaints, cancers and a wide variety of diseases
(Forastieri, 1997; ILO, 1998; Fassa et al, 2000). In India, industries with large proportions of child labourers also tend to have high rates of TB and silicosis; stonecutters and slate workers, for example, have silicosis rates of 35 percent and 55 percent respectively (Parker, 1997). Cancer risks are raised significantly through exposure to asbestos in mining and construction and to aniline dyes in carpet and garment manufacturing (ILO, 1998). Ergonomic factors such as heavy lifting and poor posture raise the chances of musculoskeletal problems developing in later life
(Forastieri, 1997; ILO, 1998; Fassa et al, 2000).

Long-run, indirect effects:

An intuitively appealing proposition is that child labour is at the expense of education. If this is true, then, even in the absence of any direct effect of child work activity on health, there can be indirect effect through the sacrifice of education. A lower level of educational attainment might impact negatively on health through two mechanisms.

(1) Lower education --> Lower earnings
(2) Lower education --> Less informed of health production mechanisms