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Benefits for Brick
Workers |
The Employment Opportunity
Brick industries in Nepal are one of the largest employment
generating industries. Most of the workers are unskilled or
semi-skilled seasonal migrants. The worker in the kiln lives
a dismal life lacking basic facilities such as proper housing,
clean drinking water facilities, sanitation etc. Health and
safety risk in the workplace is high. But the environmental
issue of the brick industry has always overshadowed these
social issues.
Techno-Social Integration (TSI)
The change in technology also brings change in social relationships.
Upward living situations, material as well as social, can
be seen as a bi-product of industrialization and modernization.
This is somehow demonstrated in the process of industrialization
as seen in many western countries. It cannot be understood
as a simple change and improvement of techniques and technologies.
It must be seen as a process, in which technology, lifestyle
and social relations came to a complete change. Operation
of industrial systems was and is not possible without new
skills, which leads to an increased demand for higher skills
but also a higher sense of mutual dependency and responsibility.
Similarly, the new context in VSBK industry demands new and
higher interdependency between workers and employers.
The VSBK programme Nepal has been trying
to pace up the social improvement in the brick industry along
with the technological development. We termed this process
as Techno-Social Integration.
Occupational Health and Safety (OHS)
Aspects
VSBK technology has many in-built characteristics that address
some of the major social problems of the brick industries.
Brick kiln pollution not only affects flora and fauna but
also is causing serious threats to health of people--the brick
workers being the biggest victim. Inhaling smoke and dust
can cause serious health problems such as cough, asthma, etc.
It affects the lungs that have long term and even fatal effect.
VSBK is a much cleaner technology in compare
to the other existing brick making technologies in Nepal.
Stack emission in VSBK is reduced by more than 90 percent
in compare to the traditional Bull’s Trench Kiln (BTK)
technology. Similarly the fugitive emission from is also reduced
by large amount hence ensuring cleaner and safer working conditions
for the worker. This makes it a better technology in terms
of occupational health and safety of the worker.
BTK and Fixed BTK are of open structure.
The kiln is surrounded by one and half feet thick mud mortar
wall. At the top ravish (fired clay dust) is used as insulation
materials. Because of improper insulating system huge amount
of heat gets dissipated from the firing area, which not only
reduces the energy efficiency of those kilns but also increases
temperature at the working place, making the workplace more
uncomfortable for the workers. The insulating materials (ravish)
and the shooting smoke coming out of chimneys create dirty
and unhealthy working conditions for workers. VSBK with its
well designed shaft and insulating chambers, releases very
nominal amount of heat from the kiln’s body.
Full-Year Employment Opportunity
Brick kilns remain closed in the rainy season during which
brick workers remain unemployed. VSBK with its closed structure
can be operated 12 months round the year giving underemployed
rural people a year-round job. This opens up the possibilities
for entrepreneurs to provide improved shelter, instead of
present practice of temporary nature, contributing further
to improved living conditions of brick workers.
Introduction of Semi Mechanized Production
Processes
Fired clay bricks will still occupy a predominant position
among all building materials in the foreseeable decades. But
the same type of brick making system cannot be prolonged.
The programme is introducing semi mechanized brick production
systems. The introduction of pug mills is one of the major
steps in that regard. We found that the pug mill operation
has not only enhanced the quality of bricks but also has eased
the life of brick molders. Before the introduction of the
pug mill, the molders had to wake up at as early as in 4 AM
in the morning and start soil preparation work with their
bare hand and feet in frosty conditions under the light of
kerosene lamps. With the introduction of pug mill their life
in the kiln has change dramatically. Nowadays they do start
their work two hours latter. They just have to mould green
bricks, soil preparation--the most difficult part of their
work is done by pug mills.
Skill Upgrading Opportunities
Many workers who had been working as molders and transporters
in the brick kilns are now working as fire master/firewomen
in VSBK. Firing work is considered as skilled work in brick
industries and only Indians firemen were involved in these
work. Now a new door has been opened in the brick industry
for the Nepalese workers too. Similarly, there are many workers
involved in pug mill operation. These jobs have helped to
upgrade their skill and job profile. Most importantly these
are a better source of earning than what they have been doing
in the past.
Benefits to Entrepreneur
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