Occupational Health of Women Sanitation Workers in Odisha
The study aims to contribute to an understanding of the health status of women sanitation workers (WSWs), including transgender women involved in liquid waste management (LWM). The findings are expected to highlight existing systemic gaps and contribute to advocacy efforts with the government to address the needs of these workers.
• Conducted across four urban local bodies in Odisha (Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Puri, and Rourkela) to assess the occupational health status of women sanitation workers (WSWs).
• Covered 352 women sanitation workers engaged in toilet operations and maintenance, septic tank emptying, wastewater treatment, drain cleaning, and sewer maintenance.
• Used a mixed methods approach combining surveys, interviews, focus group discussions, and case stories to understand health risks, healthcare access, and health seeking behaviour.
• Analysed findings through a socio ecological lens to identify how individual, workplace, institutional, and structural factors shape health outcomes and opportunities for policy action.
