Occupational Health Vulnerability among Informal Mica Scavengers in Domchanch Block, Koderma District, Jharkhand: Evidence from a Cross-Sectional Study

Aman Raj; Shiv kumar

Occupational Health Vulnerability among Informal Mica Scavengers in Domchanch Block, Koderma District, Jharkhand: Evidence from a Cross-Sectional Study

Author(s)	Mr. Aman Raj, Prof. Dr. Shiv kumar
Country	India
Abstract	Mica scavenging continues to serve as an important means of earning livelihood for economically disadvantaged groups living in the areas where mica deposits are found in Domchanch,Koderma,Jharkhand, India. In spite of its economic significance, the occupation exposes the workers to dangerous conditions, which are detrimental to their physical and psychological well-being. The present study aims at investigating the health impacts of mica scavenging on the workers by identifying the frequency of occurrence of chronic lung disorders, physical disorders, and psychological problems. The research design employed for this study was cross-sectional, while primary data was collected through a structured questionnaire from the workers who practice mica scavenging informally. Based on the findings, it is clear that there is an extremely high prevalence rate of respiratory diseases such as cough, difficulty in breathing and chest pain among the respondents as a consequence of their constant exposure to the dust. In addition to that, the results revealed the presence of a lot of musculoskeletal problems, chronic fatigue, skin irritation and body injuries among the respondents due to heavy physical activities and risky mining practices. Moreover, there are a large number of people who suffered from anxiety, depression, mental stress and occupational burnouts due to their precarious economic condition and hazardous working conditions. The hypothesis suggesting the presence of a significant correlation between mica scavenging and negative health outcomes of physical and psychological nature is proved by the statistical analysis. The findings clearly show that it is time to take action against these occupational health issues through proper interventions such as conducting health check-ups regularly, providing personal protective equipment, improving safety conditions in workplaces, diversifying livelihoods and implementing strong policies related to informal mining areas.
Keywords	Mica scavenging, Occupational health, Respiratory diseases, Musculoskeletal disorders, Mental health, Informal mining, Jharkhand
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 4, July-August 2026
Published On	2026-07-09

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CrossRef DOI prefix of IJFMR is 10.36948/ijfmr

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Occupational Health Vulnerability among Informal Mica Scavengers in Domchanch Block, Koderma District, Jharkhand: Evidence from a Cross-Sectional Study

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