Chandigarh, Dec 24: The Punjab State Human Rights Commission on Tuesday issued comprehensive welfare guidelines for daily sanitation and hygiene workers, directing all government bodies and private agencies to ensure immediate compliance, including free safety gear and social security coverage.
The guidelines, titled “Guidelines for Comprehensive Welfare of Workers Engaged in Daily Sanitation and Hygiene Services,” aim to strengthen health, safety and financial protection for sanitation workers such as sweepers, garbage collectors and waste handlers across Punjab.
“All sanitation and hygiene workers shall be provided, free of cost, Personal Protective Equipment and other protective gear,” the commission said in the guidelines.
PSHRC member Jitender Singh Shunty said the directions apply to workers engaged in road and street sweeping, door-to-door waste collection, solid waste handling and transportation, cleaning of public toilets, community sanitation facilities, open drains and sanitation work in public buildings, markets, hospitals and public spaces.
The commission directed all departments, urban local bodies, municipal corporations, councils, panchayats and agencies, including private employers, to implement the guidelines without delay, noting that worker safety must remain a priority.
“At private workplaces also, all sanitary and hygiene equipment required for performing sanitation duties shall be provided regularly by the employer,” the guidelines said. “Under no circumstances shall sanitation workers be required to procure or bear the cost of any safety equipment.”
The commission also directed authorities to discourage the presence of minor children at sanitation work sites and coordinate with child welfare, education and anganwadi departments to ensure access to care and schooling.
Each urban local body and department has also been asked to set up a functional grievance redressal mechanism for sanitation workers.
