The Problem

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The people building India's infrastructure need better access to preventive health.

Construction is one of India's largest sources of employment. As of September 2024, approximately 5.73 crore workers were registered with Building and Other Construction Workers (BoCW) Welfare Boards across India.¹

The scale of the sector makes worker health a public-health as well as workplace issue.

The World Health Organization identifies silicosis, musculoskeletal injuries, chronic respiratory diseases and noise-induced hearing loss among the major occupational diseases and morbidities of concern in India. Globally, WHO estimates that only 15% of workers have access to specialised occupational-health services.²

Construction workers can also face risks associated with prolonged outdoor work. WHO and the World Meteorological Organization identify construction workers among occupational groups particularly exposed to heat stress, which can contribute to dehydration, heat exhaustion, kidney dysfunction and other health problems.³

The Government of India has also identified the need for stronger preventive outreach. In January 2025, the Ministry of Labour & Employment highlighted training of construction workers in safety measures and called on States and Union Territories to organise tuberculosis screenings in campaign mode through the BoCW system.⁴

There is also a practical access problem. Construction workers may move between worksites and districts, work long or irregular hours, and postpone preventive care until a health problem begins interfering with work. Evidence from an ILO-supported workplace intervention in Gujarat demonstrates the potential of taking health services directly to worksites: the programme reached more than 112,000 migrant and industrial workers, with 78% of surveyed workers indicating that they would take an HIV test if it were provided at the workplace. The intervention also connected workers to tuberculosis screening and social-protection schemes.⁵

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1. Press Information Bureau. (2025, January 20). 16th meeting of Building and Other Construction Workers (BoCW) Monitoring Committee reviews implementation of social security schemes for BoCW. Government of India. Press Information Bureau — BoCW Monitoring Committee

2. World Health Organization. (n.d.). Occupational health. WHO India. WHO India — Occupational health

3. World Health Organization. (2025, August 22). WHO, WMO issue new report and guidance to protect workers from increasing heat stress. WHO/WMO — Heat stress guidance

4. Ministry of Labour & Employment. (2025, January 14). 16th meeting of Building and Other Construction Workers (BoCW) Monitoring Committee reviews implementation of social security schemes for BoCW. Government of India. Ministry of Labour & Employment — BoCW Monitoring Committee

5. International Labour Organization. (2023, May 25). Reducing HIV testing and social protection coverage gaps amongst migrant workers through workplace intervention in Gujarat, India. International Labour Organization — Workplace intervention in Gujarat