Social Performance Indicators Blog

Social Responsibility to the Community: Improving Workplace Safety in Egypt

Posted by: Richard Carothers, PPIC-Work project and President of Partners in Technology Exchange Ltd.

Even items in a small family-owned restaurant can cause significant injuries, especially to young workers

In a previous post, “Defining Social Responsibility to the Community: Occupational Safety and Health,” guest contributor Dr. Richard Rinehart outlined some of the ways in which hazards might present themselves in businesses supported by microloans. In this post, guest contributor Richard Carothers explores an example of how an MFI can assist in improving workplace safety.

The PPIC-Work project, working with the Egyptian Association for Community Initiatives and Development (EACID), has begun to develop a pragmatic approach for improving workplace safety that can be incorporated into routine visits by loan officers. Dual purpose loans provide the basic support for the business as well as additional funds to cover the costs of improving workplace safety.

Defining Social Responsibility to the Community: Occupational Safety and Health

Posted by: Dr. Richard Rinehart, Certified Industrial Hygienist

Policies and activities that demonstrate microfinance institutions' social responsibility to the community can take many forms. In this guest post, Dr. Richard Rinehart -- a Certified Industrial Hygienist based in Egypt who has worked for the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the International Labor Organization, and the International Finance Corporation among other organizations -- presents examples of occupational safety and health threats commonly faced by microentrepreneurs in the developing world. What role, he asks, might the microfinance industry play in mitigating the negative impact of these risks on clients and the community at large?

Consider the following scenarios:

(1) A microfinance institution (MFI) client who owns a small grocery shop used a loan to buy a locally made coconut grinder that consists of a powerful electric motor with a mango-size bit that spins very fast. The machine efficiently removes coconut meat from half-shells. Her daughter, who used the machine daily, badly cut her hand because it slipped off a coconut shell and there were no safety guards to protect her from the fast moving part.