title: Informal Workers in Thailand: Occupational Health and Social Security Disparities.
abstract: Informal workers in Thailand lack employee status as defined under the Labor Protection Act (LPA). Typically, they do not work at an employer's premise; they work at home and may be self-employed or temporary workers. They account for 62.6 percent of the Thai workforce and have a workplace accident rate ten times higher than formal workers. Most Thai Labor laws apply only to formal workers, but some protect informal workers in the domestic, home work, and agricultural sectors. Laws that protect informal workers lack practical enforcement mechanisms and are generally ineffective because informal workers lack employment contracts and awareness of their legal rights. Thai social security laws fail to provide informal workers with treatment of work-related accidents, diseases, and injuries; unemployment and retirement insurance; and workers' compensation. The article summarizes the differences in protections available for formal and informal sector workers and measures needed to decrease these disparities in coverage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Health and Safety, Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand pornpimol.kon@mahidol.ac.th.
authors.forename: Pornpimol
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kongtip
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Health and Safety, Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
authors.forename: Noppanun
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nankongnab
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Health and Safety, Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
authors.forename: Chalermchai
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chaikittiporn
authors.affiliation: Bureau of Occupational Safety and Health, Ministry of Labour, Bangkok, Thailand.
authors.forename: Wisanti
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Laohaudomchok
authors.affiliation: Department of Work Environment, University of Massachusetts Lowell, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Woskie
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health and Sustainability, University of Massachusetts Lowell, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Craig
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Slatin
mesh_terms: D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003098:Collective Bargaining / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D057172:Economic Recession; D004651:Employment / Q000145:classification* / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D054625:Healthcare Disparities / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D000067896:Industrial Development / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology; D016272:Occupational Health / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000639:trends; D012943:Social Security / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology; D014171:Transients and Migrants / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D014933:Women's Rights / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D014942:Workers' Compensation / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*
keywords: Occupational Safety and Health; Thailand; formal workers; informal workers; social security