Abstract
BackgroundWaste collection workers are exposed to several occupational stressors which may affect their quality of life. Our aim was to assess the health status and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of municipal waste collection workers of a big German city.MethodsCross-sectional study with a non-random sample of 65 (62 male, 3 female) workers of the Hamburg sanitation department, volunteering to participate in the study. We assessed the prevalence of reported health complaints and health problems. HRQoL was assessed with the self-administered EQ-5D-5L questionnaire and its visual analogue scale (VAS).ResultsThe most common health problems were musculoskeletal complaints (back pain reported by 67.2 %, other musculoskeletal complaints 15.4 %). Asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was reported by 15.4 % of the workers. All participants reporting having a diagnosis of asthma or COPD had been or were active smokers. Our findings indicate an impaired HRQoL among the investigated occupational group. Regarding EQ-5D 68.3 % reported at least “slight” problems in one or more dimensions, and almost one third (31.7 %) reported “no problems” in any dimension. Problems were most frequently reported in the dimension “pain/discomfort” (64.1 % of the workers). The mean VAS value was 80.9 (13.2). The presence of back pain was associated with limitations in HRQoL (RR 3.1; 95 %-CI 1.5-6.1). The EQ5D VAS score was statistically significantly lower among waste collectors with back pain (77.9 SD 14.1) compared to those with no back complaints (88.0 SD 7.6, p < 0.01).ConclusionsBack complaints are common among municipal waste collectors and are associated with considerable impairments in their HRQoL. Interventions to enhance ergonomic work are needed in order to reduce back complaints and enhance HRQoL in this occupational group.
Highlights
Municipal solid waste generation varies across countries in relation to income level and rate of urbanization, with the OECD countries accounting for 44 % of the 1.3 billion tonnes of waste generated yearly worldwide [1]
Waste collectors represent an aged collective, with the median age at 47.5 (IQR 10.6) years and 66.1 % of participants being above 45 years old
We explored the association between reported health problems and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in contingency tables for the conditions reported by at least one fifth of the participants (Table 4)
Summary
Municipal solid waste generation varies across countries in relation to income level and rate of urbanization, with the OECD countries accounting for 44 % of the 1.3 billion tonnes of waste generated yearly worldwide [1]. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is a wellestablished aspect of health and general well-being, which can be measured with a variety of validated instruments [7]. The issue of quality of life is increasingly being considered in occupational health research, with assessments of the relationship between occupational diseases and quality of life [8, 9]; and in relation to specific occupations [10,11,12]. The aim of our study was to assess (i) the prevalence of health problems and (ii) the HRQoL of waste collectors, and (iii) to investigate their associations. Waste collection workers are exposed to several occupational stressors which may affect their quality of life. Our aim was to assess the health status and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of municipal waste collection workers of a big German city
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