Refuse Collectors Research Articles

Assessment of ergonomic risks among refuse collectors in municipalities of Harare District, Zimbabwe

Assessment of ergonomic risks among refuse collectors in municipalities of Harare District, Zimbabwe

Could Some Nonhemostatic Plasma Proteins Serve as Refuse Collectors for Fibrin(ogen)?

Could Some Nonhemostatic Plasma Proteins Serve as Refuse Collectors for Fibrin(ogen)?

Self-reported fatigue and health complaints of refuse collectors

Working as a refuse collector is a physically strenuous activity. The aim of the investigations in this work was to evaluate the fatigue and subjective complaints of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among refuse collectors. The study involved 27 employees; average age: 32.1 years (SD = 3.15), seniority: 2.67 years (SD = 1.56). To evaluate fatigue a modified 30-piece questionnaire with a Borg scale was used. MSDs were measured by the Nordic Standardized Questionnaire with the Borg scale. After work, the highest rates of fatigue were reported for the symptoms: “feel thirsty,” “give a yawn,” “want to lie down,” “feel strained in the eyes,” “feel a pain in the back,” “become drowsy,” “feel stiff in the shoulders,” “feel heavy in the head” and “have a headache.” There was a high intensity of MSDs reported for the body segments “shoulders/upper arms,” “lower back,” “upper back,” “hips/upper legs,” “head/neck,” “elbows/forearms” and “wrists/hands.” Complaints regarding limited mobility due to MSDs at work and outside of work have been observed for the “shoulders/upper arms,” “lower back” and “upper back.” Refuse collectors complained more about “drowsiness and dullness” than the “projection of physical impairment” and “difficulty in concentration.” Discomfort occurred primarily in the upper segments of the body and made staff mobility difficult both at work and after work. The test results can be used in the prevention of fatigue and discomfort. It is recommended to conduct training on the correct ways of performing work and resting and the repair or replacement of faulty containers.

Waste-recycling as a livelihood in the informal sector. The example of refuse collectors in Cairo

Mountains of refuse on the outskirts of Lima, Lagos, Calcutta or Manila, with ragged children, youths, men and women rummaging through them for usable materials – this is a picture which probably almost everyone has come across in different variations again and again in magazines, books and films. Like hardly any other picture, this one in particular seems to be especially well-suited to presenting visually and vividly the misery of the people on the outskirts of the metropolises in the Third...

Occupational Hazards and Safety Practices of Refuse Collectors in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State

Occupational Hazards and Safety Practices of Refuse Collectors in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State

Highly selective fluorescence sensor for hydrogen sulfide based on the Cu(II)-dependent DNAzyme

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a highly toxic gas, which poses a serious threat to human health and safety. It is necessary to develop some simple and highly selective and sensitive approach for the detection of hydrogen sulfide. In this study, a highly selective and sensitive fluorescence sensor for H2S detection has been developed on the basis of Cu(II)-dependent DNAzyme. The catalytic DNA strand (Cu-enzyme) was labeled with a quencher (black hole quencher, BHQ1) at the 5′-termini and its corresponding DNA substrate strand (Cu-substrate) was labeled with a 6-carboxyfluorescein (FAM fluorophore) at the 3′-end and an additional quencher was attached on the 5′-end. Cu-enzyme and Cu-substrate could hybridize with each other to form a triplex structure firstly and the FAM emission was quenched by the labeled quenchers. The present of Cu(II) could catalyze the oxidative cleavage of the Cu-substrate and hence caused the releasing of the quencher from the FAM fluorophore and the enhanced fluorescence of the system. However, in the presence of H2S, Cu(II) reacted with H2S to form CuS firstly, hindering the cleavage and the fluorescence enhancement. The decrease of fluorescence intensity had a linear relationship with the concentration of H2S in the range between 0.5 and 25 μM with a detection limit of 0.2 μM (S/N = 3). The proposed method innovatively used fluorescent labeling technology and DNAzyme sensing to detect gaseous hydrogen sulfide, and it has been successfully applied to detect the contamination of hydrogen sulfide gas in the refuse collectors with a simple purification procedure.

Beyond the symbolic: a relational approach to dirty work through a study of refuse collectors and street cleaners

Drawing on a relational approach and based on an ethnographic study of street cleaners and refuse collectors, we redress a tendency towards an overemphasis on the discursive by exploring the co-constitution of the material and symbolic dynamics of dirt. We show how esteem-enhancing strategies that draw on the symbolic can be both supported and undermined by the physicality of dirt, and how relations of power are rooted in subordinating material conditions. Through employing Hardy and Thomas’s taxonomy of objects, practice, bodies and space, we develop a fuller understanding of how the symbolic and material are fundamentally entwined within dirty work, and suggest that a neglect of the latter might foster a false optimism regarding worker experiences.

Prevalence and associated factors of occupational injuries among municipal solid waste collectors in four zones of Amhara region, Northwest Ethiopia.

BackgroundRefuse collectors are at a high risk for fatal and non-fatal occupational accidents. This is more intensified in developing countries, like Ethiopia, due to physically demanding nature of the job. However, information on occupational injuries and related factors are almost non-existent in Ethiopia. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of occupational injuries and its associated factors.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among municipal solid waste collectors in four zones of Amhara region from February to May 2015. Computer generated simple random sampling technique was used to select the samples. Interviewer administrated questionnaires were used for the data collection process. Binary logistic regression was used to assess the association between outcome variables and explanatory variables.ResultsIn this study, the annual prevalence of at least one occupational injury among solid waste workers was 34.3 % (95 % CI: 29.52, 39.10). Of these, 50.7 % of them were visited health facility to receive health care. The independent predictors of at least one occupational injury were shorter service years, low monthly salary, history of job related stress, and sleeping disturbance related to the job. Being illiterate, having lower monthly income, and those who reported sleeping disturbance were significantly and positively associated with severe occupational injuries of solid waste collectors.ConclusionThe magnitude of occupational injuries among municipal solid waste collectors is lower than other similar studies conducted in Ethiopia. Based on the finding of this and other studies, job rotation among work components, improvement of employees’ income, job specific guideline regarding maximum production limits, and replacement of bags and bins with wheeled containers are an interventions expected to cope with the problem. There is also a need of specific periodic health surveillance (PHS) for refuse collectors to detect early signs of work related complaints and to monitor work ability.

Meaningfulness and Paradoxes of Recognition in Dirty Work

Drawing on 37 interviews conducted with refuse collectors, street cleaners and graffiti removers in three London-based organisations, the paper demonstrates how recognition can potentially work in a paradoxical way. Although participants' logic of actions and meanings that they attach to their work and life experiences were shaped by their aspirations for life improvement and were arguably compatible with changing economic conditions and normative expectations, it wasn't one of either pure determinacy or indeterminacy (McNay, 2006). Their determination to advance was mixed with life uncertainties - the material conditions of their existence - and was censored by social relations that were expressed in the engrained dispositions and tendencies of embodied subjects (Bourdieu, 1990). Their actions and the production of meaningfulness were driven by dimensions that might not be easily integrated within the positive notion of recognition-impulse, necessity, uncertainty and doubt. Workers demonstrated both the ...

Assessment of occupational safety risks in Floridian solid waste systems using Bayesian analysis.

Safety risks embedded within solid waste management systems continue to be a significant issue and are prevalent at every step in the solid waste management process. To recognise and address these occupational hazards, it is necessary to discover the potential safety concerns that cause them, as well as their direct and/or indirect impacts on the different types of solid waste workers. In this research, our goal is to statistically assess occupational safety risks to solid waste workers in the state of Florida. Here, we first review the related standard industrial codes to major solid waste management methods including recycling, incineration, landfilling, and composting. Then, a quantitative assessment of major risks is conducted based on the data collected using a Bayesian data analysis and predictive methods. The risks estimated in this study for the period of 2005-2012 are then compared with historical statistics (1993-1997) from previous assessment studies. The results have shown that the injury rates among refuse collectors in both musculoskeletal and dermal injuries have decreased from 88 and 15 to 16 and three injuries per 1000 workers, respectively. However, a contrasting trend is observed for the injury rates among recycling workers, for whom musculoskeletal and dermal injuries have increased from 13 and four injuries to 14 and six injuries per 1000 workers, respectively. Lastly, a linear regression model has been proposed to identify major elements of the high number of musculoskeletal and dermal injuries.

Measured by the oxygen uptake in the field, the work of refuse collectors is particularly hard work: Are the limit values for physical endurance workload too low?

PurposeCollecting waste is regarded as a benchmark for “particularly heavy” work. This study aims to determine and compare the workload of refuse workers in the field. We examined heart rate (HR) and oxygen uptake as parameters of workload during their daily work. MethodsSixty-five refuse collectors from three task-specific groups (residual and organic waste collection, and street sweeping) of the municipal sanitation department in Hamburg, Germany, were included. Performance was determined by cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPX) under laboratory conditions. Additionally, the oxygen uptake (VO2) and HR under field conditions (1-h morning shift) were recorded with a portable spiroergometry system and a pulse belt.ResultsThere was a substantial correlation of both absolute HR and VO2 during CPX [HR/VO2R 0.89 (SD 0.07)] as well as during field measurement [R 0.78 (0.19)]. Compared to reference limits for heavy work, 44 % of the total sample had shift values above 30 % heart rate reserve (HRR); 34 % of the individuals had mean HR during work (HRsh) values that were above the HR corresponding to 30 % of individual maximum oxygen uptake (VO2,max). All individuals had a mean oxygen uptake (VO2,1h) above 30 % of VO2,max.ConclusionHR as well as the measurement of VO2 can be valuable tools for investigating physiological workload, not only under laboratory conditions but also under normal working conditions in the field. Both in terms of absolute and relative HR and oxygen consumption, employment as a refuse collector should be classified in the upper range of defined heavy work. The limit of heavy work at about 33 % of the individual maximum load at continuous work should be reviewed.

L’environnement dans le travail et dans les esprits des agents de propreté urbaine : entre contrainte et motivation

Cet article expose les consequences de la prise en compte environnementale pour deux « petits metiers » que sont celui d’eboueur et de balayeur. Les enjeux ecologiques ont bouleverse les missions des agents de proprete urbaine, d’autant plus que tous n’ont pas la meme sensibilite ecologique et ne parviennent pas forcement a s’inscrire dans cette demarche « verte ». Cela etant, certains eboueurs, certains balayeurs se sont reellement approprie ce role environnemental, ce qui leur a permis d’ajouter une motivation et les a aides in fine a « tenir le coup » dans ces metiers devalorises.

The use of ethnography to explore meanings that refuse collectors attach to their work

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to detail how the ethnographic approach can be usefully adopted in the context of researching dirty or undesirable work. Drawing on a study of refuse collectors, it shows how ethnography can enable a fuller social articulation of the experiences and meanings of a social group where conventional narrative disclosure and linguistic expression may be insufficient. Design/methodology/approach – Viewing ethnography as no one particular method, but rather a style of research that is distinguished by its objectives to understand the social meanings and activities of people in a given “field” or setting, this paper highlights aspects of reproductive and “dirty” work which may be hidden or difficult to reveal. Combining the methods of participant observation, photographic representation and interviews, we add to an understanding of dirty work and how it is encountered. We draw on Willis and Trondman's (2002) three distinguishing characteristics namely, recognition of theory, ...

Respiratory symptoms among municipal waste workers in the Gambia: types of solid waste and working conditions

This study evaluated the prevalence of major respiratory symptoms (RS) among waste workers in Kanifing, a major metropolis in the Gambia, and assessed the relationship between work-related factors and the prevalence of specific RS. Here 116 waste workers were recruited to participate in the study, dividing the participants into three groups according to job function: refuse collectors, field supervisors, and drivers. A slightly modified version of the British Medical Research Council's questionnaire on RS was used to interview participants. Data were analyzed with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences software (version 18.0).The prevalence of RS in the three groups of waste workers was as follows: 22.2% of field supervisors reported persistent cough, as did 36.4% of drivers, and 83.8% of refuse collectors. Phlegm production was 44.4% among field supervisors, 81.8% among drivers, and 83.8% among refuse collectors. Among field supervisors, 11.1% reported having shortness of breath; the figure for drivers was 30.3%, and for refuse collectors, it was 40.5%. The prevalence of wheezing was 11.1% among field supervisors, 21.2% among drivers, and 27.0% among refuse collectors. Post hoc Scheffe analysis revealed a significant mean difference in the prevalence of persistent cough among refuse collectors compared with field supervisors and drivers (p < 0.05). Multiple regression analysis shows that factors such as exposure to dust, nonuse of respiratory protective devices, history of asthma, and contact with waste are all significant predictors of the prevalence of RS (p < 0.05). A majority of waste workers experienced RS. Prevalence was higher among refuse collectors compared with field supervisors and drivers. Specific work-related factors significantly affected RS in waste workers.

OCENA OBCIĄŻENIA UKŁADU RUCHU U ŁADOWACZY NIECZYSTOŚCI STAŁYCH

The aim of this work was to assess the load on the musculoskeletal system and its effects in the collectors of solid refuse. The rationale behind this study was to formulate proposals how to reduce excessive musculoskeletal load in this group of workers. The study group comprised 15 refuse collectors aged 25 to 50 years. Data about the workplace characteristics and subjective complaints of workers were collected by the free interview and questionnaire. During the survey the photorecording of the workpostures, the distance and velocity by GPS recorders, measurements of forces necessary to move containers, energy expenditure (lung ventilation method), workload estimation using the Firstbeat system and REBA method and stadiometry were done. The distance walked daily by the collectors operating in terms of 2 to 3 in urban areas was about 15 km, and in rural areas about 18 km. The most frequent musculoskeletal complaints concerned the feet (60% subjects), knees, wrists and shoulders (over 40% subjects). After work-shift all examined workers had vertebral column shorter by 10 to 14 mm (11.4 mm mean). The results of our study show that the refuse collectors are subjected to a very high physical load because of the work organization and the way it is performed. To avoid adverse health effects and overload it is necessary to undertake ergonomic interventions, involving training of workers to improve the way of their job performance, active and passive leisure, technical control of the equipment and refuse containers, as well as the renegotiation of contracts with clients, especially those concerning non-standard containers.

FYCO1 gets autophagy on track

A newly discovered protein helps clean up cellular trash, [Pankiv et al.][1] show. The protein attaches cytoplasmic refuse collectors to cargo-hauling motors. ![Figure][2] FYCO1 (green) and LC3 (red) occur together on the rim of autophagosomes (right). Autophagy allows cells to dispose of

Effect of job rotation on need for recovery, musculoskeletal complaints, and sick leave due to musculoskeletal complaints: A prospective study among refuse collectors

Job rotation might be an effective preventive measure to reduce the prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints, although its effect has not been yet established. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the effect of job rotation in refuse collecting on need for recovery, prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints, and sick leave due to musculoskeletal complaints. A 1-year prospective study among refuse collectors was performed, using standardized questionnaires. Job rotation was performed between collecting two-wheeled containers and driving a refuse truck. The experimental groups of rotating refuse collectors at t(0) and t(1) (group R-R) and non-rotating refuse collectors at t(0) and rotating refuse collectors at t(1) (group NR-R) were compared with a reference group of non-rotating refuse collectors at t(0) and t(1) (group NR-NR). The adjusted need for recovery of group R-R was marginally significantly lower than need for recovery of the reference group. Groups R-R and NR-R had a more than two times higher risk for complaints of the low back than the reference group. No other significant results were found. Job rotation seemed to coincide with a reduced need for recovery and was associated with an increased risk of low back complaints. No effects were found on sick leave due to musculoskeletal complaints. The results might be influenced by the healthy worker selection effect in the reference group and its inverse in the rotating groups.

Preventive measures to reduce bioaerosol exposure during refuse collection: Results of field studies in the real-life situation

The aim of the present research project was to investigate and evaluate technical and organisational measures targeted at bioaerosol reduction during the refuse collection and to determine the exposure of refuse collectors to dust, fungi and endotoxins in an on-the-job situation with different vehicle technologies and states of hygiene. The following technical factors were found to influence the bioaerosol concentration at the refuse collector's workplace: compaction method, lifting device control, rave rail height, hopper depth, design of intake area and dust interception. For instance, notably higher total fungal counts were recorded with rotating drum compaction than with packer plate compaction. A hinged lid closure at the lifting device in conjunction with a suction unit induced a positive effect. In addition, the automatic lifting system had a positive influence on rear-end loaders, as did loading operation control from the closed driver's cab on side loaders. Regular internal and external high-pressure cleaning of the lifting device at intervals of not more than 14 days is recommended as a basic rule for vehicle hygiene.

Outsourcing in the public refuse collection sector: Exploiting old certainties or exploring new possibilities?

An outsourcing process in a medium-size city, by Norwegian standards, provided the background for our study. In 1996, the city council decided to contract out the refuse collection in half of its total area (the western part of the city), and to let the public refuse collection enterprise continue to collect in the other half of the area. The public enterprise also participated in the competitive tender, without success, however. The bid submitted by the public refuse collection enterprise was used as the basis for a benchmarking process performed by the chief administrative officer of the city in May 1999. The process resulted in the requirement that the public enterprise downsize its number of refuse collectors by 27 per cent. The city thus acquired a more cost-effective refuse collection system both in the western part, now run by a private company, and in the rest of the city, where the collection remained the responsibility of the public enterprise, in its newly pared-down and reorganized version. Detectable changes in the refuse collectors' health status in the three-year period immediately following the outsourcing constitute our main focus in this study. We found that the downsizing and reorganization of the public enterprise had a negative impact on the refuse collectors' health status. One year after the downsizing, six of the 27 refuse collectors remaining in the public enterprise had been diagnosed with heart problems or musculoskeletal pains that were sufficiently serious to form the basis of their individual approaches to secure a disability pension, which all six were in the process of acquiring. The registered sick leave among the refuse collectors showed a dramatic increase during the same period. We found clear indications that the refuse collectors remaining in the employment of the public enterprise had no alternatives in the labour market. Although not the focus of this study, we found that the totality of costs and benefits, not only for the enterprise in question, but also for local and national authorities, needs to be considered in any realistic assessment of the impact of public sector outsourcing of activities.

Effect of Job Rotation on Work Demands, Workload, and Recovery of Refuse Truck Drivers and Collectors

Job rotation is often advocated to reduce workload, but its efficacy has seldom been investigated. The aim of this study is to compare the work demands, workload, and recovery among truck driving, refuse collecting, and rotating between these two jobs, between days and during the day. Three teams of 3 employees each participated in this study. Work demands were assessed by systematic observation of tasks and activities. Workload was quantified by means of heart rate, oxygen uptake, subjective ratings, and urinary excretion rates of catecholamines. Recovery was quantified by excretion rates of catecholamines after work. Job rotation between driving and collecting is an effective measure to reduce physical workload as compared with collecting only and to decrease mental workload as compared with driving only. However, job rotation resulted in increased physical workload as compared with driving only. Job rotation did not increase mental workload as compared with collecting only. No effects were seen on recovery. No differences were found between rotating between days and during the day. Actual or potential applications of this research include the recommendation that before job rotation is introduced, its efficacy be determined in terms of well-chosen workload measures because a reduction in work demands does not directly imply a reduction in workload. Therefore, job rotation might be less effective than expected.