Solid Waste Collectors Research Articles

INSEGURANÇA ALIMENTAR E NUTRICIONAL E FATORES DE RISCO PARA DOENÇAS CRÔNICAS NÃO TRANSMISSÍVEIS EM CATADORES DE RESÍDUOS SÓLIDOS

Estudos têm demonstrado uma relação entre a situação de insegurança alimentar e nutricional com doenças crônicas não transmissíveis (DCNT), destacando que carências nutricionais e fome não são as únicas formas de expressão dessa condição. Desta forma, objetivou-se avaliar a ocorrência de insegurança alimentar e nutricional e os fatores de risco para desenvolvimento de DCNT em catadores de resíduos sólidos em um município do interior cearense. Realizou-se estudo transversal com 32 trabalhadores, com idades de 20 a 66 anos. Aplicou-se um questionário estruturado contendo dados de identificação, socioeconômicos, dietéticos e antropométricos. A insegurança alimentar e nutricional foi avaliada por meio da Escala Brasileira de Insegurança Alimentar (EBIA). Observou-se insegurança alimentar e nutricional em 100% da amostra, baixa escolaridade (78,12%) e baixa renda (87,5%), prevalência de sobrepeso (25,0%) e obesidade (31,26%) e insuficiente consumo de frutas, verduras e hortaliças. A proporção de insegurança alimentar moderada e grave foi alta, e os trabalhadores apresentaram fatores de risco para o desencadeamento de DCNT.DOI: 10.12957/demetra.2018.34088

Perfil laboral e exposição ocupacional de cantoneiros de recolha de resíduos sólidos de um município do Brasil

Perfil laboral e exposição ocupacional de cantoneiros de recolha de resíduos sólidos de um município do Brasil

Occupational Health Hazard Among Waste Collectors of Bhopal City

Background: The manpower which collects waste from urban localities to dumping or disposal site is exposed to a number of health hazards which are of physical chemical and biological nature. The waste collectors have the seventh most dangerous job in the world. The working conditions of waste collectors are very poor and are violation of human rights. Objectives: 1. To Identify health problems in solid waste collectors of Zone-2 (old city) of Bhopal 2. To Educate them about their occupational hazards and measures to prevent them 3. To sensitize the municipal authorities about their problems and the need for provision of safety devices and measures 4. To assess the increase in the use of safety devices and measures Material and Methods: All workers of zone-2 Bhopal were called for health checkup and health education at the Urban Health and Training Centre of the Department of Community Medicine, Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal. Health check up was done to access their health problems. Data regarding their knowledge, attitude and practices about occupational health hazards was using a semi-structured questionnaire. Thereafter, they were given health education about the hazards of their occupation and measures to prevent them. The results of the study were communicated to the municipal authorities for appropriate action. Results: The mean age of the study subjects was 35 years. All of them denied using protective devices like boots and gloves during waste collection. The morbidities observed were injuries, injuries with sharp (41%), dermatological problems (15%), Arthritis (10%), abdominal pain and loose motions (8%) snake bite (1.6%), others such as high BP, diabetes (13%) and none (11%). The knowledge and attitude of the workers regarding their health problems was poor. Conclusion: Injuries were the most common morbidity among waste collectors. None of them were provided with any protective devices. The knowledge and attitude of workers about prevention of occupational health hazards was poor. There is a need to raise awareness about their problems among the municipal authorities and the public.

Knowledge on occupational health hazard and safety practices among the municipal solid waste handler

Background: All over the world nearly 860,000 people are injured every day and 2.3 million deaths occur annually due to occupational accidents and work-related diseases.There are limited studies that specifically determine the knowledge of waste handlers on occupational health problems and associated factors of occupational health problems and injuries in waste handlersin context of Nepal. Therefore, this studyaimed to assess the knowledge of waste handlers on occupational health and safety practices and its association with utilization of PPEs along with the condition of occupational health problems and injuries and factors associated with them among the waste handlers of Kathmandu Metropolitan City.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted among selected 355 solid waste collectors by using semi-structured questionnaire and observation checklist, which was completed from March 2016 to May 2016. The data was entered into SPSS 20 version for analysis and a chi-square test was performed to see the presence of the association between the dependent and selected independent variables.Results: Among total respondents (355) surveyed 51.5% had got knowledge on occupational health hazard, 16.1 % had got the knowledge to prevent from work-related health risks, 29% had got knowledge about PPEs and 31.5% had got knowledge about PPEs utilization. About 45.8% of the study participants had practices of the utilization of PPEs. Majority of the respondents i.e. 63.7% reported that they were suffering from occupational health problems. The evidence of the occupational health injuries was found to be low i.e. 25.4%. Similarly, variables which had significant influence on the occupational health problems were knowledge on occupational health hazard (p=0.016), work experience (p=0.021), health checkup (p=0.042) and for the occupational health injuries were monthly income(p=0.036), knowledge to prevent from health risk (p=0.001), gender (p=0.02), and knowledge of occupational health hazard (p=0.011), work experience (p= 0.025), work type (p=0.001), knowledge on PPEs ( p=0.034) and knowledge on work-related health risks (p= 0.027).Conclusion: Based on this study, its recommended to improve occupational health and safety practices. Awareness programs need to be focused to increase the knowledge on Occupational health hazards and safety practices to improve the utilization of PPEs..Journal of Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health SciencesVol. 3, No. 1, 2017, page: 56-72

Simulation of municipal solid waste route optimization by Dijkstra’s algorithm

This study simulated the routes of a municipal solid waste collection by a mathematical model of Dijkstra’s Algorithm. Its aim was to achieve route optimization by shortening the distance travelled by the municipal solid waste collectors. The waste collectors usually face difficulties in selecting the most cost-efficient routes to collect wastes due to the presence of multiple collection points. It is observed that unsystematic collection route planner travelled by the waste collectors increases the time and cost of waste management. Thus, to reduce the time and cost of collection, it was hypothesized that the routes taken by the waste collectors be shortened to optimize the cost-effectiveness. This study again hypothesized that employing a mathematical model of Dijkstra’s Algorithm would be able to demonstrate the route optimization. Keywords: collection routes; Dijkstra’s Algorithm; municipal solid waste; route optimization; urban area

Individual, physical, and organizational risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders among municipality solid waste collectors in Shiraz, Iran.

In Iran-Shiraz, municipal solid waste is collected manually requiring strenuous physical activities. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence rate of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and its associated risk factors. Two hundred male waste collectors participated in this cross-sectional study, in which task analysis followed by motion and timeline analysis were performed. The data were collected using demographic, occupation-specific physical and organizational demands, and Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaires. Logistic regression analysis was used for identifying independent risk factors for MSDs. Ten motions observed during waste collection, and the most physical and organizational demands were related to the running along with bag carriage, and the time pressure, respectively. About 39% and 36.5% of the workers reported very high physical and psychological workloads, respectively. Totally, 92.5% of waste collectors reported MSDs symptom at least in one body region during the last 12 months. Lower back and knee injuries were more prevalent and more severe. Some individual factors (age, body weight, and waste collecting duration), physical demands (lifting bag/bucket, pulling/pushing waste container, walking along with bag/bucket carriage, and jumping up/down on the garbage truck), and organizational demands (low vacation and high decision authority) were the most important risk factors for developing MSDs.

Micronuclei and other nuclear anomalies in exfoliated buccal cells of urban solid waste collectors and recyclers in southern Brazil

Workers involved in urban solid waste collection may be exposed to various environmental contaminants, including chemical pollutants, which might be mutagenic and increase the risk of diseases such as cancer. Evaluation of DNA damage in workers in this field are still scarce. This study aims to evaluate mutagenic and cytotoxic effects in workers involved in the collection and segregation of urban solid waste generated in southern Brazil. Municipal solid waste collectors were recruited in two municipalities of the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The control group was composed of workers of the education and commerce areas, with no exposure to known genotoxic agents. Slides of exfoliated buccal cells were analyzed to estimate the frequency of micronuclei (MN) as well as other nuclear abnormalities, such as broken-egg/bud, binucleation and karyorrhexis. The analyses of 44 workers and 45 control subjects have shown that the frequencies of MN, binucleated cells and karyorrhexis in the exposed workers were significantly higher than in the control group. In the exposed group, frequencies of MN and binucleated cells showed a significant positive correlation. The other cytogenetic parameters were not correlated among each other or with age and exposure time. These results indicate that the workers involved in urban solid waste collection are exposed to mutagenic and cytotoxic agents.

Recicladores/as de histórias, catadores/as de sorrisos

O artigo tem por objetivo compartilhar a experiência da organização de uma exposição fotográfica realizada com catadores/as de resíduos sólidos da Região Metropolitana de Porto Alegre, RS. As pessoas em geral não conhecem o trabalho realizado pelo catador/a e também não associa a sua atividade como algo digno, que gere renda e que possibilite qualidade de vida e inclusão social. Os/As catadores/as são sujeitos invisibilizados pela sociedade e estigmatizados pelo trabalho que realizam com o ‘lixo’. Para a organização da exposição, convidou-se um fotógrafo voluntário que registrou o trabalho realizado em quatro cooperativas de reciclagem pós-consumo. Com as imagens selecionadas pela equipe a exposição foi constituída. O sucesso com o público, evidenciado por meio do número e da reação dos visitantes, da aprovação dos/as catadores/as, bem como a sua apresentação em diversos espaços como empresas, escolas e eventos, podem ser indicativos do resultado positivo da exposição.

English

Respiratory symptoms are frequently manifested among solid waste collectors. They are suffering from respiratory diseases because of frequent exposure to waste materials containing pathogenic materials and chemicals hazards for human being. Cross-sectional study was carried out to assess prevalence of respiratory symptoms and associated factors among solid waste workers  in Yeka sub city, Addis Ababa from March to April, 2016. The sub city has a total of 13 woredas. All woredas had different number of unions organized under small scale enterprises. Thirty eight micro and small enterprise unions from all woredas were selected randomly. Study subjects were taken from selected enterprise consecutively. Observational checklist and structured questionnaire were used to collect data associated with respiratory symptoms. Binary logistic regression was performed to identify the risk factors associated with respiratory symptoms; p-values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. The overall prevalence of respiratory symptoms among solid waste collectors in Yeka sub city was 40.7%. Multivariate analysis revealed that respiratory symptoms prevalence was 2 times less likely among individuals use facemask on job (adjusted odd ratio [AOR] 2, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.1-4). The prevalence of respiratory symptom was 2.6 times more likely among individuals having sleeping disorder (AOR 2.6, 95% CI: 1.5-4.42). The prevalence of respiratory symptoms was 4.8 times more likely among study subjects who had past illness (AOR 4.8, 95% CI: 3.2-7.22). Respiratory symptoms among solid waste collectors were high. So, individuals participating in collecting solid west should use facemask, while collecting the wastes, municipal should change working hours and individuals who had history of past illness should get health information during enrollment.   Key words: Respiratory symptoms, solid waste, solid waste collectors.

Cytogenetic Biomonitoring in Buccal Mucosal Cells from Municipal Solid Waste Collectors

Waste collectors collect, transport, and process the garbage produced by people living in the city. Nowadays, this activity requires special attention due to the environmental impact of garbage and its potential consequences on human health. The aim of this study was to evaluate potential cytotoxic and mutagenic effects of garbage collection on waste collectors. For this purpose, a total of 47 male waste collectors aged from 24 to 53 years were included in the experimental group. A total of 30 men matched by age were used as the control group. Cytotoxicity and mutagenicity were analyzed by micronucleus test in buccal mucosaI cells. No statistically significant difference (p>0.05) in the frequency of micronuclei was detected in the waste collectors when compared to controls. Nevertheless, higher frequencies of karyolysis and pyknosis (p<0.05) were detected in buccal mucosaI cells from waste collectors when compared to matched controls. Taken together, our results indicate that waste collectors comprise an at-risk group as a result of increased cytotoxicity apparent from buccal mucosa cells.

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.

Cooperativismo e Economia Solidária: a constituição de uma Cooperativa de Catadores de Resíduos Sólidos em São Joaquim (SC)

Este artigo tem por objetivo analisar as percepcoes de sujeitos envolvidos na constituicao de uma cooperativa de trabalho de catadores de residuos solidos do municipio de Sao Joaquim, SC. O trabalho foi realizado por integrantes da Incubadora Tecnologica de Cooperativas Populares da Universidade do Planalto Catarinense (ITCP/Uniplac), programa permanente de extensao, cuja missao e incubar e oferecer apoio tecnico a Empreendimentos Economicos Solidarios (EES) existentes ou que vierem a luz na regiao do Planalto Catarinense. Esta pesquisa de abordagem qualitativa e uma pesquisa de campo que coletou dados por meio de entrevistas semiestruturadas feitas com tres catadores e tres parceiros apoiadores; destes ultimos, um e representante do poder publico local e os outros dois, parceiros que atuam no Consorcio Intermunicipal da Serra Catarinense (CISAMA). Os resultados alcancados indicam o papel fundamental do poder publico e da base juridica para a formacao da cooperativa; o dificil contexto dos catadores e as dificuldades que permeiam a formacao da cooperativa; a importância das entidades de apoio neste processo; e a compreensao da cooperativa como um trabalho coletivo democratico. Palavras-chave : cooperativa, catadores de residuos solidos, Economia Solidaria.

Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Practices Among Solid Waste Collectors in Lideta Sub-city on Prevention of Occupational Health Hazards, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Municipal solid waste workers are exposed to a number of pathogens (bacteria, fungi, viruses, parasites and cysts), toxic substances, chemicals that come from the waste itself and from its decomposition. While standards and norms for handling municipal solid waste in industrialized countries have reduced occupational and environmental impacts significantly, the risk levels are still very high in most developing countries including Ethiopia because of inadequate understanding of the magnitude of the problem. Despite the severity of occupational health hazards encounter by solid waste collectors their provision, knowledge and usage of personnel protective equipment is low and there is no adequate and credible evidence on occupational health risks of solid waste collectors in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study was aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices of solid waste collectors towards prevention of occupational health hazards in Lideta sub-city in Ethiopia. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among four hundred six solid waste collectors for this work. The data was collected by using semi-structured questionnaire and observational checklist, which was completed from December 2014 to February 2015. The data was entered into epi info version 3.5.1 and exported to SPSS 20 version for analysis. Multiple logistic regression analysis had been performed. Adjusted odds ratio with confidence interval had been computed to see the presence of association between the dependent and selected independent variables. The results on this finding were reported using different descriptive statistics. The response rate of this study was 94.8%. Female respondents accounted 69.7%. The mean age of the study subjects was 35 years, which varied from 17 to 65 years. About 60.8% of the study participants had satisfactory knowledge on preventing occupational health risks associated with solid waste handling. Most (75.9%) of the solid waste collectors had favorable attitude while only 37.2% of them had safe practice on preventing occupational health hazards. As compared to workers who were satisfied on their job, odds of having safe occupational health practice were 2.8 higher (AOR = 2.8, 95% CI: 1.84 - 4.26). The knowledge and attitudes of workers about prevention of occupational health hazards were moderate but the magnitude of having safe occupational health practice was very low. So, implementation of basic occupational health services with provision of personal protective equipment’s and supervising waste handlers on appropriate utilization is advisable.

More inclusive and cleaner cities with waste management co-production: Insights from participatory epistemologies and methods

With over half of the world's population living in cities, and with rising consumption, the generation of solid waste has become a ubiquitous and serious problem in urban agglomerations. City administrations are facing social, cultural, environmental, and economic challenges when planning solid waste solutions. The paper discusses the participatory epistemology and methodology experience resulting from inclusive solid waste management in Brazil. In the global South countless informal and organized solid waste collectors are engaged in resource recovery, classification of discarded waste, and redirection of recyclables towards the recycling sector. Their work is mostly unrecognized and the service is not remunerated. Governmental support to include recycling cooperatives in selective waste collection varies significantly in scope and quality. In theory, the Brazilian solid waste management legislation supports recycling cooperatives and promotes avoidance, reuse, and recycling as a primary solution tackling waste. In praxis, however, many challenges towards inclusive resource recovery and awareness building about waste avoidance and diversion are yet to be overcome. Action-oriented, participatory qualitative research, conducted with recycling cooperatives and local governments in the metropolitan region of São Paulo, has revealed some of the environmental and social contributions, as well as challenges arising in planning, policy design, and implementation of waste management. The research applies a feminist and post-colonial theoretical lense and demonstrates a wealth of knowledge co-generation on waste management. The participatory method underlines important social aspects to consider in planning and policy design for inclusive waste management. The final conclusion of this paper is that selective household waste collection with recycling cooperatives creates unique opportunities to build more inclusive and cleaner cities.

Informal Collection of Household Solid Waste in Three Towns of Anambra State, Nigeria

Abstract Management of urban solid waste implies the collection, transfer, treatment recycle, reuse and disposal of such waste. Collection of urban household solid waste traditionally rests with government agencies designated with such responsibility. Solid waste collection begins from storage at the household level to the final treatment or disposal point and represents the most important aspect of urban solid waste management. Little has however been written on urban household solid waste collection in Nigeria. Using empirical data from three urban areas of Anambra State, Nigeria, the paper examines the place of informal private solid waste collectors in household solid waste collection. The ANOVA technique is used to test the null hypothesis that the sample means of the distance to designated community/street solid waste collection containers in the residential neighbourhoods of the three towns are equal. We conclude on household patronage of informal private solid waste collectors as against government provided community/street collection containers in the areas studied.

Assessment of occupational injuries among Addis Ababa city municipal solid waste collectors: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundCollection of household waste is a job which requires repeated heavy physical activities such as lifting, carrying, pulling, and pushing. Like many developing countries, in Ethiopia municipal solid waste is collected manually. Therefore, this study is aimed to assess the extent of occupational injuries and associated factors among solid waste collectors in Addis Ababa City.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among 876 respondents sampled from 92 unions. A pre-tested structured questionnaire and observation check list were used to collect data. Crude odds ratio with 95% CI was computed to see the presence of association between selected independent variables and occupational injury. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was made to see the relative effect of independent variable on the dependent variable by controlling the effect of other variables. To maintain stability, only variables that have a p-value less than 0.30 in the binary logistic regression analysis were kept in the subsequent model. Enter method was used hierarchically.ResultsThe response rate of this study was 97.9%. Female respondents accounted 71.2%. The median age of the study subjects was 33 year (with 52 inter quartile range). The overall occupational injury prevalence rate in the last 12 months was 383 (43.7%). Utilization of personal protective devices and family size in the household were statistically associated with injury. As compared to workers who used personal protective equipments while being on duty, odds of injury among workers not used personal protective equipments were 2.62 higher (AOR = 2.62, 95% CI: 1.48-4.63). As compared to those who had five and more children, odds of injuries among those who had 3-4 children was reduced by half (AOR = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.30-0.93).ConclusionThe extent of occupational injuries among Addis Ababa city solid waste collectors is present in a level that needs immediate public health action. Implementation of basic occupational health and safety services including training on occupational health and safety, ensuring the provision and use of personal protective devices are highly advisable.

Osteomuscular disorders and associated factors among solid waste collectors of two middle-sized cities from the South of Brazil

JUSTIFICATIVA E OBJETIVOS: Os coletores de lixo estão constantemente expostos a alta exigência física e condições ergonômicas precárias no trabalho. O objetivo deste estudo foi verificar a prevalência de distúrbios osteomusculares e fatores associados em coletores de lixo de duas cidades de porte médio do sul do Brasil. MÉTODOS: Este estudo caracterizou-se como observacional transversal do tipo censo. A população foi composta por todos os coletores de lixo das cidades de Pelotas e Rio Grande, RS. A coleta de dados foi realizada por meio de um questionário contendo questões relativas a variáveis sociodemográficas, econômicas, nutricionais e comportamentais. A prevalência de distúrbios osteomusculares foi avaliada através do Questionário Nórdico de Sintomas Osteomusculares. RESULTADOS: Foram entrevistados todos os 127 coletores de lixo. A prevalência de distúrbios osteomusculares nos últimos 12 meses foi de 88,2%. Dentre os trabalhadores acometidos, 94,5% não apresentavam qualquer dor antes de exercerem a atividade de coleta de lixo. As regiões do corpo mais acometidas foram pernas, joelhos e coluna lombar, respectivamente. Após análise multivariável apenas o índice de massa corpórea permaneceu associado aos distúrbios osteomusculares. CONCLUSÃO: A prevalência de sintomas osteomusculares entre coletores de lixo do sul do Brasil é alta. Estratégias adequadas de prevenção são necessárias.

Possible Health Danger Associated With Gabbage/Refuse Collectors

Wastes collectors refer to group of people who collects solid waste generated in various areas for disposal at designated locations. The service is usually provided by responsible contractors assigned to schedule areas. In advanced nations such as Europe and the USA, automated trucks are used in collection and disposal of waste using hydraulic lifts. The opposite is applied in developing countries such as Malaysia. Wastes collectors in the study area are manually collecting the waste before lifting it on the operational trucks. Manual waste collection service is associated with health danger. The workers are exposed to odors, and they can dirty their cloths easily as result of non-usage of protective gears. Other health danger includes injuries from broken glasses, musculoskeletal disorder and diseases that accompany solid waste. The aim of this project was to determine whether the workers are exposed to the work practices, injuries, musculoskeletal disorder and other danger faced by Malaysian refused collectors in carrying out their responsibilities. The sample for the study constituted thirty (30) solid waste collectors selected through convenient sampling technique. Data for the study was collected through a structured questionnaire on Malaysian refused collectors and visual observation. Responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results revealed that out of the total respondents 56.6% disagreed and strongly disagreed that collectors always make use of their protective material at work, 10% were neutral while 33.3% agreed and strongly agreed. This implied that majority of the collectors have no access to personal protective equipment which is contrary to OSHA requirements. The study therefore concludes that solid waste collectors experienced different types of preventable dangers inherent in their duty due to their work practice.

Respiratory Disorders Among Municipal Solid Waste Collectors in Mansoura, Egypt: A Comparative Study

ABSTRACT This research assessed the prevalence of respiratory complaints and the occupational risk factors among municipal solid waste (MSW) collectors. A comparative study was conducted upon MSW collectors in Western Municipality of Mansoura. Sociodemographic and occupational data were collected. Clinical examination and respiratory function measurements were performed. The prevalence of respiratory complaints during the past 12 months was higher among MSW collectors than the service worker group. Older age, cigarette smoking, and longer duration of employment were independently associated with impaired FEV1 (OR = 0.22, 7.2, 0.09, respectively). Older age group of collectors was independently associated with impaired FVC (OR = 0.34). Longer duration of employment was independently associated with impaired FEV1/ FVC (OR = 0.09). Respiratory complaints were prevalent among MSW collectors due to lack of engineering, medical and legislative measures.

Neck, Wrist and Back Pain Among Solid Waste Collectors: Case Study of a Ghanaian Waste Management Company

Prevalence of Neck Wrist and Back pain (NWBP) among solid waste collectors (SWCs) of Zoom Lion Com- pany (ZL) is 44.7%, 48.2% and 73.5% respectively, irrespective of pre-existing periodic pains. It was established that 42/340 (12.4%) SWCs of ZL had neck pain before joining ZL, whilst 298/340 (87.6%) developed neck pain after joining ZL (P-value = 0.001). Again, 32/340 (9.4%) had wrist pain before joining ZL, whilst 308/340 (90.6%) developed wrist pain after joining ZL (P-value = 0.000). Finally, SWCs who had back pain before joining ZL were 71/340 (20.9%) whilst 269/340 (79.1%) developed back pain after joining ZL (P-value = 0.000). These outcomes indicate that SWCs are predis- posed to such NWBPs. Zoom Lion, needs to conduct periodic health checks of their staff to determine the degree of NWBPs experienced by their workers and help to relieve the workers of the economic burden of managing the pain.