Waste Collection Workers Research Articles

To assess the effectiveness of self-instructional module on knowledge regarding occupational health hazards among waste collection workers at Kalaburagi

To assess the effectiveness of self-instructional module on knowledge regarding occupational health hazards among waste collection workers at Kalaburagi

Occupational injuries and health-seeking behavior of informal sector waste collection workers in Nellore, India

Abstract Introduction: Waste collection workers are exposed to occupational injuries at every step in the process of waste collection and disposal, from the point of collection at homes, during transportation, and at the sites of recycling or disposal. This study was undertaken to assess the prevalence of injuries among municipal waste collection workers and their health-seeking behavior for the injuries. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 422 workers from randomly selected 20 wards in four zones of Nellore. The information regarding sociodemographic, occupational, and injury characteristics were collected using a pre-tested questionnaire by conducting a face-to-face interview with each of the study participants. Results: Two hundred and four (48.3%) workers suffered from injury in the past 12 months. A shorter duration of the job, a lack of safety training, and a lack of awareness about the risk of injury on the job were significantly associated with the occurrence of injuries. The health-seeking behavior was found to be poor, with only 40.7% of those who suffered injury and 30.6% of overall workers preferring to approach any health-care facility for the treatment of wounds. Conclusion: The informal sector waste collection workers are at risk of injuries while pursuing their occupation. The health seeking behavior was found to be poor among them.

Fatal injuries associated with rear step riding among municipal solid waste collection workers (United States, 1984-2020).

United States solid waste workers suffer a high fatal injury rate due to their frequent exposures to refuse-vehicle-related hazards. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) allows workers to ride on the rear steps of a garbage truck (exterior riding) if employers abide by American National Standard Z245.1 (ANSI Z245.1). The State of California (CA) has banned exterior riding since 1984, and the City of New York (NYC) has implemented its own initiatives to prevent exterior riding deaths. Fatal exterior riding incidents were identified from two online databases. Variables relating to deceased workers, employers, and injury circumstances were analyzed. The study identified 181 exterior riding deaths from 604 refuse-vehicle-related fatal incidents (deaths either directly caused by a refuse vehicle or one in which the victim was performing a refuse-vehicle-related task) in the United States (1984-2020). A total of 50 (27.6%) of the exterior riding deaths had no ANSI Z245.1 violations. Risk factors other than those addressed by ANSI Z245.1 contributed to these worker deaths. Exterior riding deaths identified by this study were all preventable. Temporary workers and workers in the public sector may be at higher risk for exterior riding deaths. Both CA and NYC had taken measures to prohibit the practice of exterior riding, and both had lower numbers of exterior riding deaths. ANSI Z245.1 and current OSHA enforcement policy do not address the inherent dangers of falling off a moving heavy vehicle while standing on a small and elevated platform, and are not effective in preventing fatal exterior riding incidents.

Assessment of Knowledge of Occupational Health Hazards among Formal and Informal Waste Collectors in Rivers State

Study was performed to assess the knowledge of occupational hazards and safety practices among formal and informal waste collectors in Rivers State, Nigeria. A concurrent nested mixed design method was employed for this research. 314 formal and 314 informal waste collection workers were sampled for the study using a multistage sampling technique. Data were collected using a pretested questionnaire, observational checklists, clinical, laboratory measurements and a study guide. Data analysis was done using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21 to analyze the data collected from respondents. The finding showed that majority of the organized waste collection workers had an idea about the occupational hazards they are exposed to 206 (65.6%) compared to the informal waste collection workers 93 (29.6%) and the difference was statistically significant with p=0.001. This implies that only a few formal waste collectors and a little over ten percent of the informal waste collectors were seen to possess a poor knowledge of the occupational hazards in Rivers State. The poor knowledge and practice of safety precautions among formal and informal waste collectors in Rivers State would most likely expose the handlers to avoidable health problems. Though more than half of both formal and informal waste collectors had good knowledge about the occupational hazards and safety measures required for their job type. This finding is in consonance with the findings of [1,2]. More formal waste collectors possessed good knowledge of the occupational hazards associated with waste collection in Rivers State compared to the informal waste collectors. periodic training and retraining programs, including risk communication should be done by responsible waste management agencies for the formal waste collectors and by the government for the informal waste collectors, to improve the knowledge level of waste collectors in the state

Work-Related and Behavioral Characteristics of Formal and Informal Waste Collectors in Rivers State, Nigeria

The study assessed the work-related and behavioral characteristics of formal and informal waste collectors in Rivers State, Nigeria. A cross-sectional design was employed for this study. 314 formal and 314 informal waste collection workers were sampled for the study using a multistage sampling technique. Data were collected using a self-designed pretested questionnaire, observational checklists, clinical, laboratory measurements and a study guide. Data analysis was done using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21 to analyze the data collected from respondents. The finding shows that at p = 0.05, the calculated chi-square value of 455.661 with the degree of freedom 92 was more than the critical chi-square value of 115.390. Thus, the null hypothesis is rejected and the alternative hypothesis is accepted, which states a significant difference in the work-related and behavioral characteristics among formal and informal waste collectors in Rivers State. However, training and retraining the informal waste collectors, enforcing personal protective equipment, and counselling on using hard drugs will go a long way in arresting their poor behavior.

Occupational Hazards and Preventive Measures Among Waste Collection Workers

Waste collection is a necessary activity all around the world. Fortunately for the health and living conditions of inhabitants, waste collection workers risk to disease resulting from exposure to various work hazards fatal and non-fatal occupational accidents. The aim of the study is to assess the occupational hazards and preventive measures among waste collection workers (WCWs) through :a) Assessing the WCWs knowledge regarding hazards of waste collection; b) Determining the WCWs knowledge regarding health related preventive measures; c) Determining the knowledge of the WCWs knowledge regarding health related preventive measures; and d) Identify the community health services provided for the WCWs .

An Occupational Health Program for Waste Collection Workers

Context: Waste collection is necessary worldwide for inhabitants' health and living conditions. Waste collection workers are at risk of disease from exposure to various work hazards and fatal and nonfatal occupational accidents.
 Aim: Evaluate the effect of an occupational health program on waste collection workers' knowledge and practices.
 Methods: A quasi-experimental (pre and post-test) design was used. All five zones of the Suez Governorate were recruited for the data collected through the General Authority for Cleanliness and Beauty (GACB). A purposive sample of 95 formal waste collection workers conveniently participated in this study. Two tools were used for the assessment of knowledge and practices. An interview questionnaire was used to collect data regarding the waste collection workers’ demographic data, work characteristics, medical history, and habits. It also assesses the knowledge of the waste collection workers regarding occupational health safety. A reported practice checklist was used to assess the waste collection workers’ practices regarding safe waste collection practices.
 Results: The present study reveals that all the study sample was males, with a mean age of 38.76±5.13, 51.6% can read and write, had a mean year in occupation of 10.59±4.84, and had no training. 92.6% were previously injured during their work. The comparison of waste collection workers’ total knowledge reveals statistically significant differences between pre-and post-program at p<0.05, while total practices of the waste collection workers are unsafe in pre- and had improved post-program with statistically significant differences between pre-and post-program implementation regarding all safety practices.
 Conclusion: Based on the present study findings, waste collection workers had better knowledge and safe practices after program implementation than their pre-program levels. The ongoing occupational health program is highly needed by the waste collection workers related to hazards of waste collection and preventive measures. Scheduled medical surveillance and availability of supervision by GACB to provide protection devices and equipment are strongly recommended.

Work clothes as a vector for microorganisms: Accumulation, transport, and resuspension of microorganisms as demonstrated for waste collection workers

Work clothes may act as a vector for the transport of microorganisms leading to second-hand exposure; however, this has not been studied in work environments. We investigated whether microorganisms accumulate on workers' clothes in environments with elevated microbial exposures, and whether they are transported with the clothes and subsequently resuspended to the air. To study this, we selected waste collection workers and potential transport of bacteria and fungi to waste truck cabs via clothes, and compared the microbial communities within truck cabs, in waste collection workers' personal exposure, and on clean T-shirts worn by the workers. Microbial communities were also investigated for the presence of potentially harmful microorganisms. Results showed that microorganisms accumulated in large quantities (GM=3.69×105 CFU/m2/h for bacteria, GM=8.29×104 CFU/m2/h for fungi) on workers' clothes. The concentrations and species composition of airborne fungi in the truck cabs correlated significantly with the accumulation and composition of fungi on clothes and correlated to concentrations (a trend) and species composition of their personal exposures. The same patterns were not found for bacteria, indicating that work clothes to a lesser degree act as a vector for bacteria under waste collection workers' working conditions compared to fungi. Several pathogenic or allergenic microorganisms were present, e.g.: Klebsiella oxytoca, K. pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, Providencia rettgeri, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Aspergillus fumigatus, A. glaucus, A. nidulans, A. niger, and various Penicillium species. The potential 'take-home' exposure to these microorganisms are of most concern for immunocompromised or atopic individuals or people with open wounds or cuts. In conclusion, the large accumulation of microorganisms on workers' clothes combined with the overlap between fungal species for the different sample types, and the presence of pathogenic and allergenic microorganisms forms the basis for encouragement of good clothing hygiene during and post working hours.

Waste Management Workers’ Safety Concerns during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Ghana

Waste management is one of urgent challenges in the world. In rapidly growing cities of developing countries like Accura, Ghana, waste collection is done without sufficient protection of workers. This situation became worse when the COVID-19 pandemic began to threaten the health and safety of waste collection workers. This paper aims to examine waste management workers’ safety concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana. To better understand waste management workers’ safety concerns during the pandemic, we used the questionnaire survey. Our questionnaire survey was conducted among 60 waste management workers in Accra, the capital city of Ghana. The study then discusses how municipal waste management authorities can ensure safety of waste management workers during the pandemic. Our results showed that 58% of the respondents were worried about the COVID-19 pandemic, while 20% were not even sure of the existence of the Covid-19 pandemic. Besides their worry, we also found that about 40% of the respondents had access to face masks/shields at their workplace, and 30% had hand sanitizers. This paper highlights that providing more advanced safety protocols in terms of workers daily operations and safety measures will enable a safe working environment for the workers even in terms of future pandemics.

Accumulation of microorganisms on work clothes of workers collecting different types of waste – A feasibility study

Electrostatic dust cloths have previously been used to study microorganisms in settled dust by placing the cloths horizontally on surfaces (called Electrostatic Dust Collectors, EDC). In this study, we investigate whether the same cloths, henceforth called ‘E-Cloths’, can be used to study accumulation of microorganisms and endotoxin on workers’ clothes. This was studied as current methods have limitations. It was examined for waste collection workers, as their work environment is associated with elevated exposure to microorganisms and endotoxin. Each worker received a kit with a T-shirt with an attached E-Cloth on the front, a instruction letter, and a questionnaire. Workers wore the T-shirts during the next two workdays. Unaffected by waste type collected, it was possible to measure the accumulation of bacteria, fungi, and endotoxin from the work environment on the E-Cloths. Geometric mean concentration of 9 × 106 CFU bacteria/m2, 1 × 107 CFU fungi/m2, and 4 × 104 endotoxin units/m2 were found. In total, 100 different bacterial and 25 fungal species were found. The genus Bacillus (with 18 species) and Brevibacterium aurantiacum were among the dominating bacteria. For fungi, Penicillium brevicompactum, P. commune, Penicillium italicum, and Aspergillus niger were most often found. Importantly, mainly environmental bacteria and fungi had accumulated on the E-Cloths and only few skin-related bacterial species were present, showing that accumulation had happened from the work exposure and not workers’ skin. In conclusion, the T-shirts with an E-Cloth can be used as a self-administered method for measurement of accumulation of microorganisms and endotoxin from the work environment on waste collection workers’ clothes.

Healthcare Waste, Pandemic Covid-19: A Case of India

The present pandemic, while causing economic slowdown and global panic, also generated healthcare waste in unprecedented amounts across the globe, due to mass screenings/diagnosing/treatment. This paper aims to explore the prospects of the current and future challenges with respect to the risk to human health due to environmental contamination with the healthcare waste generated as a result of and caused by the Covid-19 pandemic in the Indian context. Peer-reviewed literature with respect to healthcare waste generation during the pandemic, its burden, challenges, and policies promulgated during the pandemic and their implications for the future was searched on various databases like PubMed, Google Scholar, and Science Direct and reviewed. Many research studies and international reports have demonstrated that the quantity of biomedical waste has increased in the times of the Covid-19 pandemic across the globe. Additionally, the danger of general waste getting contaminated has also multiplied, in part due to increased quarantine facilities and home quarantines, along with hospitals managing Covid-19 patients and also due to inadequate segregation at the point of generation of such waste, which is a major concern in itself. The occupational exposure of this increased waste to hospital and municipal waste collection workers has also increased, though World Health Organization (WHO) declines having any evidence of transmission of coronavirus while handling healthcare waste. Enough policies existed before the pandemic and few newer guidelines are also issued to address various additional aspects, which are to be implemented to manage the healthcare waste, minimize threats to the environment and human health. Cleaner, greener waste management facilities, the inclusion of bio-disaster in disaster management, the social impact of waste management policies, and waste reduction are to be prioritized.

Posture and Muscle Activity during Waste Collection Work.

The musculoskeletal load in waste collection has been examined through simulated assessment of pulling and pushing bins as well as lifting and throwing rubbish bags. With the onset of mechanization, many of these tasks do not exist and workers are faced with other loads not previously assessed. The purpose of this study was to quantify the postures and muscle activity during mechanized waste collection work. Three subtasks of mechanized waste collection were identified, namely driving, bin collection, and egress and access of the vehicle. Spinal, shoulder, and upper limb kinematics along with surface electromyography from three muscles were collected during these tasks in a typical work shift. During driving and bin collection, participants adopted a head-extended, torso forward-flexed posture with frequent rotations of the head and neck. Egress and access of the vehicle produced substantially larger ranges of movement compared with driving and bin collection. The forward-flex, sitting posture can increase the risk of low back pain if there are undulations in the terrain and if this posture is adopted for prolonged periods. The frequent head and neck rotations can increase the incidence and severity of neck pain. Prolonged driving has been linked with an increased cardiometabolic risk and egress and access has increased risk of trips and falls from a height. Managers of waste collection workers should consider implementing interventions to reduce the exposure of this important workforce to the deleterious demands of their work.

Respiratory symptoms and some related factors in waste collection workers at 2 branches in Hanoi, 2017

Objectives: Describe the current situation of respiratory symptoms in waste collection workers at 2 branches in Hanoi and some related factors, 2017 Methods: The cross-sectional study was implemented in the first 6 months of 2017. The study was performed on 796 waste collection workers at 2 branches of Hanoi Urban Environment Company Limited. The study used the American Thoracic Society and the Division of Lung Disease-1978 adult (ATS - DLD - 78a) questionnaire to collect and assess workers' respiratory symptoms. Results: Common respiratory symptoms in waste collection workers were: Cough (27.8%), phlegm (18.3%) and wheezing (15.2%). 10.8% of workers have at least one chronic respiratory symptom; 4.6% and 5.4% of workers had wheezing both day and night and wheezing to the point of difficulty breathing. The proportion of reporting respiratory symptoms in workers over 45 years old was 1.93 times that of workers younger than 45 years. Conclusions: Workers exposed to occupational hazards had a higher prevalence proportion of chronic respiratory symptoms than those who were not exposed. However, a significant association between exposure to occupational harmful factor and chronic respiratory symptoms has not been established.

A review of covid-19 disesse and Occupational Considerations

Introduction: Due to the prevalence of Covid-19 disease in the country, there is a possibility of infecting employees who provide services in different work environments. Our purpose in writing this review article is to assess and analyze studies on the nature of the disease, its causative agent, occupations at risk, and the prevention and control of Covid-19 in the workplace. Materials and Methods: In this study, intending to investigate high-risk occupations and prevent and control Covid-19 disease in the workplace, Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus databases from 2019 to 2020, and CDC, ACOEM, OSHA, CCHOS, WHO guidelines were assessed by thematic search method. Twenty-four articles and 12 instructions were selected and used in writing this article. Results: Studies have shown that many occupations, including healthcare staff, public transport staff, customs and airport staff, waste collection and disposal workers, and bathhouse staff, are at risk for this disease. Conclusion: To take effective action to control this emerging disease in the workplace and maintain the health of workers and the continuation of economic activities, first we must better understand this disease and its causative agent, and all components of society must have sufficient information about the nature of the disease, ways of transmitting the virus, and ways to prevent and control Covid-19 disease, this can be effective in reducing lost workdays, absenteeism and preventing the spread of the virus in the community.

Assessment of Waste Generation Rate in Teaching Hospitals of Metropolitan City of Pakistan

Hospital waste management is of vital significance owing to its contagious and hazardous nature as it can produce detrimental effects for both humans and the environment. This work aimed to examine types of waste with respect to waste generation rate in multiple teaching hospitals of metropolitan Lahore. A structured questionnaire survey, site visits, interviews and meetings were conducted in seventeen teaching hospitals. The results have shown that total hospitals average waste, infectious, non-infectious and waste generation rate in Lahore teaching hospitals were 38978 kg/day, 10789 kg/day, 28189 kg/day and 3.7 kg/bed/day, respectively. It is concluded that maximum waste generated in Mayo hospital, Jinnah hospital, Services hospital and Lahore general hospital was 16%, 12%, 12% and 10%, respectively, as per maximum patient’s visits. Positive liner correlation was between number of beds (P=0.917), number of accidents and emergency patients (P=0.75), infectious waste (P=0.998) and (P=1) with total waste. A straight line of linear regression was between (0.9966) infectious waste and (0.9995) general waste with average waste. Although, waste collection practices in these teaching hospitals were observed satisfactory but required training of doctors, nurses and hospital paramedical staff regarding infectious and general waste segregation. It is suggested that hospital staff, waste management and waste collection workers and respective waste management companies should be well trained and aware regarding infectious and non-infectious waste segregation, handling and disposing off procedures.

Covid-19 and Challenges of Management of Infectious Medical Waste in Nigeria: A Case of Taraba State

The outbreak and spread of covid-19 pandemic has triggered awareness in people about how vital the hospital waste management process in every single country can be. The increasing number of covid-19 infection in Nigeria is already putting increasing pressure on the healthcare systems in the country. The highly infectious nature of the coronavirus would require a complex and special protocol of handling and managing the infectious medical waste generated such as confinement (bins, bags etc.) and availability of proper storage and disposal facilities. In Nigeria, all efforts towards containing the outbreak and spread of the corona virus is directed towards establishing testing, isolation and treatment centres/facilities. Little or nothing is said about the handling and safe disposal of infectious waste generated from the management of the disease. This study has examined covid-19 and the challenges of management of infectious medical waste in Nigeria using the case of Taraba state. The study used interview and secondary materials online to generate data used in the study. The study findings reveal that the medical waste is spread out beyond hospitals. Findings from the study reveals that Jalingo the state capital has no any officially approved dumpsite in the metropolis. Also the tertiary healthcare facilities in the State has no proper safe disposal facilities of infectious medical waste at the moment. Other challenges include the various myths surrounding the reality of the covid-19 pandemic, poor enforcement of infectious medical waste guidelines and lack of political will on the part of the government. Based on the findings, the study recommends effective enforcement of the guidelines on the safe disposal of infectious, use of PPEs by all waste collection workers and creation of environmental department in every hospital to handle all infectious medical waste.

Health Literacy, Occupational Health and Safety Factors and Quality of Life of Municipal Waste Collectors in the Northeast of Thailand

Waste collectors usually expose to several occupational health and safety risks which may affect theirhealth and wellbeing. Health literacy might help reducing occupational harms. Our aims were to assessthe health statusand to determine the influence of health literacy (HL) and occupational health and safety(OHS) factors on quality of life (QOL) of local administration organization waste collectors in Thailand.This cross-sectional study was conducted among 529 participants who were recruited by using a multistagerandom sampling from local administration organizations in 4 provinces of the Northeast of Thailand. A selfadministeredstructured questionnaire was used to assess OHS factors, HL, socioeconomic status (SES) andQOL. The Generalized Linear Mixed Model (GLMM) was used to determine the association between OHS,HL and QOL when controlling for other covariates. 62.95% of the participants reports as had good healthstatus. However, 51.04% had musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), 36.37% had work related injuries and20.04% had chronic disease. Only 42.53% had adequate to excellence level of HL and the same proportionhad good QOL. The GLMM analysis indicated factors that were significantly associated with good qualityof life when controlling the effect of regions of municipal waste collectors in the Northeast of Thailand were:did not have MSDs, had adequate to excellence levels of health literacy, had low level of stress related withsocial support on work, had higher level of education, had high level of knowledge on garbage collectionwork, had low stress related with job security. Less than half of municipal waste collection workers hadgood QOL. HL, free from MSDs, knowledge about waste collection, low levels of stress on job security, andsocial support on job had influence on QOL as well as educational attainment.

Solid Waste Management System in Pabna Municipality of Bangladesh: A Case Study

The increasing quantity of solid waste is a growing environmental problem in many developing countries like Bangladesh. Solid waste is indiscriminately dumped on roadsides, near dustbins and into open drains thus leading to serious health risk and degradation of living environment for people of most cities like Pabna. This paper presents the existing solid waste management system of Pabna municipality. Primary data were collected from householders and waste workers through questionnaires and field visits to collection and disposal sites. Secondary data were collected from respective officials of conservancy department of Pabna municipality. Waste generation rate is noteworthy in Pabna municipality. About 27,478 tons of waste was generated in the year 2018 and about 45% (12,870 tons) of waste generated was collected and disposed by the Pabna Municipality Authority. Wastes are collected by the householders or waste collection workers from house to the nearest dustbins or collection sites such as New Market, Fire Service Road, Square Godown Mor, Jel Khana Mor, Mannan Miyar Goli, Khamar Bari, etc. and then transported to the disposal site Fakirpur. The rest of wastes is remained on roadsides or dustbins and into open drains indiscriminately due to shortage of manpower and waste collection and transport vehicles. These wastes are spread by scavenging birds and animals near dustbins or collection sites thus causing public health problems and environmental pollution. The waste disposal system is an open dumping, resulting water pollution, air pollution, soil pollution, noise pollution, etc. near the disposal site.

Towards a risk evaluation of workers’ exposure to handborne and airborne microbial species as exemplified with waste collection workers

Bioaerosol exposure is associated with health problems. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether it is possible to assess the risks posed by waste collection workers' exposure through identification and characterization of bacterial and fungal species, to which the workers are exposed. Using MALDI-TOF MS, microorganisms in waste collection workers' exposure through air, hand, and contact with the steering wheel were identified. Fungi found in high concentrations from the workers' exposure were characterized for the total inflammatory potential (TIP), cytotoxicity, and biofilm-forming capacity. In total, 180 different bacterial and 37 different fungal species in the workers' exposure samples were identified. Some of them belong to Risk Group 2, e.g. Escherichia coli, Klebsiella oxytoca, Staphylococcus aureus, and Aspergillus fumigatus, some have been associated with occupational health problems e.g. Penicillium citrinum and P. glabrum and some are described as emerging pathogens e.g. Aureobasidium pullulans. The TIP of fungal species was dose-dependent. High TIP values were found for Penicillium italicum, P. brevicompactum, P. citrinum, and P. glabrum. Several species were cytotoxic, e.g. A. niger and P. expansum, while some, e.g. P. chrysogenum, did not affect the cell viability. Based on waste workers’ average inhalation rate, they inhaled up to 2.3 × 104 cfu of A. niger, 7.4 × 104 cfu of P. expansum, and 4.0 × 106 cfu of P. italicum per work day. Some species e.g. A. niger and P. citrinum were able to form biofilm.In conclusion, the workers were exposed to several species of microorganisms of which some to varying degrees can be evaluated concerning risk. Thus, some microorganisms belong to Risk Group 2, and some are described as causing agents of occupational health problems, emerging pathogens, or intrinsically antibiotic resistant. For some other species very little is known. The TIP, cytotoxicity, and ability to form biofilm of the dominating fungi support and expand previous findings. These parameters depended on the species and the dose, thus highlighting the importance of species identification and exposure level in the risk assessment of exposure.

Measures to reduce the exposure of waste collection workers to handborne and airborne microorganisms and inflammogenic dust

Waste collection is associated with various health symptoms. The aims of this study were to obtain knowledge about exposure to bacteria, fungi, and endotoxin during waste collection, and to study whether it is possible to reduce the exposures and the total inflammatory potential (TIP) of those exposures through simple interventions. The study was performed with an initial baseline exposure assessment, a second assessment with intervention workers only, and a third with intervention and reference workers.The waste collection workers were exposed to 7.8 × 103 cfu bacteria/m3, 1.4 × 104 cfu fungi/m3, and 92 endotoxin units/m3 (geometric mean values). The potential exposures in the truck cabs were up to 23 times higher than outdoor reference concentrations. For the intervention trucks and workers, airborne fungi in the truck cab were reduced; fungi, bacteria, and yeasts on the steering wheels were reduced; and the concentration of fungi on the workers’ hands was reduced.Exposures were typically highest during collection of mixed household waste, in the summer, and for collection using trucks with low loading height. The TIP was highest for the reference group sampling mixed household waste, using trucks with low loading height, in the summer. Endotoxin, bacteria, and fungi contributed to the TIP of 42 personal exposure assessments. ConclusionMotivating workers to reduce exposure through simple interventions improved hand and truck cab hygiene, but only slightly reduced personal exposure to airborne bioaerosols. Exposure can be reduced by only using trucks with high loading height.