Assessing occupational safety and health risks among municipal solid waste collectors in Kampala, Uganda Case study central division
Abstract
Solid waste collectors play an important role in maintaining health and hygiene in the city.
However industrial countries (with a few exceptions) are estimated to have access to adequate
occupational health services, even in advanced economies, a large proportion of workers are not
regularly inspected for occupational health and safety. Hazardous exposures are everywhere and
work in every profession or every occupation. In Uganda, solid waste collectors are at high risk of
occupational injuries since contaminated solid waste is collected manually often by hand with little
or no protection from injuries which might contribute to increases in the prevalence of
occupational injuries. This study was therefore set out to assess the safety and health risks
associated with the municipal solid waste collection in Kampala Central.
The study adopted a cross-sectional design and it was purely quantitative. By the end of the study
a total of 98 respondents were obtained from solid waste collectors companies of Nabugbo Up
deal, Homekline, and workers from Kampala Capital City Authority.
The findings of the study showed that the solid waste collectors are at low risk of occupational and
health risks as the waste collectors were at low risk of low physical risks, low biological risks, low
risk of chemical risks, and moderate risk of ergonomic risks. The study also depicted that
municipal solid waste effects on the safety and health of collectors. The possible strategies
suggested to reduce the adverse effects of municipal solid wastes included such as sensitization
which creates awareness and influences the perception solid waste collectors have towards the use
of PPE, provision of PPE to workers to ensure that the solid waste collectors use the PPE,
enforcing punishment or penalties to ensure that solid waste collectors adhere to and enforce safety
standards on waste management and training of solid waste collectors to improve knowledge and
skills relevant to the implementation of safety and health at work.
The study recommends that solid waste collecting companies should develop occupational safety
and health (OSH) policies and prevention strategies to eliminate and minimize OH&S risks, the
companies should provide health insurance to workers as well as a day off for these waste
collectors to take a rest and providing training to workers to improve knowledge and skills relevant
to the implementation of safety and health at work. Further research is needed to assess the
perception the solid waste collectors have towards the use of personal protective gear and also the
knowledge the solid workers have towards occupational health and safety