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