Occupational health and safety and safety among waste scavengers at Kiteezi Landfill, Wakiso District

Abstract

Introduction In low income countries such as Uganda, some of the urban poor and unemployed people survive on scavenging waste disposed of at landfills to earn a living. Scavengers are involved in sorting and cleaning of waste materials such as plastics and metals to make them commercially viable therefore they come in contact with hazardous substances. Landfills pose risks of physical, chemical, biological and ergonomic hazards to scavengers. These hazards are found to be associated with both acute and chronic human health effects, yet several studies have shown that some scavengers have little knowledge about the health hazards faced while at landfills. In addition, scavengers do not always use preventive measures such as personal protective equipment (PPE) to minimize their exposure to occupational hazards. Objective To assess occupational health and safety among waste scavengers at Kiteezi landfill, Wakiso district. Methodology A descriptive cross-sectional study employing quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection was conducted. Quantitative data collection involved use of a structured questionnaire while qualitative data was collected using a key informant interview guide. A sample size of 132 waste scavengers and 10 key informants were interviewed. Quantitative data was entered in EpiData then exported to STATA software for univariate analysis, while qualitative data was analyzed manually using thematic analysis. Results Out of 132 waste scavengers who participated in the study, 53% (70/132) were male and the mean age was 30.4 years. Many of the respondents 36.4% (48/132) were married, and most of them 40.9% (54/132) had attained at least primary education. More than half 60.6% (80/132) worked at the landfill for 6 to 10 hours, while 52.3% (69/132) had worked for 1 to 3 years. The majority of scavengers 77.3% (102/132) thought that there were hazards associated with waste handling. More than half of the respondents 65.1% (86/132) had experienced illness and injury associated with their work at the landfill which included cuts and pricks 79.1% (68/86), musculoskeletal disorders 61.7% (53/86), and slides and falls 55.8% (48/86). The majority of respondents 90.1% (119/132) used PPE among whom 93.3% (111/119) had gumboots, 69.7% (83/119) had overalls, while 60% (71/119) wore gloves. More than half of the respondents 58.3% (77/132) said that they had hand washing facilities, all 100% (132/132) had sanitary facilities, over half of the respondents 51.5% (68/132) had received training on PPE use and occupational hazards, and 85.6% (113/132) noted to have received health education. Many of the respondents 34.9% (46/132) said that the management of the landfill ignored them in case they reported any exposure to occupational hazards. Conclusion Despite the high level of awareness of occupational hazards, use of control measures such as PPE was inadequate to fully protect the scavengers hence being prone to these hazards. Therefore, there is need for continuous logistical support, sensitization and training of scavengers on occupational hazards to improve their safety and health while working at the landfill.