Department of Planning, College of Art and Built Environment, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology , Kumasi , Ghana.
Development Planning Unit, University College London , UK.
Int J Environ Health Res. 2019 Dec;29(6):702-717. doi: 10.1080/09603123.2019.1569211. Epub 2019 Feb 4.
The study examines the nature of activities and assess knowledge on occupational safety and health (OS&H) risks and practices among solid waste collectors in two low-income informal neighbourhoods in Kumasi (Aboabo and Asawase). Using observations and semi-structured interviews with 83 participants and relevant institutions, the findings indicate that informal tricycle waste collectors provided spot-to-spot waste collection using improvised sirens to signal their arrival. Workers generally had low knowledge, expressed less about occupational health risks, and thus adopted less safe work practices. The study however showed significant differences between knowledge of health risks ( < 0.000, = 0.83) and years of working experience ( < 0.01, = 0.74) and adoption of safe practices. Workers who had knowledge the associated health risks of the activity and also have been in the activity for more than 2 years were more likely to use at least one PPE/PPC. The study recommends that targeted interventions to mitigate risks and improve the health and safety of workers require effective risk communication. The study concludes that insight into OS&H is important to offer opportunities for better waste management strategies in the informal urban areas.
本研究考察了活动的性质，并评估了库马西两个低收入非正规社区（Aboabo 和 Asawase）中固体废物收集者的职业安全与健康（OS&H）风险和实践知识。通过对 83 名参与者和相关机构进行观察和半结构化访谈，研究结果表明，非正规三轮车废物收集者使用临时警报器进行现场到现场的废物收集，以发出到达信号。工人普遍知识水平较低，对职业健康风险的关注度较低，因此采用的安全工作做法较少。然而，该研究表明健康风险知识（<0.000，=0.83）和工作经验年限（<0.01，=0.74）与安全工作实践的采用之间存在显著差异。对活动相关健康风险有认识且工作经验超过 2 年的工人更有可能至少使用一种个人防护装备/个人保护用品。该研究建议，需要进行有针对性的干预措施来减轻风险，改善工人的健康和安全，需要进行有效的风险沟通。该研究得出结论，了解 OS&H 对于提供在非正规城市地区更好的废物管理策略的机会非常重要。
