O21-6 The effects of occupational pollutants on the respiratory health of female informal street traders in warwick junction, south africa

2022

Introduction: Informal street vending is a form of informal employment, and occupational conditions for people within this group have been proven to be detrimental to their health. Two independent reviewers carried out a systematic evaluation of the existing literature in South Africa on environmental and occupational exposures, as well as the health effects faced by informal street food vendors. Methods: 354 published publications were reviewed and 9 were included, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Results: The evidence showed that informal street vendors are exposed to workplace risks that affect their health and wellbeing. Non-enclosed vendor stalls and frequent use of open fires were among the risk concerns. Vendors are vulnerable to gastrointestinal diseases such as salmonellosis and respiratory infections such as influenza and COVID-19 due to inadequate access to water, waste disposal facilities, and basic hygiene awareness and practices. Exposure to air pollutants increased the risk of respiratory and urinary illnesses and an impact on the reproductive health of female street vendors. Conclusions: This investigation demonstrated the difficulties in complying with the requirements of the Regulations Governing General Hygiene Requirements for Food Premises, the Transport of Food, and Related Matters (no. R638 of 22 June 2018) and the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act (no. 85 of 1993). Within South African borders, there is a scarcity of research on occupational exposures and health effects in this occupation. As a result, eliminating or preventing these occupational exposures should be at the top of government and stakeholder agendas. The majority of the research was carried out in KwaZulu Natal and used a quantitative, cross-sectional technique. Other designs, including cohorts, time series, and randomized intervention trials, were underutilized.

Section: Demographic Information Of the Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental and Occupational Health Exposures and Outcomes of Informal Street Food Vendors in South Africa: A Quasi-Systematic Review

2022

“…These findings were consistent with several international studies [ 20 , 21 , 22 ]. Open-fire-usage markets have higher exposure levels, which increase the possibility of respiratory, cardiovascular, and reproductive system disorders [ 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ]. This study’s findings also showed that there was the usage of incorrect respiratory protective equipment (RPE) (surgical and cloth masks) for the indicated air contaminants which may be ineffective in this trade [ 24 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Strengthening Urban Informal Trading and Improving the Health of Vendors: An Integrated Management Model

2023

Context: Within the urban areas, especially the central business districts, informal trading is growing in large numbers, and the informal vendor’s health is also at risk. Despite various frameworks developed for this industry, there are few guidance and implementation strategies on how to accomplish better-managed informal trading, mostly one that entails better occupational settings. Objective: The goal of the proposed model is to improve the working conditions for informal vendors in South Africa by redesigning the current informal trading management approach, thus ensuring a healthy workplace. An evidence-based approach was used to inform the development of this model. Results: This paper outlines the current challenges of informal vendors in urban areas as per the quantitative health risk assessment study that was conducted in 16 markets amongst 617 informal food vendors in the inner city of Johannesburg, South Africa. The study investigated the respiratory health caused by air pollution and associated risk factors. Findings revealed a lack of infrastructure and higher exposure to air pollution, resulting in respiratory ill-health amongst outdoor vendors as compared to indoor vendors. The vendors were more exposed to particulate matter pollution in the spring and winter seasons as compared to the autumn and summer seasons. Furthermore, the upper respiratory symptoms were statistically significant to the type of work location (indoor/outdoor), type of cooking fuel, duration of work, frequency of hand hygiene, and wearing of protective equipment. An informal vendors’ integrated management model that encompasses a specific informal food vendor’s directorate was developed with five main components: the reviewing of informal vendors’ legislation, the restructuring of designated vending or trading sites, space allocation and occupancy, vendors‘ training and skills development, and the sustainability of vending sites and vendors’ health. Discussion and Conclusions: The status revealed the legislation fragmentation of the informal vendors’ activities. The goal of this informal vendors’ “healthy workplace management model” is to inform government responses to the current challenges of the informal vendors’ sector, as well as to guide policies and actions to reduce ill-health in the industry and to avoid disruptions to informal food supply chains, which are critical in the food sector. This model is explained well and documented for easier implementation in local governments. This paper contributes to the extant literature on street vendors and future management strategies of this trade.

“…Environmental and occupational risk factors related to ambient air pollution have been reported to cause acute and chronic respiratory illnesses, such as increased rates of acute upper respiratory tract infections (eye, nose, and throat irritation), which may interfere with the work operations [7,[11][12][13][14][15] and reproductive health impact of female vendors [10,11]. Studies conducted in Ghana, Bangkok, Malaysia, and Hong Kong reported that the outdoor vendors are a high-risk group for developing respiratory symptoms due to continuous exposure to the traffic pollutants, as well as the particulate matter arising from the use of fossil fuels during cooking [12][13][14][15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health Risk Assessment of Informal Food Vendors: A Comparative Study in Johannesburg, South Africa

2023

According to the best of our knowledge, there are no critical studies to date about associations between the work environment and prevalence of respiratory diseases and their symptoms among urban informal vendors in South Africa. This study followed a risk assessment methodology to assess the risks associated with the occurrence of respiratory health problems among 617 indoor and outdoor market vendors in the inner city of Johannesburg, South Africa. A walkthrough survey using a checklist was conducted in 16 Markets for identification of respiratory risk factors and description of sanitary conditions. Face-to-face interviews were conducted amongst informal food vendors using a previously validated questionnaire to collect information on demographics and occupational and respiratory health. In addition, a single day area air pollution monitoring of PM2.5, SO2, NO2, CO, and CO2 was conducted in two stalls (indoor and outdoor). The Chi-squared test of association and frequency distribution were used to analyse data. Female vendors aged between 30 to 39 years dominated the trade. The results revealed that a majority of the vendors’ work shifts are longer than the recommended eight hours per day (73%), six to seven days per week (90%), and most of them have been working for six to ten years (41%). Poor sanitary conditions were observed in 75% of the markets. The concentrations of air pollutants at the outdoor markets were much greater than those in the indoor markets. All air pollution concentrations were below the recommended national and international standards. The risk of outdoor vendors developing any symptoms were extremely greater than those of indoor vendors, especially cooking vendors. Upper respiratory symptoms were the highest amongst the vendors. The results demonstrated a significant association between work-related risk factors, such as type of work location, duration, type of cooking fuel or heat, vendor training, frequency of hand hygiene practice, and using of a mask, and the upper respiratory symptoms. Based on the findings, there is a need for formalization of the trade, improvement in infrastructure, respiratory health care assessments, and sustainable educational programs.