Occupational Health-Related Morbidities Among Street Sweepers and Waste Collectors at Beni-Suef, Egypt

Abstract

Introduction: Street sweepers play an important role in maintaining the health and hygiene in the communities. However, their job exposes them to various hazards while, little or no attention is paid to their health status. Aim of the work: To study the possible work-related morbidities among street sweepers and waste collectors emphasizing on the occupational risks they are exposed to and the preventive measures they take to avoid their job-related hazardous exposures. Materials and Methods: A total of 138 street sweepers and waste collectors and a matching control group of randomly selected 127 university workers and clerks were interviewed, answered the study questionnaire, and had medical examination, then they offered blood and stool samples for laboratory investigations. Results: Compared to the control group, street sweepers and waste collectors had significantly higher rates of HCV seropositivity, parasitic infestations, skin irritation, respiratory complaints and work-related injuries; but with significantly lower mean hemoglobin levels, (p<0.05). However, no significant difference was detected for HBV infection, eye complaints, joint or lower back pains. Most of street sweepers had never been medically examined, vaccinated, trained for safety practices or even health educated regarding their occupation-related health hazards. Conclusion: Street sweeping and waste collection

Occupational health hazards of street cleaners – a literature review considering prevention practices at the workplace

“…All of them reported neither being vaccinated nor trained before commencing employment. This is remarkable as all of the street sweepers reported coming into contact with blood, fecal matter, broken glass, needles/syringes and animal carcasses [14]. This finding is in accordance with the results obtained in other developing countries like India [15].…”

“…Most of the 70 street cleaners involved in a cross-sectional survey from Kenya had little knowledge on occupational health hazards and safety, e.g., regarding the transmission of infections [13]. While developed countries take measures to prevent occupational health hazards, this is not the case in developing countries [12,14]. In countries like India and Nigeria, street sweepers often use only short-handled brooms and take no precautionary measures, such as wearing face masks or sprinkling water on the street before sweeping, to minimize dust exposure [1,12].…”

“…The reported health problems of street sweepers in emerging and developing countries are manifold. A high percentage of Egyptian street sweepers (95%) reported experience of work-related injuries during the past year, compared to only 21% among university workers (p = 0.0001) [14]. Recently, a cross-sectional study from central India was published comprising 20 street sweepers (10 female) doing their job 8-9 h/day for >10 years [16].…”

“…Nine studies reported a higher prevalence of back pain in street sweepers compared to control subjects (Table 2). Three studies described increased frequencies of back pain in addition to respiratory problems and other complains [14,18,30]. Four studies focused on MSDs in street sweepers [31][32][33], and even some appropriate intervention programs were performed [34].…”

“…They stated that their administration did not offer them any PPE. In Egypt, a total of 138 street sweepers and waste collectors were investigated for infectious diseases [14]. University workers and clerks (N = 127) served as the control group in this cross-sectional study.…”