Perceived Stress at Work and Associated Factors among E-Waste Workers in French-Speaking West Africa

Abstract

Perceived stress at work is an important risk factor that affects the mental and physical health of workers. This study aims to determine the prevalence and factors associated with perceived stress in the informal electronic and electrical equipment waste processing sector in French-speaking West Africa. From 14 to 21 November 2019, a cross-sectional survey was carried out among e-waste workers in five countries in the French-speaking West African region, and participants were selected by stratified random sampling. Participants were interviewed on socio-demographic variables and characteristics related to e-waste management activities using a questionnaire incorporating Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale (10-item version). Factors associated with perceived stress were determined by multivariate logistic regression. A total of 740 e-waste workers were interviewed. The mean age of the workers was 34.59 ± 11.65 years, with extremes of 14 and 74 years. Most of the interviewees were repairers (43.11%). The prevalence of perceived stress among the e-waste workers was 76.76%. Insufficient income, number of working days per week, perceived violence at work, and the interference of work with family responsibilities or leisure were the risk factors that were the most associated with perceived stress. The high prevalence of perceived stress and its associated factors call for consideration and improvement of the working conditions of e-waste workers.

Health Risks Associated with Informal Electronic Waste Recycling in Africa: A Systematic Review

“…The majority of the studies (14 out of 17) used a cross-sectional design, and the remaining three studies [ 21 , 35 , 36 ] used a cohort study design. Thirteen of the included studies were conducted among male e-waste workers, and only three studies [ 30 , 32 , 37 ] included female participants. Of the 17 studies, eight did not include a reference population, and the sample size ranged between 45 [ 38 ] and 740 [ 32 ].…”

“…Thirteen of the included studies were conducted among male e-waste workers, and only three studies [ 30 , 32 , 37 ] included female participants. Of the 17 studies, eight did not include a reference population, and the sample size ranged between 45 [ 38 ] and 740 [ 32 ].…”

“…Grant et al [ 1 ] further concluded that there were limited studies on the effects of e-waste on health in developing countries in Africa. Since then, researchers have shown an increased interest in examining the health risks of informal e-waste recycling in African countries including Ghana [ 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ], Nigeria [ 16 , 30 ], Benin, Burkina Faso, the Ivory Coast, Mali, and Senegal [ 31 , 32 ]. However, there is a current paucity of evidence-based literature describing the health impacts of e-waste exposure in Africa where African nations continue to be major recipients of e-waste shipped from developed nations.…”

Effort–Reward Imbalance among a Sample of Formal US Solid Waste Workers

“…Even though it was not statistically significant, the trend increased positively for ERI with income. A study by Kêdoté and colleagues found a relationship between increased perceived stress and insufficient income among e-waste workers [ 11 ]. However, this study was conducted among informal e-waste workers in West Africa where the workers struggled to meet personal basic and familial needs such as nutrition, housing, and health.…”

“…Studies that have looked at psychosocial factors of work among waste workers found the prevalence of perceived stress among e-waste and solid waste workers to be high due to the nature of their work (e.g., ergonomic challenges, exposure to chemicals, limited personal protective equipment use). However, these studies were focused on West Africa and Southeast Asia [ 10 , 11 , 12 ]. To our knowledge, there have been no studies focused on psychosocial factors among United States solid waste workers, or among US waste workers overall.…”