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ASSESSMENT AND PERCEPTION OF OCCUPATIONAL RISKS IN WASTE PICKER ORGANIZATIONS: A PORTRAIT OF WASTE PICKERS SITUATION AFTER FORMAL INTEGRATION

  • Luciana Harue Yamane - Department of Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Espirito Santo, Brazil
  • Renato Meira de Sousa Dutra - Fluminense Federal Education Science and Technology Institute, Brazil
  • Renato Ribeiro Siman - Department of Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Espirito Santo, Brazil

DOI 10.31025/2611-4135/2023.17253

Released under CC BY-NC-ND

Copyright: © 2022 CISA Publisher

Abstract

Waste picker organizations (WPO) are a fundamental link in the integrated management of urban solid waste; however, despite being formally recognized, waste pickers still face unhealthy work conditions. Studies on occupational risks related to waste picker activities have been carried out in a qualitative way, but the quantification of occupational risks is an important research gap to fill. Additionally, an unprecedented comparison between waste picker risk perception and occupational safety technician risk assessment is presented. The risk perception of the waste picker was carried out through a cross-sectional interview study that surveyed 35 WPO by non-probabilistic sampling, and the results showed that waste pickers underestimated the occupational risks (i.e. noise, physical effort, improper physical arrangement, and inadequate use of personal protective equipment (PPE)), it was also possible to identify the necessary strategies to improve occupational safety. Occupational safety technician evaluations were carried out through quantitative analysis on site in 64 WPO. The results indicated the predominance of maximum risk intensity (Level 3 – from a scale of 0 to 3) for biological risk, physical effort, excessive pace, improper physical arrangement, and inadequate use of PPE in all operational activities. The main interventions should focus on implementing Work Accident Reporting, rearranging WPO layout, routinely providing information about importance of PPE use, and continuously developing WPO standards with periodic evaluations of occupational risks using a fractional scale.

Keywords

Editorial History

  • Received: 11 Aug 2022
  • Revised: 29 Nov 2022
  • Accepted: 09 Jan 2023
  • Available online: 24 Feb 2023

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