Conditions labour and heath risks in garbage collectors

Abstract

Introduction: Solid waste collection is among the most hazardous occupations in the world, which not only involves throwing trash into the garbage truck. It is exposure to health risks with diseases derived by direct contact with garbage, through vectors that transmit diseases, and accidents caused by motor vehicles. The purpose of this article is bring off a systematic review of the problems and health risks in garbage collectors.
Methods: A bibliographic review was performed on databases Web of Science, PubMed, SCOPUS, JSTOR, Science Direct, EBSCO and Google academic, considering the period from 01 January 2013 to 31 July 2019. Keywords have been used which will facilitate the identification of articles related to the thematic.
Results: It was identified that this problematic has been studied since the theory of the ecological triad which is a traditional causality model of communicable diseases. In this model, the disease is the result of the interaction between the agent, the susceptible host, and the atmosphere. In addition, the multi-causality model which applies to all type of diseases is taken into consideration. Furthermore, it was identified that the main conditions are respiratory, dermatological, and musculoskeletal diseases.
Conclusions: Although It is known that Garbage collectors workers are exposed to several types of risks such as physical, chemical, and biological hazards, It is a poorly studied activity, thus it is essential to conduct more research about this group of workers.