Health and safety conditions of recycling workers in the city of Bogota and three municipalities of Cundinamarca.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18041/2322-634X/rcso.1.2022.7904Keywords:
waste recycling, Working conditions, recyclers, safetyAbstract
Introduction: according to the World Bank, every year 2.1 billion tons of solid waste are generated in the world, increasing pollution and impacts on the environment and the people involved in recycling activities. The numbers of workers involved in this activity in the world are not clear, however, it is estimated that in Colombia the population of waste pickers is 50,000, who are informally engaged in the recovery of materials.
Aim: to describe the sociodemographic characteristics and health and safety conditions of recycling workers in the city of Bogotá and three municipalities of Cundinamarca.
Methods: descriptive cross-sectional study, in a population of recycling workers selected by non-probabilistic sampling. Data analysis was performed using SPSS v25 statistical software and the characteristics of the population and the situation regarding biological risk and hygiene measures were described.
Results: 179 recyclers participated, 60.3% of whom were men. The average age in years was 41.9 (σ: 16.08). Mouth masks were the most used personal protective equipment (PPE) and the lack of knowledge of how to act in the event of a biological accident stands out.
Conclusions: exposure to biological risk factors is common in the recycler's work environment; waste handling emits bioaerosols that can have negative effects on the respiratory system; the results suggest the importance of intervening on hygiene measures for risk protection.
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