Assessment and Perception of Occupational Risks in Waste Picker Organizations: A Portrait of Waste Pickers Situation After Formal Integration

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.