Occupational skin diseases and prevention among sanitation workers in China

Abstract

Background: Little research has been focused on the health status or the occupational protection awareness of sanitation workers. The policy recommendations on the occupational safety and health of sanitation workers based on the scientific research are also insufficient in developing countries like China. Objective: To study the incidence of dermatoses and the relevance with occupational exposure, protection awareness and protective measures among sanitation workers for better management and protection of the sanitation workers. Methods: 273 sanitation workers and 113 administrative staff from 11 streets of Wuhan were recruited. Dermatological problems were evaluated and recorded by physical examination. Occupational exposure, protection awareness, the use of protective equipments and personal history of skin disease were assessed by questionnaires. Results: Compared with administrative staff, sanitation workers had much more occupational dermatological problems and had a much higher rate of harmful ultraviolet ray exposure. Young sanitation workers were more aware of occupational self-protection and a relatively higher rate of them using protective equipments compared with old ones. Conclusion: Exposure to multiple health hazards and the poor use of protective equipments are related to skin diseases in sanitation workers. Prejob training of self-protection and the use of protective equipments are recommended.

Health Problems among Sanitation Workers in Indore City and Their Knowledge, Attitude & Practices Regarding Preventive Measures Taken At Workplace: A Cross- Sectional Study

“…The proportion of common health problems suffered is depicted in table 2. 12 The present study reported 96% suffering from one or more of the common health problems; the most common health problem involved the respiratory system, i.e., cough and/or difficulty breathing (87%) followed by sharp object injury during work hours (71%), gastrointestinal disturbance, i.e., diarrhea and/or dysentery with or without fever (45%), skin conditions like allergy/eczema (34%) and eye problems like watering of eyes/itching/burning sensation in the eyes (27%). Similar findings were reported by Yogesh D Sabde et al and Prabhakumari Chellamma et al…”

Adverse Dermatologic and Respiratory Health Problems Among Street Sweeper’s Workers: A Comparative Study

“…Excessive exposure to UV radiation can result in chronic harmful effects on the skin, eye and immune system (Young and Walker, 2005). Besides skin photo aging caused mainly by UV exposure, many other skin manifestations can be connected with their long periods of standing and heavy manual work which led to varicosity (Yan et al, 2015).…”

Self-Reported Skin Disorders Among Health Care Workers

“…The female HCWs likelihood of reporting skin symptoms more than the male HCWs have been attributed to their disproportionately higher exposures to nonoccupational triggers (Meding, 2000). Prejob personal history of skin disease as a major indicator of OSD was reported in China, where sanitation workers had a significantly higher occurrence of OSD compared with administrative staff (Yan et al, 2015).…”

“…Similar findings of higher prevalence of OSD among HCWs than non-HCWs were also reported in the United States, with female HCWs being more affected (Kadivar & Belsito, 2015). Personal history of SDS was also found to aggravate OSDs (Yan, Wang, Wu, & Xu, 2015).…”