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Browsing All theses by Author "Nimako, N.C."

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    Occupational Hazards Associated with Municipal Solid Waste Collection in Sunyani
    (UENR, 2025-05) Nimako, N.C.
    The collection and disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW) pose major occupational dangers to waste collection employees. Therefore, the management of MSW has both public health and environmental concerns. Waste collectors are often exposed to a myriad of occupational hazards, which are frequently overlooked. The main objective of the study was to assess the occupational hazards associated with solid waste collection in the Sunyani Municipality in the Bono Region of Ghana. The cross-sectional survey was adopted to sample 159 waste collectors from Zoomlion Ghana Limited, Sunyani Municipal Assembly, Hand in Hand Waste Management Organization, City Waste Engineering, and Derrico Waste Management and Construction Limited. Also, 5 managers from the five waste management companies were sampled and interviewed. It was found that 57.9% of the waste collectors were usually involved in the collection of medical waste which poses health hazards to the waste collectors. About 81.8% of the waste collectors indicated that they have ever encountered hazardous materials whilst collecting waste. Generally, compliance with hazard control measures among waste collectors is low with only 17.6% of the waste collectors indicated that they usually use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Female workers, older workers and those with less years of experience use PPE more frequently than their peers (P-values<0.05). The average cost of medical treatment for employees was GHC750 per year. The study therefore, concludes that waste collectors are exposed to several hazards and health risks in the line of their duty due to low compliance with safety measures, including the use of PPEs. The treatment of occupational-related injuries puts some financial burden on waste collectors. The study recommends that waste management companies should intensify health education among waste collectors on the hazards associated with their work and how to avoid these hazards.