Solid waste management in informal urban neighbourhoods. Occupational safety and health practices among tricycle operators in Kumasi, Ghana

ABSTRACT

The study examines the nature of activities and assess knowledge on occupational safety and health (OS&H) risks and practices among solid waste collectors in two low-income informal neighbourhoods in Kumasi (Aboabo and Asawase). Using observations and semi-structured interviews with 83 participants and relevant institutions, the findings indicate that informal tricycle waste collectors provided spot-to-spot waste collection using improvised sirens to signal their arrival. Workers generally had low knowledge, expressed less about occupational health risks, and thus adopted less safe work practices. The study however showed significant differences between knowledge of health risks (p < 0.000, R = 0.83) and years of working experience (p < 0.01, R = 0.74) and adoption of safe practices. Workers who had knowledge the associated health risks of the activity and also have been in the activity for more than 2 years were more likely to use at least one PPE/PPC. The study recommends that targeted interventions to mitigate risks and improve the health and safety of workers require effective risk communication. The study concludes that insight into OS&H is important to offer opportunities for better waste management strategies in the informal urban areas.

KEYWORDS:

• Occupational safety and health (OS&H)
• informal waste collection
• solid waste management (SWM)
• risk
• tricycle (Aboboyaa)
• urban

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. Activities workers and economic units that are in law or in practice not or insufficiently covered by formal arrangements, i.e. the reach of formal laws (International Office 2014).

2. Each tricycle was operated by at least two workers: driver of the tricycle and other(s) who collected the wastes. In all, 37 tricycles were identified based on which respondents were selected for the study.

3. There are about seven companies contracted to collect waste: Ghana Limited, Kumasi Waste Management Limited, Next World Waste Management Limited, ABC Waste Management Limited, UNTACCO Waste Management Limited, and Waste Group Company Limited.

4. GH¢1 to US$446 as at 2 March, 2018 exchange rate.