Occupational Health and Safety among Waste Scavengers at Kiteezi Landfill, Wakiso District, Uganda

Scavengers are involved in sorting and cleaning of waste materials at landfills such as plastics and metals to make them commercially viable. During the process, they come in contact with hazardous substances and items. This study assessed occupational health and safety among waste scavengers at Kiteezi landfill, Wakiso District, Uganda. A descriptive cross-sectional study employing both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection was conducted. A total of 132 waste scavengers and 8 key informants were involved in the study. Quantitative data was entered in EpiData then exported to Stata for univariate analysis, while qualitative data was analysed manually using thematic analysis. The majority of respondents 77.3% (102/132) knew that there were hazards associated with waste handling, while 65.1% (86/132) had experienced illness and injury related to their work. Most of the respondents, 90.1% (119/132) used personal protective equipment (PPE), more than half, 58.3% (77/132) said that they had hand washing facilities, and all of them noted having sanitary facilities. Over half of the respondents, 51.5% (68/132) had received training on PPE use and occupational hazards, and 85.6% (113/132) noted to have received health education on occupational hazards. According to the key informants, the potential causes of harm at the landfill were drugs and alcohol, bad weather, sharp objects, acid spills from containers, and lack of PPE. There is need for continuous logistical support, sensitization and training of scavengers on occupational hazards to improve their health and safety while working at the landfill