Abstract:
Background: Municipal solid waste collection is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world
since it exposes the workers involved to occupational hazards and predisposes them to certain
occupation related morbidities. Occupational morbidities related to solid waste management has
not been adequately addressed in developing countries. More than 350,000 workers die each year
due to injury, significant proportions occurring in low and middle-income countries. Moreover,
there are few studies and unclear report in developing countries including Ethiopia regarding
occupational injuries on municipal solid waste collectors. Furthermore, as far as my knowledge
there was no study conducted in Harar Town.
Objective: To determine the prevalence of occupational injuries and its associated factors among
municipal solid waste collectors in Harar town, Eastern Ethiopia, from 25 May 2021 to 25 June,
2021.
Method: A cross-sectional study design was used among 389 solid waste collectors. The study
participants were selected by using a simple random sampling method. Data were collected by
face-to-face interviews using structured questionnaire and observational checklist by six data
collectors and two supervisor. The collected data were entered into Epi Info version 7.2.4/2020
and then exported into SPSS version 20 for analysis. Bivariate and multivariable analysis were
used by using binary logistic regression to determine the association between independent
variables and the outcome variable. In this study, P-value < 0.05 was considered as a cut off point
to declare a result as statistically significant.
Results: Prevalence of occupational injuries was found to be 60.4% (95% CI: 55.6, 65.1). Primary
educational level [AOR= 0.10, 95%CI (0.03– 0.38)] and secondary education [AOR=0.04, 95%CI
(0.03-0.45)], work experience [AOR=5.975, 95% CI (2.01-17.75)], utilization of personal
protective equipments [AOR=0.09, 95% CI (0.02-0.46)], and trained solid waste collectors before
employment [AOR=0.10, 95% CI (0.03-0.30)] were significantly associated with occupational
injury.
Conclusion and recommendations: The prevalence of occupational injury among solid waste
collectors was high.Before and after hiring solid waste collectors, employers should give personal
protective equipments (PPEs) and tailored training on saftey measures.
