Exploring the Occupational Health Hazards of Waste Pickers in Dhapa Landfill of Kolkata, India

Ramkrishna Samanta, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)
Archana K. Roy, Professor

Waste pickers are marginalized individuals, who face numerous occupational health risks due to the dangerous and unhygienic nature of their work. The main objective of this study is to assess the dynamics of occupational health hazards of waste pickers in the Dhapa landfill of Kolkata, India. The study used a cross-sectional survey with a simple random sampling technique and was conducted among 200 waste pickers in Dhapa dump, Kolkata, India. The result revealed that 66% of waste pickers reported at least one health issue, with musculoskeletal problems being the most common (58%) problem. Factors such as age, long working hours, smoking, and lack of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) were significantly associated with higher morbidity rates. Logistic regression result shows that age (OR-2.70), smoking habits (OR-8.31), long working time (OR-6.30), and PPE use (OR-0.048) enhance the health risk among the waste pickers. The study concluded that waste picking increased the risk of morbidities. Therefore, urgent need for improved occupational safety, healthcare access, and the provision of PPE to protect waste pickers from the health risks associated with their work.

Keywords: Health and Morbidity, Mortality and Longevity

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