Evaluation of the Occupational Safety of Scavengers at Two Privately Managed Municipal Solid Waste Dumpsites
1Erinola, N. G., 1*Eghomwanre, A. F., and 1Aighewi, I. T.
1,Department of Environmental Management and Toxicology, University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria
DOI: 10.36108/laujoces/6202.71.0171
Abstract
The informal waste sector is a vital component of urban waste management in Nigeria, and waste collectors are very susceptible to chemical, biological and physical risks. In this study, occupational hazard prevalence, personal protective equipment (PPE) adoption, and health outcomes among scavengers at two dumpsites in Edo state were evaluated. The study was carried out at two privately operated municipal solid waste (MSW) dumpsites (Wemtap and Anthas) approved by the Edo State Waste Management Board with well-structured questionnaires. A convenience sampling technique was used, and a total of 140 out of 180 questionnaires were returned and analysed by descriptive statistics. Among the scavengers at the two privately operated recycling centers studied, most of the workforce was female (62.9%) and literate (62.1%) and had secondary education. The data revealed that 59.2% of the scavengers worked for more than 8 hours, and 29.3% used bare hands to sort out the waste. The level of personal protective equipment (PPE) compliance was very low: 35.0% of the respondents wore slippers/sandals, and 27.9% did not use any respiratory protection. Malaria was the most common health problem among the study participants (60.2%), followed by chronic headaches (25.4%), cuts (22.0%) and musculoskeletal pain (20.0%). Inferential analysis revealed that across physical trauma and respiratory hazards, high awareness failed to translate into proportional safety practices, creating statistically significant gaps (p < 0.001), whereas biological hazard protection aligned closely with awareness, with no statistically significant disparity (p = 0.201). Although hazard literacy was high, protective behaviour adoption remained low because of economic constraints, confirming a pronounced awareness–practice gap within this population. It is recommended that the Edo State Government formalises the sector through the provision of PPE, site-based clinics for the vaccination and treatment of injury care, and training in health and safety to integrate these workers into a safer circular economy.
Keywords: Occupational safety, Scavengers, Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), Edo state, Hazard exposure, PPE utilization