Self-perception of health and working conditions among waste pickers at Gualeguaychu Ecopark
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31052/1853.1180.v29.n1.40608Keywords:
Solid waste segregators workers, Working environment, Health status, Waste managementAbstract
Introduction: Waste pickers play a crucial role in urban waste management, and their health can be affected by their working conditions.
Objective: To describe self-perceived health and working conditions among waste pickers at Gualeguaychu Ecopark.
Methodology: A descriptive, observational, cross-sectional study was conducted. A total of 48 surveys were administered regarding working conditions and the health-disease-care process. A general frequency analysis of variables was performed, stratified by gender and age groups.
Results: 85.4% of waste pickers expressed satisfaction or high satisfaction with their work, rising to 100% among women. Self-perceived risk factors include: contact with diapers, toilet paper, sanitary towels, gauze, and cotton (93.8%); contact with needles, metals, and glass (>90%); exposure to extreme heat or cold (89.6%); repetitive movements (87.5%); annoying noises (72.9%); and heavy lifting (58.3%). Regarding protective measures, 93.8% reported using them consistently, and 74.5% stated that the equipment is provided by the cooperative. The main health problems reported were musculoskeletal (58.3%), neurological (41.7%), ocular (27.1%), dermatological (22.9%), respiratory (20.8%), and digestive (16.7%) issues. A 75% of waste pickers only belong to the public healthcare system, and 89.6% seek care at a public healthcare facility when they have a problem.
Conclusion: Organizing waste pickers into a cooperative allows the establishment of minimum standards regarding working conditions.
Key-words: Waste Pickers; Working Environment; Health Status; Waste Management
Downloads
References
D'hers V, Shammah C. Políticas y prácticas en torno a la gestión de los RSU. Un estudio de cinco ciudades de Argentina. En: Vergara C, Compiladora. Recuperadores, residuos y mediaciones: Análisis desde los interiores de la cotidianeidad, la gestión y la estructura social. Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires: Estudios Sociológicos Editora; 2015: 25-49.
Mastrangelo A, Schamber P, Lizuain A, Guerreiro Martins N, Palacio V. Condiciones y ambiente de trabajo en dos centros de acopio de materiales reciclables del Área Metropolitana de Buenos Aires. Rev Argent Salud Pública. 2018; Mar;9(34):13-20.
Bacher PA, Martín JM . Conflictividad social, cooperativismo y precarización laboral: El caso de la Cooperativa Cartoneros del Sur en Bahía Blanca (2007‐ 2014). Trab. soc. 2016;27: 517-537.
Maldován Bonelli, J. Trabajo, asociatividad y acción colectiva: el caso de las cooperativas de recolectores urbanos. Trab. soc. 2012;19: 117-131.
Suárez FM, Brancoli D, Neumann M, Ruggerio CA. Del barrio al relleno, del relleno a las Plantas Sociales. Una experiencia de investigación-acción. En: Suárez FM, Schamber PJ, Compiladores. Recicloscopio II. Buenos Aires: Ediciones Ciccus, UNLa, UNGS; 2011: 127-153.
Lenis Ballesteros V, López Arrango YL, Cuadros Urrego YM. Condiciones de salud y de trabajo informal en recuperadores ambientales del área rural de Medellín, Colombia, 2008. Rev Saude Publica. 2012;46(5): 866-874.
Solíz M. Exposición, vulnerabilidad y perfil epidemiológico de trabajadores informales en el botadero a cielo abierto del cantón Portoviejo, Ecuador. Maskana. 2014;5(1): 57-79.
Parizeau, K. Un estudio acerca de la salud de los cartoneros de Buenos Aires. En: Suárez FM, Schamber PJ, Compiladores. Recicloscopio II. Buenos Aires: Ediciones Ciccus, UNLa, UNGS; 2011: 285-316.
Anzola MG, Petrucci AR, Prado Alvarez G, Emery RL. Incidencia de las condiciones ambientales en la salud del trabajador ciruja del Volcadero Municipal de Paraná. Ciencia, Docencia y Tecnología. 2001;22: 17-48.
Rodríguez E. Glosario de Salud del Trabajador del MERCOSUR. Buenos Aires: Ministerio de Salud de la Nación; 2012. Disponible en: http://www.msal.gob.ar/images/stories/bes/graficos/0000000340cnt-11-Glosario_salud_trabajador.pdf
Organización Mundial de la Salud. Ambientes de Trabajo Saludables: un modelo para la acción. Ginebra: OMS; 2010. Disponible en: https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/44317/9789243599311_spa.pdf;jsessionid=769ECA25C24998BA7A2A6AC1F11244E4?sequence=1
Organización Mundial de la Salud. Subsanar las desigualdades en una generación. Alcanzar la equidad sanitaria sobre los determinantes sociales de la salud. Ginebra: OMS; 2009. Disponible en: https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/69830
Bonita R, Beaglehole R y Kjellström T (2008) Epidemiología Básica. Washington D.C: Organización Panamericana de la Salud.
Capítulo 19 – Análisis del Escenario Provincial y su Articulación con la GIRSU. Disponible en: https://www.entrerios.gov.ar/ambiente/userfiles/files/archivos/Plan%20Girsu/B%20-%20Gesti%C3%B3n%20de%20Residuos/19%20-escenario%20provincial/escenario%20provincia.pdf
Chesini F, Abrutzky R, Herrera N, Skansi MM, Fontán SG, González Morinigo EC, Savoy F y de Titto EH. Mortalidad asociada a eventos extremos de frío en Argentina, 2005-2015. Rev Argent Salud Pública, 2019; 10(41): 28-36. ISSN 1852-8724 impreso, ISSN 1853-810X en línea. Disponible en: http://rasp.msal.gov.ar/rasp/articulos/volumen41/28-36.pdf
Chesini F, Herrera N, Skansi MM, González Morinigo C, Fontán S, Savoy F, de Titto E. Mortality risk during heat waves in the summer 2013-2014 in 18 provinces of Argentina. Ecological study. Ciência & Saúde Coletiva 27(5). Impressa ISSN 1413-8123. Online ISSN 1678-4561. https://www.cienciaesaudecoletiva.com.br/artigos/mortality-risk-during-heat-waves-in-the-summer-20132014-in-18-provinces-of-argentina-ecological-study/18174?id=18174
Spector JT, Masuda YJ, Wolff NH, Calkins M, Seixas N. 2019. Heat Exposure and Occupational Injuries: Review of the Literature and Implications. Current environmental health reports, 6(4), 286–296. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40572-019-00250-8
IPCC. (2021). Summary for Policymakers. In: Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press.
Pombo MG. La inclusión de la perspectiva de género en el campo de la salud. Disputas por la (des)politización del género. Margen. 2012; Sep; 66:1-11.
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Escuela de Salud Pública y Ambiente. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License which allows the work to be copied, distributed, exhibited and interpreted as long as it is not done for commercial purposes.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) after the publication process. (See The Effect of Open Access). (See The Effect of Open Access).
