Hygiene practices among waste management workers at La Nkwantanang-Madina municipality

Abstract

Waste workers are exposed to a variety of work related hazards which may be harmful to their health. The nature of Municipal waste management practices in Ghana especially in major cities as a whole has led to the poor state of sanitation especially pollution of the environment, which is in turn, a serious human health risk. The study was carried out to identify the hygiene practices among waste management workers in municipal assembly’s narrowing it down to La Nkwantanang-Madina Municipality. The study was a descriptive survey and the views of 70 respondents were sought through the administering of questionnaire. Primary and secondary sources of data collection method were used and data collected from the field was processed and analysed through the use of Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) version 16.0. The study reveals that hygiene practices among waste management workers are effective to some extent. Majority (55%) of the respondents believed that they are provided with cleaning regimes such as PPE’s, uniforms, tools and training programs to enhance their knowledge on best practices pertaining to hygiene within the Municipality. 56% of the respondents confessed that they wash their hands with water only which intends affect their health status. However, 46% of respondents indicated that they last visited hospital almost a year ago which is an indication that waste management workers careless about their health status although the rate at which respondents fall ill is low. Also, the study revealed that 70% of the respondents believed that cleaning regimes provided them is of quality and effective for protection against any diseases and viruses. It can be concluded from the study that hygiene practices among waste management workers are effective to some extent. The municipal assembly through the Ministry of Sanitation should ensure PPE’s, tools and all forms of logistics are provided for waste management workers to ensure their safety.