Abstract:
Occupational health hazards have become a serious health issue in modern
society. Sanitary workers are one of the risk groups of occupational health
hazards. The main objective of this study is to assess the causes and the impact
of occupational health hazards among the sanitary workers. Mixed method was
used for this institutional based study. Based on the simple random sampling
technique 196 Sanitary workers were selected for this study. Primary data were
collected through the interviewer administered questionnaire, case study method,
focus group interview, key informant interviews and observation method.
Qualitative data were analyzed thematically. Quantitative data were analyzed
using a descriptive statistical method with the support of SPSS (version 23).
Results of the study reveal that the majority of the sanitary workers from the
Jaffna Municipal Council were involved in cleaning roads, drainage canals and
public toilets and solid waste collection which caused occupational health
hazards. Results reveal that 79.6% of the sanitary workers used the personal
protective equipment during work while 24.6% of the sanitary were not used
protective equipment. Results show that 59.7% of the sanitary workers had
occupational health hazards such as skin diseases, respiratory problems and other
health problems. Sanitary workers were discriminated against due to occupational
health hazards. The findings of the study conclude that the majority of the sanitary
workers encountered occupational health hazards. Therefore, health education
programs on prevention of occupational health hazards should be organized
routinely for the sanitary workers.
