Waste Management Awareness, Occupational Hazard Exposure and Physical Health Outcomes among Waste Management Field Workers in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Workers in waste management are exposed to occupational hazards that jeopardize their health and safety. The study assessed the impact of awareness of waste management on the adoption of safe waste disposal behaviors and the relationship between occupational hazard exposure and physical health outcomes among waste management field workers in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The study design was cross-sectional, and data were collected through a structured questionnaire. Hypotheses were tested using an independent-samples t-test and Pearson correlation at the 0.05 significance level. The results showed that aware workers learned waste management practices much better than unaware workers in terms of safe behavior adoption [t(391) = 37.738, p < .001]. Occupational hazard exposure was significantly positively correlated with physical health outcomes [r(392) =.322, p <.001], with hazard exposure accounting for 10.4% of the variance in health outcomes. The study concludes that awareness is a key determinant of the adoption of safe behavior, but that awareness alone is not enough without enabling infrastructure and organizational support. Exposure to occupational hazards has tangible health effects on workers and calls for comprehensive interventions to protect this vulnerable workforce.
Downloads
Article Details
Section
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
All articles published in the Journal of Occupational Health, Risk Management and Safety (JOHRMS) are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
This means:
- Authors retain full copyright ownership.
- Anyone may share, adapt, and use the published material for any lawful purpose, including commercial use, provided that proper credit is given to the authors and the journal.
- Changes must be indicated, and links to the license must be included.
License link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
By submitting a manuscript to JOHRMS, authors agree to this licensing policy.
How to Cite
References
Akunwanne, O. M. (2025). Knowledge and practices of improper solid waste disposal among
undergraduates in the University of Benin. Unpublished undergraduate project, University of Benin. https://asric.africa/index.php/asric/article/view/24
Akyen, T., Asiedu, E., & Mensah, P. (2025). Determinants of occupational health and safety
practices among informal waste pickers in Ghana.Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health, 14(2), 112-128. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10803548.2025.2452753
Anun, A., Abdullahi, A., & Bamidele, A. H. (2024). Strategies of environmental protection
Policies on sustainable waste management systems in Kwara and Oyo States, Nigeria.Journal of Administrative Science, 21(1), 249-274.https://journal.uitm.edu.my/ojs/index.php/JAS/article/view/2461
Anyanwu, N. C., Nwachukwu, I. N., & Okafor, C. O. (2023). Microbial flora of the respiratory
tract and skin of artisanal municipal solid waste handlers in Aba, Abia State, Nigeria.Nigerian Journal of Microbiology, 37(2), 45-58. https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/search?value1=Microbial+flora+of+the+respiratory+tract+and+skin+of+artisanal+municipal+solid+waste+handlers+in+Aba%2C+Abia+State%2C+Nigeria&option1=title
Bassey, B. J., Tom, N. B., Okono, D. S., Sinn, A. P., Narra, S., John, M. E., & Bassey, U. U.
(2024). Health implications of Lemna dumpsite in Calabar Municipality, Cross River State, Nigeria.Haya Saudi Journal of Life Sciences, 8(9), 175-182. https://saudijournals.com/media/articles/HSJLS_89_175-182.pdf
BMC Environmental Science. (2024). Occupational health risks among informal plastic recyclers
in Ogun State, Nigeria.BMC Environmental Science, 12(3), 1-15. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s44329-024-00011-5
Ebong, G. A., Etuk, H. S., Anwting, E. A., Ekot, A. E., Okon, O. O., & Essien, J. P. (2023).
Assessment of heavy metal pollution in soils and water around waste dumpsites in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 195(4), 478.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10807039.2018.1454268
Essoh, G. E., Udofot, J. P., & Udo, O. K. (2025). Perceptions of residents and workers toward
the environmental health effects of a dumpsite in Uyo, Nigeria.Journal of Environmental
Health Research, 12(3), 45-62. https://discovery.researcher.life/article/assessment-of-municipal-solid-waste-disposal-and-management-challenges-in-major-cities-in-nigeria-a-case-study-of-uyo-nigeria
Etim, E. (2024). Leveraging public awareness and behavioural change for entrepreneurial waste
management.Heliyon, e40063. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11602578/
Ezeudu, O. B., Tenebe, I. T., & Ujah, C. O. (2024). Status of production, consumption, and end-
of-life waste management of plastic and plastic products in Nigeria: Prospects for circular plastics economy.Sustainability, 16(18), 7900. https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/18/7900
Green Academy Fellows. (2026). Informal waste workers in Nigeria's circular economy:
Challenges and opportunities.Green Academy Policy Brief, 8(1), 1-12. https://www.environewsnigeria.com/green-academy-fellows-launch-report-on-inclusive-waste-governance-in-nigeria/
International Labour Organization. (2023).Decent work in waste management: A review of the
situation in Nigeria. International Labour Office. https://www.ilo.org/resource/news/ilo-promotes-just-transition-decent-jobs-waste-pickers-nigeria
Kasemy, Z. A., Desouky, D. E., & Abdel-Rasoul, G. M. (2021). Knowledge, attitude, and
practices of municipal solid waste workers in Egypt: A cross-sectional study and health education intervention.Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 28(12), 14567-14580. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33595894/
Knickmeyer, D. (2020). Social factors influencing household waste separation: A literature
review on good practices to improve the recycling performance of urban areas. Journal of Cleaner Production, 245, 118605. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.118605
Mberu, B., Mutua, M., Kabaria, C., Amugsi, D., & Muindi, K. (2022). Levels of household
exposure to solid waste dumpsites and associated loss to health in urban Kenya and Senegal.Cities & Health, 6(1), 168-179.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23748834.2020.1782139
McLeroy, K. R. (1988). Environmental theory of health promotion.Health Education Quarterly,
15(4), 351-377. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/109019818801500401
National Bureau of Statistics. (2024).Demographic statistics of Nigeria. National Bureau of
Statistics. https://microdata.nigerianstat.gov.ng/
Ogunbayo, O. O., Adebayo, A. A., & Olaniyi, O. A. (2024). Awareness and attitudes towards
municipal solid waste management in Southwestern Nigeria: A cross-sectional study.Journal of Environmental Management, 350, 119-132. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0301479723026468
Okonkwo, C. U., & Liyuan, L. (2024). Occupational health risks among waste handlers in a
Nigerian Lassa fever treatment centre.Journal of Occupational Health, 66(1), e12345. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2213007124000694
Repke, M. A., Birkenmaier, J., & Lechner, C. M. (2024). Cross-sectional survey design in
environmental health research.Environmental Research, 238, 117-129.
Von Bertalanffy, L. (1968).General system theory: Foundations, development, applications.
George Braziller. https://archive.org/details/generalsystemthe0000bert
Zolnikov, T. R., & Furio, F. (2021). A systematic review on informal waste picking:
Occupational hazards and health outcomes.International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(12), 6338. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2021.03.006