
Safety 2010 Conference CMS

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Address *	CERRO DE LA POPA, 110. COL. RIVERAS DE GIRASOLES, GENERAL ESCOBEDO, N.L.
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Oral Poster Workshop

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The pictures aim to address from a comparative perspective exposure to injury at the workplace among people who handle non-industrial waste. Informed consent was obtained prior to collecting data using direct observations and open-ended interviews in urban areas of Latin America.
Non-industrial waste provides an opportunity to generate income and for some, to get food (fruits and vegetables) to eat. Both men and women are involved in this kind of activity regardless of their age. Although differentiated by being formally employed versus informally, a similarity relevant to occupational safety is the overwhelming direct contact of bare hands with garbage, either kept in thin plastic bags or sparsed on the floor. Children taken to the workplace are also unprotected and exposed to the same environment where adults dig in order to make a living.
In contrast to industrial waste, domestic garbage consists more of organic and non-organic products that can be disposed more or less safely. However, they may contain broken glasses, bottles, plates or opened cans likely to cause injuries to their limbs in the absence of protection such as gloves. 
The formally employed and the self-employed in the informal sector are equally exposed to the risk of suffering cuts, but the former will have to spend on their own in case of lacking insurance coverage.  
Workers need to wear protective items in order to promote their safety in the work environment even if they are less likely to get in contact with chemicals.

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