Investigation of Registered Work-related Accidents for Urban Sanitation Workers of Kashan Municipality from 2015 to 2018

Urban sanitation workers, including waste disposal workers and street cleaners, are exposed to a wide range of occupational hazards and accidents. No study regarding such accidents has been carried out so far in Kashan city. Therefore, the incidents that occurred for this group of workers at the Kashan municipality from 2015 to 2018 were examine in this study.

This is a descriptive cross-sectional study. Demographic data and injury data were collected through periodic medical examination reports of workers who were injured in a work-related accident during the period of this study. Also, official accident forms completed by authorities were used for gathering information about the accidents. Descriptive and analytical statistics were utilized to analyze data.

Two out of 95 occupational accidents resulted in death. Garbage collection workers (69.5%) had the highest amount of accidents. Among those, individuals who were involved in accidents, those who had work experience of one year (45.26%), those who had primary school education (43.2%), those having two children (32.6%), and were in the age group of 30 to 39 years had the highest number of accidents. The most common cause and type of accidents were the sharp objects injuries into hands and feet (26.3%) and sprains/strains (50.5%). Most accidents injured limbs (hands and feet). There was a statistically significant correlation between the cause and effect of accidents (P = 0.001).

The results demonstrated that urban sanitation workers suffer from occupational injuries more commonly from bruises and sprains/strains that require medical interventions. The application of personal protective equipment (PPE) is widely accepted as an essential factor in preventing occupational injuries. Therefore, the application of this equipment is recommended.