Work-Related Exposures and Musculoskeletal Disorder Symptoms among Informal E-Waste Recyclers at Agbogbloshie, Ghana.

ABSTRACT

Recycling of electrical and electronic waste (e-waste) in developing countries is mostly conducted in the informal sector consisting of low skilled workers. Informal e-waste recycling predominantly involves the physically demanding work of manually collecting, dismantling and burning of e-waste items to extract reusable components and valuable metals including gold or copper. This cross-sectional study investigated the effects of manual e-waste recycling work on the musculoskeletal health of 176 workers at Agbogbloshie in Accra, Ghana - the largest informal e-waste dumpsites in Africa. Findings indicate significant associations between prolonged walking and weighted MSD symptom scores for the lower extremities, and between manual material handlings tasks and weighted MSD symptom scores for the upper extremities and lower back. The study calls attention to the need for ergonomics research in the informal work sector to promote safer practices and address a range of worker health concerns.