occupational health

hazards

musculoskeletal disorders

respiratory disorders

injuries

street cleaner/sweeper

occupational diseases and work-related diseases, including asthma and rhinitis (case studies, diagnostics, prevention, risk factors)

infectious diseases

musculoskeletal diseases

corporate occupational health strategy

translation of science into policy in occupational and environmental health

aerosol and bioaerosol exposure health effects

biological agents exposure health effects

hazardous materials management

liquid and solid waste disposal

noise pollution control

assessment of the impact of working conditions on work capability and workers’ health (fitness for work)

physiological effects of workload (physical and mental workload)

physiological reaction to occupational factors: physical, chemical, air pollution, organizational

occupational stress

aerosol and bioaerosol exposure

biological agents at the workplace

Street cleaning is an integral part of the solid waste management system. There are different ways to achieve clean streets depending on the availability of equipment, the type and magnitude of dirt, the surface conditions encountered or traffic conditions. In general, hand sweeping by an individual worker or a group, hose flushing, or machine sweeping or flushing are applied. In order to obtain information about the occurrence and relevance of occupational health hazards of street cleaners, the current international literature, as well as corresponding German regulations, were reviewed and evaluated. Street cleaning includes a variety of health hazards for employees. These can be subdivided into effects of occupational tasks and effects of working conditions such as weather or road traffic. The hazards result from physical, chemical and biological exposures, but may also be due to physiological and psychological burden or inadequate safety aspects. The most commonly reported work-related complaints are musculoskeletal and respiratory disorders, cuts, slips, and road traffic accidents. In developing countries, street cleaners seem to be still heavily exposed to dust and, in most cases, no suitable protective measures are available. Especially in industrialized countries there exist a number of standards and recommendations for waste workers that aim to reduce their occupational health impacts. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2020;33(6):701–32