Labour risks in solid waste companies in Andalusia: a gender perspective

Abstract

The Urban Solid Waste sector has a great trajectory in the implementation of preventive plans in workplace risks. We analyzed two aspects: which are the factors of workplace risks to what the employees are exposed and can essentially affect their health inside of the analyzed sector; and the differences in preventive management performed in companies that had informed their workers about occupational diseases, and analyzed these differences according to workers’ gender. The method used was cross-sectional analysis in eight provinces of Andalusia (Spain). As research tool, a 75-question questionnaire was used to prepare the report on “Working conditions and safety management in enterprises specialized in management of urban solid wastes in Andalusia” by the Andalusian Institute of Occupational Health and Safety. As statistical technique, it has been used multiple correspondence analysis and the Chi-Squared test of independence. In the results there are two different perceptions of workplace risks in organizations that are fixed by the hierarchy in the company. It is possible to establish a direct relationship between the Team Management of the company and the concerning about workplace risks. The greater the distance between leadership’s positions, the greater concern of employees exposed to the workplace risks. Regarding psychosocial risks, we concluded that women are more affected than men.