Working conditions and environmental exposures among electronic waste workers in Ghana
Working conditions and environmental exposures among electronic waste workers in Ghana
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DOI：
10.1179/2049396713y.0000000034
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发表时间：
2013-10-01
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
Fobil, Julius N.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Akormedi, Matthew;Asampong, Emmanuel;Fobil, Julius N.
目标：调查和描述加纳阿克拉阿博布罗希的非正式电子废物回收和工作条件。方法：我们进行了深入的访谈，从扎根理论的角度进行了定性分析。工人们从阿克拉的各个居民区获得电子垃圾，然后将其拆除并露天焚烧，以回收铜，铝，钢，和其他产品，在现场或附近的Agbogbloshie市场向客户销售。加工工人在不健康的条件下工作，周围常常是垃圾和人类排泄物，没有任何形式的保护装备，因此经常受到烧伤、割伤和吸入高度污染的烟雾。我们没有观察到任何形式的社会保障/支持系统的工人，谁形成了非正式的协会，以支持彼此在timesofdifficult.Conclusions：电子废物回收的工作条件是非常具有挑战性的，并提出了严重危害工人的健康和福祉。要使电子废物处理活动正规化，就需要为电子废物工作者制定一个可持续的财政和社会保障框架，包括采用低成本、社会可接受、易于操作和清洁的技术，以保障工作者和公众的健康。
Objective: To investigate and describe informal e-waste recycling and working conditions at Agbogbloshie, Accra, Ghana.Methods: We conducted in-depth interviews which were qualitatively analysed from a grounded theory perspective.Results: Workers obtained e-waste from the various residential areas in Accra, then dismantled and burned them in open air to recover copper, aluminum, steel, and other products for sale to customers on-site or at the nearby Agbogbloshie market. The processers worked under unhealthy conditions often surrounded by refuse and human excreta without any form of protective gear and were thus exposed to frequent burns, cuts, and inhalation of highly contaminated fumes. We observed no form of social security/support system for the workers, who formed informal associations to support one another in times of difficulty.Conclusions: e-waste recycling working conditions were very challenging and presented serious hazards to worker health and wellbeing. Formalizing the e-waste processing activities requires developing a framework of sustainable financial and social security for the e-waste workers, including adoption of low-cost, socially acceptable, easy-to-operate, and cleaner technologies that would safeguard the health of the workers and the general public.