Working conditions at recycling centres in Sweden--physical and psychosocial work environment

Abstract

The number of jobs at recycling centres are increasing, at the same time as there are indications of work environment problems. The aim of this paper was to investigate physical and psychosocial working conditions for employees at recycling centres in Sweden, to describe how they were perceived, to compare differences between subgroups, and further to identify proposals for improvement. Employees at 42 recycling centres (n=122) responded a postal questionnaire. Of these 32 employees from 16 recycling centres were interviewed, as also their employer (n=16). The work at recycling centres was reported to be a meaningful service job comprising many social interactions with users, but also substantial physical strain. There was a high frequency of injuries and minor injuries. Several risks were identified. There is a need for several preventive actions, e.g. better planning when building recycling centres, including better machines and equipment and more training, especially in handling hazardous waste.