Abstract
Although numerous studies have argued that sanitation workers play a significant role in the existing sanitation system while being at the cost of their health and dignity in an inappropriate work environment, they are often socially ostracized, and hence understudied to date. This study aimed to examine the current state of garbage workers, who engage in unloading and sorting garbage along with a particular focus on exploring personal hygiene, dignity, and socioeconomic diversity. This study examined these aspects in a sample of seven garbage workers in an urban slum of Indonesia through participatory and interview surveys. The results showed that there were several particular sanitation-related issues affecting workers: wetness (e.g., menstrual products and animal corps), dirtiness, and hazardous garbage (e.g., medical syringes and broken glasses), which contributed to serious health-risk exposures. Participants reported high levels of feeling of safety and potential health-risk awareness; however, this study also demonstrated low levels of risk-controlling behaviors, representing no proper safety gears caused by two unique factors: physical discomfort and work inefficiency. Results also revealed the diversity in income generation accompanied by that participants work in the exclusive circle comprising family members, which may implicate their economic affluence. While dignity in/at work was entrenched in some workers in the context of social abuse, reframing process (e.g., affirmation) and hierarchical comparisons helped them experience their value in/at work. These findings need to be discussed in relation to past and recent studies in other economically developing countries for a better understanding of this population.
