Quality of work life of sanitation workers in Kerala an evaluative analysis

Abstract

Rapid population growth, urbanisation, modernisation, and accelerateddevelopment have intensified environmental challenges, thereby diminishing theenvironment‘s capacity to sustain human activities. Among these, municipal solidwaste has emerged as a critical concern, particularly in densely populated urbanareas, where its increasing volume poses serious threats to both public health and theenvironment. As a result, effective solid waste handling, management, andappropriate disposal have become pressing environmental priorities. Furthermore,sanitation, a key indicator of quality of life, serves as an important measure of acountry‘s socio-cultural and economic progress; however, inadequate sanitation andpoor hygiene practices continue to impede development across health, education,and both rural and urban sectors.Sanitation workers are the backbone of waste management systems and areessential for keeping the environment clean and protecting public health. However,they have to deal with difficult working conditions, health dangers, social stigma,and restricted access to protective gear and job security. Kerala is one of the fastest-growing states in India, with people living close together and urban elementsspreading into rural and semi-urban areas. The quick rise in municipal solid garbagehas made it even harder to manage. Limited land availability, insufficientinfrastructure, and poor waste separation at the source make management muchharder. Municipalities and businesses hire sanitation workers to handle the growingamount of trash. To make waste management in Kerala better, these workers needbetter infrastructure, policy changes, better working conditions, social recognition,and welfare measures.In this context, the quality of work life (QWL) of sanitation workers is acritical aspect of ensuring the overall well- being and dignity of workers. The studyuses a mixed–method approach combining survey and interview to gather data ontheir perception and challenges during calamities. For sampling purposes, the stateof Kerala is divided into three regions on the basis of geographical location, namelyNorth, Central and South Kerala. The study is both descriptive and analytical innature and mainly depends on primary data. Primary data were collected from 380sanitation workers working under municipalities and corporations by using astructured questionnaire. Inferential statistics were applied to augment theresearcher‘s inference. The statistical analysis was carried out with the help ofstatistical software SPSS version 22 and AMOS version 23, data were analysedusing frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation one-sample t-test,independent sample t test, ANOVA/Welch test, correlation and structural equationmodelling.The study finds that sanitation workers possess a moderate quality of worklife (QWL) in their employment. Although they convey satisfaction in terms of theirworking conditions, social support and workplace relationships, their perceptionsremain moderate with respect to critical aspects such as compensation, workload,work–life balance, job security, health and safety, training and development, andopportunities for professional advancement. Moreover, data reveal that sanitationworkers experience problems that exceed the average during calamities. Thesefindings highlight the necessity for the implementation of specific initiatives toimprove the quality of work life for sanitation workers in Kerala. Enhancing pay,incentives, and welfare benefits for low-income workers, while also mitigatingworkload pressures and expectations for high-income individuals, can foster greaterjob satisfaction and equilibrium across economic strata. Moreover, in times ofcalamity, authorities must bolster disaster preparedness by guaranteeing theavailability of sufficient safety equipment, instituting explicit operational protocols,providing prompt support services, and refining disaster response systems throughappropriate training, coordination, and thorough welfare initiatives.The study concludes that improving the QWL of sanitation workers requiresa multifaceted approach involving Government initiative, employees' responsibility,societal awareness, recommendations including stricter safety protocols, providingregular health check-ups and promoting awareness campaigns to reduce stigmaassociated with sanitation work, thereby enhancing the QWL of sanitation workers,contributing to their dignity, well-being, and overall sustainability of sanitationservice.