Vol. 5, Issue 2, Part A (2023)

The world faces a major problem with waste accumulation. Improper disposal increases disease spread and soil contamination, poses risks to the general population and, more seriously, to collectors, who work directly with solid waste. This transversal and qualitative approach aimed to investigate the aspects of urban cleaning professionals' work complexity in the city of São Luís de Montes Belos, Goiás, Brazil, in the year 2017, with emphasis on street job conditions and variability. An Informed Consent Form was applied, and structured interviews were conducted with open and closed questions to analyze the perception of risks in the work process. In view of obtained results, often called “garis”, solid waste cleaning professionals do not receive due importance for the function complexity they perform. Furthermore, collectors lack socio-educational measures, addressing safety at work to avoid damage to their own health through continuing education, bringing improvement in professional quality and their own well-being. Finally, it is necessary to make the population aware of the service importance provided by urban solid waste cleaning professionals, while they exercise this attribution with dignity and must be respected by their significant importance in the urban environment.