Safaikarmachari Training

Enhancing and Upgrading skills of sanitation staff

The management of municipal solid waste in India has been challenging due to the enormous amount of waste generated every day. The government of India launched the Swachh Bharat Mission in 2014 for implementing a better waste management system. This programme identified that human behavior is a key reason for unclean cities and villages. Hence focus on creating behavior change was made which would bring about success in making India cleaner.

Role of Swachh Survekshan for keeping India clean

Swachh Survekshan, the world’s largest cleanliness survey was launched as a part of the Swachh Bharat Mission. As the name suggests this survey is an annual survey of cleanliness, hygiene, and sanitation in cities and towns across India. After the survey is conducted the cities are ranked under Swachh Bharat Mission Urban and quality council of India. The Urban local bodies that are the Municipal councils of respective cities with the help of Safai Karmachari work for the implementation of activities aligned with Swachh Survekshan. The Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) play an important role in managing the municipal solid waste, as they are responsible for planning, implementing and monitoring all the systems of municipal solid waste.

Role of IEC (Information, Education and Communication)

IEC (Information, Education and Communication) is a key strategy under SBM(Urban) which ensures that sanitation as an issue is mainstreamed with the general public at large. Safai Karmachari training is sanitation workers training which is aligned with IEC activities. Segregation of waste into dry or wet waste is necessary for waste processing and Safai Karmachari are an integral part of the segregation of waste at source. They work in vulnerable conditions and are prone to health hazards. Plus the global pandemic has only increased the health risk. Swachh Bharat Mission identified the capacity building of sanitation staff as important to ensure the city waste management system is sustainable. Safai Karmachari training is one such activity where enhancement and upgrading of Safai Karmachari skill are done by a team which consist of NSDC (National skill development corporation) certified trainers. The following topics are covered during a two-day Safai Karmachari training.

Topics of Safai Karmachari training -

For Day 1 of session-

1. Use of personal protection equipment (PPE)- Given the hazardous environment in which Safai Karmachari works, wearing PPE is necessary, not only wearing it but how to wear it correctly and when to use it is important. All these aspects are taken into consideration and explained to them by the trainers during the session.
2. Personal care and first aid- Washing hands frequently by following the 7 steps and how to use first aid in case of any accident is explained for this topic.
3. Outdoor cleaning (Roads, Pavements and Public Areas)- For this part of the session a demonstration is given of how to prepare the broom for cleaning. Outdoor cleaning is done at roads, pavements etc. and how the flow of the cleaning process should be, the place where it needs to be aggregated and how the transportation of this collected waste should be done is briefed by the trainers.
4. Indoor cleaning (Building, commercial area etc.)- Indoor cleaning is done in commercial areas, inside buildings etc. The floor types vary in every building and hence brooms need to selected accordingly. Apart from this for cleaning the floors, floor cleaners are used which contain harmful chemicals so it needs to be handled with precaution. This is discussed in this part of the session.

For Day 2 of session-

1. Segregation of waste and its transportation- The type of solid waste and how to segregate them into dry, wet and hazardous waste are demonstrated during this session.
2. Wet waste processing- Basics of composting and technical know-how are explained for this part of the session.
3. Soft skills- Various activities are conducted to teach the Safai Karmachari team building skills. Apart from this communication skills are introduced on how to communicate with the residents and how to do reporting and communicate it to the officers.

Feedback from Sanitation Staff

“The information provided during the two days sessions was very informative and we never heard of many things which were discussed. What we learned is the importance of discipline while working and taking personal care. Team building activities helped us for better understanding about communication with others including residents and officers.” said Ramchandra Vinayak Bhise, a sanitation staff from Karad of Satara district in Maharashtra who participated in Safai Karmachari training.

Social Lab has been successful in conducting such training in 17 cities. We have NSDC certified trainers who conduct two days of training, where PPE kits are also distributed. After the training, the most important impact observed is teamwork, and the sense of responsibility towards the work allotted increases. Safai Karmachari work in hazardous environments daily which makes them prone to infectious diseases and to avoid this PPE kits are given, which are used regularly after awareness regarding it during the training. Apart from this communication skills also improved, this helps in communication regarding segregated waste collection during door to door collection and while communicating the status of waste collection and segregation process to the ULBs regularly. Overall these training sessions motivate the Safai Karmachari and make them confident about their work, and how it is important for managing waste on a daily basis. By conducting such Safaikarmachari training sessions, not only are we ensuring skill upliftment but the activities which are implemented post the training are aligned with the Sustainable development goal 3 and 8 which are good health and well being and decent work and economic growth. Solid waste management is challenging in a country like India where humongous amount of waste is generated everyday, but with the help of Safaikarmacharis the waste management system is moving forwards towards circular economy and skill upgrading by training sessions acts as an add on in the process.

Contributed by- Kunal Thakur, Manager and Ashlesha Karande, Communication Executive at Social Lab Environmental Solutions Pvt.Ltd

Social Lab Environmental Solutions is a waste management company, which helps brands take-back and scientifically dispose of post-consumer plastic waste of their products. Brands take our services to fulfill Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) obligation under Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2018.

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