To do so, the number of samples in different areas was first determined based on the number of cleaners working in that area, and then, the samples in each area were randomly selected. The samples were selected from ten districts of Shiraz municipality using random cluster sampling. This cross-sectional study was carried out on 97 male municipality cleaners in Shiraz. The present study was undertaken among municipality cleaners in Shiraz with the following objectives: As a result, studies on assessing the physical workload of the cleaner population are scarce. Indeed, the studies carried out abroad on assessing the physical workload of municipality workers have focused on waste collection workers or domestic cleaning workers. A review of past studies has shown that despite the importance of assessing physical workload, an issue of such importance has not yet been addressed in Iranian cleaners. In recent decades, there has been a great deal of research on PWC and the workload of industrial workers and public service workers in different societies. It is affected by various factors, including the nature of work, training, motivation, and environmental factors. The physical workload is the measurable portion of physical resources expended when performing a given task (manual lifting and carrying, repetitive work, and other physical strain). Hence, to assess physical workload, one must first determine the individual’s PWC and compare it to the energy consumed during the work to assess one’s physical workload. Bonjer proposed 33% of the maximum aerobic capacity (VO 2-max) as an acceptable threshold for energy consumption, which is still accepted by work physiology researchers today. PWC represents the highest amount of energy a person can consume during an eight-hour work shift without damaging one’s health. Therefore, to maintain the health of workers and prevent premature burnout of the workforce and other consequences of increased workload, it is necessary to maintain a reasonable balance between the energy required to perform the work (physical work demand) and the Physical Work Capacity (PWC) of the worker. In addition, overload causes excessive fatigue and burnout, decreased efficiency and job satisfaction, increased workplace complaints, increased absenteeism, reduced cognitive performance, and increased likelihood of human errors or accidents. If the physical workload exceeds one’s capacity to perform it, there are various complications and consequences, including musculoskeletal disorders and impaired cardiovascular function. Therefore, the job of cleaners is often considered to be difficult and excruciating. Due to work difficulty and walking over long distances, the physical workload is one of the most important ergonomic risk factors amongst cleaners. The cleanliness job consists of various tasks, including sweeping while standing for a long time, bending to collect waste, pulling and pushing waste collection containers, and manually carrying objects (usually waste or waste collection containers). In developing countries, street cleaners seem to be still heavily exposed to dust, and in most cases, no suitable protective measures are available. The most commonly reported work-related complaints are musculoskeletal and respiratory disorders, cuts, slips, and road traffic accidents. The hazards result from physical, chemical, and biological exposures but may also be due to physiological and psychological burdens or inadequate safety aspects. Due to and required by their responsibility, this group of workers is potentially exposed to a wide range of adverse factors and occupational hazards. Street cleaners have an important responsibility for eliminating harmful waste and protecting public health and sanitation. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver ( ) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated in a credit line to the data. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. Open AccessThis article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made.
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