الفهرس 
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Abstract
: Street cleaners and waste handlers are key to maintaining the cleanliness and wellness of the community. However, they are exposed to a range of risks in their line of work, and their health status is given little to no attention. The purpose of the current study is to ascertain the frequency of multiple occupational hazards among Minia garbage collectors and investigate the potential impact on their work ability. Methodology: 310 waste collectors who participated in personal interviews were the subjects of a cross-sectional study design that gathered data on their demographics, occupational characteristics, hazard exposures, work ability index, Rosenberg self-esteem scale, Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire, and the collection of blood samples for the detection of multiple food- and blood-borne diseases. Results: Minia street cleaners and garbage collectors mostly middle-aged (76.1%), illiterate (60%), with high smoking rates (50.3%). Over half of the workforce (55.8%) were permanent workers. They have 17.4 years of work experience on average. The workers’ work ability ratings were excellent (56.8%) and good (33.5%), and more than half of them (53%) had musculoskeletal disorders over the previous 12 months. The most commonly affected body areas were the low back (19%) and knees (15.5%). The cohort of studied workers had an average Rosenberg score of 19.2 ± 5.3, with 80.6% having good self-esteem and 19.4% having low self-esteem. The prevalence of HCV, HBV, HAV, HIV, and typhoid was 13%, 0.9%, 0%, 0% and 0.43%, respectively. Conclusion: Minia waste collectors were exposed to various physical exposures and mental stressors that affected their work ability and self-esteem. This necessitates educating and informing workers about the various perspectives of their physical and mental health to enhance their wellbeing and to maintain the work ability of a very important cohort serving the whole city.