Using illustrated system analysis for qualitative risk assessment of emptying of pit latrines
Pit latrines as the primary means of sanitation for billions of people. Fecal sludge must be removed regularly when pit latrines fill up, and the workers who empty these latrines are essential service providers. Pit latrine emptying services and approaches are highly variable, ranging from highly tr...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-11-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Environmental Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2022.1033877/full |
| _version_ | 1798017972365688832 |
|---|---|
| author | Jocelyn Tsai Noel Wilson Francis L. de los Reyes |
| author_facet | Jocelyn Tsai Noel Wilson Francis L. de los Reyes |
| author_sort | Jocelyn Tsai |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Pit latrines as the primary means of sanitation for billions of people. Fecal sludge must be removed regularly when pit latrines fill up, and the workers who empty these latrines are essential service providers. Pit latrine emptying services and approaches are highly variable, ranging from highly trained teams using vacuum trucks with a suite of personal protective equipment to individuals with no protection using simple manual tools like buckets and shovels. While national governments and nonprofits endeavor to make pit latrine emptying safer, the people making day-to-day decisions such as local pit emptying associations, sanitation businesses, utilities, and local governments have limited resources to evaluate how different emptying practices vary in terms of risk. In this paper we describe the development of an open-source Illustrated System Analysis tool for the fecal sludge management community. This tool can be used in conjunction with a simple risk assessment matrix to help decision makers describe, compare, and prioritize risks for mitigation. We demonstrate this process by outlining how a pit emptying team can compare mechanical and manual emptying with respect to ingestion of fecal material and inhalation of fecal bioaerosols. Illustrated System Analysis can be a tool to analyze fecal sludge management systems, and the associated challenges and opportunities so that they could be understood and referenced by the wider public and used to spark innovation. We provide a library of graphics freely under creative commons. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T16:16:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4105a11579fe4f72a81bf701c503e89a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-665X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T16:16:19Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Environmental Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-4105a11579fe4f72a81bf701c503e89a2022-12-22T04:14:30ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Environmental Science2296-665X2022-11-011010.3389/fenvs.2022.10338771033877Using illustrated system analysis for qualitative risk assessment of emptying of pit latrinesJocelyn Tsai0Noel Wilson1Francis L. de los Reyes2Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United StatesCatapult Design, Sanford, NC, United StatesDepartment of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United StatesPit latrines as the primary means of sanitation for billions of people. Fecal sludge must be removed regularly when pit latrines fill up, and the workers who empty these latrines are essential service providers. Pit latrine emptying services and approaches are highly variable, ranging from highly trained teams using vacuum trucks with a suite of personal protective equipment to individuals with no protection using simple manual tools like buckets and shovels. While national governments and nonprofits endeavor to make pit latrine emptying safer, the people making day-to-day decisions such as local pit emptying associations, sanitation businesses, utilities, and local governments have limited resources to evaluate how different emptying practices vary in terms of risk. In this paper we describe the development of an open-source Illustrated System Analysis tool for the fecal sludge management community. This tool can be used in conjunction with a simple risk assessment matrix to help decision makers describe, compare, and prioritize risks for mitigation. We demonstrate this process by outlining how a pit emptying team can compare mechanical and manual emptying with respect to ingestion of fecal material and inhalation of fecal bioaerosols. Illustrated System Analysis can be a tool to analyze fecal sludge management systems, and the associated challenges and opportunities so that they could be understood and referenced by the wider public and used to spark innovation. We provide a library of graphics freely under creative commons.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2022.1033877/fullfecalfecal sludge managementpit latrine emptyingrisk assessmentgraphics |
| spellingShingle | Jocelyn Tsai Noel Wilson Francis L. de los Reyes Using illustrated system analysis for qualitative risk assessment of emptying of pit latrines Frontiers in Environmental Science fecal fecal sludge management pit latrine emptying risk assessment graphics |
| title | Using illustrated system analysis for qualitative risk assessment of emptying of pit latrines |
| title_full | Using illustrated system analysis for qualitative risk assessment of emptying of pit latrines |
| title_fullStr | Using illustrated system analysis for qualitative risk assessment of emptying of pit latrines |
| title_full_unstemmed | Using illustrated system analysis for qualitative risk assessment of emptying of pit latrines |
| title_short | Using illustrated system analysis for qualitative risk assessment of emptying of pit latrines |
| title_sort | using illustrated system analysis for qualitative risk assessment of emptying of pit latrines |
| topic | fecal fecal sludge management pit latrine emptying risk assessment graphics |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2022.1033877/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jocelyntsai usingillustratedsystemanalysisforqualitativeriskassessmentofemptyingofpitlatrines AT noelwilson usingillustratedsystemanalysisforqualitativeriskassessmentofemptyingofpitlatrines AT francisldelosreyes usingillustratedsystemanalysisforqualitativeriskassessmentofemptyingofpitlatrines |