Sanitation equipment gets design upgrade as worker invents wheeled dustpan

Oh Chang-taek, an employee of Daegu's Dalseo District Office, introduces a wheeled street-cleaning dustpan that he developed himself, which provides more efficiency and comfort for sanitation workers. Korea Times photo by Kim Jae-hyun

The handle tilts about 15 degrees. It can hold more than 5 liters of waste. It even has wheels. An innovative street-cleaning dustpan has been developed, addressing many shortcomings of conventional models, including short handles, limited capacity and physical strain caused by repetitive use. The product has progressed beyond the prototype stage, with a patent application already filed.

The inventor is a veteran sanitation worker with 20 years of field experience. On June 5, Oh Chang-taek, 52, a public sanitation worker employed by Dalseo District in Daegu, explained that existing dustpans failed to adequately account for workers' body types and working postures.

"There was a clear need for improvement," Oh said. "I began building prototypes earlier this year, and with support from the district office, we've even moved forward with a patent application."

Oh's dustpan is designed with workers in mind. The handle's height and angle can be adjusted, while attached wheels reduce the burden of moving it around. Durability was also a priority: If a component breaks, only that specific part needs to be replaced.

"Just as everyone has different clothing preferences, work tools should fit the individual user," Oh said. "Since damaged parts can be replaced separately, maintenance is much easier."

Sanitation workers have long complained about the limitations of standard cleaning equipment. The dustpans distributed once a year are often too small to hold recyclable materials, fallen leaves or wet waste in a single load. Even two 1.5-liter plastic bottles can be difficult to collect at once, forcing workers to empty their dustpans repeatedly during cleaning. As a result, many workers cut up large trash bins and use them as makeshift dustpans. However, the sharp edges and exposed nails created by such modifications have sometimes caused injuries.

The physical toll of repetitive work has also been a concern. Spending entire days sweeping and collecting trash while leaning to one side can lead to shoulder and elbow injuries, including rotator cuff disorders. Some workers have even filed workers' compensation claims as a result.

The issue drew attention last September when a district council in Daegu argued that sanitation workers should be provided with tools better suited to their actual working conditions.

Developing the new dustpan was far from easy. Oh adapted handles originally designed for other purposes and repeatedly tested different materials for the dustpan body. The project also required a considerable amount of personal spending.

"It may not look like much, but there were times when finding a single compatible part took more than a week," he said. "When I finally found the right component, it felt like discovering a gold necklace."

The response from colleagues has been overwhelmingly positive. Fellow sanitation workers who tested the dustpan quickly began asking for their own copies. Some jokingly suggested that Oh deserved a "Nobel Prize for sanitation workers."

WIth no wheels and limited load capacity, dustpans used by many public sanitation workers are not well-suited to actual working conditions in many cases. Courtesy of Daegu Seo District Council member Lee Ju-han

"I was delighted when my coworkers told me their back and shoulder pain had decreased and that they could work faster and more comfortably," Oh said. "It made me feel that all the effort was worthwhile."

Dalseo District plans to manufacture and distribute 150 prototype units for field testing. Feedback from users will be incorporated into future improvements. The district also intends to support the patent process and explore possibilities for commercialization through private sector partnerships.

Oh is already considering additional equipment designs aimed at reducing manual labor in areas where vacuum collection vehicles cannot easily operate, such as narrow alleyways and locations with heavy accumulations of fallen leaves.

As head of the local sanitation workers' union branch, Oh emphasized that although working conditions have improved compared with the past, the quality of equipment remains inadequate. "I hope this project helps draw greater attention to the working environment of sanitation workers," he said.

Street-cleaning dustpan on wheels / Korea Times photo by Kim Jae-hyun

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.