Elaboração de um programa de saúde aos trabalhadores de uma indústria metalúrgica do interior do RS

Abstract

The concerns regarding the health of workers and the environment conditions where they live is getting more and more attention in worldwide discussions on health and quality of life at work. The objective of this paper was to map the health conditions of workers from a metallurgic company located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, taking into account age, gender, education, work accidents, immunizations, job department, absenteeism, and health conditions, and to outline a health program for those workers. This is a description study with a quantitative approach. 167 workers were requested to respond a structured questionnaire. Male workers were predominant. Regarding education, most are graduated from high school or are currently attending college, and are between 19 and 68 years old. Most of them work in the production department, and their working hours are of 8 hours and 48 minutes a day. Most of them declared not having had labor accidents. The higher risk at the workplace mentioned was noise, followed by ergonomic problems, exposure to dust, cuts, heat, fall, electricity, biological agents and non-ionizing radiation. The existence of Systemic Hypertension was mentioned by the minority and a few declared suffering from Diabetes Mellitus. The BMI showed the presence of overweight or some degree of obesity in most of workers. The heart risk obtained by the waist-hip ratio was high to very high in most of workers as well. The method for nutritional assessment showed few cases of malnutrition or risk for malnutrition. Most women perform the breast self-examination and submit to the Papanicolaou’s test regularly. Regarding male exams, men who responded the questionnaire said they don’t do any kind of exams. The most frequently taken vaccine was the anti-tetanus vaccine, followed by the triple vaccine viral, yellow fever and hepatitis B. Smoking habit is present in a minority, but alcohol consumption is common to everybody. The results of the questionnaire supported the outline of a Health Program for workers comprising nutritional and vaccine assessment, smoking habit, alcohol intake, preventive exams for men and women, non-communicable chronic diseases, labor accidents, absenteeism and occupational risks. The status of the company workers’ health showed the need for a Health Program. The Program implementation at the workplace, like in any other institution, is challenging and feasible, but the institution must agree and support that undertaking.