Trabalho e genero : condições de saude das mulheres no setor de bijuterias e folheados / Labour and gender : health conditions of women the gold platted and fashion jewel industry

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2008

RESUMO

The objective of this transversal cut research was to check the health conditions of women working in the gold platted- and fashion jewel manufacture in Limeira, SP, Brazil. To do so, a profile of the subjects was designed taking into account the tasks performed by the workers, their exposure to cyanide and the self-referred complaints of health problems. A group of 191 labourers working in companies using galvanoplastic processes (exposed to cyanide) was compared with 192 workers placed in companies that manufacture and assemble manufactured parts (not exposed to cyanide). Socio-demographic, family and functional information, in addition of the Work Index Capacity, the Stress at Work Index, SRQ-20, SF-36, Audit, and the Fagerström Scale of Tolerance, were obtained by applying a questionnaire. Overall, 44.4% of the workers were single, 54.3% were between 20 and 29 years old, 49.9% are white, 62.9% completed high school, 55.4% have no children, 40.7% said declared having had injuries or illness, as confirmed by a physician, and the mean of the State of Health (SF36) was 66.9. The facts related to discrimination and favouritism in the working environment, as well as the low expectation of progress are the main psychosocial stressing factors for this population, so that 14.8% had a positive rating for common mental disorders (SRQ-20) involving frequent headaches. Related to the lifestyle, 93.7% had low risk of alcohol dependence (Audit), and 65.5% never smoked. In their work, 59% do not use EPI, 68.4% occupy the post of Jeweler Assistant, and among the workers involved with surface treatment 48.9% deal directly with cyanide. The comparison between both groups showed a statistically significant difference in the number of referred injuries and diseases as confirmed by medical evaluation. The group exposed to cyanide presented less injuries than the not exposed group (p=0.042). Thyroid disorders (p=0.022), chronic bronchitis (p=0.027), and chronic sinusitis (p=0.022) prevailed in the exposed group, whereas a prevalence of injuries in the arms and hands (p <0.001) was found in the not exposed group. Thyroid disturbances were associated with longer working times in the industry (p=0.035), lower scores of the work capacity index (p=0.001), increased frequency of minor psychiatric disorders (p=0.006), continuous fatigue (p=0.001) and ease of getting tired (p<0.001), lower functional capacity scores (p=0.021), vitality (p=0.001), emotional aspects (p=0.010), and in the mental health domain (p=0.011). Damage in arms and hands were not associated with domestic labour like house cleaning (p=0.114) or ironing (p=0.252). These issues should be accounted for in studies aiming to establish the specific characteristics of each occupation when determining the ailing process of these workers. The research found a profile of illness different for each group searched, and that the group of workers not exposed to cyanide showed worse health condition.

ASSUNTO(S)

mulheres nas profissões cyanides women in the professions cianetos

ACESSO AO ARTIGO

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