THE CULTURE OF THE TRADITIONAL PRACTICE OF CARPENTRY SHOPS IN PALMEIRA DOS ÍNDIOS AND ITS INFLUENCE ON WORK SAFETY

Abstract

In several Brazilian cities, the manufacture of wooden furniture is carried out in carpentry shops, which are part of the traditional and popular Brazilian culture. In this activity, the use of various machines and equipment is constant and offers several physical, chemical, biological and ergonomic risks, the main agents being: noise and vibration of the machines, dust from medium density fiberboard (MDF) and sawn wood, paints and resins, repetitive movements and direct injuries. In Brazil, the accident statistics exceed 500,000 accidents per year, which often result in temporary or permanent disability, in addition to social and psychological consequences. In several studies, the results point to a high accident rate in carpentry shops. Based on this understanding, the objective of this research was to verify the possible influence of culture on the current way of working of carpenters in relation to Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) issues, based on interviews with 14 carpenters from the municipality of Palmeira dos Índios - Alagoas, through the application of a semi-structured questionnaire with closed and open questions. It was found that about 71% of the carpenters learned the traditional practice of carpentry under the age of 18, which means that they were still minors. 100% of them learned through more experienced carpenters, that is, they did not participate in professional courses in the area of expertise and 90% learned from carpenters who did not regularly use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). It was found that 90% of the carpenters did not regularly use PPE, despite 100% knowing the risks and having already suffered some type of accident, and 65% had already participated in lectures or training with the Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service (SEBRAE) during their professional life. In this resistance to the use of PPE, there is a strong tendency to have as a cause the culture of influence of the way they learned the profession, since 80% of the carpenters, in their statements, stated that the non-use of personal protection, on a regular basis, is due to the fact that they learned from people who did not use PPE. Thus, it is understood that, even participating in training during their profession, and the awareness of the various risks inherent to OSH, the carpenters chose to disregard the risks and not protect themselves. These results reinforce the thesis that culture, specifically the way of learning, directly influenced the decision making of carpenters not to protect themselves in OSH issues, leading to a certain trivialization of risks, which has as consequences a high rate of accidents.