Fundacentro sought to multiply knowledge in occupational health and safety during the International Fair of Safety and Protection – Fisp in the city of São Paulo. On the last day of the event, on October 5, specialists from the institution gave four technical lectures. The topics covered ISO 45001 – Occupational health and safety management systems, selection of respirators, regulatory standards, and prevention of motorcycle accidents.

The participants received the booklet “MESSENGER – Occupational Safety and Health: Prevention of traffic accidents” and competed for the books “The Diseases of Workers” e “Fundacentro – Half a Century of Occupational Safety and Health”, which were drawn at the end of the presentations. At the Fundacentro booth, there was also an exhibition of other publications produced by the institution, many of which are available for free in digital format.

ISO 45001

The head of Fundacentro's Work Process Safety Coordination, José Damásio de Aquino, gave a lecture on ISO 45001 and Regulatory Standards. In his assessment, the failure to apply effective measures to control existing risks in work environments leads to accidents.

Compulsory control measures are the regulatory standards of the Ministry of Labor, which are required by legal force. “It is necessary to consider that the NR is the minimum, it is the floor,” warns the Fundacentro physicist. Voluntary control measures, on the other hand, are demanded by the market and include ISO 45001:2018 – Occupational health and safety management systems – Requirements with guidance for use.

“This document specifies the requirements for an OHS management system (OHSMS) and provides guidance for its use, to enable organizations to provide safe and healthy workplaces, thus contributing to the prevention of work-related injuries and ill health, as well as to the improvement of OHSMS performance,” points out Damásio.

ISO 45001 highlights the importance of planning and enabling worker participation. “If a company implements OHS management, it has to provide for worker participation. And this is not Cipa, this is not Sesmt,” explains José Damásio. Regarding planning, it is necessary to identify sources of risk, evaluate risks and opportunities, determine legal requirements that apply to the company, and outline the occupational health and safety actions and objectives to be achieved.

To reduce risks, it recommends the following hierarchy of controls: elimination of the source of risk; substitution of the process with less hazardous processes, operations, materials, and equipment; adoption of engineering controls and work reorganization; adoption of administrative controls, including training; and the use of appropriate PPE (Personal Protective Equipment).

It is also necessary to be prepared to respond to emergencies, carry out monitoring, measurement, analysis, and performance evaluation, have an internal audit program, take corrective actions, and seek continuous improvement.

Respirator selection

Chemist Silvia Nicolai, who works at Fundacentro's Safety Equipment Service, gave the lecture “Selection of respirators and Assigned Protection Factors.” She showed the protection levels of different respirators.

The use of the respirator is the last resort that should be employed to control worker exposure. Protection will only be effective if the selection is made correctly. The respirator must have a shape and size that fit the user's face well and must be put on correctly. It is also necessary that they are in a good state of repair and functioning. When filters are present, they must not be saturated.

To make proper use, it is important to implement the Fundacentro Respiratory Protection Program. The latest edition, from 2016, included the selection of respirators for crystalline silica and asbestos, as well as observations in Table I – Assigned Protection Factors, which alter the APF of certain respirators and prohibit the use of P1 filters in specific types.

The Assigned Protection Factor – APF “is the minimum level of respiratory protection that is expected to be achieved in the workplace for a specified percentage of trained users, provided by an appropriate respirator (or class of respirators) in good condition and properly fitted to the face, worn during all the time the user remains in the contaminated area.”.

Regulatory Standards

Fundacentro journalist Cristiane Reimberg discussed the institution's involvement in the process of drafting Regulatory Standards throughout history. Fundacentro was fundamental to the drafting of Ordinance No. 3,214 of June 8, 1978, which created the first 28 RGs. Its experts also participate in the creation of new RGs and the revision of previous ones.

According to the then Minister of Labor Arnaldo Prieto, now deceased, the inspiration for creating the NRs came from the construction of the Itaipu Power Plant, starting in 1974. Another aspect that must be considered is that there were changes in the legislation, which drove their drafting. Law No. 6,514, of December 22, 1977, amended Chapter V of Title II of the Consolidation of Labor Laws (CLT), relating to occupational safety and health, and the modified aspects required regulation by the Ministry of Labor.

The NRs came to create this regulation. The drafting of Ordinance No. 3,214 involved the participation of 19 Fundacentro professionals, coordinated by Clóvis Toiti Seki and with the collaboration of José Manuel Gana Soto, Clóvis Eduardo Meirelles, and Geraldo Bueno Martha. After publication, they underwent changes over time.

In the 1980s, 18 ordinances amending regulatory standards were published. During this period, for example, NR 7 underwent technical changes such as the introduction of the ASO (Occupational Health Certificate), chest X-ray, and audiometry. In the 1990s, 54 amending ordinances were published. During this decade, the tripartite system for amending the NRs was consolidated. Between 2000 and 2009, 56 ordinances were published. From January 2010 to June 2016, 60 amending ordinances were published.

During the lecture, they also spoke about the drafting of the new regulatory standards: NR 29 (Safety and Health in Port Work), NR 30 (Safety and Health in Waterway Work), NR 31 (Safety and Health in Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry, Logging and Aquaculture), NR 32 (Safety and Health in Health Services), NR 33 (Safety and Health in Confined Spaces), NR 34 (Working Conditions and Environment in the Shipbuilding, Repair and Dismantling Industry), NR 35 (Working at Heights) and NR 36 (Safety and Health in Meat and Poultry Processing and Derivative Companies).

Motorcycle accident prevention

The head of Fundacentro's Educational Actions Service, Cleiton Faria Lima, addressed the topic “Occupational Health and Safety: Prevention of Motorcycle Accidents.” From 2006 to 2015, there were 405,250 deaths from transportation accidents, of which 104,197 were motorcyclists. The overall peak was in 2012 with 44,812 cases, 12,480 of which were motorcyclists, but the highest number of deaths among motorcyclists was in 2014, with 12,604 cases, out of a total of 43,780. In 2015, the overall number was 38,651, with 12,066 motorcyclist deaths. There was significant growth, considering that in 1996 there were 725 motorcyclist deaths.

A study by the Institute of Orthopedics and Traumatology at Hospital das Clínicas collected data on victims of motorcycle accidents at the Bandeirantes Municipal Emergency Room, the University Hospital (HU) of USP, and Hospital das Clínicas over a three-month period, 24 hours a day. Of the 326 victims, 92% were men; their average age was 29.7 years; 73% used the motorcycle for transportation and 23% for work; 55% had been in previous accidents, and 18% had been hospitalized previously.

The study also found that 44% suffered serious injuries; 2% died; 28% (93 victims) were hospitalized; 77% were licensed drivers; 67% had learned to ride on their own; 31% had taken a defensive riding course; and 21.3% of those involved in accidents tested positive for alcohol or drugs. Of the 326 victims, 90% were wearing helmets; 22.7% were wearing boots; and 18.1% were wearing jackets.

The Fundacentro educator highlighted the importance of Law No. 12,009 of July 29, 2009, which regulates motorcycle freight and taxi drivers, and Contran (National Traffic Council) Resolution No. 356 of August 2, 2010, which establishes minimum safety requirements for these professionals. They must have a leg and engine protection device; a line trimmer (kite-cutting antenna) attached to the handlebars; retroreflective elements on the cargo box; wear a helmet with distinct retroreflective elements; and wear a safety vest with combined retroreflective and fluorescent elements.

Law No. 12,436 of July 6, 2011, prohibits the use of practices that encourage speeding by professional motorcyclists.

The United Nations – UN considers the years 2011 to 2020 as the Decade of Action for Road Safety. Among the goals are to develop traffic education and accident prevention actions and to halve global deaths and injuries from road accidents by 2020. The 2nd Global High-Level Conference on Road Safety: Time for Results was held in November 2015, in Brasília/DF, and featured the participation of the Fundacentro specialist.

To help prevent accidents involving professional motorcyclists, Fundacentro has developed two booklets: “MESSENGER – Occupational Safety and Health: Prevention of traffic accidents” e “Delivery rider – Employers and contractors”. The SST Fácil application, developed by the institution, provides access to different topics through questions and answers in accordance with the principles of programmed instruction. The transportation category is divided into motorcycle couriers, truck drivers, and rural worker transportation. The app can be downloaded for free at Google Play and on Apple Store.

Source: Fundacentro