UNHEALTHY ASSESSMENT OF CHEMICAL AGENTS IN A MECHANICAL ENGINEERING TEACHING LABORATORY

Abstract

Occupational health and safety of workers are issues that have been studied throughout the evolution of society. Many types of operations and activities pose risks of harm to health, and those that expose employees to harmful agents above certain tolerance limits established by the nature, intensity or duration of exposure are classified as unhealthy. One of the major occupational health problems found in the most varied segments of companies is exposure to chemical agents, which can penetrate the human body through inhalation, ingestion or contact with the skin, causing several adverse effects such as irritation, poisoning, cancer, among others. This paper presents a study on the occupational environment of a mechanical engineering teaching laboratory of a Brazilian federal public university in the activities developed by the laboratory technician employee. The chemical agents to which the worker is exposed were identified and the current Brazilian legislation on the subject was analyzed. Of the activities performed, 4 of them were classified as unhealthy and it was decided that the laboratory technician employee is entitled to an additional 20% on the base salary. Corrective measures were proposed in an attempt to neutralize the risks or protect against their effects, but the viable alternative for implementation was the use of Personal Protective Equipment by the employee, which in itself does not exempt the employer from paying the unhealthiness bonus.