Intervenção Ergonômica no trabalho em olarias artesanais: o caso do município de Rosário – MA

Abstract

Ergonomics aims at the health, safety, and satisfaction of workers and it has the intention of achieving favorable, healthy, and safe working conditions for humans, which it deals with a wide range of design-relevant problems in the assessment of work systems. The potteries are local which, even in the face of technological advances and changes in society, continue to use traditional manufacturing techniques. Given this context, questions appeared about the work of potters from Rosário, a city that is the largest ceramic producer in the Maranhão, and if this work presents adequate ergonomic conditions for activities in the workstations. In this way, the objective of this research was to understand the work in these places through an Ergonomic Intervention (Moraes and Mont’Alvão, 2010) until the stage of ergonomic diagnosis, detect problems related to this process, propose improvement solutions, and prioritize the craftsmen potter in terms of health, safety, and efficiency. Therefore, the working conditions are described from the general scope to the generation of a hierarchy concerning the ergonomic constraints found, and, finally, the deepening related to musculoskeletal factors linked to occupational postures. Interfacial order, movemental, spatial/architectural, physical/environmental, accidental, and chemical/environmental problems were detected. The application of the Corlett and Manenica postural diagram and the postural analysis technique, called REBA, helped to show the level of discomfort/pain productive activity, the postures that present the greatest risks. It is concluded that there is a positive correlation between the dependent variables (postural risk and level of discomfort/pain) and the independent variables (production activity, age and worker experience). From the results, it is possible to affirm that the work in artisanal potteries exposes its employees to several ergonomic constraints and that changes and adaptations are necessary for these workstations. The results were the basis for formulating proposals for improvements which were presented in the form of an educational folder to the potteries' management and the potters. The discussions resulted in a conceptual proposal which contributes to a better visualization of these suggestions and serve as a warning about the risks of maintaining activities in current situations.