Educação ambiental como instrumento para mitigar os riscos inerentes à profissão de catadores e catadoras de materiais recicláveis em Campina Grande-PB.

Abstract

The collectors of recyclable materials become professionals exposed to occupational risks due to unhealthy activities they work. In this sense, among the mitigating measures, the work of environmental education is part of the framework for reconstruction of human dignity by mobilizing and training these professionals, thus contributing to better working conditions and health, serving as support to enable them to perform their duties more safety and quality. This bias, this work aimed to evaluate the process of environmental education as a tool to mitigate the risks inherent to the profession groomer grooming and recyclable material in Campina Grande - PB. Participant observation was conducted from March/2012 to novembro/2013 with 11 collectors of recyclable materials that work and reside in the Community Nossa Senhora Aparecida , with seven of these professionals are organized in association (Association of collectors of Materials recyclable Nossa Senhora Aparecida - ARENSA) and four are in the informal sector , working in the streets of Campina Grande. The comparison between these two groups was of immense importance to assess the occupational risk minimization among members after applying strategies in Environmental Education. The process of sensitization , training and mobilization guided by the principles of environmental education happened through fortnightly meetings, courses, workshops, seminars, technical visits to the successful experience of organizing waste pickers. Occupational risks were analyzed chemical, physical, biological, ergonomic and accidents. We verified that the collectors of recyclable materials are submitted daily in their work routines, the different occupational risks, because the poor and unhealthy conditions they are exposed. We note that apart from the essential use of EPIs, it is necessary to develop efficient technologies to meet the needs of the collector and picker of recyclable material, to prevent workplace accidents, but also sensitizes them in order not to use inappropriate tools during the development of their work activities, among named in this work as knives, machetes, hammers, cars refrigerators. Therefore, it is essential partnerships between universities, public authorities and collectors of recyclable materials. We conclude that the process of Environmental Education is essential to change habits and perceptions of collectors of recyclable materials and therefore mitigate the risks inherent to the profession. Thus, we find that the organization of collectors of recyclables plus the association of environmental education process through different strategies applied during the development of this work has contributed significantly to mitigate the risks they are exposed to these professional materials.