The effects of work on the health of workers from textile hub in a semi-arid region of Brazil

Abstract

Background: The main activity in the textile hub is to turn fibers into yarn, yarn into cloth and cloth into textile articles for household use. The aim of this study was to identify the occupational hazards in the textile industry.Methods: This is a transversal descriptive study that took place in the textile hub of Brazil. The environmental risk prevention program (PPRA) of the companies was used to analyse the workers' complaints through their occupational health records and to examine the collected data along with the effects on the worker's health after one year of work. A total of 128 workers took part in this study, with a mean age of 27.2 years. The statistical analysis was performed by using the software SPSS 20.0.Results: A year after, an increase in leisure time was observed thanks to the workers' monthly salaries, but an increase in hospitalization rate was noted, and hearing loss could also be detected.Conclusions: Therefore, the health of these workers was affected after one year of work.