Chamber promotes healthy work environments

Organized as part of the celebrations of the National Day of Prevention and Health at Work, the VI Seminar on Safety and Health at Work, with the theme “Unraveling the Mysteries of CMERT”, brought together more than a hundred municipal workers, who heard experts address topics related to the prevention of musculoskeletal health and the importance of physical and mental well-being at work.

“As work is a fundamental right, it is fair that it is carried out safely and in a way that preserves the health and integrity of the individual or the teams that perform it. On a daily basis, this is the commitment of the Setúbal City Council”said vice-president Carla Guerreiro, in the opening session.

The mayor, who is responsible for Human Resources, recalled that the municipality, “aware of its role as an employer”has been marking the National Day of Prevention and Health at Work for more than a decade with seminars and other initiatives, with the aim of “raise awareness among municipal leaders and other workers about the importance of safety and health at work”.

The City Council has been implementing a set of “actions that aim to prevent risks and encourage a cult of safety”whether through “attribution of personal protective equipment to workers who need it, appropriate to each function and task, through training, awareness raising and technical monitoring” or also by “carrying out occupational medicine exams, psychology consultations and preventive screenings”.

Carla Guerreiro highlighted some of the most recent initiatives organized by the municipality, for example, the seminar “The Sun is our friend, but protect yourself”, held in April 2022, where doctors and other specialists gave their contribution to the debate on the theme.

At the same time, a photographic exhibition was held with the participation of workers and a campaign was launched that included awareness raising activities in the workplace about the harm of prolonged exposure to ultraviolet rays.

“As part of this campaign, dispensers with sunscreen were placed in all facilities where workers performing outdoor tasks are located. 18 dispensers are installed in the services and are refilled whenever necessary.”he stressed.

In the previous year, 2021, the campaign’s motto was “Work safely – your family needs you”, with a set of “preventing musculoskeletal diseases and promoting health and healthy workplaces”.

In 2023, the municipality collaborated with the Escola Superior de Saúde do Instituto de Politécnico de Setúbal on a project that aimed to determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal conditions and analyze their association with possible known risk factors.

With the data collected, it should be possible to create “new models of practice for promoting musculoskeletal health and preventing functional disability in an occupational context”.

Professors Eduardo Cruz and Luís Gomes presented the results of this project in one of the panels at the VI Seminar on Safety and Health at Work.

This year, Setúbal City Council accepted the invitation of the team led by professor Filomena Carnide, from the Faculty of Human Motricity of Lisbon, to join the European project WAGE, which also involves entities from Spain and Poland, with the aim of analyzing the biomechanical and psychosocial risks of workers, in a participatory manner and with the application of quantitative methods.

The project, presented at the seminar by professor Filomena Carnide, began on December 1, 2023 and will continue until 2027, with the municipality having signed a protocol with the Faculty of Human Motricity of Lisbon that establishes the modalities of collaboration between the two entities.

The problem of mental health and addictions “it has also been a concern in the post-pandemic context”with the municipality developing a seminar on this topic in October 2023 with the participation of several experts.

With regard to addictive behaviors, the municipality is also developing, in collaboration with Setúbal Municipal Services and ICAD – Institute for Behaviors and Addictions, a project to prevent occupational risks and promote health at work with the theme “ Gain health, work healthily.”

Mental health was addressed in the seminar on April 30 by Florentino Serranheira, coordinator of the National School of Public Health, who spoke about the influences of workers’ physical and mental health on work-related musculoskeletal injuries.

Pedro Reis, firefighter from Setúbal and physiotherapist, addressed the topic of gymnastics at work.

The seminar, which in the opening session included the intervention of the Inspector of the Authority for Working Conditions Maria Benedita Pernas, ended with a debate moderated by the occupational doctor at Setúbal City Council, Joaquim Judas.