Acessibilidade / Reportar erro

Aspects of the complexity of domestic waste collection: management of street work variability

The term complexity is frequently used in ergonomics research. However, the complexity of manual labor is rarely addressed. This article aims to demonstrate that there is a level of complexity involved in work considered predominantly physical, such as that of domestic waste collection, and that this complexity requires constant management on the part of workers. Aspects classifying a type of work as complex are also presented. Using the method of Ergonomic Work Analysis (EWA), we show how waste collectors manage the variability of their activities, demonstrating that the complexity of their work is comparable to that of other activities considered complex.

Ergonomics; Complexity; Variability management


Universidade Federal de São Carlos Departamento de Engenharia de Produção , Caixa Postal 676 , 13.565-905 São Carlos SP Brazil, Tel.: +55 16 3351 8471 - São Carlos - SP - Brazil
E-mail: gp@dep.ufscar.br