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Engagement at work, organizational impediments and illness: the contribution of Activity-centered Ergonomics in the Brazilian public sector

Objective: to analyze and discuss the contribution of Activity-centered Ergonomics research and its practice to understand the health problems of civil servants and to transform the work in public services in Brazil in the last 20 years.

Method: an analysis was conducted on the Brazilian research available in the scientific literature. The criterion adopted to choose the studies was the utilization of ergonomic work analysis as the methodological framework.

Results and discussion: the studies show the importance of engagement at work, which contradicts the widespread negative image about civil servants, that of being privileged and not working. However, there are many impediments to individual and social engagement, making the work ineffective and endangering the health of civil servants. It discusses the contradiction of new management methods that claim to seek greater quality and efficiency, but do not face the political criteria for the appointment of positions, lack of resources, and low capacity of attendance.

Conclusion: activity-centered Ergonomics research in Brazil has shown the association between the possibility to provide public services and the health of civil servants. The need to integrate Ergonomics to the design of public policies is discussed.

Occupational Health; public policy; public sector; work


Fundação Jorge Duprat Figueiredo de Segurança e Medicina do Trabalho - FUNDACENTRO Rua Capote Valente, 710 , 05409 002 São Paulo/SP Brasil, Tel: (55 11) 3066-6076 - São Paulo - SP - Brazil
E-mail: rbso@fundacentro.gov.br