ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to analyze the implementation of workers' health and epidemiological surveillance services at the primary healthcare units (UBS) of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) in Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil. METHOD: Qualitative and quantitative methods were combined to yield a parallax approach to the research object. Work-related injuries and diseases recorded in 2006 were selected to investigate whether UBS conducted surveillance actions and if preventive and protective changes had occurred in work processes and environment. Professionals in charge of workers' health surveillance in the units were interviewed. RESULTS: The study showed that healthcare and disease notification were successfully implemented, mainly those with the purpose of reporting work injuries. Nevertheless, poor recognition was given to the causal links of workrelated diseases; they were dealt bureaucratically, and their epidemiologic relevance for decision taking was neglected. Informal workers did not receive specific attention. Administration of local health units still demands specific protocols to establish their role in integrating information systems to workers' health surveillance in primary care level. CONCLUSION: Decentralization of workers' health service was only partially implemented in the primary healthcare units in Campinas.
occupational health; worker's health surveillance; health assessment; surveillance; program evaluation
