Abstract

ESCALONA, Evelin; SANCHEZ TOVAR, Ligia  and  GONZALEZ DE MEDINA, Mery. Participative strategy in work load and health disorders identification in teachers of primary school.. Salud de los Trabajadores [online]. 2007, vol.15, n.1, pp.17-35. ISSN 1315-0138.

A study with purpose of capturing the perceived issues, which increase teacher’s workload, such as their probable effects on health, was carried out. Transversal study designed in 8 public primary schools, located in Mariño municipality of Aragua state (Venezuela). The sample was of 136 active teachers. Data collection carried out with participative strategies as: collective interviews, corporal scheme and risk conditions map. Results reveal: teacher’s mean age is 39.8 years ± 6.8. Mean years of service was of 13.8 ± 6.7 years. Teachers perceived the following issues as workload: administrative procedures; insecurity, indiscipline and/or pupils behavior; bad environmental working conditions and number of pupils per classroom. In risk conditions map, elaborated collectively, hazardous conditions linked to environmental factors; physical factors, noise, heat, vibrations, bad illumination, small site; were identified. Deficient ventilation. Chemical factors: chalk dust, smoke of garbage burning. Mechanical factors: fall down and accidents. Factors linked to wrong postures and work organization: work overload, uncomfortable postures, repetitive work, physical effort. Presence of rare people at workplace. Corporal scheme reported: lumbar ache, headache, visual fatigue, irritability, tiredness, respiratory problems, voice alterations and deafness. Concluding that participative strategies allowed teachers involvement with problems detection which could explain their health alterations and facilitate elaboration of proposal solutions to identified problems, generated by teachers and adjusted to their reality.

Keywords : Participative Strategies; Workload; Teachers health.