Basic characterization of a radioactive facility and evaluation of risk agents

Abstract

This is an exploratory and descriptive study with qualitative and quantitative approaches to investigate the basic characterization of a Brazilian radioisotope production facility through ample knowledge of the workplace, workforce, task performed and identification of present risk agents in labor environment. The studied sample was composed by 102 workers distributed in eight work processes. Data were collected from April 2013 to July 2014 by applying questionnaire forms and complemented by interviews and observations. The descriptive statistical analysis included ANOVA test and non-parametric tests, among others. For the purpose of this study, there was adopted a significance level of 5% (p<0.05). The analysis of socio-demographic variables demonstrated that male gender predominated in total sample (74.5%) and the mean age of the workers was (51.8 ± 1.7) years. The largest percentage of the responders (70.6%) was technician-level workers. Regarding task-related exposure, there was considered that all groups presented the same exposure profile. At the workplace, there were identified 17 risk agents, including physical, chemical, biological, ergonomic and accident risks. The workforce was categorized into 3 risk groups according to relative frequency distribution of the occupational risks. Among the sixteen qualitative variables studied at the workplace, only three of them did not demonstrate relative frequency. The only variable that showed association with the three risk groups was the possibility of the contact with ionizing radiation. The study provided an overview of the perception of occupational risk at the facility. According to the results obtained by statistical analysis, most of the qualitative variables presented statistically significant association (p<0.001) related to the occurrence of occupational risks. Even though the workers may be potentially exposed to different risk agents, the ionizing radiation was the main physical risk factor observed in this facility.