Work ability among cleaning and hygiene’s workers of a public university hospital

Abstract

The ability to work is the basis of well-being for humans and its maintenance involves health and working conditions. This research had the purpose to verify the work capacity on cleaning and hygiene workers in a Public Teaching Hospital, using the Work Capacity Index (WCI). This is a quantitative approach study, descriptive-explorer kind, consummated in a Teaching Hospital of Paraná North, from March to June of 2008, through one questionary shaped by social, demographic and occupacional data, and the Work Capacity Index (WCI). The data was analyzed for the Epi Info 2002 program. The population was formed by 98 workers, where 82, 4% are older than 41 years old and 96, 9% are women. Considering the work capacity evaluation, 45,9% of interviewees achieved a good WCR, 23,5% achieved a very good, 22,4% achieved moderate and 8,2% low, with minimum score of 16 and maximum score of 49. The skeletal muscle diseases were the most mentioned. The factors related to the work capacity are multiple, this way, the actions for prevention and recovery of this capacity must be discussed and mediated between employees and employers, ensuring a chance to analyze the context and reflect about the work process.

Descriptors: Work Capacity Evaluation; Housekeeping; Aging; Occupational Health; Occupational Health Nursing.