Work fatalities in a Brazilian oil and gas company: analysis of workers’ health and safety policy

摘要

This paper aims to discuss the changes in the safety and health policy (SHP) of an oil and gas company from the enlarged accident that occurred in 2001, seeking out to understand the consequences of these changes in the daily activity of workers. It is a mixed study employing an epidemiological data triangulation method, documental research, and qualitative approach. The 2001 oil platform accident (RJ) was considered a milestone in the process of changes in the company’s SHP. Several actions and programs have been implemented, and investments in health and safety have increased substantially. We identified that such initiatives had limited participation by workers in their planning and elaboration. They did not prioritize the most critical problems, and emphasis was placed on the establishment of standards and audits to assess compliance with the prescription. Finally, it was observed that learning about severe or fatal occupational accidents is incipient and unstructured, and the system of consequences triggers workers’ fear and insecurity, blaming, in general, the injured person for the occurrence, without considering the multiple factors that influence and condition the accident.