“I have never thought about it!”: work experiences in metalworking industries

Abstract

It is essential to understand the existing relations between labor and mental health/disease processes, considering the development of preventive actions and promotion of the employees’ health. Due to the lack of studies focusing in this aspect among employees from metalworking industries in Brazil, this study aims to analyze the work experiences of professionals who are part of the metalworking context, aiming at understanding the mental health/disease dynamic at work. Through an exploratory-descriptive design, the research was theoretically oriented by the Psychodynamics of Work. Eight employees (ranging from 20 to 54 years old) from the metalworking industry in Caxias do Sul (Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil), were individually interviewed. A social-demographic questionnaire and a semi-structured interview were used as data gathering instruments. Data were analyzed through content analysis. Results clearly implied the existence of an intense suffering process and a considerable risk of illness in the interviewed employees, which demonstrated the need to problematize and rethink the relations and the configuration of the metalworking work.