Gerenciamento de riscos químicos em indústrias de óleo de soja

Abstract

This study evaluated the chemical risks in soybean oil industries, justified by the need to guarantee safe work environments, meet legal requirements, and prevent damage to occupational health and the environment. The study aimed to qualitatively identify the chemical agents present, perform quantitative assessments, compare the results with occupational exposure limits, and analyze existing control measures, proposing improvements where necessary. The methodology was structured in stages, including the preparation of a chemical substance inventory, classification of risk levels based on technical indices, quantitative assessments through active sampling, and a survey of control measures applied in industrial processes. The implications involved 53 workers, 27 loads, and 21 sectors, encompassing three industrial units. The discussion of the data highlighted the influence of operational conditions, ventilation, handling processes, and the physicochemical characteristics of the agents on the variability of exposures. As mitigation measures, improvements were proposed in local exhaust ventilation systems, enhanced process control, solvent substitution when feasible, strengthening of the respiratory protection program, expansion of environmental monitoring, and improved medical surveillance technology using exposure data.