The health of workers in coal mines from coal region of Criciuma: a qualitative approach

Abstract

This paper presents a review of challenges and perspectives regarding the coal mine workers health conditions from carboniferous region of Criciúma, in the face of production relations in capitalism, based on qualitative interviews with a group of six miners from this region and comparing it to quantitative historical and modern data. Labor doctors were seen by the miners as cruel people; machines are seen as a great help, although its new problems; wage and shorter time of work are the main impulse to dangerous work; pneumoconiosis is a monster from the past; and the miners health is conditioned by production. Mine work limits their autonomy, what leads to liberal ideology acceptance and creates barriers to health promotion. This is an issue that deserves special attention on future studies.