Occupational safety in recycling cooperatives

training for a safe environment at Coopresv

Abstract

This study reports on a university outreach experience conducted at the Santa Vitória Recycling Cooperative (Coopresv), Minas Gerais, Brazil, addressing occupational safety challenges within the solidarity economy. Based on diagnostic visits, precarious working conditions and a lack of awareness regarding the importance of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) were identified. With student protagonism and under the coordination of the Center for the Incubation of Popular Solidarity Enterprises (Cieps), the initiative was supported by undergraduate students from the Production Engineering program, members of the Civil Society Organization CSO Engineers Without Borders (EWB), as well as the Cieps scholarship holders. The activities included the development of an accessible educational booklet, on-site training through lectures, PPE usage dynamics, workplace exercises sessions, and environmental signage. One month later, follow-up visits and interviews guided by semi-structured questionnaires indicated positive evaluation and full adherence to PPE use by cooperative members, demonstrating a behavioral change and increased preventive perception. For the students, the initiative generated significant formative impacts, such as the development of communication skills, teamwork, and social responsibility. The report thus highlights the transformative role of university outreach, consolidating a dialogical and citizenship-oriented educational process with effective social impact on both academic training and the cooperative’s reality.