“Eu tinha mais medo de se contaminar com os parentes do que cabalho dos sepultadores em tempos de pandemiaom o próprio ser morto”: O tr

Abstract

In daily life, people interact with a variety of professionals from different areas, such as bus drivers, urban cleaning workers, gas station attendants, waste collectors, porters, and cleaners, frequently. However, these workers rarely receive the due attention or recognition for their essential functions. During the pandemic period, the risk of contagion was so high that the Ministry of Health established some individual protection norms for professionals dealing with corpses. Therefore, there is a need to examine the health of workers in funeral services, especially gravediggers, due to risks that apparently have not been adequately recognized as threats to health. According to the psychodynamics of work, the work environment has a significant impact on the health of workers. This study aims to understand how the work of gravediggers is configured after the relaxation of biosanitary safety measures and its relationship with the health of these professionals. The research was conducted with gravediggers from three cities in the interior of Paraíba, using sociodemographic questionnaire to characterize the participants, semi-structured interviews, and field observation as instruments. The data collected from the research were analyzed through Bardin's Categorical Content Analysis. Through the collected and analyzed data, it was possible to represent this dissertation in two articles: Article 1: Gravediggers' Work During the Covid-19 Pandemic: Challenges and Coping Mechanisms, and Article 2: Working Conditions in Funeral Services and Gravediggers' Perception of Their Work. Based on the findings during the research, it was seen that it is increasingly necessary to recognize that the pandemic represented an additional challenge for gravediggers, amplifying the factors generating distress and demanding new defensive strategies to protect their physical and mental health. This exceptional period highlights the need for additional support and resources for workers to face this new reality, emphasizing the importance of policies and practices that promote the well-being of these professionals in times of crisis.