Identity Under Construction: Workers’ Collective in an Argentine Metallurgical Factory

In the 1970s, Argentina lived moments of great effervescence and labour conflict. The Santa Rosa metallurgical factory, located in the suburbs of Buenos Aires, became a centre of workers' struggle and resistance not only against the management and the state but also against certain union practices. From this factory, a union recovery movement was promoted that, in constant dialogue with the neighborhood and other factories in the area, disputed not only the leadership of the regional union but also the meaning of the union organization and of being a worker and a Peronist. In this article, I propose to analyze the process of construction of this workers’ collective that emerged from the experience at the workplace. To understand the factory not just as a space but also as a process, as a social construction of a relational type allow us to see the determinations that this space exercises over the construction of the workers’ collective, reflecting forms of belonging and solidarity among the members of this collective that are more than just the sum of individualities. I will analyze this process of construction of the workers’ collective studying two specific conflicts that these workers carried out during the decade. We will observe how the factory space determined the constitution of an original working culture in constant dialogue with the trade union organization and with the other actors of the environment, focusing on the different responses that this collective of workers gave in different socio-political contexts.

Catalase activity of herbs in conditions of urban environment pollution

Pollutants entering plants cells are able to cause biochemical malfunction, including lipid peroxidation, which leads to the change in antioxidant system activity. Sustaining redox balance in cells is a required condition of plants survival in conditions of anthropogenic pollution. The goal of this research was the investigation of catalase activity in meadow grass, wild vetch, red clover, coltsfoot and chamomile near various factories of Tyumen. Plants were gathered near the highway as well as close to the metallurgical plant, engine factory, oil refinery and accumulator plants. The change in catalase activity in the cells of plants turned out to be species-specific. The decrease in catalase activity was observed in the meadow grass and wild vetch cells, while in coltsfoot, red clover and chamomile both decrease and increase in enzyme activity was obtained. Pollutants from all the examined factories affected more or less on the catalase activity, but the greatest effect was registered near the metallurgical factory, that probably related to high heavy metal concentration in plants. The lowest effect on catalase activity, compared to control, was observed near the highway.

Elimination of Heavy Metals from the Material of Sludge Bed Slovinky

Old environmental loads are priority environmental problems in Slovakia. An old environmental load is an anthropogenic constituent in landscape which has its origin in past works (for example mining and mineral processing) but in present time it can also pose risk for the environment. One of environmental loads in Slovakia is sludge bed in Slovinky. Village Slovinky is well-known for mining activities during several centuries. From the beginning copper ore was mined there, later on iron ore which was processed in the metallurgical factory in Krompachy. The mining activity in Slovinky was stopped in 1993. Flotation slurry from ore treatment plant was deposited on the sludge bed which was operated from 1968 to 1999. More than 4.8 million cubic meters of slurry is deposited there. Locality of Slovinky is included in State Remediation Program of Environmental Loads (2010-2015). The paper summarizes the actual state of knowledge about environmental impact of mineral processing and theoretical analysis of problem of environmental impact of environmental load – sludge bed in Slovinky. Experimental part of the paper is focused on study of possibilities of elimination of heavy metals in sludge bed material with the aim of improvement of the environmental quality of surveyed locality.

Studies on Concrete Incorporating Copper Slag as a Fine Aggregate

This paper investigates the possibility of application of copper slag as a waste byproduct from metallurgical factory Krompachy (Slovakia Republic) as a fine aggregate in concrete up to 40-50% replacement of natural filler. Results of these studies confirmed that it is possible to produce concrete with a mean compressive strength of greater 50 MPa at 28 days hardening without any special additivies. Testing of mechanical properties of concrete samples was provided on the durability point of view up to 360 days. It can be concluded from the results, that use of copper slag as fine aggregate in concrete is technically viable for road construction engineering and have some economical benefits as soon as.

Identification of confounders in the association between self-reported diseases and symptoms and self-rated health in a group of factory workers

Self-related health is an important predictor of morbidity and mortality, and much of its effect is influenced by the presence of chronic diseases and/or symptoms. The current study aimed to identify confounders in the association between reported chronic diseases and/or symptoms and self-rated health among workers at a metallurgical factory in Santa Catarina State, Brazil. The study design was cross-sectional, with a probabilistic sample of 482 workers. The information was obtained through a self-administered questionnaire and anthropometric measurements. Hierarchical multiple logistic regression models were adjusted. The response rate was 98.6% (n = 475), with 84.8% men, mostly employed on the factory floor (79.4%). Back pain was the most common complaint. The association between chronic diseases and self-rated health showed an odds ratio (OR) of 7.3 (95%CI: 3.7;14.5). After statistical modeling, psychosocial (-25.59%), socioeconomic (-9.29%), and occupational variables (10.54%) were identified as confounders between the outcome and chronic diseases and/or symptoms. The way diseases and/or symptoms act on self-rated health among workers transcends physical aspects.

Suggestion of an inverse relationship between perception of occupational risks and work-related injuries

Worker perception of risk influences worker behavior and consequently exposure to risks. However, an inverse relationship between perception of occupational risks and work-related injuries has not yet been clearly established. A matched case-control was performed aiming to investigate possible differences in perception of occupational risks between workers who had suffered occupational injuries and those who had not. Cases were defined as all 93 workers from a large metallurgical factory in southeastern Brazil, who had suffered occupational injuries during the year 1996. Controls were 372 workers who had not suffered occupational injuries, matched on the basis of the factory sector and jobs performed. Assessment of occupational risk perception was performed by asking the workers to fill out a questionnaire consisting of questions on specific risks related to problems in work relations, work per se, and mode of production. The findings suggest that the degree of perception that workers with occupational injuries have of some occupational risks is lower than that of their non-injured coworkers.