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Occupational safety and health of workers and improvement of the labor environment regarding active breaks

Abstract:

Physical activity improves the skills of workers, active breaks enhance working conditions and prepare employees for their daily activities. These practices depend on the intentionality of the workers and their attitude. The objectives set out in this research are aimed at characterizing the active patterns and determining through metadata the results obtained in various work contexts. For this purpose, a bibliographic investigation of articles related to the subject was carried out, choosing 12 from which the information for the statistical analysis was obtained. Active pauses were characterized as several techniques of short performance during the workday, incorporating joint movements, stretching, breathing, etc. In the legal analysis it was established that the legislation is very concise regarding this practice. Based on metadata obtained from several investigations, the level of physical activity of the workers was compared as before and after the application of the active pause, finding significant differences between the two moments. In the discussion the authors’ arguments were in favor of the active pause, the fact of the gradual abandonment of the activity by the workers was questioned. It was concluded that active breaks are an effective instrument to improve the physical condition of workers, which was verified in the levels of pre and post intervention performance and it was emphasized that there is no legislation in Ecuador that includes this type of practices.