Abstract
Work in rural properties in conditions similar to slavery remains a reality in many countries, including Brazil. The Brazilian State characterises contemporary slave labour as a condition of freedom restriction for paying off debt, served by intensive working hours or inadequate working conditions related to Occupational Safety and Health. This study highlights the working conditions in rural slavery in Brazil, based on the Occupational Safety and Health perspective. The study was carried out based on a sample of Inspection Reports of the Governmental Authority to Combat Modern Slavery. A random sample of 42 reports was collected and analysed, describing the working conditions of 392 rural workers characterised as labour analogous to slavery. The analysis strategy was carried out from an Occupational Safety and Health standpoint. Data sets were identified and selected, grouped into five categories: Work routine; General health conditions; Manual machines and tools; Environmental conditions. Widespread exposure of Neo-enslaved workers to stressful working hours was found, in addition to severe Occupational Safety and Health problems. The occurrence of all these characteristics simultaneously was the most observed phenomenon among the sample, which demonstrates that it is possible to identify cases of modern slavery from an Occupational Safety and Health perspective.
Highlights
Comparing the 18th and 19th centuries with the second half of the 20th century and the 21st century, working conditions have been improving on a social and economic level, in Occupational Safety and Health (OHS)
Out of the 648 workers covered in the 42 reports, 392 were considered by DETRAE to be under working conditions characterised as condition labour analogous to slavery for “exhausting work” and/or “terrible working conditions”
This study is based on a sample of 392 Neo-enslaved workers in Brazilian rural properties, included in 42 Inspection Reports of the Governmental Authority to Combat
Summary
Comparing the 18th and 19th centuries with the second half of the 20th century and the 21st century, working conditions have been improving on a social and economic level, in Occupational Safety and Health (OHS). The worst working conditions, characterised as labour analogous to slavery, persist in many countries, more than a hundred years after the universal abolition of slavery [1]. Neo-enslaved people suffer daily accidents and acquire occupational diseases without any control from the OHS authorities, mainly due to this type of bond’s current coverup. Workers are exposed to the occupational risks specific to each activity, combined with risks aggravated by the poor working and living conditions in which these activities are carried out, adding to long and exhaustive working hours. Slave labour is characterised as a severe violation of human rights by international treaties, declarations, and principles. All national governments refuse this act [2]
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