Sampaio RF, Navarro A, Martín MM. Incapacidades laborales: problemas en la reinserción al trabajo. [Work disabilities: problems with reinsertion into work.] Cadernos de Saúde Pública [Public Health Notebooks] ( Río de Janeiro , Brazil ) 1999 October-December; 15(4):809-815.

Objectives: To evaluate factors associated with the probability of incorporating back into work those workers permanently disabled in work-related accidents.

Methodology: Quantitative, via a cross-sectional study of 920 clinical histories and interviews of people receiving care during 1995 in the Professional Rehabilitation Center (CRP) of Belo Horizonte , Brazil .

Results: The study analyzed whether the worker was accepted (65% of cases) into the program or not (35% of cases), as well as the subsequent reinsertion of workers into the labor force. In an analysis of program outcomes, young men with a considerable amount of schooling enjoyed the greatest probability of returning to work (90.9%). An incongruity existed in the admission of workers into the program and program outcomes: to be admitted, the worker had to fulfill a profile demanded by the labor market with regard to age and educational level; those with repetitive stress injury (RSI) fulfilled these criteria, yet at the same time they encountered the greatest difficulties reinserting themselves into the labor force. The study likewise noted work-related discrimination against women, even though women were indistinguishable from men in terms of age and educational level.

Conclusions: It is vital not only to know the etiology of accidents, but also to gain a deeper understanding of their consequences. It is likewise necessary to adopt more rigorous and effective measures to avoid the occurrence of work-related accidents.