Building actions related to health and safety in small and medium size enterprises (SME) is not an easy task, since these companies need to face lack of information, short availability of resources and methodologies developed for the characteristics of a big company. Based on case study techniques and a qualitative approach, the present study aims at investigating, through interviews and questionnaires, not only the way health and safety interventions - including ergonomics - are carried on in three industrial sector SMEs, but also the reasons for their being conducted that way. This investigation led us to conclude that short resource availability, difficulty in accessing information, the company phylosophy and managerial model, greatly influence the way Health and Safety (OSH) actions are conducted in small companies; and changes on work place, if Ergonomics is considered, will be guided by perception and based on informality. The authors conclude that laws, regulations and ergonomic tools to fit SMEs should be created. Adapting these actions accordingly to the needs and limitations of each company would probably make them easier to be followed and, as a consequence, would improve health and safety at SMEs.
Ergonomics; Occupational Safety and Health (OSH); Small and Medium Enterprises (SME)