Mortality among workers in metallurgical industry: literature review

Abstract

Background: The analysis of mortality offers an important indicator for assessing the state of workers’ occupational health. Workers involved in the extraction, refining, alloying and manufacturing of metals are frequently exposed to occupational risks that can lead to their death. The objective of this work was to synthesize the scientific evidence about factors associated with mortality among workers in the metallurgical industry.

Methods: A bibliographic review was conducted using the PubMed database. Seventeen studies were included, where topics addressed specific problems that influence the mortality of workers in the metallurgical industry sector. Complete texts of the articles were reviewed.

Results: Findings show the highest probabilities of death due to malignant neoplasms (48%), diseases of the circulatory system (28%), work accidents (15%), suicide and violence (9%).

Conclusions: Despite the research carried out, there are gaps and limitations in the study of mortality in workers in the metallurgical industry, mainly related to the relationship of the cause of death with occupational risk factors.