Workplace Adaptation of People with Disabilities in the Construction Industry

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to identify the workplace adaptations of workers with disabilities in the construction industry in Pernambuco, Brazil. The research was conducted in two stages. The first phase aimed to identify companies that have workers with disabilities in their building construction sites and which jobs they perform. In the second phase, phone call was made by the researchers to the construction sites to verify that workers with disabilities were working in the sites, explain the purpose of the research and request company authorization to participate in the study. After match the best day to visit, the researches visited the construction sites to interview each of the workers with disabilities and their supervisors that answered a socio-demographic questionnaire. The results of the research allowed to identify that the majority of workers with disabilities were male, had physical disabilities, not using prostheses or ortheses. Most deficiencies were caused by diseases, while more than half of individuals with disabilities did not complete high school. The most prevalent job was the laborer, while about half of the cases, companies made adjustments in the workplace, of which all were of organizational type, and no financial investment for labor inclusion was necessary.