In 2012, Brazil became the world's largest importer of pesticides, surpassing the United States. As a result, our country has proven to be a highly attractive market for substances banned or whose production has been suspended in wealthier countries due to proven health and environmental risks. This was reported by the renowned American news agency Reuters in a special report on April 2nd (1). According to the report, at least four major agricultural pesticide manufacturers—the American FMC Corp., the Danish Cheminova A/S, the German Helm AG, and the Swiss agribusiness giant Syngenta AG—sell products in Brazil that are banned in their domestic markets. And, obviously, the first to suffer the tragic impact of these products on health are precisely the workers...
In the United States, a recent phenomenon has caught the attention of authorities: the massive number of resignations from drone pilots, unmanned aerial vehicles used to attack targets in parts of Africa and the Middle East. There are complaints of overwork and mental disorders resulting from exposure to images of destruction and death caused by the attacks. According to a report published on March 31, 2015, "the horrors seen daily on screens are leading to unprecedented versions of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at a distance." (2)
Still on the topic of the correlation between the environment, health, and work, it is worth noting that, in Europe, on February 26, 2015, the beautiful city of Athens, Greece, hosted the 3rd
Workplace Health and Safety Conference. At the end of the conclave, participants presented some "conclusions" regarding everything discussed. We cite the conclusion of no. 5, which emphasizes that “it is necessary to reinforce the role of professional organizations, universities and other professionals to improve understanding, attitude, capacity and behavior associated with a culture of occupational health and safety”(3).
As can be seen, environmental issues are a global concern. And the global debate has become increasingly intense when it comes to the workplace environment. This involves a tireless quest to achieve an ever-greater and better understanding of its unique interactions, identify new risks, and propose appropriate solutions for each of its crises. And, since this is a genuinely environmental discussion, the circle of those entitled to participate in the debate is extremely broad, as it embodies a duty that, by constitutional law, falls upon each and every one of us (CF, art. 225, caput, in fine).
It is under this precious light that Anamatra, as a private entity that brings together labor judges from all over Brazil, in addition to the responsibility for properly managing internal agendas within the judiciary, has also sought to exercise, with courage and ease, its unwavering role of contributing to the implementation of a culture that emphasizes a maximally healthy, safe and adequate work environment, thus giving concreteness to relevant constitutional vectors (more directly, arts. 7, XXII, 200, VIII, and 225, caput).
A practical development of this line of action will soon take place. Anamatra has decided to hold the International Symposium "Work Environment in the 21st Century: Perspectives and Challenges" from May 25th to 27th. The event will take place at the Forum of the Regional Labor Court of the 2nd Region in São Paulo. This is a very promising conclave, to be held in partnership with the local magistrates' association (Amatra 2) and the Judicial School of the Regional Labor Court of the 2nd Region.
It is important to note that this Symposium is the first fruit of a promising agreement signed between Anamatra and the University of Massachusetts (Boston, USA). The University of Massachusetts will send three of its renowned professors to discuss current labor-environmental issues relevant to the Brazilian and international scenarios, all within a healthy spirit of academic exchange. Topics such as nanotechnology, mental health and its causal link with work, the impacts of pesticides and asbestos on workers' health, new technologies and occupational hazards, psychosocial risks and the work environment, precautionary and preventive principles, and many other topics of similar importance will be on the agenda for discussion, with the primary target audience being labor judges. Speakers and panelists will comprise a rich interdisciplinary body of labor lawyers, environmental lawyers, psychiatrists, ergonomists, and members of many other fields of knowledge, who will join forces in a magnificent joint effort to foster a frank debate aimed at increasing personal awareness and improving technical preparation for all those who, directly or indirectly, deal with the workplace, regardless of their field of knowledge.
Anamatra, therefore, seeks to contribute to the environmental debate, with an emphasis on one of the most human dimensions of the environment: the workplace—with its always intricate interactions. The broader scope of this proposed reflection is to join forces so that the constitutional promise of an adequate, healthy, and safe workplace finally leaves the drawing board and becomes reality, especially for Brazilian workers. Because this uncomfortable dissociation between theory and practice is inescapably intertwined with blood, pain, and suffering. Therefore, it urgently needs to end. And as soon as possible!
The Editorial Board
(1) Source: <http://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/brazil-pesticides/> Accessed on: April 9. 2015.
(2) Source: <http://m.operamundi.uol.com.br/conteudo/samuel/39975/sobrecarregados+e+traumatizados+por+imagens
+de+ataques+pilotos+de+drones+nos+eua+pedem+demissao+em+numero+recorde.shtml> Accessed on April 9, 2015.
(3) Source: <https://osha.europa.eu/en/news/conclusions-of-the-3rd-greek-occupational-health-and-safety-ohs-conference>
Accessed on: April 9, 2015.