Yeimy C. Morales

ABSTRACT

Informal work in Colombia has generated great interest

due to the presence of occupational hazards in the

and measures of central tendency and dispersion were

applied. The results show that only 25% contribute to the

health system; however, of this 25%, 20% contribute to

health, 3% to pension and 2% to ARL, additionally, the

knowledge related to hazards and risks identified in their

workplaces is not clear, generating confusion in the terms.

Similarly, the term "risks" is unknown, therefore, the

identification of unsafe acts and conditions is not clear to

workers. For the development of this article, review works

on working conditions in marketplaces in Colombia and

de Ubaté - Zipaquirá, Colombia. ymorales2@uniminuto.edu.co

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0978-0934

Management Program, Corporación Universitaria Minuto de Dios -

plaza de Mercado de Villa de San Diego de Ubaté. La presente investigación es

cuantitativa, de alcance descriptivo. Se diseñó un instrumento de recolección de datos

para aplicarse a 183 puestos de trabajo de la plaza de mercado. Se aplica la estadística

descriptiva y medidas de tendencia central y de dispersión. Los resultados permiten

observar que sólo un 25% cotizan al sistema de salud, sin embargo, de este 25%, un 20%

cotizan salud, un 3% a pensión y un 2% a ARL, adicionalmente, los conocimientos

más importantes dentro de esta población y determinar la manera en la que se debe

trabajar para mejorarlas, así como implementar estrategias que permitan mejorar sus

condiciones laborales.

INTRODUCTION

Informality has been a topic of great interest due to its impact on the safety and health

of workers. One of the main characteristics observed is the lack of adequate

organizational systems; health and occupational risk protection systems are deficient

and, in some cases, nonexistent.

interest thanks to the different economic sectors that are found and the variety of

population that works there; Central Sabana presents a great development of the diverse

markets, contributing to the Departmental GDP; however, the absence of strategies that

potentiate the good economic development has limited its potential development.

The "Competitiveness Plan of the Province of Ubaté", according to the Chamber of

Commerce of Bogotá (2013), shows that one of the weaknesses in the municipality lies

in informality; mining, tourism and the agro-industrial sector are the main activities

carried out by the population; therefore, it generates a significant impact on social,

health, environmental and evidently occupational safety. According to the Bulletin of the

concentrating the informal population in high impact activities such as agriculture,

livestock, mining, construction, among others. Hence the importance of answering the

question: What are the safety and health conditions at work of informal workers in the

Villa de San Diego de Ubaté marketplace in Ubaté - Cundinamarca? The objective of this

research is to describe the safety and health conditions at work of informal workers in

the Villa de San Diego de Ubaté marketplace.

may occur in companies with informal work.

instrument was applied by approaching the workers in their informal jobs, in order to

deepen their answers and make a humanized approach with the population, so that they

could understand the importance they have as informal workers in the market place,

being this a space of tradition and culture of the municipality. Emphasizing the

importance of honesty in the answers given in order to know the reality of them in their

jobs.

A relevant aspect observed is related to affiliation to the health system, where only 25%

contribute to the health system; however, of this 25%, 20% contribute to health, 3% to

hours, contemplating in addition to the 8 working hours, 2 extra hours for a total of 10

hours.

Table 2. Distribution according to time of dedication to the marketplace

the marketplace workers, where 53% state that the activities always require physical

effort and in addition to this, they require forced postures, 40% state that the activities

are repetitive; 65% of the population state that they are always exposed to high

temperatures due to cold and heat; 40% state that they are sometimes exposed to noise,

and 40% state that they are sometimes perceived as being exposed to noise.

Studies such as the one conducted by González, et al. (2018), show that the working

conditions of workers are extreme and poorly paid, it is also possible to identify risks of

continuous exposure, aggravating the fact that they are not perceived by the affected

population, which comes to consider it up to 59% safe, Cacua, et al. (2017), in addition

most of the people who work in this space are older adults with low academic levels

and inability to support themselves with other work, Girardot et al. (2018) which

increases the likelihood of occupational accidents. Similar results were found in the

present research, emphasizing chemical, biological, physical and ergonomic risks, due to

the postures and weight that workers sometimes have to bear. A relevant aspect to

keep in mind in this study is that 12% of the population are adults over 65 years of age,

elements, all this, a result of the activity developed in the market place; that is, an activity

in which the workers themselves have opportunities, but due to lack of knowledge about

it, they perform the entrusted work in a dangerous way.

Taking into account that occupational risk factors directly affect the health and

productivity of workers, these need to be evaluated in order to obtain better conditions

that significantly mitigate the repercussions that they can generate in people Pinto and

Rodriguez (2017). Hence the importance of evaluating the knowledge or perspective

that they handle on the conditions that make their workplace a safe one or on the

contrary one with health risk factors; in this case, it is evident that people in the

It is very important to keep in mind that the absence of knowledge about environmental

policies and care is evident in the marketplace under study, since it increases

occupational and health risks, therefore, it is necessary to propose an Environmental

Management Plan (EMP) to reduce these hazards, which can contribute to their

management.

This issue stands out particularly in the results of the studies obtained, since the main

involved would improve considerably. It should be noted that exposure to fumes, vapors

and particulate matter are not present in the marketplace under study.

There are several works that study this problem and approach it from different angles,

which allows for a general evaluation of the problem, considering from the housing

conditions to the perspective of the individuals observed. However, it has been a

complex task since there are several factors that influence the proliferation of unsafe

conditions in informal work environments.

According to data from the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE)

2019, in the quarter from June to August 2019, emphasizes that 47% corresponds to

informality, it is noteworthy that it is essential to implement actions to prevent possible

interventions allow acting towards the protection and promotion of workers' health;

legislation in Colombia establishes mandatory compliance with Law 1562 of 2012 issued

by the Congress of the Republic of Colombia, by which the Occupational Risks System

is modified and other provisions on Occupational Health are issued. where the guidelines

related to the general system of occupational risks are indicated and from this law,

through the decree 1072 of 2015 issued by the presidency of the Republic of Colombia

by means of which the Sole Regulatory Decree of the Labor Sector is issued. its

obligatory nature for all formal and informal companies that allow having a management

system. Additionally and with the aim of having an integrated management system, the

structures Gutiérrez (2019) and Fajardo (2015), changes in the labor market, the current

economic situation and the innate need for subsistence, promotes the development of

alternatives other than formal employment and the guarantees it handles, but can also

affect employment conditions despite the fact that sometimes the labor market can be

considered to apparently favor the low-skilled population with a lower level of

unemployment, (UDS, 2015).

This law defines Comprehensive Social Security as the set of institutions, rules and

procedures available to the individual and the community to enjoy a quality of life,

through the progressive fulfillment of plans and programs developed by the State and

society to provide comprehensive coverage of contingencies, especially those involving

health and economic capacity, in order to achieve individual welfare and community

integration. Thus, there is a significant gap in the labor market, where informal workers

not only have fewer guarantees, but also lower incomes, in addition to the above, their

quality of life is vulnerable and is evident in the general population.

Another relevant aspect observed in the study are both personal and working conditions

such as low levels of education and work experience whereby the lack of opportunities

Plan (PDSP) 2012-2021, seeks to guarantee optimal health conditions for the entire

population through equity in health, regardless of their economic, social or cultural

context, in order to generate appropriate strategies for the population.

In addition to the above, the Colombian national government through the Ministry of

Labor created Resolution 0312 of 2019. By means of which the Minimum Standards of

the Occupational Safety and Health Management System SG -SST are defined. Being the

minimum standards the set of rules, requirements and procedures of mandatory

compliance of employers and contractors, through which the basic conditions of

technical-administrative capacity and patrimonial and financial sufficiency indispensable

activity, is not reflected in the informal working population under study. This

undoubtedly generates social affectation and therefore a deterioration in the quality of

life by affecting the safety and health at work of this population and demonstrates that

despite the extensive existing legislation, it does not guarantee the inclusion of the

informal working population.

In fact, although there are current applicable regulations, it is interesting to note that

CONCLUSIONS

It is interesting to note that a large part of the population working in the marketplaces

have always belonged to the informal sector and because of this they do not have

guarantees for the development of their work, mainly in terms of health and social

protection, in addition, their low educational level leads to inequality and increases the

high risk conditions in their workplaces, risks related to biological, psychosocial,

ergonomic and physical level, as well as the environmental related to the disposal of

organic and inorganic waste. The existence of efforts by different governmental entities

to achieve the formalization of employment has not yet been achieved and informality

continues to prevail in the working population, mainly observed in marketplace workers

worsen their living conditions.

REFERENCES

Barragán, L, & Rojas, J. (2017). Formulation of an environmental management plan for the

Cacua, L., Carvajal, H., & Hernández, N. (2017). Working conditions and their impact on

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https://www.minsalud.gov.co/sites/rid/Lists/BibliotecaDigital/RIDE/DE/DIJ/Ley-

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