The Ministry of Labor and Employment Promotion (PEMT) has started a series of technical roundtables with construction unions and companies to lower the weight of the stock market cement from 42.5 to 25 kg, in compliance with an occupational health standard unknown by previous governments.
Whoever weighs 42.5 kg has a reason. At the beginning, our country was a net importer of cement, which arrived in oak cylinders of about 170 kg which, in turn, was divided into four for sale.
Since then, construction workers in Peru have carried bags of a size and weight now unused in the world. In 2021 alone, 214 million bags were sold and, although it is not clear how many of them ended up on the shoulders of a worker or suitable loading machinery, it is known that at least 80% of the houses in the country comes from self-construction.
The first step to put an end to this disastrous model came 14 years ago, with RM 375-2008-TR, Basic Standard for Ergonomics and Disergonomic Risk Assessment Procedure, which established a weight of no more than 25 kg for the load of any employee, regardless of the category. However, since then all governments delayed the adaptation of the standard to construction, despite the fact that there were advances in the quality of cement as such.
“The ideal would be for a worker to retire at 55 years of age with an early retirement, but it does not arrive, since they require at least 20 years of contributions. In construction it is difficult, because we are only on the payroll 3 or 4 months a year, and at a certain age they no longer hire you. The worker only has to dedicate himself to other activities, such as fishing, agriculture or street vending,” says Luis Villanueva, general secretary of the Federation of Civil Construction Workers (FTCCP).
Worst of all, an ailing old age awaits them. According to the FTCCP, lumbar injuries are the most common cause of desertion in the work. For this reason, bags of between 20 and 25 kg have long been the rule in countries such as Chile or Canada.
Luis Gilvonio, general secretary of the Federation of Cement and Premixed Workers of Peru (Fetraceppe), acknowledges that, due to the informality of the sector, it would not be unusual for workers now to be forced to carry the bags two by two, a remedy worse than the disease. Here awareness is key.
“It is about giving more productive years and quality of life to the worker. But the idea is also that employers do not get around the law. Sunafil and the construction companies have an important role there”, he refers.
Since 2008, governments delayed adapting the standard to construction, despite the fact that there were advances in the quality of the cement itself. Photo: diffusion
Other side effects
From the private sector, the president of the Construction and Engineering Guild of the CCL, Miguel Honores, warns that A possible increase in the cost of the works must also be evaluated, due to the need for more man-hours and transport time. to fit this new bag size. In addition, the cement companies will also want to recover what they invest in new machinery and logistics, he explains.
However, the next step is a technical table with all the actors, led by Produce, which exercises exclusive powers on industrial standardization and the ordering of controlled products. An example of this is the move to biodegradable bags in markets. If the decree promoted by MTPE does not prosper, the unions prepare a bill from Congress, at the initiative of the legislator Sigrid Bazán, which pursues this same purpose.
Less weight, more quality of life for the worker
According to the standard, with a maximum weight of 25 kg, 85% of the workers carrying out the load are protected. The percentage increases to 95% if the load is 15 kg.
During the forum “25 kilos, no more!”, organized by the FTCCP, the executive director of the Association of Cement Producers of Peru (Asocem), Carlos Ferraro, explained that, unlike other countries, 70% of Cement production in Peru is sold in bags, which represents a real challenge for the renovation of packaging machines. However, they are fully willing to adjust the weight to the international model.
The rule clarifies that, although the employer must provide the worker with mechanical assistance for large loads, this does not exempt material suppliers from contributing to its compliance.
The word
Betssy Chavez, Minister of Labor
“Since 2008, and despite having a 25 kg standard, we have had a discontinuity in governments. Today we assume the commitment and we will have the regulations in the coming weeks”.
Source: Larepublica
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