Abstract

Emergencies can occur at any time and may reach unpredictable magnitudes. Unfortunately, in many companies, emergency brigades are often organized with people who perform work of sedentary nature and they are not prepared to face sporadic tasks of high physical demands. The objective of this study was to compare the physical fitness of workers with different degree of training. They worked for the same company, but in different industrial plants. In one of them they had a physical training program, guided 3 times per week during working hours by a physical educator. In the other plant there was no facilities for training. Age, stature, body mass, body fat and aerobic capacity were evaluated with conventional methods in 57 physically trained and 21 untrained workers. Results showed that aerobic capacity was 20.8% higher in the trained brigade. Body fat content was significantly higher in the untrained brigade. A further analysis showed that according to Chilean standards for emergency brigades, 58% of the untrained brigade members do not reach the recommended level, while only 19% of the trained workers are below the reference level. As conclusion, the results only confirmed the importance of physical training to improve working capacity and this is particularly important for workers who perform light activities and in isolated occasions have to face high and dangerous demands. Therefore, the main recommendation is to stimulate training within working hours as part of the preparation of the brigade members.