Avaliação da política nacional de segurança e saúde no trabalho no setor de água: o caso de Pernambuco

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the impacts of the National Policy on Occupational Safety and Health (PNSST) on workplace accident rates in the water production and distribution sector in Pernambuco, between 2006 and 2024, seeking to understand not only its measurable effects but also the associated organizational transformations. The research is grounded in the assumptions of ex post public policy evaluation, integrating classical and contemporary approaches that seek to explain the occurrence of workplace accidents. The data were provided by the organization under study, and their use was previously approved by the Research Ethics Committee, ensuring compliance with applicable ethical principles. A mixed-method, sequential explanatory design was adopted. The quantitative stage employed descriptive statistics and Interrupted Time Series Analysis (ITSA), followed by ARIMA modeling. Subsequently, the qualitative stage involved the Theory of Change (ToC) and document analysis. The findings from the quantitative and qualitative stages were then triangulated in light of the organizational accident theory. The results showed that, although there was an immediate reduction in accident frequency rates and an institutional strengthening of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH), the changes remained anchored in traditional normative approaches. The findings provide insights for public and private managers in the water sector to align accident prevention strategies with the guidelines of the PNSST. The study also contributes to the formulation and improvement of public policies by highlighting the need for resilient organizational environments capable of learning from their failures. However, the research presents gaps due to its limited exploration of qualitative variables related to organizations’ internal dynamics, indicating the importance of future studies using interviews and discourse analysis to better understand the cultural and institutional factors that shape the policy’s effects.