Environmental Perception of Beauty Center Professionals on Solid Waste Management with Biological and Chemical Risks

Abstract

The management of solid waste is part of the study of biosafety aimed at professionals in the beauty area, as they need to identify the possible limitations of an establishment in terms of safety, so as to minimize the risks that exist in that work environment during the handling of a certain composition. The risks that can be pointed out are classified by biological, chemical, physical, accidental and ergonomic, however in this work attention will be paid to solid waste with biological and chemical risks. Thus, the general objective of the present work is to sensitize the professionals of beauty establishments about the environmental impacts caused due to the poor management of solid waste disposal with chemical and biological risks. For that, it was used as methodology the descriptive and exploratory research, as well as the research in fields, where it was made collection with the employees of beauty salons of different zones of the city of Manaus. The results show that although the professionals have a knowledge of biosafety, it is still superficial and the necessary behaviors are not always adopted to safeguard their and customers' safety. As evidenced in a report by the professionals interviewed, the need for education and training in environmental issues, such as solid waste management and others, is considered. One of the biggest challenges is to obtain the permanent involvement of employees and responsible managers. The study alludes that the employees involved, working in groups and internal facilitators, supported by external experts, can develop their actions with more confidence and efficiency. The involvement of the external specialist with the participative management of the projects, involving other employees, is inherent to the development of environmental management programs in this market segment.