Evaluación de riesgos laborales mediante la metodología IPERC en el área de producción de una empacadora de alimentos en la ciudad de Guayaquil

Abstract

Intensive operational activities pose the greatest risks due to repetitiveness and direct interaction with tools; therefore, this research aims to evaluate occupational risks using the IPERC methodology in the production area of a food packing plant in Guayaquil. The IPERC matrix enables prioritization of risks by criticality, classifying them as trivial, tolerable, moderate, important, or intolerable, thereby supporting a quantitative assessment approach. To this end, a descriptive, field-based methodology was applied to analyze operational processes in their real context. The approach was quantitative to measure initial and residual risk and thus prioritize the hazards identified in the recommended sample of 108 workers. The results identify the operational activities as high risk due to their repetitive movements, forced postures, manual handling of loads, and their daily association with cutting instruments. Concluding that these findings not only reflect the physical load inherent to the operation, but also show the need to reinforce existing controls and prioritize ergonomic and engineering interventions.