Scientific literature on welding apprentices and preventive medicine: An integrative literature review

Welding apprentices invest in their professional and technological education. The welding work, and before that, the welding apprenticeship, exposes the apprentices to several risk factors, such as a physical, chemical and physiological. Exposure to these factors can trigger various health disorders and accidents. Among some of the health disorders that may be triggered by welding activity are skin, lung and stomach cancer, coronary heart disease, noise-induced hearing loss and work-related musculoskeletal disorders. This paper is an integrative review of how studies are developing with welding apprentices. Of 638 articles, ten met the search criteria. The publications cover genetic, respiratory and neuropsychological health disorders and improved welding techniques. It is considered that the identification of a low number of publications on welding apprentices constitutes a need for knowledge construction in the areas of occupational and public health.