Introduction The contribution of race/color to outcomes with a potential effect on worker’s health needs further exploration on epidemiological occupational surveys.

Objectives The study proposed to analyze the association between job strain, social support from supervisor and material handling at work according to the self-reported race/color.

Methods This cross-sectional study involved 1032 workers from urban cleaning service and footwear manufacturers located in the state of Bahia, Brazil. The interview included the Job Content Questionnaire to measure psychosocial exposure and questions about lifting, pushing and pulling to investigate material handling in the workday. Cox Regression provided brute and adjusted prevalence ratios (PRadj) by sex, age and education.

Results Black workers presented higher proportion of lower education and were more represented in operational positions, followed by brown, both compared with white workers. There was a greater exposure of blacks to job strain (PRadj = 1.6), a combination of high psychological demand and low job control, and low social support from supervisors (PRadj =1.3). Concomitantly, blacks were more subjected to activities with pushing, pulling and lifting materials, presenting PRadj at least 50% higher compared to white workers. Brown were slightly more exposed to job strain (PRadj = 1.1), and to the low social support from supervisors (PRadj = 1.1), and were also more subjected to lifting (PRadj = 1.2), pushing (PRadj = 1.3) and pulling (PRadj= 1.2) materials compared to whites. The complete results of this epidemiological research are available in the brazilian periodic Cience & Coletive Health (online first).

Conclusion The study evidenced an overlap of disadvantageous exposures among black and brown brazilian workers, accentuated among blacks, that can indicate the repercussions of structural racism in the world of work and should be the target of interventions focusing on improving working conditions and racial equity.