Another year that people watches the world deepened in lawlessness, moral and social breakdown, economic crises, wars and terrorism. Although the scenario is not very optimist it is important now more than ever the real actions of people, government and organizations in a global scale to solve these issues for the sake of future generations. Many actions have been taking place related to pollution control, sustainable health care systems, renewable energy, construction site safety and many others. It is may be one of the most challenging time for humanity, now that peoples and governments are aware that it is not just climate changes and poverty that must be treated and solved. There are lots of issues that need attention and fortunately sciences and technology are in place to deal with many of these issues. However the other key element for success is the commitment of politics, organizations and individuals to change and address efforts towards real actions in order to assure the survival of mankind in the planet. The theme of the congress "Developing a healthier environment under worldwide economical constraints" has been chosen by the organizers and promoters because of the present world scenario and as a way to instigate researchers and scientists of safety, health and environment to present their researches in the fields. It is amazing to see the response to these issues. For sure economic growth is the objective of nations worldwide and it is something desirable and possible and the technology available can be a strong allied. Sustainable economy, health care, safety are some of the most immediate challenges to be overcome by humanity and scientists are working hard to come up with viable solutions for the next generations. Scientific research is the key element for the enhancement of technological, economical and social sustainable development.

SHEWC - Safety, Health and Environment World Congress for this edition presents the latest researches of many scientists of scientific international community in these fields, valuable contributions for peers to discuss, update and offer out of the box solutions. It is an event that shows cutting edge useful information in environment, health and safety and provides a rich encounter for the community.

As the General Chair of SHEWC'2013 on behalf of COPEC team I am pleased to thank the host institution Order of Engineers of Portugal that embraced the organization of this congress. It is imperative to acknowledge and thank in special all the people involved in the organization of this edition of SHEWC such as Eng. Fernando Santos, Local Chair of SHEWC'2013 and Eng. Ricardo Reis, who have worked diligently for the accomplishment of a successful event.

The XIII Safety, Health and Environment World Congress – SHEWC'2013 is organized by COPEC – Science and Education Research Council and promoted by SHERO – Safety, Health and Environment Research Organization in Technical Cooperation (in alphabetical order): AAMP (Fishing Museum Friends Society), ABENGE (Brazilian Society for Engineering Education), ABO (Brazilian Dental Association), AENUI (Asociación de Enseñantes Universitarios de la Informática), AGERCO (Brazilian Agency for Coastal Management), ASEE (American Society for Engineering Education), ASIBEI (Iberian-American Association of Engineering Education Institutions), GCMM (Global Congress on Manufacturing and Management), IEEE-Ed.Soc. (Education Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), IFEES (International Federation of Engineering Education Societies), IGIP (Internationale Gesellschaft für Ingenieurpädagogik), INTERTECH (International Council for Engineering and Technology Education), IPN (Ingeniøruddannelsernes Pædagogiske Netværk), IRCWR (International Reference Center for Water Reuse), ISTEC (Iberian American Science & Technology Education Consortium), Porto Gente (PortFolk), RBE (Brazilian Network of Engineering), RCI (Réseau Carthagène d’Ingénierie), SBA (Brazilian Automation Society), SBA Young (Student Chapter of the Brazilian Automation Society), SBE (Brazilian Society of Ecotoxicology), SEFI (Société Européenne pour la Formation des Ingénieurs), SPEE (Portuguese Society for Engineering Education), SPEED (Student Platform for Engineering Education Development) and WCCA (World Council on Communication and Arts).

I could not forget to thank to our sponsors FAPESP (State of São Paulo Research Foundation), CNPq (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development), CAPES (Coordination for Improvement of Personnel of Superior Level) and SUPNET - Technology & Information.

I want to thank the authors and participants for their collaborations and willing to share their contributions for the development of science and technology for the betterment of humanity in their fields of expertise.

Thank you all

Prof. Dr. Claudio da Rocha Brito

GENERAL CHAIR
President of COPEC