[Rural work-related accidents in Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil: a population-based cross-sectional study].
Epidemiological literature on occupational accidents among rural workers is scarce in Brazil. This population-based cross-sectional study was designed to investigate the characteristics of farming accidents occurring in the rural area of Pelotas, Southern Brazil. A multi-stage sampling scheme was used to select a representative sample of farms. From January to April 1996, a total of 258 rural families were visited, and all 580 rural workers identified in these families answered a standardized questionnaire. Sixty-three rural workers (11%) reported at least one work-related accident in the previous twelve months. There were 82 accidents during the study period, mainly related to the use of hand farm tools (29%) and handling farm animals (27%). The main types of injuries were cuts (50%), bruises (13%), and burns (9%). The body areas most frequently involved were hands (34%), feet (29%), and legs (18%). Among the injured rural workers, only 32% used health services to treat the resulting lesions (46% went to primary health care facilities and 36% to emergency services).
Fernanda Fehlberg
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Centro de Controle de Zoonoses, Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Pelotas, RS, 96010-900, Brasil.
dos Santos
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IS
Tomasi
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D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
Acidentes de trabalho na zona rural de Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil: um estudo transversal de base populacional.