Work accidents among rural and agricultural workers identified by means of hospital records

Abstract

In Brazil, rural work environments are generally unhealthy and risky. Hence, they contribute to the occurrence of diseases and Work Accidents (WA) among rural and agricultural workers. In this study, we investigated during two years, the WA that occurred among rural workers who received care at a Hospital in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil. We examined health professionals’ observations in 6,122 hospital records at a School Hospital (SH), with a view to verifying which patients/workers had suffered WA. Out of 618 records, in which we managed to establish the link between accident and work, 120 (10.9%) belonged to rural workers. Among these, 78 were agricultural workers, 64.17% were from 20-50 years of age and 96.7% (116 individuals) were men. With respect to the causes, 17.5% were due to falls and 14.2 to contact with animals. The results revealed the undesirable condition of some Brazilian worker categories, in this case, rural and agricultural workers. This situation, showing severe accidents that provoke serious injuries and even deaths, mainly happens with the workforce less qualified and with less decision power.