Occupational accidents involving biological material among public health workers

Authors

  • Mônica Bonagamba Chiodi University of São Paulo; Ribeirão Preto College of Nursing
  • Maria Helena Palucci Marziale University of São Paulo; Ribeirão Preto College of Nursing
  • Maria Lúcia do Carmo Cruz Robazzi University of São Paulo; Ribeirão Preto College of Nursing

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/S0104-11692007000400017

Keywords:

nursing, work, occupational health, public health

Abstract

This descriptive research aimed to recognize the occurrence of work accidents (WA) involving exposure to biological material among health workers at Public Health Units in Ribeirão Preto-SP, Brazil. A quantitative approach was adopted. In 2004, 155 accidents were notified by means of the Work Accident Communication (WAC). Sixty-two accidents (40%) involved exposure to biological material that could cause infections like Hepatitis and Aids. The highest number of victims (42 accidents) came from the category of nursing aids and technicians. Needles were responsible for 80.6% of accidents and blood was the biological material involved in a majority of occupational exposure cases. This subject needs greater attention, so that prevention measures can be implemented, which consider the peculiarities of the activities carried out by the different professional categories.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Downloads

Published

2007-08-01

Issue

Vol. 15 No. 4 (2007)

Section

Original Articles

License

RLAE’s authorship concept is based on the substantial contribution by each of the individuals listed as authors, mainly in terms of conceiving and planning the research project, collecting or analyzing and interpreting data, writing and critical review. Indication of authors’ names under the article title is limited to six. If more, authors are listed on the online submission form under Acknowledgements. The possibility of including more than six authors will only be examined on multicenter studies, considering the explanations presented by the authors.
Including names of authors whose contribution does not fit into the above criteria cannot be justified. Those names can be included in the Acknowledgements section.
 Authors are fully responsible for the concepts disseminated in their manuscripts, which do not necessarily reflect the editors’ and editorial board’s opinion.

 

How to Cite

Occupational accidents involving biological material among public health workers. (2007). Revista Latino-Americana De Enfermagem, 15(4), 632-638. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0104-11692007000400017