[Occupational accidents among nursing personnel caused by perforating instruments]

The purpose was to conduct a survey on work accidents which occur due to sharp cutting instruments. The population studied consisted of nursing personnel who had suffered work accidents. A sample of 22 female workers was selected and the individuals were interviewed. The average age of this sample was 38 years old and there were 59.1% nursing assistants, 22.7% nurses, 9.1% nursing technicians and 9.1% nursing attendants. The highest number of accidents occurred during the month of June and most of them around 3 PM. Most of the accidents reported were from the neonatal unit. The hands were the most affected parts of the body and the majority of the accidents were due to perforating instruments. When the accidents occurred, 50% were wearing gloves and 86.4% were vaccinated.