Compliance with Regulatory Standard 32 in the units of a general hospital

In Brazil, the Ministry of Labor and Employment created Regulatory Standard number 32 (Norma Regulamentadora 32, NR-32), instituted by Ordinance 485, of November 11^th, 2005. It establishes measures to protect workers' safety and health in any health service.

To quantify employees' compliance with NR-32 in the several units of a general hospital in the inland of the state of São Paulo, Brazil, reducing accidents related to work activity and allowing for the establishment of its fulfillment.

This is an exploratory study with a qualitative and quantitative approach of data. Semi-structured questionnaires were applied to the volunteers.

Thirty-eight volunteers participated, who were divided into a group of professionals with a higher education degree (53.5%), consisting of nurses, physicians, and resident students, and another group of professionals with technical and high school degree and nursing assistants. Among the volunteers, 96.4% reported that they knew NR-32 and 39.2% reported having experienced an occupational accident in the period before the study. The use of personal protective equipment was reported by 88% of volunteers, and needle recapping by 7.1% of them.

Assimilation of NR-32 by health care professionals, regardless of schooling, as well as its application within the hospital, may be a way of protection against occupational accidents during the development of work activities. Allied to this, protection may be extended with constant training of these workers.