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Updated: Aug 9, 2025

Safety Precautions and Operating Procedures in an ABSL-4 Laboratory: 3. Aerobiology
Published on: October 3, 2016
Occupational accidents involving exposure to biological material reported at a worker's health sentinel unit: 11,645
Nathália Nakase Mizoguti1, Michely Mika Hirota1, Fernanda Yuki Ito1
1Medicina, Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, PR, Brazil.
Introduction:
Health professionals are exposed to various occupational biological, chemical, physical, and ergonomic risks, in addition to the risk of accidents. Understanding occupational accidents involving biological material in a specific area could be an initial step towards prioritizing correct working conditions.
Objectives:
To determine the profile of occupational accidents involving exposure to biological material based on data from a sentinel unit in Curitiba, Brazil.
Methods:
This observational, retrospective, descriptive study with quantitative methods collected disease notification system data from 2008-2018.
Results:
During the study period, 11,645 cases of occupational accidents involving biological material were reported. Most victims were women (80.4%) and nursing technicians (30.9%). The highest number of accidents involved material found on the floor (11.1%). Regarding personal protective equipment, 69% of the victims used procedure gloves. The years with the most reported accidents were 2016 and 2018. Treatment abandonment was high (56%).
Conclusions:
The number of accidents involving biological material was high, as was that of victims who abandoned serological follow-up. Prevention and awareness strategies are necessary to change this scenario.
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