Occupational accidents among workers within a microarea covered by the Family Health Strategy

Occupational accidents are events that tend to be highly underreported in Brazil's official reporting systems. In this context, surveys with primary data collection are important to provide a better dimensioning of these events.

To characterize workers who had a non-fatal occupational accident within the microarea of a Family Health Unit in Salvador, state of Bahia, Brazil.

An observational, analytical, individual, and cross-sectional was conducted, with data collected between January and February 2020. The questionnaires were administered during home visits. The final sample consisted of 134 workers aged 18 to 65 years.

The incidence of occupational accidents was 6.7% (n = 9), all typical, particularly involving female workers (55.6%); aged 30 to 59 years (66.7%); with education up to high school (77.8%); self-identified as Black/Brown (100%); who received between one and two minimum monthly salaries (55.6%); single (55.6%); and with self-rated fair health (66.7%). In the population analyzed, the cumulative incidence of accidents was higher in female individuals (6.9%), with incomplete/complete high school (8.3%), self-identified as Black/Brown (7.7%), with informal employment, (7.2%), personal income of one minimum monthly salary or less (9.5%) and working > 44 hours per week (8.2%).

A higher frequency of occupational accidents was recorded among individuals in situations of social vulnerability, which should be the focus of public policies and Occupational Health Surveillance in primary care.