Fatal occupational accidents in Brazil: A national case-control study using 2023 data

To analyse factors associated with fatal occupational accidents in Brazil in 2023, using data from the Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN).

A quantitative, analytical, retrospective case-control study was conducted with 267,482 occupational accident notifications, of which 2716 (1 %) were fatal. Univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed, with significance set at p < 0.05.

Most injured workers were male (77.2 %), non-white (51.9 %), and had at least completed high school (43.9 %). The average age was 36.5-years. About 75.8 % were formally employed, and 41 % had less than one year of job experience. Accidents mainly occurred in the morning (50.5 %) and on the employer's premises (66.6 %). Logistic regression showed that male workers had a higher risk of fatality (OR=2.59; 95 % CI 2.07-3.24). The risk increased progressively with age, being 3.89-times higher among workers aged 60-65 years than those aged 16-19. Education had a protective effect compared to illiteracy. Workers in the North, Northeast, and Central-West had a 25 % higher risk of death than those in the South and Southeast. Informal work increased fatality odds by 1.77 times, and workers with over 20 years of experience had a 43 % higher risk than those with under one year. Night-time accidents were 1.65 times more lethal than daytime incidents. Race, accident location, type, and body part affected were not significant in multivariate analysis.

Vulnerable groups ‒ men, older workers, the illiterate, informal workers, and those in underdeveloped regions ‒ face higher fatality risks, highlighting the need for targeted policies such as mandatory safety training for informal workers and regional surveillance strategies.