[Nursing staff and occupational accidents in a central supply unit]

The aims of this study are to analyse the occupational accidents that affected nursing workers in the central supply unit of the public hospitals that make part of the ERSA-2 in the city of São Paulo and also identify the work load performed by these workers. Data were obtained by verifying all accidents registers that were listed in the Worker Health Attending Service of the institutions related above and by interviewing the workers. Sample was divided in two groups. In the Group I are included sixty-one (61) nursing workers that have registered ninety seven (97) occupational accidents and in the Group II, are included forty five (45) nursing workers who have pointed seventy-eight (78) accidents during the interview. Results were evaluated by quantitative analysis and association tests have been applied, in order to verify the possible differences between the groups of workers. Thus, this study has been able of observe that the major part of affected workers are the female nursing attendants aging from twenty (20) to forty (40) years old. The occupational accidents were also analysed by considering the kind, the place and period in which the accidents occurred; the sort of objects and the injuries that caused them; the body region that has been affected in the worker and if the medical leaves has been necessary and how long it has been taken. The work load evaluated are those identified by the workers of the central supply unit as chemical, physical, biologic, mechanical and physiological loads; The psychic loads have not been mentioned. In this study, the occupational accidents occurrence shows relation with the human and the material resources as well as with the environment and also, the suggestions to minimize them have to consider these points.