# Profile of victims of occupational accidents involving exposure to biological material notified in the city of Palmas, state of Tocantins, Brazil

## TL;DR

This study analyzes occupational accidents involving biological material in Palmas, Brazil, from 2010 to 2020, focusing on the victims' profiles and accident types.

## Contribution

The study provides a detailed profile of victims and accident circumstances in a specific Brazilian city over a decade.

## Key findings

- Most victims were female, aged 20-49, and worked as civil servants.
- Percutaneous exposure and blood contact were the most common accident types.
- Healthcare professionals, especially nurses, were most frequently involved.

## Abstract

An occupational accident involving exposure to biological material is characterized by
worker’s contact with organic fluids during the working day and in Brazil it is
considered a condition of compulsory declaration.

To analyze the profile of victims of occupational accident involving exposure to
biological material in the city of Palmas, state of Tocantins, from 2010 to 2020.

Descriptive cross-sectional study using the Notifiable Diseases Information System.

During the study period, there were 1,173 notifications, most of which were female
(80.10%), aged from 20 to 49 years (90.20%), and worked as statutory civil servants
(44.50%). Percutaneous exposure was the most common type of accident, and blood was the
main route of contamination (81.59%). Most victims evolved with discharge without
serological conversion (66.92%), and 18.5% withdrew follow-up. The most frequent
circumstance was improper disposal on the floor (12.45%). Health care professionals were
the most involved in occupational accidents with biological material (79.02%) compared
with professionals from other areas, with a predominance of nursing professionals
(60.35%).

The findings of this study reiterate training in the prevention of occupational
accidents involving exposure to biological material is necessary for all jobs involving
exposure to this type of material, regardless of the area, as well as changes in work
organization so as to reduce the presence of risk factors for this type of injury.