OCCUPATIONAL ACCIDENTS CAUSED BY CUTTING AND PIERCING OBJECTS AMONG NURSING WORKERS IN HOSPITALS IN THE NORTHEASTERN REGION OF SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL

Abstract

This study aimed at identifying the occurrence of occupational accidents caused by cutting and piercing materials among nursing workers and the conduct adopted by hospitals with respect to accidents. It is a descriptive research carried out by evaluating occupational accidents legally notified in four hospitals in the Northeastern region of São Paulo State in 1999. Data were collected through documental observation. During the studied period, 117 accidents were reported, of which 53 had been caused by cutting and piercing materials. Nursing aids comprised the most frequently affected staff (8.9%¨), followed by technicians (2.8%), auxiliaries (2.7%) and nurses (2.5%). Most of the accidents took place among professionals that had been working for longer than a year and who were females, married or living in concubinage, younger than 40 years old, during the morning shift and were caused by needles and scalpels (84.9%), producing lesions in the fingers (77.3%). The conducts adopted by the hospitals showed lack of guidance and knowledge concerning the adequate procedure to be followed.