Occupational accidents among garbage collectors of a country town in São Paulo

Abstract

The authors studied occupational accidents occurring among trash collectors in a city of São Paulo state, between 1987 and 1988. The data were collected from analysis of the “Communications of Work Accidents” reported to the Health and Welfare Institute. A total of 137 accidents causing a loss of 1739 work days were reported. The workers suffered lesions of the upper and lower limbs caused by improper packaging of trash and the trash collection truck. Attention must be giver to trash collectors through simple measures and by the contracting of a nurse to look after care these injuries.