Diagnostic de securite d'une entreprise bresilienne a partir de l'analyse des accidents du travail par la methode de l'arbre des causes

We present here the results of a study of 21 work-related accidents that occurred in a Brazilian manufacturing company. The aim was to assess the safety level of the company to improve its work accident prevention policy. In the last 6 months of 1992 and 1993, all accidents resulting in 15 days' absence from work, reported for social security purposes, were analyzed using the INRS causal tree method (ADC) and a questionnaire completed on site. Potential risk factors for accidents were identified based on the specific factors highlighted by the ADC. More universal trees were also compiled for the safety assessment. Three hundred and thirty specific accident factors were recorded (man of 15.71 per accident). This is consistent with there being multiple causes of accidents rather than the assertion of Brazilian business safety departments that accidents are due to 'dangerous' or 'unsafe' behavior. Introducing the idea of culpability into accidents prevents the implementation of an appropriate information feedback process, essential for effective prevention. However, the large number of accidents related to 'material' (78%) and 'environment' (70%) indicates that working conditions are poor. This shows that the technical risks, mostly due to unsafe machinery and equipment are not being dealt with. Seventy-five potential accident factors were identified. Of these, 35% were 'organizational', a high proportion for the company studied. Improvisation occurs at all levels, particularly at the organizational level. This is, thus a major determinant for entire series of, if not most, accident situations. The poor condition of equipment also plays a major role in accidents. The effects of poor equipment on safety exacerbate the organizational shortcomings. The company's safety intervention policy should improve the management of human resources (rules designating particular workers for particular workstations; instructions for the safe operation of machines and equipment; training of operators, etc.) and introduce programs to detect risks and to improve the safety of machines and equipment. We also recommend the establishment of a program to follow the results of any preventive measures adopted.

Diagnostic de sécurité d’une entreprise brésilienne à partir de l’analyse des accidents du travail par la méthode de l’arbre des causes

We present here the results of a study of 21 work-related accidents that occurred in a Brazilian manufacturing company. The aim was to assess the safety level of the company to improve its work accident prevention policy. In the last 6 months of 1992 and 1993, all accidents resulting in 15 days' absence from work, reported for social security purposes, were analyzed using the INRS causal tree method (ADC) and a questionnaire completed on site. Potential risk factors for accidents were identified based on the specific factors highlighted by the ADC. More universal trees were also compiled for the safety assessment. Three hundred and thirty specific accident factors were recorded (mean of 15.71 per accident). This is consistent with there being multiple causes of accidents rather than the assertion of Brazilian business safety departments that accidents are due to dangerous or unsafe behavior. Introducing the idea of culpability into accidents prevents the implementation of an appropriate information feedback process, essential for effective prevention. However, the large number of accidents related to material (78%) and environment (70%) indicates that working conditions are poor. This shows that the technical risks, mostly due to unsafe machinery and equipment are not being dealt with. Seventy-five potential accident factors were identified. Of these, 35% were organizational, a high proportion for the company studied. Improvisation occurs at all levels, particularly at the organizational level. This is thus a major determinant for entire series of, if not most, accident situations. The poor condition of equipment also plays a major role in accidents. The effects of poor equipment on safety exacerbate the organizational shortcomings. The company's safety intervention policy should improve the management of human resources (rules designating particular workers for particular workstations; instructions for the safe operation of machines and equipment; training of operators, etc.) and introduce programs to detect risks and to improve the safety of machines and equipment. We also recommend the establishment of a program to follow the results of any preventive measures adopted.

Sleep apnea and automobile accidents: Review of regulation for drivers

Several studies show a crescent association between sleep-disordered breathing, excessive sleepiness and automobile accidents. Many countries already discussed about specific regulations for drivers with these conditions, including questionnaire and/or investigation by a qualified specialist. In Brazil, these discussions have barely begun. In view of that, we suggest some items to be included in our traffic law.

A fatal attack caused by a lowland tapir (Tapirus terrestris) in Southeastern Brazil

A 55-year-old man was attacked by a Brazilian tapir (Tapirus terrestris) after surprising and stabbing the animal in his corn plantation. The victim received deep bites in the thighs, neck, and cervical areas, resulting in severe hemorrhage and death. This is the first report of a tapir incident resulting in death and is of interest because of the severity of the contusions and lacerations caused by the provoked animal.

Stressful life events and occupational accidents

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the association between stressful life events and occupational accidents. Methods: This was a population-based case-control study, carried out in the city of Botucatu, in southeast Brazil. The cases consisted of 108 workers who had recently experienced occupational accidents. Each case was matched with three controls. The cases and controls answered a questionnaire about recent exposure to stressful life events. Results: Reporting of environmental problems, being a victim of assault, not having enough food at home and nonoccupational fatigue were found to be risk factors for work-related accidents with estimated incidence rate ratios of 1.4 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.1-1.7], 1.3 (95% CI 1.1 1-1.7), 1.3 (95% CI 1.1-1.6), and 1.4 (95% CI 1.2-1.7) respectively. Conclusions: The findings of the study suggested that nonwork variables contribute to occupational accidents, thus broadening the understanding of these phenomena, which can support new approaches to the prevention of occupational accidents.

Africanized honeybees: Biological characteristics, urban nesting behavior and accidents caused in Brazilian cities (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

In 1956 African honeybee queens (Apis mellifera scutellata) were imported from South Africa and Tanzania to Brazil, as part of a government project to increase Brazilian honey production. The European honeybees existing in that country had not adapted well to the tropical conditions and consequently, had a low productivity. The newly introduced bee was known to produce substantially more honey than the other subspecies, but was also famous for its great aggressiveness and quicker attack of intruders with less disturbance. Hoping to create a new hybrid bee that would be both docile and productive, the scientist Warwick Estevam Kerr tried to cross the African and the European subspecies under controlled conditions. However, an accident resulted in the escape of 26 swarms into the Brazilian countryside, where their queens mated with drones of the European resident honeybees. The poly-hybrid bees resulting from these crossings expressed scutellata-like reproductive, foraging, and defensive behaviors and, for this reason, were called Africanized honeybees. They spread rapidly from the introduction area of the African honeybees (near Rio Claro, São Paulo state) to as far south as mid-Argentina and to the north of Texas, also settling in Arizona, New Mexico, California and Nevada, due to their high adaptability to variable ecological conditions. In spite of a few undesirable behaviors, these bees have been invoking larger economic interest because they produce much more honey, have good resistance to diseases and are excellent pollinators. In Brazil, because people frequently disturb the environment, the occupation of urban refuges by Africanized honeybees has been increasing in the last years. The concern with accidents is generally associated with the high swarming frequency recorded during the year and the variety of shelters available in urban areas. This paper deals with the biological characteristics of the Africanized honeybees, their nesting behavior in urban environments, and accidents caused by these bees in Brazilian cities.

Attributable fraction of work accidents related to occupational noise exposure in a Southeastern city of Brazil

Noise is the most frequent type of occupational exposure and can lead to both auditory and extra-auditory dysfunction as well as increasing the risk of work accidents. The purpose of this study was to estimate the attributable fraction of work accidents related to occupational noise exposure in a medium-sized city in Southeast Brazil. In this hospital-based case-control study, including 600 cases and 822 controls, the odds ratio of work accidents (controlled for several covariables) was obtained classifying occupational noise exposure into four levels and determining the prevalence at each level. Based on these data, the calculated attributable fraction was 0.3041 (95%CI: 0.2341-0.3676), i.e., 30% of work accidents in the study area were statistically associated with occupational noise exposure. The authors discuss the causes of this association and the implications for the prevention of work accidents.

Marine catfish sting causing fatal heart perforation in a fisherman

Many marine catfish have serrated bony stings (spines), which are used in defense against predators, on the dorsal and pectoral fins. While catfish-induced injuries are generally characterized by the pain associated with envenomation, the stings in some species are sufficiently long and sharp to cause severe penetrating trauma. Most injuries are to the hands of victims, commonly fishermen. We report the death of a fisherman caused by myocardial perforation from a catfish sting. To our knowledge, this is the first such description in the medical literature.

A fatal attack on a child by a black caiman (Melanosuchus niger)

We describe a fatal attack by a black caiman (Melanosuchus niger) on an 11-year-old child with comments on the reptile's aggression mechanisms and the conditions under which this kind of incident takes place in the Amazon region. © 2011 Wilderness Medical Society.

Attacks by jaguars (Panthera onca) on humans in central Brazil: Report of three cases, with observation of a death

Conflicts between humans and big cats have been known for centuries throughout the world, but have intensified in recent decades. Recently, attacks by Panthera onca on humans in Brazil have been brought to the forefront through exposure in the press and because of the severity of the attacks. We report 3 cases of patients attacked by jaguars in provoked and predatory situations. Two patients survived the attacks and one died. Attack mechanisms and lesions in victims are discussed. The attacks demonstrate a real risk of accidents from jaguars in certain regions, such as the Pantanal and the Amazon. © 2011 Wilderness Medical Society.

The need to establish coordinated measures for the reduction of road accidents in Latin America and the Caribbean

This edition of the FAL Bulletin approaches road safety and the need for urgent, coordinated measures to be established between the public and private sectors and civil society in order to prevent the rapid increase in deaths and casualties in road accidents in Latin America and the Caribbean, an issue which is threatening the sustainability of regional development.

An analysis of traffic accidents and children: the case of Uruguay

This issue of the FAL Bulletin deals with road safe ty and its impact on children by examining data collected on road safe ty in the Eastern Republic of Uruguay by the Gonzalo Rodríguez Foundation wi thin the framework of its EDU-CAR Road Safety Plan for Children.

Estudo de acidentes com motocicletas no município de Presidente Prudente no ano de 2003

Pós-graduação em Saúde Coletiva - FMB

Análise de acidentes fatais investigados pelo MTE de acordo com o porte da empresa: Estado de Sâo Paulo

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Espaço urbano e a mobilidade das pessoas como construções sociais: aspectos estatísticos dos acidentes de trânsito com vítimas na Rodovia Federal BR 316

O trânsito é caracterizado como uma questão de saúde pública pela Organização Mundial da Saúde. O grande número de acidentes de trânsito não retira deste fato o status calamitoso que o mesmo detém, o que acaba por corroborar a preocupação das Nações Unidas em relação ao aumento progressivo da violência no trânsito, o que a fez proclamar a Década de Ação pela Segurança no Trânsito 2011/2020 em consequência da gravidade da situação, que vem ceifando mais vidas do que nos períodos de guerra, o que é corroborado pela constatação do crescimento em 24% do número total de óbitos por acidentes com transporte, no período de 2002 a 2010 pelo Sistema de Informações de Mortalidade da Organização Mundial da Saúde, revelando a importância social desta dissertação, que tem como objetivo identificar os fatores potencializadores de acidentes de trânsito com vitimizações fatais ocorridos na rodovia BR 316 nos quilômetros 21 ao 278, no período de 2010 a 2012. Para tanto, lançou-se mão de uma metodologia baseada em explorações teóricas aliadas a análises de informações provenientes do banco de dados da Polícia Rodoviária Federal que foram tratados a partir da aplicação de técnicas estatísticas descritivas e multivariadas a fim de confirmar a hipótese suscitada. Diante disto, pode-se concluir que o ano de 2011 foi o período marcado pelo maior número de ocorrências, ocorrências estas que se tornaram mais frequentes nos meses de junho, julho e dezembro, respectivamente, os quais se concentraram no turno da tarde e causados, sobretudo, pela falta de atenção, a desobediência à sinalização e a falta de guarda da distância de segurança; saliente-se o fato de que nos turnos da madrugada e noite os acidentes mais frequentes foram causados por ultrapassagens indevidas, condutores dormindo ao volante, defeitos na via e a ingestão de álcool e ainda vale antecipar, que nos intervalos de quilômetros de 41 a 50, 91 a 100, 101 a 110, 121 a 130, 141 a 150, 151 a 160, 201 a 210, 231 a 240, 251 a 260 e 261 a 270 da BR 316, é frequente que dos acidentes que ocorrem resultem dois ou mais feridos graves, sendo que destes feridos graves, nos intervalos de quilômetros 91 a 100 e 121 a 130, 221 a 230, dois ou mais venham a falecer. Desta forma, conclui-se que nos intervalos quilômetros 91 a 100 e 121 a 130, os feridos graves inevitavelmente faleceram. Diante disto, pode-se observar que o efetivo sentido de cidadania que deve ser dado às relações que se configuram a partir da utilização consciente do trânsito está perdido em meio a uma crise moral de sentidos, especialmente, em relação à obediência às leis de trânsito, o que acaba por transformar a rodovia BR 316 em um cenário de perdas iminentes de vidas, sobretudo, quando se remete ao fato de que todo o acidente de trânsito é previsível e evitável.