The aim of the present study was to check the characteristics of agricultural workers and the incidence of work-related accidents in the west of Santa Catarina, Brazil. Sixty patterned questionnaires were used, and data on sociodemographics, work, and workplace accidents were collected. The percentage of household heads aged between 41 and 60 years amounted to 60% and that of married ones totaled 68.3%, with average school attendance between 4 and 8 years; 97% were landowners, among whom 83.3% owned more than 8 hectares. The average weekly workload of 80% of agricultural workers exceeds 40 hours, with a 20% incidence of workplace accidents. These data show the variety of activities and occupational hazards and point out an urgent need for public health surveillance, since accidents involving agricultural workers usually do not appear in the official statistics and still have to be addressed by Brazilian social policies.
Workplace Accidents; Agricultural Workers; Occupational Health
