Objective

To verify the characteristics of the incidence and recurrence of work accidents with biological material and its relation with knowledge about standard precautionary standards.

Methods

A descriptive-analytical cross-sectional and quantitative study carried out at the Specialized Assistance Service in the State of Goias, Brazil, with 73 workers from health institutions who suffered an accident with biological material between July and December 2016. For data collection, a questionnaire was used with questions about characteristics related to work and the occurrence of accidents. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Results

32,9% of the workers reported recurrence of an accident, of these, 20,8% referred to non-standard conduct. It was observed that 10,3% of those who had a recurrence of accidents were older than 41 years. The majority of the workers (57,5%) reported not having received guidance on accidents with biological materials and prevention measures by the institution, and lack of knowledge of the relevant measures after these accidents occurred (52,1%). There was a positive association between recurrence of accidents with biological material and age (RP: 1,04, p=0,023) and knowledge of preventive measures after accidents with biological materials (RP: 3,77, p=0,002).

Conclusion

Knowledge about preventive measures is effective for safety during work activities, reducing the risk of accidents with biological materials to which workers are exposed.