RISK FACTORS FOR THE OCCURRENCE OF ACCIDENTS IN TEACHING AND RESEARCH LABORATORIES IN A BRAZILIAN UNIVERSITY (2012)

This study aimed to analyze the main factors associated with the occurrence of accidents involving biological, chemical, or perforating-cutting agents in laboratories at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil. A cross-sectional and analytical study was conducted applying a questionnaire to 271 lab employees at three academic units of the university in 2012. Screening procedures to determine some characteristics potentially associated with the occurrence of accidents was performed by univariate statistical tests. The verification of main risks or protective factors for the occurrence of accidents was performed by means of the fit of multivariate models (p≤0.05). It was verified that a range of 70.5% to 97.3% people were exposed to risk factors, and 48.0% of the respondents were accident victims in the School of Veterinary Sciences, 34.4% were injured in the Dental School, and 23.0% were injured in the Medical School. Factors, such as the individuals’ job, hours worked per day, years worked in the lab, working under pressure and stress conditions, the providing of instructions regarding laboratory procedures, knowledge about the operational flow adopted in the case of accidents, and the knowledge about protocols to report accidents were quantified as main risk factors influencing the occurrence of some accidents. It was therefore concluded that the occurrence of accidents is most commonly associated with the characteristics regarding conduct in laboratory activities, followed by the influence of structural factors.