Analysis and investigation of work accidents at a portuguese municipality

Abstract

This study intended to analyze and investigate a set of workplace accidents that occurred in a Portuguese Municipality. The investigation focused on the accidents that took place within the Waste Collection Division of the Department of Urban Hygiene and covered a three-year period (2014 to 2016) using a formal and structured process - the RIAAT method (Recording, Investigation and Analysis of Accidents at Work). The RIAAT process included the reclassification and recoding of 109 accidents and the in-depth investigation of 19 accidents. The most frequent type of accident and the main factors that effectively contributed to the occurrence of the accidents were highlighted. Finally, the results were compared to those reported by Gabinete de Estratégia e Planeamento for a similar sector. The main variables assessed showed a very similar behavior.