Work, violence and death in Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil

Abstract

In this epidemiological study, deaths resulting from external causes in 1999 and 2000 among males (age 15-64 years) in Campinas, São Paulo State were analyzed through interviews with their relatives. We attempted to correlate this incidence with individual occupational history, allowing the characterization of these events as work-related injuries. The proportional death rate due to work-related injuries was estimated at 27% in this group. None of the death certificates we analyzed had "yes" specified in the appropriate work-related injury field. Based on these results, official data from the Brazilian Ministry of Labor on the number of deaths resulting from work-related injuries in this period in the State of São Paulo is underestimated by 83.4%. The vast majority of fatal work-related injuries were homicides and traffic accidents, reflecting an increase in violence in this Brazilian city.