Objective:
to characterize work-related fatal accidents associated with urban violence and to describe the workers' socioeconomic and occupational profile.
Method:
descriptive epidemiological study. Data source based on an exploratory research identifying deaths resulting from external causes within the metropolitan region of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, in 2004. An expert group analyzed the occurrences among the residents of Salvador to identify the workrelated ones.
Results:
91 work-related fatal accidents were identified; 89% were men; mean age was 38 years (SD = 12.3); 59% finished basic school. Only 33% had a formal job. The most frequent occupational groups were bricklayers, salesmen, security guards, motorcycle couriers, and drivers; 60.4% considered as typical accidents. Among them, 39.6% died in traffic; 37.3% in homicides; 18.7%, in accidents inside the company. 67% of the accidents took place in the streets.
Conclusion:
the expressive number of work-related traffic accidents and murders, which were not registered as work-related on death certificates highlights the invisibility of urban violence as an occupational event and indicates under-reporting of such information.
work accidents; urban violence; work accident notification; external causes; workers' health