Descriptive study of work accidents involving forest workers at Minas Gerais State

Forestry activities are recognized for exposing workers to risk agents, generating disabilities that hinder the access and continuity of work of the people affected in the labor market. In this sense, it was studied with this research the different parameters registered in the database of the Ministry of Social Security referring to the Communication of Accidents at Work - CATs, with emphasis on the forestry sector of Minas Gerais, at the period between 2011 and 2017. The objective was to evaluate the data on accidents at work in order to generate knowledge regarding the causative agents, as the damage to workers' health and their repercussions. It was found that the main causative agents of accidents were: handling of wood, conditions of the ground, tools with or without driving force and vehicles. The injuries were responsible for 93.9% of the records, of which 49.5% caused fractures, mainly affecting the workers' lower and upper limbs. Therefore, forestry activities expose workers to risks that result in accidents, often resulting in disabilities in the development of the required work activities and, thus or hindering their access to the labor market.