Epidemiological profile and drug abuse: fatal occupational injuries in Espirito Santo, Brazil

To evaluate the profile and frequency of drug abuse before fatal occupational injuries from cases registered in Vitoria, ES, Brazil. From 2008 to 2012, 302 fatal work accidents were registered in the analyzed area. Epidemiological variables like age, sex, type of drug detected, occupation, cause of death, and location of the accident were studied. Drugs that were routinely searched for and considered in the analysis are alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, and amphetamines. Male workers, with a mean age of 40 years old, were affected more frequently than females. In the 302 analyzed cases, there was a loss of 10,717 years of lifetime. Drugs were detected in over 20% of cases. Studies of fatal accidents at work (FOI) in Brazil shows that the records of these accidents are often not properly communicated to the competent bodies. Of all the workers included in the study, 23.9% was positive for the presence of drugs, most frequently detected were alcohol and cocaine. These findings are at least partially explained by the fact that the use of alcohol is not seen as a threat and its use is socially acceptable, even in working situations. Health guidelines and worker safety prevention measures should be applied more rigorously, with the goal of reducing the number of injuries and fatalities.