WORK ACCIDENTS IN THE BRAZILIAN FOREST SECTOR

This research aimed to evaluate occurrences of work accidents in the Brazilian forest sector involving activities of production of planted and natural forests, and forest support from 2010 to 2014 in order to carry out a diagnosis related to the safety and health of the worker. The sources for the data, collected from a literature research, were obtained based on historical data of the Company of Technology and Information from Social Security (DATAPREV). The results revealed that the activities of planted forests had the highest mean of accidents, followed by the forest support activities and the natural forests. States such as Minas Gerais, Sao Paulo, Parana, Santa Catarina, Bahia, and Maranhao, for the greater extension in terms of planted forest areas, presented the highest mean of accidents in the sector during the period studied. By the Index Accident of Planted Forest (IAFP), the States of Mato Grosso do Sul, Sao Paulo, and Bahia had the highest average of occurrence of accidents (1,000 ha/planted forest) and the Minas Gerais state, the lowest one. The incidence rate of accidents in activities of planted forest and forest production support presented a frequency of occurrence higher than the Brazilian national average. The concessions of Social Security benefits for temporary disability (more than 15 days), permanent disability, and death in the forest sector caused to the Social Security an average spending of more than R$ 31 million. We concluded that the work accidents in this sector are significant and give rise to expenditures.