Temporal trend of workplace accidents incidence in Brazil, according to federative units, and by sector of economic activity

The objective of this study was to assess the temporal trend of workplace accidents (WA) incidence in Brazil, across its federative units (FU) and by economic activity sector, from 2009 to 2019. An ecological study of time series was conducted using data from the Statistical Yearbook of Occupational Accidents (AEAT InfoLogo) and the Statistical Yearbook of Social Security (AEPS InfoLogo). The annual percent change (APC) of WA incidence rates and the 95% confidence intervals were estimated through Prais-Winsten linear regression. The average WA rate per 1,000 work contracts decreased from 21.64 to 13.72, with an APC of -4.45%. The reduction was observed across all age groups, both genders, and in 26 FU. Incidence rates of WA requiring medical assistance or resulting in disability also showed a declining trend. There was also variation in the indicator among different categories of the National Classification of Economic Activities, with some categories exhibiting a more pronounced declining trend than others. The decrease in WA rates and the declining trend in FU may be the result of public policies and strategies adopted in recent years to address workplace accidents.