The number of registred industrial accidents in 2004 is the highest for the last five years in Brazil. For 100 workers covered by a industrial accident assurance, 1.37% have been victim of an accident in 2004 (against 1.26% in 2003). The increase is explained by a reduction of the preventive ressources in the companies. More than 450,000 accidents have been officially registered with 2,801 fatal accidents. Those figures are only the visible part of an iceberg due to the importance of unformal employment in Brazil.

From the other hand, the Brazilian Government is making no progress in the asbestos issue.  Asbestos is a cause of diseases and death for Brazilian workers and, to a larger extent, for workers in Asia or in other Latin American countries due to the increase of Brazilian asbestos exports.

• Read more [PT]

Read also:

• An analysis from the General Secretary of FENATEST (National Federation of Industrial Safety Specialists) [PT] 

Source: Folha de São Paulo (8 November 2005)