The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on work accidents with exposure to biological material in Brazil: an interrupted time series analysis.

Objective: To analyze the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the occurrence of work accidents involving biological materials (ATBio) and to assess changes in the epidemiological profile of these cases.

Methods: An ecological time-series study with a cross-sectional component was conducted using ATBio notifications in Brazil from 2015 to 2022 in the Information System for Notifiable Diseases (Sinan). Interrupted time-series analyses were performed using Prais-Winsten regression models, temporal predictions, and multiple logistic regression to identify changes in the profile between the pandemic and pre-pandemic periods.

Results: A total of 499,916 ATBio cases were recorded between 2015 and 2022, with an increasing trend from 2015 to 2019. During the first year of the pandemic, 57,731 (11.5%) accidents were reported, with an estimated reduction of 791.8 ATBio notifications per month during this period. There was a change in the accident profile, with a higher occurrence of ATBio during the first year of the pandemic among workers with 1 to 8 and 9 to 11 years of education, and a lower occurrence among pregnant women. There was also a higher occurrence of exposure to non-categorized biological materials, increased use of masks and face shields, and higher post-accident seroconversion rates.

Conclusion: The occurrence of ATBio was impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, leading to a reduction in notifications and a change in the event profile on a national scale.