Assessment of biological hazards in a laboratory in Boa Vista, Roraima

INTRODUCTION: Safety in health care should be a priority of all health professionals. The occurrence of occupational accidents is many times attributed to a failure in following established standards, and identifying and correcting the risks to which professionals are exposed is important. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess the level of understanding on the biological hazards to which workers of a clinical analysis laboratory are exposed. METHODS: We applied a questionnaire for assessing knowledge on biological hazards, comprising an assessment of the understanding of biosafety and biological hazards, an investigation of the occurrence, types, and causes of accidents with biological material, and the employment of preventive measures. Data were tabulated in spreadsheets. All qualitative variables were tested with the chi-square test. RESULTS: We verified that 100% of the workers reported having some knowledge on biosafety; 25% of them reported they had suffered an occupational accident; and 81% of the workers reported having received training on biosafety measures. As to the level of exposure of workers and the community to biological agents, we noticed a very low level of exposure in one of the laboratory sectors. CONCLUSIONS: Considering our results, we concluded that professionals at a clinical analysis laboratory are prone to occupational hazards, facing a low risk of exposure despite carrying out hazardous activities with potential exposure, which requires caution and exposure prevention measures.