A case-control study was conducted to study the association between individual and socioeconomic characteristics and occupational accidents. Cases were 264 workers who had suffered a "typical" occupational accident registered at the National Institute of Social Security in the city of Pelotas in 1996. Workers were interviewed in their homes with a standardized questionnaire. Two fatal accidents were excluded, as were those leading to absence from work for less than seven days. For each case, three controls were selected: a colleague from the same workplace, a neighbor, and a population control. These were matched to cases by age (+/-5 years) and sex and had not suffered a work-related accident in the preceding month. All cases and controls had formal employment contracts and were residents in the urban area. Conditional logistic regression was used in the data analyses. Schooling and monthly income were the main determinants of occupational accidents. Effects of age, skin color, smoking, alcohol dependence (CAGE questionnaire), and stressful life events disappeared after adjustment for schooling and income.