The present study was conducted in order to determine the number of occupational accidents (OA), the Coefficient of Frequency per OA (CFOA) and the Coefficient of Severity per OA (CSOA) among garbage collectors in a Brazilian town, as well as to determine the incidence of these events and their characteristics. The data were obtained from the notifications of OA sent to the National Institute of Social Security and from the company employing the workers. A total of 103 OA occurred over a period of 12 months among 81 workers. The CFOA was 527 and the CSOA was 6722 per 1,000,000 working man-hours. The major cause of OA was improper garbage wrapping; the lower limbs of the workers suffered most of the injuries; the most frequent medical diagnoses were wounds, cutting-contusion injuries, cutting injuries, and excoriations. The accidents were more frequent at the beginning of the week and after two to three and four to five hours of work. As carried out in this town, this type of work provokes risks and favors the OA detected. The garbage collectors should receive more attention from their employer. In view of the social importance of this type of work, the authorities responsible for the inspection of working conditions should be more rigorous with the company in question.