Epidemiological literature on occupational accidents among rural workers is scarce in Brazil. This population-based cross-sectional study was designed to investigate the characteristics of farming accidents occurring in the rural area of Pelotas, Southern Brazil. A multi-stage sampling scheme was used to select a representative sample of farms. From January to April 1996, a total of 258 rural families were visited, and all 580 rural workers identified in these families answered a standardized questionnaire. Sixty-three rural workers (11%) reported at least one work-related accident in the previous twelve months. There were 82 accidents during the study period, mainly related to the use of hand farm tools (29%) and handling farm animals (27%). The main types of injuries were cuts (50%), bruises (13%), and burns (9%). The body areas most frequently involved were hands (34%), feet (29%), and legs (18%). Among the injured rural workers, only 32% used health services to treat the resulting lesions (46% went to primary health care facilities and 36% to emergency services).