OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES AND ITS ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE COLLECTORS IN DIRE DAWA CITY, EASTERN ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Background: Globaly, there are 2.3 million deaths each year that are related to the Solid waste workplaces. The largest portion 2.0 million is related to occupational diseases and 0.3 million to occupational injuries (Takala et al., 2014) Municipal solid waste collection presents significant health and safety risks to workers. Despite the high-risk nature of the work, comprehensive data on work-related injuries among waste collectors remains limited. Objective: To investigate the occupational injuries and its associated factors among solid waste collectors in Dire Dawa city, Eastern Ethiopia, from November 1 to 30, 2024. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 405 waste collectors. Data were collected using structured interviews and observational checklists. EpiData version 4.6 was used for data entry, and statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 25. Logistic regression was employed to assess associations between dependent and independent variables, with a p-value of less than 0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 400 out of 405 selected waste collectors participated in the study, yielding a 98.8% response rate. The average age of the participants was 25.5 years with females comprising 66.5%. The prevalence of occupational injuries was found to be 57.5% (95% CI: 52.5–62.4). Several factors were significantly associated with injury. Workers age 25–54 had an 86% lower injury risk compared to those aged 15-24 (AOR = 0.14, 95% CI: 0.3, 0.7, p < 0.001). Marital struts Single (AOR=11.97, 95% CI: 5.30, 27.46, p < 0.001) and Married (AOR=5.36, 95% CI: 2.50, 11.45, p < 0.001) individuals were significantly more likely to experience occupational injury.Workers with smaller family sizes (≤2 members) (AOR = 9.741; 95% CI: 3.681, 25.778; p < 0.001) and those Individuals working >5 days/week were significantly less likely to experience occupational injury compared to those working ≤5 days/week (AOR = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.13, 0.58, p < 0.001). Alcohol consumption (AOR = 4.467; 95% CI: 1.762, 11.325; p = 0.002), and chewing khat (AOR = 3.542; 95% CI: 2.145, 5.849; p < 0.001) increased injuries.Conversel individuals without access to PPE were significantly more likely to experience occupational injury compared to those with PPE readily available (AOR = 2.71, 95% CI: 1.26, 5.84;p < 0.001),PPE non-users were 13 times higher injury than users (AOR = 13.37, 95% CI 6.25–28.60;p < 0.001). Conclusion: The study found a high prevalence of injuries among waste collectors in Dire Dawa, linked to demographic, behavioral, and workplace factors.