OCCUPATIONAL INJURY AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG NATIONAL CEMENT SHARE COMPANY WORKERS AT DIRE DAWA, EASTERN ETHIOPIA.

Abstract

Back ground:Throughout the world, occupational exposure to cement dust and noise continue to cause serious public health problems and are leading cause of disability and disease among workers. There are 2 million work-related deaths annually worldwide. Studies done in Ethiopia on textile factory, Iron and steel factory and among small and medium scale industries, occupational injury is the cause for hospitalization, disability and death of workers. There is no study done on the prevalence and associated factors of occupational injury in Dire Dawa National Cement Share Company. Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of occupational injuries and associated factors among cement factory workers in Dire Dawa national cement share company, eastern Ethiopia from Jan, 20 to Feb,30,2025. Methods: Institutional based cross-sectional study was conducted on 351 workers from Jan, 20 to Feb,30,2025. Data was collected by face to face interviews using structured Questionnaire, coded and double entered into EPI Data version 3.1 and then exported into SPSS version 20 for analysis. The descriptive statistics was computed using frequency mean and standard deviations. Factors associated with the occupational injury were determined by using Bi-variate and Multivariate logistic regression. A p-value of less than 0.25 and 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The prevalence of occupational injuries among cement share company workers was found to be 71 (20.8%. The multivariable model found that illiteracy (AOR = 5.09, 95% CI: 1.32–19.65), having five and under five years of work experience (AOR =9.77, 95% CI:3.15 30.32) and those heavly consumed alchohol (AOR = 6.69, 95% CI: 1.67–28.82) were more likely to be significantly associated with odds of occupational injury. In contrast, receving occupational safety and health training (AOR = 0.22, 95% CI: 0.05–0.92) and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) (AOR = 0.12, 95% CI: 0.05–0.27) demonstrated a protective effect, significantly reducing the likelihood of occupational injuries. Conclusion : The study found that one-fifth of factory workers experienced occupational injuries, highlighting a significant safety concern. To address this, Dire Dawa National Cement Share Company, the Dire Dawa Administration Office, and relevant sectors must strengthen supervision, enforce PPE usage, provide safety training, and tackle behavioral risk factors to enhance workplace safety and reduce injuries.