Occupational Injuries and Associated Factors Among Small-Scale Woodwork Industry Workers in Hawassa, Southern Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Occupational injuries are still a major public health problem and one of the leading causes of disability, morbidity, and mortality. This study aimed to assess occupational injuries and associated factors among workers in the small-scale woodworking industry in Hawassa city, southern Ethiopia.

Materials And Methods: An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 418 randomly selected small-scale woodworking industry workers. Questionnaires and an observational checklist were used to collect data. The data was entered into Epi data version 3.1 and analyzed using SPSS version 21. Multivariate logistic regression analysis with 95% CI and  < .05 was used to identify factors associated with occupational injury.

Results: The prevalence of at least one occupational injury in the previous 12 months among small-scale woodworking industry workers was 41.6% [95% CI: 36.9-46.4]. Work experience 1 to 2 years [AOR = 2.8, 95% CI: 1.49-5.2], working more than 48 hours per week [AOR = 2.2, 95% CI: 1.41-3.49], lack of occupational safety and health (OSH) training [AOR = 2.5, 95% CI: 1.35-4.75], and non-use of personal protective equipment (PPE) [AOR = 3.3, 95% CI: 1.85-5.83] were factors significantly associated with occupational injury.

Conclusions: In this study, the prevalence of occupational injuries among workers in the small-scale woodworking industry was high. Lack of OSH training, non-use of PPE, work experience of 1 to 2 years, and working more than 48 hours per week were all factors that contributed to occupational injuries. Therefore, workers in the small-scale woodworking industry should receive ongoing occupational safety and health (OSH) training, and personal protective equipment (PPE) should be provided and monitored.