O-356 Occupational Injuries and Severity Among Workers in Iron and Steel Industries in Tanzania

Background Most manufacturing iron and steel industries in Tanzania are not automated, workers are directly involved in various processes such as scrap metals segregation, collection, and addition to the furnace. This situation predisposes them to a hazardous environment which may endanger their health and safety. Methods The design was retrospective cross-sectional study using a quantitative approach conducted in 2022 in Tanzania. A sample size of 251 workers from the production line in iron and steel industries were involved in the study. The data were collected by a structured questionnaire modified from Occupational injuries statistics from household surveys and establishment surveys ILO manual. The questionnaire was translated in Swahili language by using back translation and pretested in Dar es Salaam Small Industries Cooperatives. Chi-square test and binary logistic regression were used to identify different predictors of occupational injuries Results The Prevalence of 12 months occupational injury was 66.1%. About 61.1% of injured workers were hospitalized for 24 or more working hours. Working years [COR: 0.52, 95% CI: (0.28-0.94))], working days[COR: 0.44, 95% CI: (0.25-0.80))], working hours per week [COR: 4.37, (95% CI: (1.88 -10.17)], and working shift[COR: 0.52, (95% CI: (0.30- 0.90)] were significantly associated factors with prevalence of occupational injury. Discussion and conclusion Prevalence of occupational injuries in iron and steel industries is 66.1%, this prevalence is considerable high in comparison with 21.6%, 22%, 38.4% occupational injuries prevalence in iron and steel industries in India, Turkey and Ethiopia respectively. Much effort is needed to eradicate injury occurrence within the industries.