Exploring factors associated with occupational health risk among tannery workers in Bangladesh

Tannery workers in Bangladesh face persistent occupational health hazards due to exposure to toxic chemicals and limited safety protections. However, the factors of workers' perceptions of these health risks remain insufficiently understood. This study investigates factors associated with health concern among tannery workers in the Savar Tannery Industrial Estate, drawing on a cross-sectional survey of 400 workers. Ordinal logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the influence of sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge, attitude, and workplace practices. Overall, 87.5% of workers reported being concerned about health risks, including 42.5% who were very concerned. Male workers had significantly higher odds of expressing concern (aOR = 2.05, p = 0.01), as did workers with more than ten years of experience (aOR = 3.37, p = 0.033) and married workers (aOR = 1.61, p = 0.039). Knowledge-related variables were strong predictors; awareness of health hazards (aOR = 2.75, p = 0.022), recognition of harmful chemicals (aOR = 2.90, p = 0.006), and correct PPE knowledge (aOR = 3.17, p < 0.001) were each associated with greater concern. Conversely, rarely using PPE (aOR = 0.11, p = 0.005) and rarely washing exposed skin (aOR = 0.03, p < 0.001) were associated with substantially lower concern. These findings highlight critical gaps in safety training and protective practices, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions to strengthen occupational health literacy and promote safer behaviors in Bangladesh's tannery sector.