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Factors contributing to occupational injuries among workers in the construction, manufacturing, and mining industries in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis

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Abstract

Personal injuries, illnesses, or deaths resulting from occupational accidents pose critical public health issues with severe social and economic implications. Studies on risk factors for occupational injuries in Africa have been indecisive. This study aimed to identify factors influencing occupational injuries at the regional level and to generate estimates of the contribution of each. Of 603 studies accessed we included 20 that fulfilled the eligibility criteria. Workers with temporary employment and those not receiving safety training had higher odds of incurring occupational injuries [AOR = 2.13, 95%CI (1.06, 3.21) and AOR = 1.98, 95%CI (1.21, 2.76), respectively]. Temporary workers often do not benefit from occupational health and safety services to avoid accidents and injuries at work. Use of proper personal protective equipment reduced the odds of sustaining an injury [AOR = 0.60, 95%CI (0.32, 0.88)]. We suggest focusing interventions on the identified modifiable factors to lessen the burden of work-related injuries.

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Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We gratefully thank the primary authors of the included studies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia

    Mitiku Bonsa Debela, Muluken Azage & Achenef Motbainor Begosaw

  2. Department of Preventive Medicine, Schools of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Addis-Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Negussie Deyessa Kabeta

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Contributions

MBD, MA, AMB and NDK contributed to develop the study design and protocol, literature review, selection of studies, quality assessment, data extraction, statistical analysis, interpretation of the data and develo** the initial drafts of the manuscript. MBD, MA and NDK involved in statistical analysis, interpretation and quality assessment. MBD prepared the final draft of the manuscript. All authors approved the final manuscript (MBD, MA, AMB and NDK).

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Correspondence to Mitiku Bonsa Debela.

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Debela, M.B., Azage, M., Begosaw, A.M. et al. Factors contributing to occupational injuries among workers in the construction, manufacturing, and mining industries in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Public Health Pol 43, 487–502 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41271-022-00378-2

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