Table 1
Characteristics of study participants (n = 321).
| VARIABLE | COUNT (NUMBER) | PERCENTAGE (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Industry | ||
| A | 99 | 31 |
| B | 60 | 19 |
| C | 92 | 29 |
| D | 70 | 21 |
| Section | ||
| Furnace | 139 | 43.3 |
| Rolling mills | 182 | 56.7 |
| Age (years) | ||
| 18–30 | 179 | 56 |
| 31–44 | 107 | 33 |
| ≥ 45 | 35 | 11 |
| Education | ||
| Never been in school | 19 | 5.9 |
| Primary school | 133 | 41.4 |
| Secondary school and above | 169 | 52.6 |
| Marital status | ||
| Never married | 83 | 25.9 |
| Married | 238 | 74.1 |
| Working years | ||
| 1–4 years | 245 | 76.3 |
| > 4 years | 76 | 23.7 |
| Working hours per day | ||
| ≤ 10 hours | 77 | 24 |
| > 10 hours | 244 | 76 |
| Shiftwork | ||
| Permanent night shift or rotating shift schedule | 184 | 57.3 |
| Only daytime work | 137 | 42.7 |
Table 2
Description of occupational injuries among 321 workers from iron and steel industries in the preceding 12 months.
| OCCUPATIONAL INJURY DESCRIPTION | COUNT | PERCENTAGE (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Injury prevalence rate for the preceding 12 months | 221 | 68.8 |
| Occupational injury (restricted from work at least 1 day) | 209 | 65.1 |
| Frequency of injuries in the preceding 12 months (among the injured people [n = 209] | ||
| Once | 89 | 42.6 |
| Twice | 52 | 24.9 |
| Three times | 39 | 18.7 |
| Four times/more | 29 | 14.3 |
| Time when the injury occurred | ||
| Morning | 20 | 9.6 |
| Afternoon | 121 | 57.9 |
| Evening | 33 | 15.8 |
| Midnight | 23 | 11.0 |
| I don’t remember | 12 | 5.7 |
| Workers hospitalized | 135 | 64.6 |
| Number of days hospitalized | ||
| 1–6 days | 103 | 49.3 |
| 7–14 | 22 | 10.5 |
| 15–21 | 7 | 3.3 |
| ≥ 30 days | 3 | 1.4 |
| Location where the accident occurred | ||
| At usual work area in the factory | 192 | 91.9 |
| Somewhere else in the factory/unit | 15 | 7.2 |
| On work‑related travel | 2 | 0.9 |
| Parts of the body affected | ||
| Upper extremities | 88 | 42.1 |
| Lower extremities | 58 | 27.8 |
| Whole body/multiple sites equally injured | 26 | 12.4 |
| Head | 16 | 7.7 |
| Back | 15 | 7.2 |
| Neck | 4 | 1.9 |
| Trunk/internal organs | 2 | 0.9 |
| Type of injury | ||
| Superficial injuries | 110 | 52.6 |
| Dislocations, sprains, and strains | 29 | 13.9 |
| Burns and corrosion | 27 | 12.9 |
| Cuts | 23 | 11.0 |
| Fractures | 14 | 6.7 |
| Concussion and internal injuries | 5 | 2.4 |
| Amputation | 2 | 0.9 |
| Acute poisoning or infections | 1 | 0.5 |
Table 3
Comparing workers from iron and steel industries in Tanzania, with and without occupational injuries the past year (n = 321).
| VARIABLE | WORKERS WITH OCCUPATIONAL INJURY IN THE PAST YEAR (N = 209) | X2* | P‑VALUE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age group (years) | n (%) | ||
| 18–30 | 117 (65.4) | 0.029 | 0.986 |
| 31–44 | 69 (64.4) | ||
| ≥ 45 | 23 (65.7) | ||
| Education | |||
| Never been in school | 12 (63.2) | 2.105 | 0.967 |
| Primary school | 86 (64.7) | ||
| Secondary school and above | 111 (65.7) | ||
| Marital status | |||
| Never married | 55 (65.5) | 2.976 | 0.797 |
| Married | 154 (64.7) | ||
| Working years | |||
| 1–4 years | 169 (69) | 6.824 | 0.009 |
| > 4 years | 40 (52.3) | ||
| Working hours per day | |||
| ≤ 10 hours | 38 (49.4) | 11.073 | 0.001 |
| > 10 hours | 171 (70.1) | ||
| Section | |||
| Furnace | 81 (58.3) | 5.043 | 0.025 |
| Rolling mills | 128 (70.3) | ||
| Shiftwork | |||
| Yes | 129 (70.1) | 4.744 | 0.029 |
| No | 80 (58.4) | ||
| Industry site | |||
| A | 73 (73.7) | 5.047 | 0.168 |
| B | 35 (58.3) | ||
| C | 58 (63) | ||
| D | 43 (61.4) |
[i] *X2 = Chi‑squared test.
Table 4
Multivariable logistic regression analysis of factors associated with occupational injuries.
| VARIABLES | CRUDE ODDS RATIO (95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL) | ADJUSTED ODDS RATIO (95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL) |
|---|---|---|
| Working years | ||
| ≤ 4 years | 0.50 (0.29–0.85) | 0.55 (0.29–1.03) |
| > 4 years | 1 | 1 |
| Working hours per day | ||
| ≤ 10 hours | 1 | 1 |
| > 10 hours | 2.40 (1.42–4.06) | 2.54 (1.46–4.41) |
| Sections | ||
| Furnace | 1 | 1 |
| Rolling mills | 1.70 (1.07–2.70) | 1.59 (0.94–2.67) |
| Shift work | ||
| Yes | 0.6 (0.38–0.95) | 0.53 (0.26–1.10) |
| No | 1 | 1 |
| Industry | ||
| A | 1 | 1 |
| B | 0.57 (0.29–1.09) | 0.79 (0.37–1.74) |
| C | 1.14 (0.56–2.29) | 1.15 (0.49–2.68) |
| D | 0.93 (0.49–1.77) | 0.70 (0.34–1.43) |