Abebil Fentayehu, Tefera Yifokire, Tefera Worku, Kumie Abera, Mulugeta Hailemichael, Kassie Genanew
Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Environ Health Insights. 2023 May 10;17:11786302231171809. doi: 10.1177/11786302231171809. eCollection 2023.
Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining (ASGM) is widely practiced in Ethiopia. Injuries are among the public health concerns in the mining sector. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of nonfatal occupational injuries and associated factors among workers in ASGM in Ethiopia.
A cross-sectional study design was employed from April to June 2020. A total of 403 participants were selected with a simple random sampling technique. A structured questionnaire was utilized for the data collection. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the information and binary logistic regression was applied to test the association. Predictor variables with -value < .05 with an Odds ratio of 95% CI in multivariable analysis were considered as associated factors.
A total of 403 participants were interviewed with a response rate of 95.5%. The prevalence of nonfatal occupational injury was 25.1% in the past 12 months. About one-third of the injuries, 32 (31.7%), were on the upper extremity and feet, 18 (17.8%). Symptoms of mercury toxicity (AOR: 2.39, 95% CI [1.27-4.52]), 1 to 4 years of work experience (AOR: 4.50, 95% CI [1.57-12.9]), full work shift (AOR: 6.06, 95% CI [1.97-18.7]), and job in the task of mining activities (AOR: 4.83, 95% CI [1.48-15.7]) were associated with the injury.
A substantially high prevalence of injuries was observed. Work-related factors were found to be significantly associated with the occurrence of injury. The government body, mining sector, and workers are advised to apply interventions focusing on the improvement of working conditions and safety practices to minimize injury.
个体和小规模金矿开采（ASGM）在埃塞俄比亚广泛存在。伤害是采矿业公共卫生关注的问题之一。本研究旨在评估埃塞俄比亚个体和小规模金矿开采工人中非致命职业伤害的患病率及相关因素。
采用横断面研究设计，时间为2020年4月至6月。通过简单随机抽样技术共选取403名参与者。使用结构化问卷收集数据。描述性统计用于描述信息，二元逻辑回归用于检验相关性。在多变量分析中，P值<0.05且比值比95%置信区间的预测变量被视为相关因素。
共对403名参与者进行了访谈，回复率为95.5%。过去12个月中非致命职业伤害的患病率为25.1%。约三分之一的伤害（32例，占31.7%）发生在上肢和足部，18例（占17.8%）。汞中毒症状（调整后比值比：2.39，95%置信区间[1.27 - 4.52]）、1至4年工作经验（调整后比值比：4.50，95%置信区间[1.57 - 12.9]）、全工作班次（调整后比值比：6.06，95%置信区间[1.97 - 18.7]）以及采矿活动任务中的工作（调整后比值比：4.83，95%置信区间[1.48 - 15.7]）与伤害相关。
观察到伤害的患病率相当高。发现与工作相关的因素与伤害的发生显著相关。建议政府机构、采矿业和工人采取侧重于改善工作条件和安全措施的干预措施，以尽量减少伤害。
