Accidents and injuries in workers of iron and steel industry in West Bengal, India: Prevalence and associated risk factors

Int J Occup Saf Ergon. 2022 Dec;28(4):2533-2540. doi: 10.1080/10803548.2021.2012021. Epub 2021 Dec 31.

Abstract

This study estimates the prevalence and risk factors of accidents and injuries among iron and steel industry workers. A cross-sectional study (N = 505) was conducted from November 2019 to March 2020 in the Indian Iron and Steel Company (IISCO), Burnpur, West Bengal, India. The result shows that about 28% of workers experienced accidents and injuries in the last 12 months. The most frequent injuries reported were cuts from sharp objects (37.32%), followed by fractures and dislocation (30.28%) and burns (19.01%), upper head injury (23.24%) and arm/shoulder injury (14.08%). Non-technical education (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 2.52), higher exposure in risky and polluted areas (AOR: 2.85), alcohol consumption (AOR: 2.47), poor occupational health and safety knowledge (AOR: 0.65) were significantly associated with work-related injuries. Occupational health and safety knowledge and usage of safety measures must be propagated and monitored to curb accidents and injuries among iron and steel industry workers in India.

Keywords: accidents and injuries; iron and steel industry; personal protective equipment; safety knowledge.

MeSH terms

  • Accidents, Occupational
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Humans
  • Iron
  • Occupational Injuries* / epidemiology
  • Prevalence
  • Risk Factors
  • Steel*

Substances

  • Steel
  • Iron