Nonfatal Occupational Injuries among Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining Workers in Ethiopia

Abstract Background Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining is widely practiced in developing countries. 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 Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining, Ethiopia. Methods Cross sectional study design was employed from April to June 2020. A total of 403 participants was selected with simple random sampling technique. Structured questionnaire was utilized for the data collection. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the information and the logistic regression was applied to test the association. Predictor variables with p value < 0.05 with Odds ratio of 95% CI in multivariate analysis were considered as associated factors. Results 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)], 1–4 years 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 task of mining activities (AOR: 4.83, 95% CI (1.48–15.7)) were associated with the injury. Conclusion High prevalence of injuries was found. Work-related factors were found significantly associated with the occurrence of injury. Therefore, both workers and responsible organization should apply intervention focus on the improvement of working condition and safety practice to minimize the injury accident.