Assessing the relationship between safety culture, behavioral safety and occupational injury in Sawmill industry’in Malka Nono Sub-City, Shagger City, Oromia Region, Ethiopia.
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Date
2025-06
Authors
Gorento,Fikru Belete
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Publisher
Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Background: - Occupational injuries remain a major yet underreported public health burden in low and middle income countries, particularly in high-risk sectors like sawmilling where regulatory oversight is limited. While organizational and behavioral factors are critical to workplace safety, they remain insufficiently studied in Ethiopia’s industrial settings.
Objective: - This study examine the relationship between safety culture, behavioral safety, and the occurrence of occupational injuries among workers in sawmill industries in the Tatek Industrial Zone, Malka Nono Sub-city, Shagger City, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia, during 2023–2024.
Methods:- A cross-sectional study was conducted among 418 workers from four sawmills. Participants were selected through simple random sampling with proportional allocation to ensure representative participation from each sawmill. Safety culture was measured using the validated Nordic Occupational Safety Climate Questionnaire (NOSACQ-50), which covers seven dimensions. Behavioral safety and self-reported injury experience over the past 12 months were assessed using structured questionnaires. Binary logistic regression was employed to examine associations between safety culture, behavioral safety, and injury outcomes.
Result: - The prevalence of self-reported occupational injuries in the past 12 months was 58 workers (14%). Poor safety culture scores in several NOSACQ-50 dimensions, particularly management safety empowerment and safety communication, learning and trust in co-worker were significantly associated with increased odds of injury [AOR = 2.15, 95% (CI: 0.98–4.70)] and [AOR= 3.99, 95% (CI=1.84-8.64)] respectively. Workers with low levels of safety compliance were also more likely to report injuries [AOR = 5.32, 95% (CI: 2.57–11.02) ].
Conclusion: -Deficiencies in safety culture and behavioral safety significantly contribute to occupational injury risk among sawmill workers. Interventions targeting both organizational safety cluture and worker safety behavior are recommended to enhance workplace safety.
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Keywords
Safety culture, occupational injury, behavioral safety, sawmill industry