"Blood lead level among battery factory workers in low and middle-income countries: Systematic review and meta-analysis".

Introduction: Lead is one of the most health-hazardous causes of acute and chronic poisoning at workplaces. A limited study was conducted on the blood lead concentration among battery factory workers in low and middle-income countries. Therefore, this study will improve workplace health and safety conditions of workers in this sector and serve as baseline data for further studies in this segment of the working setup. Objective: This review aims to identify the pooled mean blood lead level among battery factory workers in low and middle-income countries. Methods: The search methods considered the following electronic bibliographic databases: google scholar, PubMed, and other gray literature. A funnel plot and Begg test were used to see the publication bias. The heterogeneity of studies was checked using I-square statistics with a cut of point 75% and the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) quality assessment tool was applied to ensure the quality of the included articles. A random-effect model was applied to pool the blood lead level intoxication. The sub-group analysis and Meta-regression analysis were conducted by country and year of publication to control heterogeneity and to show variation. We included the articles published from 2000 to 2021 year in the English language. Results: Through the search strategies, 135 articles were identified and 43 full-text articles were selected for evaluation, and finally, eighteen (18) articles fit the inclusion criteria. From the 18 studies included in the meta-analysis, the mean pooled blood lead level of workers was 37.996 µg/dl (95% CI: 30.680-45.312) which is higher than the threshold limit value set by American conference of governmental industrial hygienists (20 µg/dl). In subgroup analysis by year in the random effect model, the pooled mean of blood lead level from 2006 to 2011= 43.20 µg/dL (35.91-50.50), 2012-2015 = 37.78 µg/dl (25.23-50.29), and 2016-2020 = 36.53 µg/dl (19.44-53.62). Conclusions: This review showed that the pooled mean blood lead level of workers exposed to lead battery factories was (37.996 µg/dl) which is above the threshold limit value (20 µg/dl). Therefore, attention should be given by employers, government, and researchers to improve the health of working populations exposed to lead exposure in low and middle-income countries through the provision of occupational health and safety services like periodical medical checkups, treatments, and provision of training and adequate and appropriate personal protective equipment.Systematic review registration: Identifier: CRD42022322827.

Occupational injury and associated factors among cement factories workers in central Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: The cement industry experiences accident rate is high compared to other manufacturing industries. Hence, this study was aimed to assess the occupational injury and associated factors among cement factories workers in West Shoa Zone, Oromia regional state, Ethiopia 2020. METHODS: An institution-based cross-sectional study design was employed. A total of 374 study participants were selected by using a systematic random sampling technique with K-interval. The collected data were entered into Epi-Info version 7 and analyzed by using SPSS version 21. Bivariate and multivariable binary logistic regression was used to identify the magnitude of occupational injury and the factor associated. A statistically significant association was declared at a 95% confidence interval and p-value<0.05. RESULTS: The study revealed that the magnitude of occupational injury among workers of cement factories was 183(48.9%). Workers found in an engineering department were 3.7 times more likely to be injured than those who were working in a clinker department [AOR: 3.72, 95% CI: 1.35-10.18]. Those workers who were working room did not have danger signs were 2.9 times more likely to be injured than their counterparts [AOR 2.99, 95% CI: 1.79-4.98). Those workers who did not use personal protective equipment were 3.7 times more likely to be injured than those who were used Personal Protective Equipments [AOR: 3.78, 95% CI: 1.76 - 8.12]. CONCLUSION: The magnitude of occupational injury in cement factories in the study area was high. The factories' managers must provide adequate and quality safety materials in a timely and supervise their appropriate use and put danger signs where it is required.

Violence at work: determinants & prevalence among health care workers, northwest Ethiopia: an institutional based cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Workplace violence is the intentional use of power, threatened or actual, against another person or against a group, in work-related circumstances, that either results in or has a high degree of likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, mal development, or deprivation. The aim of this study is to assess magnitude and predictors of workplace violence among healthcare workers in health facilities of Gondar city. METHODS: Institutional based cross sectional study design was employed to conduct this study. The study conducted in Gondar town from February 21 to march 21, 2016. Five hundred fifty three health care workers selected from health facilities of Gondar City administration. A stratified sampling technique was used for selecting the study subjects through simple random sampling. Data was collected by structured self administered questionnaire which is adapted from ILO/ICN/WHO/PSI after it is pretested & prepared in Amharic. The data was coded and entered in to EPI info version 7 and exported to SPSS version 20 software for analysis. The degree of association for variables was assessed using odds ratios with 95% confidence interval and p-value ≤0.05. RESULTS: The prevalence of workplace violence was found to be 58.2% with [95% confidence interval (CI): (53.7, 62.3)] in which verbal abuse 282(53.1%) followed by physical attack 117(22.0%) and 38(7.2%) sexual harassment. Working at emergency departments [AOR = 3.99,95% CI:(1.49,10.73)], working at shifts [AOR = 1.98,95%, CI: (1.28,3.03)],short experiences [AOR = 3.09,95% CI: (1.20,7.98)], being nurse or midwife [AOR = 4.06, 95% CI: (1.20,13.74)] were positively associated with workplace violence. The main sources of violence are visitors/patient relatives followed by colleagues and patients. CONCLUSION: workplace violence is major public health problem across health facilities and the Ministry of Health should incorporate interventions in its different health sector development & management safety initiative.