Occupational safety practices and associated factors among employees in Jinmao and Philip Van Heusen Textile Ethiopia, Hawassa Industrial Park, south Ethiopia

Objectives. Occupational health and safety practice in the textile factory has been neglected and in Ethiopia there is little evidence on occupational safety practice and associated factors in a textile factory. This study aimed to assess the occupational safety practices and associated factors among employees in Jinmao and Philip Van Heusen Textile Ethiopia, Hawassa Industrial Park, south Ethiopia in 2019. Methods. An institutional cross-sectional study was conducted from January to February 2019. A total of 345 participants were included in the study using a stratified random sampling method. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews and an observational checklist, and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Bivariate and multivariate analysis assessed the association between dependent and independent variables. Results. Among the 345 (96%) respondents recruited, more than four-fifths (82%) were single. Almost two-thirds (63.8%) were in the age range 21–24 years. Attending safety training (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 1.73, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.05–2.81]), orientation on occupational safety practice (AOR: 2.18, 95% CI [1.15–4.14]) and working in the weaving section (AOR: 3.58, 95% CI [2.09–6.12]) were independent predictors of safety practice. Conclusions. The level of occupational safety practice was very low compared to studies in developing countries.