PLoS ONE (Jan 2023)

Prevalence of recent occupational injury and its associated factors among food industry workers in Selangor.

  • Rahmat Dapari,
  • Mohd Hafizuddin Mahfot,
  • Florence Chiu Yan Yee,
  • Aisyah Nabilah Iftikhar Ahmad,
  • Krishen Magayndran,
  • Mohd 'Ammar Ihsan Ahmad Zamzuri,
  • Zaleha Md Isa,
  • Mohd Rohaizat Hassan,
  • Nazri Che Dom,
  • Syed Sharizman Syed Abdul Rahim

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0293987
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 18, no. 11
p. e0293987

Abstract

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IntroductionMalaysia's gross domestic product is heavily influenced by the food and beverage sector and the contribution of the industry to the national economy is expected to increase in the coming years. Thus, the need for employees in the food industry will continue to rise as this sector grows. Nevertheless, employees in the food industry are exposed to various occupational hazards that can lead to occupational injuries, mainly related to kitchen work. Given the increasing number of employees in the food industry and the rising trend of occupational injuries, this study was conducted to determine the prevalence of recent occupational injuries and their associated factors and predictors among food industry workers.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted in 2023 among food industry workers in Selangor, Malaysia. The respondents were sampled using a multistage random sampling method. Data were collected via online self-administered questionnaires and analysed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression models in the SPSS software, version 25.ResultsA total of 250 responses were received from 342 samples, with an overall response rate of 73.0%. The prevalence of recent occupational injuries among food industry workers was 44.8%. Statistically, significant associations were present between occupational injuries and alcohol consumption (p = 0.001), poor knowledge (p = 0.031), poor compliance (p = 0.021), poor safety management (p = 0.021), poor safety training (p = 0.002), poor safety culture (p = 0.003), physical exposure (p ConclusionThis study has found a high prevalence of occupational injuries among food industry workers, thereby highlighting the importance of addressing alcohol consumption, improving worker knowledge, enhancing work safety culture, and better control measures on exposure to physical hazards, especially among Malay workers. By prioritising these factors, employers can create safer work environments and minimise the risk of occupational injuries.