According to International Labor Organization (ILO) report, annually over 2.3 million fatal and 313 million nonfatal occupational injuries were caused by occupational accidents and work-related diseases of which over 350,000 are caused by occupational accidents [1, 2]. Two-third of deaths from work-related diseases were 35% from cardiovascular and circulatory diseases, 29% from cancer, followed by occupational injuries 15% and infectious diseases 10% [3].

Occupational risk factors are responsible for 8.8% of the global burden of mortality due to unintentional injuries and 8.1% of Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) due to this outcome. Under-reporting is a major challenge typically associated with occupational accidents and diseases statistics. This causes small resources to be allocated to preventive work, which has a negative result on the safety and welfare of the workers, the productivity of the factory, and the availability of the workers, moreover in countries with a non-favorable demographic situation [4, 5]. Multiple risk factors cause work-related injuries. The common factors in the workplace were psychosocial factors, ergonomic factors, socio-demographic characteristics of workers, and environmental and social conditions [6, 7].

The epidemiology of work-related injuries, in Ethiopia, is lacking due to scarce national and local data. proclamation No.377/2003, Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (MOLSA) of Ethiopia is the responsible body to supervise labor administration, labor conditions, occupational safety, and health [8]. Skin allergies, eye irritation, and other work-related injuries are caused by cement dust and other occupational hazards worldwide [9].

The associated factors are job category, work experience, use of PPE, availability of PPE, health and safety training, hours worked per day (average), workplace supervision, work time (night, day, morning, afternoon), presence of danger sign, department, type of contract (permanent, temporary), hours worked per week, heat, and noise splintering objects, excessive dust, radiation, inadequate light, less/no ventilated rooms’,fire-extinguishers, presence /absence of emergency exit and around 4 % of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP) is lost annually in direct and indirect costs due to occupational accidents and work-related diseases [10]. Physical factors like workplace compliance, health status, body mass index, stress at work, body postures, active and enough breaks during work, and body condition at the end of work have a significant association with work-related disorders [11]. A study in japan indicates that, among never-smoking workers, The odds of occupational injury were high when regularly exposed to passive smoking at work or home, in comparison to never smoking men who were never exposed to passive smoking either at work or home [12].

Occupational accidents kill nearly 1000 people daily. There were over 313 million non-fatal occupational accidents that is about 860,000 people are injured daily. Annually, over 270 million occupational accidents occur that cause two million deaths according to International Labor Organization [13, 14]. Occupational injuries result from lack of personal protective equipment, lack of work experience, khat chewing [15]. A study done in Cairo indicated that cement workers and controls were matched for age, gender and smoking status. Chronic cough and expectoration were significantly higher among the exposed group [16].

Different investigations reported, in Africa, that the cement industry is a cause for many types of injuries mainly burn of a different part of the body, fracture, falling and hospitalization, high cost for treatment, and loss of productivity [17]. Sub-Saharan Africa appears to have the greatest rate per worker of occupational injuries followed by Asia (excluding China and India) [18]. The most commonly known hazard by respondents was cement dust which was known by almost 8 out of 10 respondents followed by noise (31.2%). About 20% of the respondents had suffered injuries while at work and 17% had been absent from work on account of work-related injuries in the last 1 year preceding the study [19]. In Zimbabwe, the magnitude of occupational injuries remains highly under-reported and there is no information on the number of occupational accidents in cement industries [20].

There is inadequate information on the gaps and needs of occupational health services in cement factories in Ethiopia. There is a great difference in studies explained above concerning the associated factors of occupational injuries in different industries in Ethiopia. Therefore, the aver all aim of this study was to assess the occupational injury and associated factors among cement factories workers in West Whoa Zone, Oromia regional state, Ethiopia 2020.