Abstract
BACKGROUND: An edible oil factory is a labor-intensive and technologically complex industry, with workers potentially exposed to a variety of dangers associated with such industries. Personal protective equipment is a universal, legal requirement, and an important strategy for preventing occupational injuries and illnesses caused by workplace hazards. However, such industries receive little attention, especially in Ethiopia. OBJECTIVE: To assess personal protective equipment utilization and its associated factors among workers in the PhiBela edible oil factory in Burie, Ethiopia, in 2022. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was employed among the PhiBela edible oil factory workers in Burie. A simple random sampling technique was used to select 389 PhiBela edible oil factory workers. Face-to-face interviews and self-administered structured questionnaires were used to collect data on workers' protective equipment utilization practice, socio-demographic, work-related, environmental, and organizational factors. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 25. The logistic regression method was used to see factors associated with workers' protective equipment utilization. The strength of the association was calculated using an odds ratio at 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: Of the total workers, 216, 55.52% (48.33-57.78) workers utilize personal protective equipment in the factory. The study showed safety training [AOR (4.68, 95%CI (2.76-7.45)], availability of personal protective equipment [AOR = 4.86; 95%CI: 2.23-6.98], regular health and safety supervision [AOR = 2.751; 95%CI: 1.806-3.801], availability of safety guideline at workplace [AOR = 3.798; 95%CI: 1.248-6.173], having work experience 3 years and above [AOR = 1.64; 95%CI: 1.06-2.18], not using alcohol [AOR = 3.07; 95%CI: 2.11-4.76], and not smoking cigarette [AOR = 1.88; 95%CI: 1.55-3.11] were predictors of personal protective equipment utilization. CONCLUSION: The level of personal protective equipment utilization among Phibela edible oil factory workers is 55.52%, which is moderate when compared to other studies done in developing countries. The presence of Safety training, availability of personal protective equipment, regular health and safety supervision, availability of guidelines at workplaces, having work experiences, not using alcohol, and cigarrete smoking were factors found to be a significant predictors of personal protective equipment utilization. As a result, close workplace supervision, safety training, and availing guidelines are the recommendations to be in place.