Occupational injuries associated with safety climate among ceramic industry workers in Iran – Nature

 

Report on Occupational Safety in the Iranian Ceramic Industry and its Implications for Sustainable Development Goals

Executive Summary

This report presents a descriptive analysis of non-fatal physical injuries and the prevailing safety climate within the Iranian ceramic industry from 2020 to 2023. The study highlights significant challenges to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth). Findings indicate a consistent rise in occupational injury prevalence, from 4.68% in 2020 to 19.06% in 2023. Key risk factors identified include gender (males are predominantly affected), age (38–43 years), and limited work experience (less than one year). The analysis reveals a poor overall safety climate (mean score: 2.88), characterized by excessive risk-taking and a lack of safety prioritization, directly contravening the principles of SDG 8.8, which advocates for safe and secure working environments. Injured workers perceived the safety climate more negatively than their non-injured counterparts. The report concludes that targeted interventions to improve the workplace safety climate are essential for reducing occupational injuries and advancing the industry’s alignment with global sustainability and decent work standards.

Introduction: Aligning Industrial Safety with Sustainable Development Goals

Occupational injuries represent a significant global health burden and a direct impediment to sustainable development. The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates 374 million non-fatal occupational injuries occur annually, undermining progress towards key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This issue is particularly acute in developing nations, where industrial growth can outpace the implementation of robust safety frameworks. This report examines the Iranian ceramic industry, a vital sector for the nation’s economic growth, through the lens of the SDGs.

The analysis focuses on the industry’s performance against two critical goals:

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being: Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being is compromised when workers suffer from preventable workplace injuries.
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth: Specifically, Target 8.8 aims to protect labor rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers. A high prevalence of injuries indicates a failure to meet this fundamental target for decent work.

By analyzing injury trends and the underlying safety climate, this report identifies critical gaps and provides a basis for corrective actions that can align the industry’s practices with a sustainable and human-centered approach to production, as envisioned by SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).

Analysis of Occupational Injuries (2020-2023)

Prevalence and Trends

The prevalence rate of occupational injuries in the studied ceramic industry demonstrated a significant and concerning upward trend over the four-year period. This trend suggests a growing divergence from the objectives of SDG 8.

1. 2020: 4.68%
2. 2021: 11.25%
3. 2022: 14.37%
4. 2023: 19.06%

The initial low rate in 2020 is likely attributable to reduced industrial activity during COVID-19 lockdowns. However, the subsequent sharp increase highlights systemic safety issues that emerged as production levels returned to normal.

Key Demographic and Situational Risk Factors

The data reveals that the burden of injury is not distributed equally, exposing vulnerabilities that must be addressed to ensure inclusive and safe work for all, a cornerstone of SDG 8 and SDG 5 (Gender Equality).

• Gender: Male workers accounted for 95.5% of all injuries, pointing to gendered divisions of labor where men are disproportionately assigned to more physically hazardous tasks.
• Age: The highest rate of injury (28.76%) occurred in the 38–43 age group.
• Work Experience: Workers with less than one year of experience were the most affected group (24.4%), indicating deficiencies in safety training and onboarding for new employees.
• Work Shift: The majority of injuries occurred during the morning shift, peaking at approximately 10:00 a.m., a time of high operational intensity.

Nature and Location of Injuries

The types of injuries sustained underscore the specific hazards present in the ceramic industry and the need for targeted safety interventions.

• Most Common Outcome: Trauma was the most frequent outcome of occupational injuries.
• Most Affected Body Part: Fingers were the most commonly injured body part, reflecting risks associated with machinery and manual handling.
• Highest Risk Workplaces: The highest frequency of injuries occurred in workplaces dedicated to squaring, cutting, and packaging, indicating these as critical control points for safety improvement.

Assessment of Safety Climate and its Link to SDG 8

Overall Safety Climate Perception

A central finding of this report is the poor state of the safety climate, evaluated using the NOSACQ-50 questionnaire. The overall mean score was 2.88 (on a scale of 1-4), which is classified as a poor level of safety climate. This finding is a critical indicator that the foundational culture required to support SDG 8.8 (Safe and Secure Working Environments) is lacking. Such a climate fosters conditions where risk-taking is normalized and safety is not prioritized by management or workers.

Comparative Analysis: Injured vs. Non-Injured Workers

A significant disparity was found in the perception of safety climate between workers who had sustained an injury and those who had not. The injured group reported a lower safety climate score than the non-injured group. This suggests that a poor safety climate is not merely a perception but is actively contributing to injury outcomes. Statistically significant differences were observed in two key dimensions:

1. Management Safety Priority: Injured workers perceived management’s commitment to safety as being significantly lower.
2. Management Safety Empowerment: Injured workers felt less supported and empowered by management to work safely.

Critical Dimensions for Improvement

The analysis of the seven dimensions of the safety climate reveals specific areas requiring urgent intervention to foster a culture of safety and achieve the goals of SDG 3 and SDG 8.

• Lowest Scoring Dimension: The dimension with the lowest score was “Workers’ acceptance of safety rules,” indicating a culture where bypassing safety protocols is common. This points to a failure in promoting a shared responsibility for health and safety.
• Areas for Universal Improvement: For five of the seven dimensions, scores were below the “good” threshold for both injured and non-injured groups. This indicates a systemic problem requiring an organization-wide strategy. Key areas for improvement include:
  • Strengthening management’s visible commitment to safety.
  • Improving the fairness and transparency of incident handling to promote learning over blame.
  • Increasing employees’ personal commitment to and ownership of safety practices.
  • Encouraging open communication and the sharing of safety knowledge among peers.

Conclusion and Recommendations for Sustainable Industrial Practices

The findings of this report clearly indicate that the Iranian ceramic industry faces significant challenges in providing a safe working environment, thereby falling short of the principles enshrined in SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth). The rising trend in occupational injuries, coupled with a poor safety climate, necessitates immediate and comprehensive action.

To align with a sustainable development trajectory, the following recommendations are proposed:

1. Strengthen Management Commitment (SDG 8): Management must visibly and consistently prioritize safety over production targets. This includes regular safety inspections by senior leaders and integrating safety performance into management KPIs.
2. Targeted Training and Empowerment (SDG 8): Develop robust training programs, especially for new workers and those in high-risk roles (cutting, squaring). Empower workers to halt unsafe work without fear of reprisal.
3. Foster a Just and Proactive Safety Culture (SDG 3 & 8): Shift from a punitive to a learning-based approach to incident investigation. Implement a zero-tolerance policy for bypassing critical safety protocols and establish forums for workers to share safety experiences.
4. Address Gender-Specific Risks (SDG 5): Investigate the reasons for the high concentration of injuries among male workers and ensure that risk assessments and safety measures account for gendered roles and cultural pressures.

By improving the workplace safety climate, the ceramic industry can not only reduce the human cost of occupational injuries but also enhance its productivity, reputation, and contribution to a more sustainable and equitable economic future for Iran.

SDGs Addressed in the Article

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

The article’s primary focus is on analyzing non-fatal physical injuries in the workplace. This directly connects to SDG 3, which aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. The study investigates the prevalence, severity, types, and outcomes of occupational injuries, which are critical aspects of occupational health and safety, contributing to the overall well-being of the workforce.

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

The research is centered on occupational safety within the Iranian ceramic industry, a key component of the country’s economic growth. This aligns with SDG 8, which promotes sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all. The article’s analysis of the “safety climate” and various risk factors is aimed at improving working conditions and promoting a “safe and secure working environment,” which is a fundamental aspect of decent work.

Relevant SDG Targets

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

• Target 3.9: By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination.

  Explanation: The article directly addresses this target by studying “non-fatal physical injuries” that constitute work-related illnesses and harm resulting from exposure to hazardous working conditions in the ceramic industry. The conclusion explicitly states that the study’s findings can help create interventions to lower the “incidence of occupational injuries.”

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

• Target 8.8: Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, and in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment.

  Explanation: This is the most directly relevant target. The entire study is an effort to understand and improve workplace safety. It analyzes the “prevalence rate of occupational injuries” and the “safety climate” to identify weaknesses and propose improvements. The article highlights vulnerable groups, such as workers with less experience, and analyzes risk factors to “promote safe and secure working environments.”

Indicators for Measuring Progress

Indicators for Target 8.8 and Target 3.9

The article provides several direct and proxy indicators that can be used to measure progress towards creating safer work environments and reducing work-related injuries and illnesses.

• Occupational Injury Prevalence Rate: The study explicitly measures and tracks this indicator, defined as “the ratio of the number of injuries to the total number of workers in the last 12 months.” It reports an upward trend, with the rate rising from 4.68% in 2020 to 19.06% in 2023. This is a direct measure corresponding to the official SDG indicator 8.8.1 (Frequency rates of fatal and non-fatal occupational injuries).
• Disaggregated Injury Data: The article provides data broken down by several demographic and work-related factors, as recommended for detailed monitoring.
  • By Sex: “95.5% of occupational injuries involved male workers.”
  • By Age: “The highest injury rate (28.76%) occurred among workers aged 38–43.”
  • By Work Experience: “The highest rate of occupational injuries (24.4%) occurred among workers with less than one year of experience.”
• Injury Characteristics (Type, Severity, and Outcome): The research details the nature of the injuries, which is crucial for developing targeted prevention strategies.
  • Type/Body Part: “Fingers were the most injured part.”
  • Outcome: “Trauma was the most common injury type.”
  • Severity: The study notes that “no fatalities were recorded, and most injuries were non-disabling,” and “49% had an injury severity score of 3.”
• Safety Climate Score: The study uses the NOSACQ-50 questionnaire as a tool to measure workers’ perceptions of safety. The finding of a “poor level of safety climate (the mean safety climate score: 2.88)” serves as a critical proxy indicator for the effectiveness of safety management systems and the overall security of the working environment.

Summary of Findings

SDGs	Targets	Indicators
SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth	Target 8.8: Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers.	Occupational injury prevalence rate (rising from 4.68% to 19.06% between 2020-2023). Frequency of non-fatal occupational injuries, disaggregated by sex (95.5% male), age (highest in 38-43 group), and work experience (<1 year most affected). Safety climate score (mean of 2.88, indicating a poor climate).
SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being	Target 3.9: Substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and… contamination.	Prevalence of non-fatal physical injuries in a hazardous industrial setting. Data on injury outcomes (trauma, fractures, burns) and severity (most non-disabling, no fatalities). Analysis of risk factors (age, experience, work shift) contributing to work-related injuries.

Source: nature.com