The role of sleep disorder and disturbance in the occurrence of occupational injuries among industry workers in Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Sleep disorders and disturbances are a significant issue that affects occupational health and safety, yet their association with occupational injuries remains understudied. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigates the association between sleep disturbance, sleep disorder, and occupational injuries among industry workers in Ethiopia. Methods: Observational studies reporting occupational injury, sleep disturbance, and sleep disorder were considered in this study. A comprehensive search of electronic databases, including PubMed, Google Scholar, Semantic Scholar, HINARI, and ScienceDirect, and a Google manual search was conducted up to December 18, 2024. The recommended Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were used for reporting items. Data were extracted using a standard data extraction template and exported to STATA V 17 for analysis. The Joanna Briggs Institute quality assessment tool was used to determine the quality of the reviewed research articles. To estimate the pooled association, a random effects model was used. The Egger's regression test and the funnel plot were used to evaluate publication bias. Results: This review included a total of 27 studies that met the inclusion criteria. The finding revealed that industrial workers who have sleep disorder and sleep disturbance had a 2.6 and 2.5-fold increased risk of experiencing occupational injuries than those without sleep disorder and disturbance, respectively. Subgroup analyses demonstrated that high heterogeneity exists among manufacturing and agricultural workers for sleep disorders and moderate heterogeneity among building and construction sectors for sleep disturbances. The leave-one-out sensitivity analysis showed the robustness of the results. Conclusion: Sleep disorders and sleep disturbances increase the risk of occupational injuries. Therefore, integrated interventions tailored to the manufacturing, service-providing, building and construction, and agricultural workers context are required. Applying workplace policies, prioritizing mental health supportd to lessen the effects of sleep disturbances and disorders in service-providing industry sectors, and implementing thorough health and safety training, promoting better sleep hygiene practices to lower their risk of injury in agricultural workers, are advised.