Background: Globally, occupational risk factors are thought to be responsible for at least 1.9 million deaths and 90 million disability-adjusted life years per year. Occupational injury survivorship has increased in Ethiopia in recent years. However, the vast majority of the victims are young people who are impacted in their everyday life as a result of occupational injuries. While research in developed countries has revealed several factors related to early return to work, there have been very few studies of significance in underdeveloped countries, including Ethiopia. Methods: Metalworkers who had an occupational accident between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2021, were investigated in a facility-based retrospective cohort. Data was collected from 422 medical records and registration books using a standardized abstraction tool. STATA 15 was used to analyze the data. The median time it took to return to work was computed. The Kaplan Meier survival curve was used to estimate the time to return to work across covariates. A multivariable Cox proportional hazard model was used to identify statistically significant predictors of return to work. Results: After a median of 45 days away from work, 310 of the 422 (73.5%) cases returned to work (95% CI 39.7-50.2). The total incidence density of return to work was 1.21 (95% CI = 1.01-1.30) per 100 person-days observed. Professional certification (AHR: 2.15, 95% CI: 1.62-2.87), working as a rigger (AHR: 1.59, 95% CI 1.20-2.10), having dependents at home (AHR = 1.59, 95% CI = 1.09-2.64), and injuries caused by body movement without any physical stress (AHR = 2.61, 95% CI = 1.92-3.56) were all associated with return to work. Conclusion: Return to work is influenced by a range of factors other than the type or severity of the injury incurred. Multidisciplinary approaches such as clinical treatment and rehabilitation, ergonomics interventions, and economic and social assistance should be prioritized in the efforts to aid employees’ return to work.

Background The world is currently facing a pandemic of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19). It has caused significant morbidity and mortality. So far little is known about recovery time (prolonged hospital stay) from Covid-19 and its determinants in Ethiopia as well as in the study area. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine time to recovery from Covid-19, and identify predictors of time to recovery among patients admitted to treatment centers of Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR). Methods and Materials A facility-based retrospective cohort study was conducted among Covid-19 patients admitted to care centers of SNNPR from May 30, 2020 to October 15, 2021. A sample of 845 patients was included in the study. Summarization of the data was done using mean (standard deviation) and median (inter quartile range). Kaplan–Meier Survival Curve was used to estimate recovery time from Covid-19 and the independent effects of covariates on recovery time was analyzed using multivariable Cox-proportional hazard model. Results The incidence density of recovery was 8.24 per 100 person-days (95% CI: 7.67, 8.85). The overall median recovery time was 10 days (IQR: 8–16 days). Critical stage of Covid-19 (aHR = 0.19, 95% CI: 0.12, 0.29), severe stage of Covid-19 (aHR = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.29, 0.56), mechanical ventilation (aHR = 0.20, 95% CI: 0.073, 0.56) and treatment center (aHR = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.51, 0.90) were significant predictors of recovery rate among Covid-19 patients. Conclusion The median time to recovery from Covid-19 was relatively short. The incidence density of recovery was 8.24 per 100 person-days. The hazard of recovery was lower for patients at higher levels of Covid-19 severity and for patients in need of mechanical ventilation. Early identification of severity levels of the patients is required at the time of admission. Special attention, critical follow–up and management is warranted for patients at higher levels of Covid-19 severity.