Prevalence and correlates of workplace stress among firefighting staff in Dhaka division, Bangladesh: a cross-sectional investigation

Every day, firefighting staff face some life-threatening situations and are prone to developing physical and mental health problems. Therefore, this study was conducted aiming to determine the prevalence and correlates of workplace stress among firefighting staff in the Dhaka division of Bangladesh. This cross-sectional study was conducted among randomly selected 406 employees of the Department of Fire Service & Civil Defense (FSCD) working in selected nine districts of Dhaka division, Bangladesh. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a structured survey questionnaire from 1 April to 20 April, 2023. Workplace stress was assessed using the Workplace Stress Scale (WSS). All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 25. The results of multivariable ordinal logistic regression were presented as adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Overall, 40.9% of Bangladeshi firefighting staff experienced severe to potentially dangerous levels of workplace stress. The analysis revealed that participants aged below 30 years had 3.0 times higher odds of experiencing workplace stress compared to those aged above 45 years (95% CI: 0.03 to 2.14; p = 0.044). Firefighting staff with secondary to higher secondary education had 2.5 times higher odds of experiencing workplace stress than those with a bachelor’s degree or higher education (95% CI: 0.41 to 1.44, p < 0.001). Participants with a monthly household income of 30,000 Bangladeshi taka (BDT) or less had 2.1 times higher odds of workplace stress compared to those having a monthly household income of more than 50,000 BDT (95% CI: 0.11 to 1.34, p = 0.021). Furthermore, firefighting staff who conducted fewer than 500 fire rescue operations had 2.1 times higher odds of experiencing workplace stress compared to their counterparts who conducted more than 1,000 fire rescue operations (95% CI: 1.19 to 1.28, p = 0.008). The study reported a high prevalence of workplace stress among Bangladeshi firefighting staff. The results suggest the urgent need for target interventions to prevent and reduce workplace stress among firefighting staff.