Background Construction sector is well recognised as higher risk industry where injury rates are much higher comparison to other industry; and accidents at construction site are major Public Health problem throughout the world as well as in Bangladesh.

Methods This was a cross-sectional study. The study was carried out during 2015 (January to December) in Dhaka Metropolitan City. Anyone who was injured in construction site and received treatment or could not perform normal activities for at least 3 days was included as a case of machine injury. Close-ended questionnaires were used to collect data/information. Mothers were preferred as respondents.

Results A total of 337 non-fatal unintentional machine injury cases were found in this study. Among the cases, 87.4% (n=295) were male and 12.6% (n=42) were female. The incidence of machine related injury was 41.14 in year in 1 00 000 populations. The highest incidence was found in the age group 15 to 19 years. Service provider 25.5% (n=86) and daily labour 23% (n=77) are the main victims. Most of the victims are poor 83.2% (n=281) and monthly income was below 100 US $. The highest number of injury was found in industrial setting 39.3% (n=132) and 86.3% (n=291) were victim in the day time.

Conclusion Machine injury is a significant cause of morbidity and disability in Bangladesh. The magnitude and consequences of this problem make machine injury an urgent public health problem. A national strategy and program is needed to be taken to prevent machine injury in Bangladesh.