Iranian Journal of Ergonomics
Year:2018 | Volume:6 | Issue:3 |Papers Count:8

Background and Objectives: The objective of hospital accreditation is to increase the safety and satisfaction of patients and employees, with the contribution of which can be achieved through environmental adaption. The present study aimed to explain the necessity of using ergonomic considerations in the process of hospital accreditation. Methods: This methodological study was designed in 2018 and simultaneously conducted with the psychometric evaluation and validation of the structural fitness assessment tool of age-friendly hospitals. The determination of the structural components was done by examining the texts and validating the items using the Delphi method. After determining the content validity, classification of items into mandatory or essential sections was made by obtaining at least two thirds and one thirds of the experts votes, respectively. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data processing. Results: The processing of expert opinion about 72 items (content validity) showed that the majority of subjects (55 items equivalent to 76%) were mandatory or essential, with the highest proportion of mandatory cases being made by the gerontologists, and the least architectural experts. Conclusion: Considering the growth of the elderly population in the country and, on the other hand, the high contribution of the elderly to the treatment centers, and the necessity or basicity of the majority of tool items, the application of ergonomic principles in the accreditations seems necessary.

Background and Objectives: Fruit harvesting operation, one of the most important operations related to date palm production, is performed manually. Manual date palm harvest suffers from frequent occupational risk factors due to excessive need of physical work resulting in work related illness and productivity reduction. Methods: Present study was undertaken with recruiting twenty three harvest workers to evaluate and compare upper-trunk (consisting of work tasks: climbing, cutting the bunch, and descending) and bottom-trunk operations regarding physiological (heart rate and heart rate ratio) and physical (body pain) strains to identify onerous critical operations to address with simple and inexpensive interventions by future attempts. Results: Upper trunk operation posed a more physiological strain as heart rate (29. 4%) and heart rate ratio (177. 8%) higher than bottom trunk operation. Body pain was self-reported by the upper trunk workers in low back and sole, and by lower trunk workers in low back. Conclusion: The upper trunk operation was the onerous critical operation in manual date palm harvest, and climbing was the most critical work task in upper trunk operation. Climbing causes the highest physiological strain because workers moved in converse of gravity force, whereas descending led to lowest one because of moving in the similar direction with gravity.

Background and Objectives: The main cause of incidents is human error. The occurrence of these errors in the use of medical equipment can result in harm to the patient, the destruction of equipment, the imposition of economic damages, and the deterioration of the credentials of the health sectors. Hence, the identification, evaluation and management of errors in the use of these equipment is very critical. The present study was conducted to reduce the risk of human errors in using a medical device in one of the hospitals in Iran. Methods: The study subject was a ventilator device, which was selected considering the high usage and the criticality of its use in hospitals. Identification and evaluation of human error were performed using the PUEA technique, as well as quantification of errors, and reduction of uncertainty in estimating the significance of detected human errors using fuzzy logic. Results: Based on the findings, 33 errors were detected in the use of the ventilator device. The most common types of errors were the type of error in operation. (72. 72%). The most important causes of errors were slips and lapses (42. 42%). The main primary consequences for the predicted errors were the device not being sterilized and the possibility of transmission of microbes to patients. In 42. 42% of the cases, errors were not recoverable. The results of the PUEA technique and fuzzy logic showed that there is no relationship between the type of error, frequency of its occurrence, and the probability of error occurrence. Conclusion: In human error studies, the combined use of risk identification techniques and a quantitative approach that determines the probability of identified errors can reduce uncertainty in the final results.

Background and Objectives: Nowadays, the use of the Internet among students has become widespread. Addiction to virtual networks and online games can have various consequences, including the threat of musculoskeletal system in these people. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of addiction to social networks and online games on students’ wrist pain. Methods: This study was conducted among 665 students. Data collection was done through three questionnaires of problematic use of online games, social networking addiction and Nordic musculoskeletal disorders. Data were compared by Chi-square and independent T-test and finally, logistic regression model was presented at a significant level of 0. 05. Results: The results showed that social network and online game addiction can increase the risk of pain in the wrists. Sex had a significant impact in the effect of social network addiction on pain in the wrist. Other results of the present study are the not significant differences in the age and level of education of the participants in the prevalence of wrist pain. Conclusion: It can be stated that there is a likelihood of a relationship between social network and online game addiction with wrist pain. Therefore, due to high prevalence of this addiction among students, appropriate planning should be taken to reduce complications and injuries, especially in the wrist area of them.

Background and Objectives: One of the important points in user-centric design is to pay attention to the physical and psychological conditions of the user and the errors caused by the product’ s undesirable design. The bicycle shifting system is one of the most complex components that many interactions of users with it have an effect on them. This research recognizes the exact needs of cyclists and provides a solution to create effective user interaction. Methods: In this research, using a combination method, a qualitative analysis was carried out using the AEIOU method, 50 cyclists of the Tabriz Islamic Art University were selected using non-random sampling method. Using a desirability testing of 3 subjects, a quantitative survey was done. After the preparation of the design requirements, by using SCAMPER technique, ideas were evaluated through DFV technique and the final idea was developed. Results: The results showed that users are faced with more psychological than physical problems during a gear shift. According to the desirability testing, the subject (2) with a score of 883, and the ratio of desirability of 1. 212 compared to the subject (3) and 1. 256 compared to the subject (1), was the most desirable product, which indicates the direct relation of the utility rate with the simplicity. Conclusion: Since most users’ mistakes in understanding the logical displacement of the gears lead to poor bike switching conditions, the design of the product focuses on reducing user error and the number of additional operations and accelerating the user decision making process.

Background and Objectives: Parkinson’ s is a progressive disease of the nervous system that by affecting the body movements, affects patients’ quality of life and makes daily tasks like eating, difficult and time consuming for them. The aim of this study was to improve the comfort situation of Parkinson patient when eating by identifying ergonomic problems, and designing product for this. Methods: 12 Parkinson’ s patients were chosen by simple random sampling method. Data was collected through a translated Interview of the Discomfort Questionnaire section of ErgoFellow Software and direct observation of patients while eating. After the final data analysis and extraction of design guidelines, design ideas were sketched and the final design was formed after AHP evaluation. Results: Discomfort Questionnaire data (the average rate of 10. 6out of 7 (1. 514)) showed that the non-ergonomic posture of hands, fingers, wrists, arms, elbows, neck, upper back (lumber), and shoulders, the discomfort rate while eating, is more intense, compared to other parts of the body. Observations have also shown that in order to near food to patient mouth, occur Non-ergonomic changes in the patient’ s posture. Therefore, designing product should be done using anthropometric data. Conclusion: The results showed that reduction of mouth-to-food distance would reduce discomfort and fatigue for the Parkinson’ s patient. Therefore, using anthropometric data, a height-adjustable product was designed and developed that improves the position of the posture and reduces the patient’ s discomfort situation during eating food.

Background & Objectives: Sound as a detrimental factor in working environments can create annoying conditions for people in addition to physical problems. Therefore, in addition to evaluating quantitative parameters such as pressure levels, it is absolutely necessary to study the quality parameters of the sound in the work environment. Methods: In this descriptive-analytic research, the sound of 285 MF tractor was recorded. Then, the EEG of five drivers were recorded in the pre-driving state and then when driving with the tractor in four different engine speed. The psychoacoustic annoyance model was used to assess the annoyance of tractor drivers. Then means were compared with Duncan comparison test at 5% probability level and the correlation between psychoacoustic acoustic and alpha and beta bands was determined. Results: The results of ANOVA showed that different levels of engine speed on psychoacoustic annoyance were significant at 1% probability level. The results also showed a decrease in the amplitude of the alpha band, as well as an increase in the beta band amplitude due to increased engine speed. Regression results showed that there is a high correlation between the two alpha and beta bands and the psychoacoustic annoyance, so that the detection coefficient was 0. 966 and 0. 998, respectively, for the two bands alpha and beta. Conclusion: This study showed that changes in the quality parameters of the sound and consequently the resulting annoyance caused the amplitude changes in both the alpha and beta bands. So, it can be concluded that the psychoacoustic annoyance is a good indicator of brain activity.

Background & Objectives: Each organization needs to provide an environment that is smooth, tensile, comfortable and affordable with appropriate physical and emotional conditions for each employee, a safe and relaxed working environment, so that they can work best with a sense of job satisfaction. The present study examines the ergonomic conditions of libraries in public universities in Ahwaz and its impact on job satisfaction and librarians. Methods: This research is descriptive and has been surveyed. The population of the study consisted of 84 librarians of Shahid Chamran Universities and Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences who participated in the study census. To evaluate ergonomic conditions, a questionnaire was extracted from ergotools software, job satisfaction survey from Arenson et al. Scale and job evaluation questionnaire by Faraj Pahloo, Nooshin Fard and Hasanzadeh. Relationships between research variables were investigated using structural equation modeling. Results: The results showed that there is a direct, positive and significant relationship between ergonomic conditions and job satisfaction, job satisfaction and job performance, and ergonomic conditions and job performance. There is also a positive and significant indirect relationship between ergonomic conditions and job performance due to job satisfaction. Conclusion: All relationships between the variables examined were confirmed. Therefore, ergonomic conditions are effective both directly and through the job satisfaction of librarians’ job performance. Considering the positive and direct relationship, it can be said that the librarians of the public universities’ libraries of Ahwaz are pleased with better ergonomic conditions and show better job performance.