IRAN OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH JOURNAL
Year:2011 | Volume:8 | Issue:2|Papers Count:13

Background and aim: Today, the environmental pollution caused by fire-proof break producing factories is one of the critical and challenging issues in our country. Aerosols emission concentration of the factory stacks and determining of bag filters efficiency were aims of this study Methods: in this research, the concentration of emitting dust from 6 stacks related to Kaolin preparation, Calcinatory, Sham out, Specific mass, Extrude Furnace and Shuttle Furnace units were measured during 2006-2008. Also, the efficiency of bag filters of Kaolin preparation, Calcinatory, Sham out, Specific mass units were determined in 2008. Devices M9096 Particulate Sampling Train and DURAG model (D-RC 80) were used in this research. Results: the rates of dust concentrations in years 2006-9 in Kaolin unit were; 284, 112 and 12.5 mg/m3, in Sham out unit were; 120, 140 and 73 mg/m3, in Calcinatory were; 178, 179 and 173 mg/m3, in Specific Mass were; 291, 283 and 60 mg/m3, in Shuttle Furnace were; 14.7, 14.3 and 14.8 and in Extrude Furnace were; 12.6, 13.7 and 12.7 mg/m³. Efficiency of bag filters was 99.896% for Kaolin unit, 96.499% for Sham out unit, 92.348% for Calcinatory and 99.782% for Specific Mass unit. Conclusion: During 2006 and 2007 the rate of dust emission in Kaolin preparation, Calcinatory and Specific mass have exceeded than the national emission standard but in 2008, the rate of dust emission from Kaolin Preparation and Specific Mass units were extensively reduced to the lower than national emission standard limit due to proper maintenance and replacing of damaged parts in time. Efficiency of bag filters has been ideal in Kaolin unit and Specific Mass unit but it was low in Shamout and Calcinatory units.

Background and aim: Rapid population growth, industrial development, urbanization culture propagation and excessive material consumption are the most important factor which caused over increasing of municipal, industrial and agricultural waste in human society. Inappropriate disposal of generated waste in recent years created several environmental menace and crisis in human society.Methods: For investigation about existent situation of industrial waste generation questionnaire had been used. This questionnaire was catered by Iran environmental protection organization.Aforementioned questionnaire contained 45 questions about combination, quality and quantity of industrial waste. Total number of more than 50 personnel industry was 287. But sample contained 50 randomly selected industries. Gathered data have been analyzed with spss 18.Results: Total generated industrial waste was 123451KG per day which had volume equal to 781 cubic meters per day. Generated waste capitation per every worker was 5.8 KG. Maximum frequency of industrial was related to machinery and equipment group which maximum generated waste was related to this industrial group too. Maximum hazardous waste was for inflammable waste with 34 weight percent. Major hazardous waste generating industrial was chemical and plastic making industry.Conclusion: yielded result from this investigation has shown that significant relation existed between waste production rate and personnel number. The more personnel are, the more waste production increase.

Background and aim: Considering the central role of staff empowerment on the health programs also importance of the health volunteers as a bridge between to community health care system; increasing of these volunteers competence in order to promote public health is more important. So, this research has on the aim of determining the educational effectiveness on the women health volunteers’ empowerment and its influential factors of the West of Tehran Health Center.Methods: This research was a qui-experimental case control study with pre-posttest. The population of the study was all the women health volunteers in the West of Tehran Health Center on 2010. One hundred health volunteers as an experimental and control group were randomly selected.This one hundred was divided on two 50 as experimental and control group.The information was gathered via the questionnaire including demographic information and women health volunteers’ empowerment questions, before and 1/5 month after of the educational intervention. (Via role playing, demonstration, discussion and lectures) SPSS was used for analysis of data and Mann-Whitney, correlation coefficient and chi square test were applied for analysis.Results: The results indicated a significant correlation between age and self-confidence (r=0.259) and problem solving skills (r=0.269, p<0.01). Also after intervention a significant increasing was seen in self-confidence (p=0.02), self-esteem and control (p=0.003), self-efficiency (p=0.014) and problem solving skills (p<0.0001) indexes of the experimental group.Conclusion: Generally, the results of this study indicate that education is influence on empowerment of the population studied and considering the importance of empowerment on health promotion, it is recommended to pay more attention to empowerment.

Background and aim: investigating the relationship between workaholic and dimensions of general health (Depression, Anxiety and sleep disorders, psychosomatic disorders and disability in social relationship).Methods: Participants in the study were 100 employees who completed the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and Work Addiction Risk Test (WART). For analyzing the data, Pearson and Canonical correlations and stepwise regression were used.Result: findings indicated that there was a significant relationship between workaholic and three of four dimensions of general health, namely anxiety and sleep disorders, depression and psychosomatic disorders (p<0.01) but there was no significant relation between Social react disorder.In addition findings showed that increases in workaholics predicted general health decrease.Conclusion: The current study shows that work can be a reason of diseases if employees get addicted to it. Thus organizations should pay more attention to this fact that working hard in work place, is not always beneficial for individuals and organization both. So managers have to consider ways to prevent these dangerous consequences which can be harmful for their employee’s health.

Background and aim: Increasing productivity in an organization requires providing various conditions; important of all is human factor. Social support is known as a psychological factor in workplace that effect on productivity of human factor. The purpose of this study is to determine the rate of perceived social support among hospital personnel.Methods: In order to do this research 120 of employees of a selected hospital in Isfahan were surveyed using a self-report questionnaire. A convenience sampling method was used to select the samples. The questionnaire measured demographic information of employees and their perceived social support by coworkers and managers. The questionnaire was validated using the experts' judgment. A Chi- Square test was used to test the relationship between the demographic information and the perceived social support.Results: The findings indicated that the employees' perceived social support by coworkers (with the mean of 3.34±0/48 on scale of 1-5) was higher than the perceived social support by managers (with mean of 3.19±0.4). The Chi-Square test also showed a significant relationship between perceived social support and age and work experience of the employees (p<0.01).Conclusion: The employees perceived social support by managers is not at the ideal level in the investigated hospital and for increasing the productivity level in this organization it is necessary that managers to take new policies under consideration. Meanwhile establishing a stronger relationship with employees can potentially increase the employees' efficiency.

Background and aim: The influences of Low Frequency Noise (LFN) on mental performance have been the objectives of many papers in recent years. Many researchers believe that the LFN even at low pressure levels has impacts on mental performance. In the present work the influences of LFN and Reference Noise (RN) at two different sound pressure levels (45 & 65 dBA) on mental performances of college students during solving math problems were studied. Other factors such as annoyance and sensitivity to LFN and hearing status of the participants were also determined.Methods: Low Frequency and Reference Noise were generated and verified using Cool Edit software program. The number of participants was calculated using data gathered from a pilot study conducted in advance. The mental performance of the students was evaluated while they were exposed to LFN and RN at 45 & 65 dBA sound pressure levels. For this purpose, standard psychological tests were applied. Standard measuring instrumentation including sound level meters, psychological tests, acoustic room and etc were calibrated prior to their application based on standard methods.Results: The results revealed that, Low frequency noise annoyance and sensitivity have no significant differences between different studied ages and sexes. The results also revealed that, a significant correlations exists between sensitivity to low frequency noise and deep mental process (r=0.33, p=0.01). It was recognized that low frequency noise at 65 dBA can decrease accuracy (p=0.005) and performance (p=0.001) in comparison with reference noise at the same level.Conclusion: Low frequency noise, have impact on mental performance during performing math calculations

Background and aim: Stress does not always directly result from the source of pressure itself, but rather from the perception of that pressure. Therefore, individual variables that might relate to perception of stress should be investigated in job stress researches. The present study investigates moderating role of self- efficacy in relationship between occupational stress with psychological health and job satisfaction of Tabriz Saderat Bank's staffs.Methods: In this correlation research, 242 Saderat Bank's Staffs were selected in the form of multiphase cluster sampling and administered by inventories of Demographic, General Heath-28, Osipow's Occupational Stress, Spector's Job Satisfaction and Scherer’s and et al. Self- Efficacy.Data were analyzed using Pearson’s correlation coefficient and simultaneous and hierarchical multiple regressions.Findings: The Findings indicate that job stress is negative predictor of psychological health and job satisfaction. Also, the relationship between job stress with psychological health and job satisfaction is influenced by self-efficacy. Therefore, self-efficacy as a individual factor have protective role in contrast with job stress.Conclusion: According to study's findings, self-efficacy affects the relationship between job stress with psychological health and job satisfaction. The findings of this research can be helpful in devising preventive policies, determining high risk patients and designing of psychological interventions.

Background and aim: Job stress is defined as the harmful physical and emotional responses that occur when job requirements do not match the capabilities resources and needs. This factor can negatively influence worker’s mental and physical health and also decrease organizations productivity and success. Thus present study investigated job stress and its related factors in accountant employees of Qazvin University of Medical Sciences in 1388.Methods: This is descriptive (cross-sectional) research. The sampling population of this research includes 80 accountant employees that were selected with census. Severity of job stress and its related factors determined with a researcher-made questionnaire consisting of 36items that validated by content validity. Its reliability was measured by test-retest (d=0/90) methods. Data was analyzed by descriptive analysis.Results: The severity of job stress in most of accountant employees (%46/25) was in high level.There were Significant relationship between severity of job stress and employees sex, age and work recode (p<0.001). Woman’s lower age staffs and lower work recode employees beard job stress higher than others. Among different occupational stress variables, the most important factor that caused job stress was role workload (M=70/22).Conclusion: With regard to severity of job stress in accountant employees, it is necessary for organizational managers and policy makers to applicant protective strategy for prevention or alleviate longitudinal negative consequences of job stress in employees.