International Journal of Occupational Hygiene
Year:2013 | Volume:5 | Issue:2|Papers Count:8

Manual patient handling is known to be the major source of musculoskeletal load among hospital nurses. The objectives of the present study were determination of frequency of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and its associated factors together with assessment of musculoskeletal load due to patient transfer by PTAI method in hospital nursing staff of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS), Iran. In this cross-sectional study, 400 randomly selected nurses of SUMS hospital participated. Data were collected by anonymous demographic and Nordic Musculoskeletal Disorders Questionnaires together with PTAI index checklist. Statistical analyses were undertaken using SPSS, version 16. Age and job tenure means of participants were 30.76±6.44 and 6.92±5.75 years, respectively.88.2% of the nursing staff reported some forms of musculoskeletal symptoms during the 12 months prior to the study. The results of PTAI index assessment demonstrated that in 4%, 8.5% and 87.5% of the subjects, musculoskeletal load were at levels 1, 2 and 3, respectively. The results revealed that PTAI index score was significantly associated with musculoskeletal disorders occurrence (p<0.001). Musculoskeletal load was high among nurses with patient transfer activity. Age, nurse to bed ratio, marital status, shift work and PTAI score were associated risk factors for MSDs in the studied nursing staff.

Evaluation an etiological model with psychosocial and occupational risk factors has applied implication for therapeutic intervention. This research was aimed to investigate psychosocial and occupational risk factors of musculoskeletal pains among computer users in Semnan Province of Iran. In this cross-sectional study, 324 computer users from governmental offices and private industrial/organizational institutes in the province were enrolled by random sampling at the age of 25 to 63 yr old. Data were collected by Demographical-Occupational and Musculoskeletal pains history Questionnaire and a set of specialist-validated questions, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales, Toronto Alexithymia Scale, and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Gathered data were examined via binary logistic regression analysis. The mean age was 39.76±7.77 years, 48.8% were male and 51.2% were female. Age, duration of occupation, daily computer usage, incorrect body posture, work overload, poor ergonomic knowledge, social support, alexithymia, depression and somatization were significantly associated with musculoskeletal pains (p<.000). Daily computer usage (OR=18.408 [4.306-27.519]), incorrect body posture (OR=11.786 [2.864-24.528]), work overload (OR=8.725 [2.831-13.527]), poor ergonomic knowledge (OR=12.370 [6.520-20.095]), social support (OR=1.088 [1.034-1.144]), alexithymia (OR=1.934 [.897-2.971]), depression (OR=2.894 [.836-3.956]) and somatization (OR=13.032 [3.626-.25.546]) were significant predictors of musculoskeletal pains (p<0.001). Psychosocial factors, work-related factors and lack of support or appropriate ergonomic knowledge were all important correlates of musculoskeletal pains. Thus, efficient preventive plans require addressing all these aspects.

Improvements in knowledge as well as technology and industrial workers’ exposure to adverse factors have caused more attention to be paid to the workers’ occupational health. According to the report by W.H.O., noise, as one of the most important physical factors of workplace, causes 4 million dollars health damage every day. Noise can also reduce the workers’ morale as well as motivation and, consequently, have negative effects on their performance. Considering the importance of occupational health, the present study aimed to determine the effect of noise exposure on the steel industry workers’ general health. The present cross-sectional study was conducted on 50 steel industry workers as the exposed group and 50 general practitioners as the reference group. Both study groups completed the demographic information questionnaire as well as GHQ-28. Then, the similarity of the demographic characteristics in both groups was determined using t-test and Chi-square. After scoring the questionnaires, the subjects’ final scores were computed and their general health statuses were determined. Besides, Mann-Whitney U test was used in order to compare the two groups’ mean scores. The demographic characteristics were similar in both study groups. In addition, the two groups’ mean scores were significantly lower than 23, as the cut-off point. The results also revealed a significant difference between the two groups regarding abnormal social performance and depression; in a way that the workers’ mean score was significantly higher than that of the physicians (p<0.001 and p=0.018, respectively). This implies that in comparison to the physicians, the workers had a significantly lower health status. In addition, 36% of the workers suffered from at least one psychological disorder. Overall, the steel industry workers had a lower level of psychological health; in a way that they were significantly different from the reference group regarding the abnormal social performance and depression. Therefore, noise can be considered as a risk factor in the incidence of psychological disorders.

Knowledge of the warming or cooling effects induced by asphalt or grass covered areas, may improve our understanding of how thermal stress or thermal comfort is created for workers who have to work outdoors for long hours in warm seasons. For this purpose a field measurements were carried out to know the cooling and warming effects of two adjacent areas, one covered with grass and the other with asphalt. These two adjacent coverages were located in an open area, in Zanjan, a city in the north west of Iran. A calm and sunny day in June was selected to perform measurements. The temperature and relative humidity, on the grass and asphalt surfaces and also at a heights of 1.2 m above them were measured at 2 hours interval from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. Results showed that in the measurement day, the grass surface temperature was less than asphalt surface temperature in the afternoon and in the before noon there was no significant difference between temperatures. Whereas, the temperature measurements at the height of 1.2 m above asphalt and grass, showed that the air temperature above grass was less than the air above asphalt during the measurements period, but in the afternoon, the difference between these temperatures was less than that of before noon. Both grass and asphalt surfaces, showed the cooling and warming effects, which are impressed on the air above them, due to thermal convection.

Low Frequency Noise (LFN) is ubiquitous in both occupational and general environments. Mental performance of subjects exposed to LFN is expected to be impaired. Individual characters seem to play a significant role in this process. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of moderate levels of LFN (20–200 Hz) on mental performance. Fifty-three subjects (in two groups) were exposed to low and flat frequency character noise each at the same sound pressure levels of 45 dBA. Personality traits of extro-intraversion and neuroticism were determined using the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. The subjects were asked to carry out two different mental tasks while being exposed to the noise. Subjective reports were collected using questionnaires. Concentration problems, fatigue and noise annoyance during the experiments were measured using a numeric ten-point self-rating scales. The results revealed that LFN impaired mental performance. There was no significant effect of LFN on the accuracy of mental processing, compared to the reference noise condition. Extrovert subjects performed significantly faster, compared to the introverts and subjects that exposed to LFN performed slower than reference noise. More stable personality, with extroversive tendencies is likely for better adaptation to LFN during mental performance, compared to people with the opposite personality traits. Correlation analysis showed a highly significant negative relation of extroversion and noise annoyance during mental processing.

The establishment of good process safety management (PSM) is widely considered as the most effective means of improving safety levels in process industries. This study was conducted to evaluate the feasibility of establishing and implementing PSM requirements based on Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series 18001 standards (OHSAS 18001) and Health, Safety and Environment management systems (HSE-MS) in an Iranian petrochemical plant. Firstly, the requirements of PSM, OHSAS 18001 standards and HSE-MS were compared via literature review and their levels of agreement were determined. Next, the degree of implementation of PSM requirements at a selected petrochemical site was investigated. The study’s results show that PSM requirements complied with HSE-MS to a greater degree than with OHSAS 18001 standards. Although the plant studied had not yet formally applied process safety management requirements, based on the HSE-MS and OHSAS 18001 it had already applied, 67% of PSM requirements had in effect been put in place. By revising certain requirements of existing management systems, including PSM requirements in them, and providing the outstanding necessary documentation, this study concludes that the establishment of a PSM system in the plant is feasible.

Garbage collectors are occupationally exposed to a variety of airborne contaminants. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the respiratory health of garbage collectors. This study was carried out in Fars Province, south of Iran. A group of 105 garbage collectors and 93 referent subjects were investigated. A standard questionnaire was administered to both groups. Furthermore, subjects underwent Pulmonary Function Tests. The data revealed that a few symptoms of respiratory disease were significantly more prevalent among garbage collectors. Likewise, significant decrements were observed in some parameters of pulmonary function such as FEV1and FEV1/FVC ratio among garbage collectors. The ventilatory disorder found in spirometry of garbage collectors was consistent with that of obstructive pulmonary disease. Our findings indicate that the prevalence of respiratory symptoms as well as impaired lung functional capacities were more common among garbage collectors than in their control counterparts. This is likely to be attributed to the occupational exposure of this group to workplace contaminants, particularly, bioaerosols.

This study aimed to evaluate the reliability factors, and identify causes of error in direct anthropometry method. After training three beginner anthropometrists and following the instructions of anthropometric standards, 48 body dimensions of 42 male students were measured three times. In other words, the physical dimensions of each subject were measured for 9 times. All participants were wearing uniforms during anthropometry, with bare feet. Differences in values of Repeated Measurement Test were explored using SPSS software version 11. The same software was employed to evaluate, through calculating ICC index, the correlation between anthropometrists. Inter-observer repeated measurement test showed significant difference in the measurements taken in 3, 7 and 1 dimension (s) by the three anthropometrists. The average measurement was significantly different at 16 dimensions; this, however, showed no difference at 32 dimensions. Measurements taken by anthropometrist 1 had ICC values of 0.26 (Min) and 0.99 (Max); these values were 0.48 (Min) and 1.00 (Max) for anthropometrist 2 and 0.23 (Min) and 0.98 (Max) for antropometrist 3. The maximum and minimum values of ICC index in all three anthropometrists were respectively close to and above 0.98, and lower than 0.5. High value of ICC in the measured dimensions indicated high reliability of repeated measurements. The decreasing value of some indexes can be attributed to such factors as random error, poor design of measurements tool (which in turn leads to random error), the long time devoted to measurement process, high number of dimension measured, changes in posture of subjects and deviation from the standard position.