Identifying and ranking factors influencing job stress among Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Employees in Phase 14 of South Pars: a cross sectional study in South of Iran

Introduction The present paper aims at identifying and ranking the factors affecting job stress of HSE employees in the phase 14 of the South Pars (a petroleum company in south of Iran). Methods In this cross sectional study, all HSE employees in one of the phases in south pars of Iran (the phase 14) including 150 employees were investigated in 2015. The data were collected using a questionnaire and measuring some environmental and occupational factors such as sound and chemical pollution. Results The validity of the questionnaire was approved by opinion of the 10 expert persons in this field (Content Validity Index .85%) and the reliability of the questionnaire was approved by Cronbach Alpha equal to 0.70. At present study the one sample T test indicated that the environmental and managerial factors affect job stress of the HSE employees. Among the environmental factors, long working hours, poisonous materials risks, air pollution, heat and moisture and air pollution mostly affect job stress, respectively. On the other hand among the managerial factors, job security, lack of meritocracy, not in time payment and prejudice in salary affect job stress the most, respectively. Conclusions As the results of this study, respect to environmental and occupational factors according to employees’ viewpoint in each industry is too important

Assessing the Risk Factors for Musculoskeletal Disorders in Construction Workers Using PATH, Case Study: Construction Project

Construction workers experience a high risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders due to the nature of their jobs. This article aimed to evaluate the risk factors of musculoskeletal disorders among construction workers using Posture, Activity Tools and Handling (PATH). This is a sectional, descriptive-analytical study in a construction site in Tehran, Iran. Certain factors were identified namely body posture, weight of carried tools and objects, activities and tools, and their tasks and activities using PATH. PATH sheets were coded for a certain job. Descriptive data and Chi-square test were employed to analyze the data using SPSS.19. Identification and evaluation were performed in three most important stages of construction: foundation, carcass, finishing (elaborate work). The mean age was 33.08±8.97. Body posture included gentle bending posture (21.2%), severe bending (8.2%), bending and twisting (7% and 1.9%, respectively). Body positions, feet, hands, and weight of tools and objects were significantly different in the working stages (

A comparative study on dust exposure, respiratory symptoms and lung function among farmers and non-farmers

Considering the importance and essence of farmers’ health, this study has been conducted with the aim of evaluating the amount of the dust confronting farmers and the farmers’ respiratory symptoms and function during the course of wheat collection in 2014 in Zabul villages (Sistan & Balouchestan province, Iran). For this cross sectional study, the dust of the respiratory scope of two groups (farmers and non-farmers) was sampled by PVC filter for 90 minutes with the flow rate of 1.5 lit/min on the basis of NIOSH 0500 method during daily 8 work hours of 5 successive days of manual wheat reaping. Data regarding respiratory symptoms (n=50 rural men over the age of 40) was gathered through interviews and questionnaires, and pulmonary function was measured by Spiro lobe (made in MIR of the US); besides, data analysis was done by SPSS 18, T-Test, Chi-Square, and Logistic regression. The mean dust intensity confronting the farmers was 36.7 mg/m3, and the rate of some breathing complaints namely coughing (P≤0.001), sputum (P≤0.009) and shortness of breath (P≤0.026) became meaningful in the two groups. The average amounts of spirometer parameters of the farmers were less than that of the non-farmers, and the statistical difference of all the parameters except for FEV1/FVC (P=0.06) was meaningful (P≤0.05). The results of the present study indicated that confronting with dust could cause respiratory complaints and decrease spirometer parameters in the farmers

Evaluation of ergonomic factors and postures that cause muscle pains in dentistry students’ bodies

Background: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders commonly experienced by dental professionals are one of the main occupational health problem affecting their health and well-being.This study was conducted to evaluate ergonomic factors and profession-related postures and also investigate relationship between demographic factors and work condition with pain in dental students. Material and Methods: 60 freshman and sophomore dentistry students were randomly chosen as the subjects of control group, and 60 of 5th and 6th-year students were selected as the members of exposure group. Data related to the subjects such as sex, doing exercise, severity of musculoskeletal pain were obtained through questionnaire. Students’ postures were directly observed while treating patients and they were scored by REBA method. Data were analyzed by SPSS software using Man-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis, Spearman and Kendall correlation tests. Results: 80.8% of the subjects were not aware of the correct ergonomic postures for dental procedures. Severity of musculoskeletal pain in the exposure group (15.9± 4.2) was significantly higher than the control group (10.5 ±3.2), ( p <0.001). Risk of the most subjects (84%) was at the medium level. Students who were more involved in clinical activities experienced more muscular pains. Conclusions: The musculoskeletal disorders are probable prolonged in working hours in static positions, incorrect work postures, implying more force and even tools and instruments. Therefore, students who are aware of ergonomic principals of their own profession would be able to maintain their health through activities and lifelon

Assessment of workers' exposure to hand-arm and whole body vibration in one of the furniture industries in east of Tehran

Workers in wood industry are exposed to vibration and its damages. The purpose of this study was to evaluate exposure to hand-arm and whole body vibration in the wood industry. In this study, the parameters of whole body and hand-arm vibrations such as effective acceleration, overall equivalent acceleration, Vibration Dose Value and crest factor were studied on two Thicknessing planes, two sliding panel saw machines, two orbital sander, and three operators of perforate procedure. Assessments were done by the use of an oscillator and an analyzer of Svantak Co. Evaluating Hand-arm and whole body vibrations were conducted based on ISO 5349-1, ISO 5349-2 and ISO 2631-1 standards, respectively, and the findings/ the evaluated data were analyzed. The mean amount of daily exposure to hand-arm vibration (RMS) in Thicknessing plane, Orbital Sander and Sliding panel saw machine operators are respectively 5.56, 5.49 and 3.37 m/s2 . In addition, the average crest factor of the 3 jobs is higher than 6. Mean of daily Exposure to whole body vibration in 3 machine operators of Thicknessing plane, perforate procedure and Sliding panel saw is respectively, 0.28, 0.24 and 0.17 meters per square second. The crest factor for all the exposures was to be less than 6 and the mean of the calculated daily vibration dose equaled 5.83 with the standard deviation of 0.87( m)⁄s^1.75 . In further measured situations, exposure to hand-arm vibration is more than the standard level, so engineering and management measures are required to reduce the amount of exposure and support the health of the operators and the equipment

The global burden of cancer attributable to risk factors, 2010-19 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background Understanding the magnitude of cancer burden attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors is crucial for development of effective prevention and mitigation strategies. We analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 to inform cancer control planning efforts globally. Methods The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate cancer burden attributable to behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risk factors. A total of 82 risk-outcome pairs were included on the basis of the World Cancer Research Fund criteria. Estimated cancer deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in 2019 and change in these measures between 2010 and 2019 are presented. Findings Globally, in 2019, the risk factors included in this analysis accounted for 4.45 million (95% uncertainty interval 4.01-4.94) deaths and 105 million (95.0-116) DALYs for both sexes combined, representing 44.4% (41.3-48.4) of all cancer deaths and 42.0% (39.1-45.6) of all DALYs. There were 2.88 million (2.60-3.18) risk-attributable cancer deaths in males (50.6% [47.8-54.1] of all male cancer deaths) and 1.58 million (1.36-1.84) risk-attributable cancer deaths in females (36.3% [32.5-41.3] of all female cancer deaths). The leading risk factors at the most detailed level globally for risk-attributable cancer deaths and DALYs in 2019 for both sexes combined were smoking, followed by alcohol use and high BMI. Risk-attributable cancer burden varied by world region and Socio-demographic Index (SDI), with smoking, unsafe sex, and alcohol use being the three leading risk factors for risk-attributable cancer DALYs in low SDI locations in 2019, whereas DALYs in high SDI locations mirrored the top three global risk factor rankings. From 2010 to 2019, global risk-attributable cancer deaths increased by 20.4% (12.6-28.4) and DALYs by 16.8% (8.8-25.0), with the greatest percentage increase in metabolic risks (34.7% [27.9-42.8] and 33.3% [25.8-42.0]). Interpretation The leading risk factors contributing to global cancer burden in 2019 were behavioural, whereas metabolic risk factors saw the largest increases between 2010 and 2019. Reducing exposure to these modifiable risk factors would decrease cancer mortality and DALY rates worldwide, and policies should be tailored appropriately to local cancer risk factor burden. Copyright (C) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.Peer reviewe

A Study of the Unsafe Actions of Staff in the Maintenance and Overhaul Unit at a Petrochemical Complex and the Presentation of Control Strategies

Background: Today, oil, gas, and petrochemical industries are of strategic significance in the macro-development of oil-rich countries. These industries, given the nature of the work and the technical complexity of the various processes, are hazardous and susceptible to occupational accidents. More than 90% of the accidents are related to the faults and unsafe actions of personnel, either directly or indirectly. Objectives: The aim of this study is to investigate the unsafe actions of staff working in the maintenance unit of a petrochemical complex. Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive and analytical study conducted on 167 morning-shift workers at the Mahshahr petrochemical complex. The data were collected based on a checklist of unsafe actions prepared through a direct observation of their activities and an analysis of work instructions, documents, and incident reports. SPSS statistical software was also used for data analysis and relevant testing. Results: According to the results of this study, the mean number of unsafe actions performed by the employees was 42%. The highest number of unsafe actions achieved in the maintenance mechanical unit was 52.8%, 47.1% in repair services, and 43.8% in machinery. The highest frequency of unsafe actions were caused by indiscretion and negligence, a failure to use a face shield and goggles, and non-compliance with safety principles. Conclusions: According to the findings, there has been a rise in the number of unsafe actions in machinery and maintenance service units compared to other maintenance units. As such, training courses based on the behavior-based safety principles at the beginning of employment, close monitoring of health safety environment (HSE) officials on the implementation of regulations, and provision of appropriate scheduling based on weather conditions and the nature of maintenance services are recommended. In addition, a refrainment from hastiness in performing duties, enhanced participation from the employees to improve occupational safety, and the production and distribution of high-quality personal protective equipment (PPE) is also recommended to mitigate unsafe actions. Keywords: Unsafe, Occupational, Incidents, Industr

Risk Perception, Knowledge and Safety Attitude and Hearing Protector Use in Petrochemical Industry Workers

Background and Aim: Hearing protectors (HP) are widely employed as the only measure against noise exposure. However, it is well known that unless do workers wear HP continuously, its efficacy will be very low. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of risk perception, knowledge and safety attitude on hearing protection use in petrochemical industry's workers.Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study a structural questionnaire was administrated to 236 randomly selected workers in Iranian petrochemical industry who had been to 85 dBA noise and some influencing factors including risk perception, knowledge and general attitude to safety on using of HP had been investigated.Results: This study showed that only 20.3% of employees claimed to wear hearing protection all the time when they exposed to noise. There was a significant relationship between use of hearing protector and worker's risk perception (p=0.048) and also their knowledge about hearing protection(p=0.009). Also, the relationship between general attitude of workers to safety and risk perception was statistically significant (p=0.046). Conclusion: The results of the study showed that for promoting the use of hearing protectors, two main strategy should be followed. First, removing the barriers to make hearing protectors compliant, and second enhancing the workers’ risk perception about hearing loss and proper use of ear protectors

A comparative study on dust exposure, respiratory symptoms and lung function among farmers and non-farmers

Considering the importance and essence of farmers’ health, this study has been conducted with the aim of evaluating the amount of the dust confronting farmers and the farmers’ respiratory symptoms and function during the course of wheat collection in 2014 in Zabul villages (Sistan & Balouchestan province, Iran). For this cross sectional study, the dust of the respiratory scope of two groups (farmers and non-farmers) was sampled by PVC filter for 90 minutes with the flow rate of 1.5 lit/min on the basis of NIOSH 0500 method during daily 8 work hours of 5 successive days of manual wheat reaping. Data regarding respiratory symptoms (n=50 rural men over the age of 40) was gathered through interviews and questionnaires, and pulmonary function was measured by Spiro lobe (made in MIR of the US); besides, data analysis was done by SPSS 18, T-Test, Chi-Square, and Logistic regression. The mean dust intensity confronting the farmers was 36.7 mg/m3, and the rate of some breathing complaints namely coughing (P≤0.001), sputum (P≤0.009) and shortness of breath (P≤0.026) became meaningful in the two groups. The average amounts of spirometer parameters of the farmers were less than that of the non-farmers, and the statistical difference of all the parameters except for FEV1/FVC (P=0.06) was meaningful (P≤0.05). The results of the present study indicated that confronting with dust could cause respiratory complaints and decrease spirometer parameters in the farmers

The Protective Effects of Gadolinum Chloride on Pneumotoxic Effects of Styrene in Rat

Objective: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the protective effects of gadolinum on pneumotoxic effects of styrene in rats as an experimental model. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study a total number of 40 adult male Sprague Dawley rats that weighed 200 ± 13 g were randomly divided into five groups: i. styrene (St, N=10), ii. styrene+gadolinium chloride (GdCl3, N=10), iii. control (N=10), iv. GdCl3 (N=5) and v. normal saline (Nor.Sal, as a solvent of GdCl3, N=5). Normal saline, as a sham control group, was otherwise treated identically. Rats from the experimental groups were exposed to St in an exposure chamber for 6 days/week, 4 hours/day for up to 3 weeks. At the end of the experiment, rats from all groups were killed by deep anesthesia. Their lungs were removed, then fixed in formalin and weighed. Tissue samples were processed routinely and sections stained by the hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and periodic acid Schiff (PAS) methods. We measured the thicknesses of the respiratory epithelia and interalveolar septa. Obtained data were analyzed by ANOVA, the Tukey test and the paired t test. Results: Shedding of apical cytoplasm in the bronchiole was a prominent feature of the St group. PAS staining revealed histochemical changes in goblet cells in the epithelium of the St group. While there were no significant changes in lung weights and respiratory epithelial thicknesses between all studied groups, statistical analysis showed a significant alteration in the thickness of interalveolar septa in the St and St+GdCl3 group compared to the control groups (P<0.001). Conclusion: Styrene induced structural and histochemical changes in bronchiole, interalveolar septa and alveolar organization in the rats’ lungs. Gadolinium appeared to partially reduce the toxic effects of styrene on the lungs