scholarly journals Factors Affecting Performance of Permit to Work System: A Case Study in an Oil Refinery

Author(s):  
Seyed Mahdi Mousavi ◽  
Ali Karimi ◽  
Seyed Abolfazl Zakerian ◽  
Mahsa Jahadi Naeini

Background: Permit to Work system is a documented system to control activities that are inherently hazardous and may cause incidents. The aim of this study was to evaluate performance of Permit to Work (PTW) system in an oil refinery. Methods: The Study was a cross-sectional study that was done during 2019 in one of the oil refineries in southern Iran. A total number of 125 participants who were experts that were working in an oil refinery and were in charge of Permit to work (PTW) issuing, were selected based on census method and were entered into the study. The instrument of this study was a questionnaire about evaluating performance of Permit to work system, which was completed by the participants after explaining the aim of the study and training them how to complete it. In order to data analysis SEPPTW software was applied. Results: The results showed that the performance of Permit to work system in the studied refinery is generally in the moderate level (41.2 score). Also, in the field of hazard identification and risk assessment, the performance of Permit to work system was poor, but its performance in the field of coordination and informing was at a good level. Conclusion: Identifying the weak points and causes of defect in Permit to work system can result in increased levels of Permit to work system, and then reduced incidents from work related to permit to work in process industries.

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 201
Author(s):  
Hee Jung Jang ◽  
Oksoo Kim ◽  
Sue Kim ◽  
Mi Sun Kim ◽  
Jung Ah Choi ◽  
...  

Nurses often experience work-related physical and mental fatigue. This study sought to identify the levels of physical and mental fatigue present among Korean female nurses and discern factors influencing their onset. This cross-sectional study analyzed data from the Korea Nurses’ Health Study (KNHS). A total of 14,839 hospital nurses were assessed by hierarchical regression analysis. The mean scores of physical and mental fatigue were 12.57 and 5.79 points, respectively. After adjusting for confounding variables, the work department had a significant influence on both physical and mental fatigue, that is, nurses working in special care units experienced greater degrees of both physical and mental fatigue than those working in general units. Nurse fatigue is an important consideration to monitor to ensure nurses’ continued wellbeing as well as good patient safety levels. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a strategy to mitigate nursing fatigue while considering the characteristics of specific departments. In nursing practice, the introduction of a counseling program and guarantee of rest time that can alleviate the mental and physical fatigue of nurses working in special care units should be considered.


2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (01) ◽  
pp. 2050002
Author(s):  
Ghorbanali Mohammadi

Musculoskeletal symptoms are the most frequent occupational health problems and accounts for a large number of losses in working days and disability for workers in modern industrialization. The aim of this paper was to investigate the relationship between the self-reported prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms in the head/neck, upper back and lower back and certain individual, work- related physical, psychological and general health factors. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a descriptive questionnaire which was distributed to 350 oil refinery workers in Iran and collected between April to December 2016. A total of 282 workers returned completed questionnaire, yielding a response rate of 81%. For the head/neck region, working at the long periods in uncomfortable posture (adjusted [Formula: see text], 95% [Formula: see text]–2.58) and doing repetitive activity (adjusted [Formula: see text], 95% [Formula: see text]–2.67) increased the risk experiencing head/neck symptoms. For the upper back region, lifting and transferring during work increased the risk of experiencing upper back symptoms (adjusted [Formula: see text], 95% [Formula: see text]–2.79). For the lower back region, working for more than 8[Formula: see text]h a week shows the strongly significant association for the risk of lower back symptoms. Lower back pain was associated with symptoms of anxiety and dysfunction in social functioning. Some physical and psychological factors were associated with the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms in the spine among oil refinery workers. These data emphasize the need to develop and implement preventive measures that reduce the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms among workers.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 320-330
Author(s):  
Utako Sawada ◽  
Akihito Shimazu ◽  
Norito Kawakami ◽  
Yuki Miyamoto ◽  
Lisa Speigel ◽  
...  

Background: Good social climate and high work engagement are important factors affecting outcomes in healthcare settings. This study observed the effects of a program called Civility, Respect, and Engagement in the Workplace (CREW) on social climate and staff work engagement in a psychiatric ward of a Japanese hospital. Methods: The program comprised 18 sessions installed over six months, with each session lasting 30-min. Participation in the program was recommended to all staff members at the ward, including nurses, medical doctors, and others, but it was not mandatory. A serial cross-sectional study collected data at four time-points. Nurses (n = 17 to 22), medical doctors (n = 9 to 13), and others (n = 6 to 10) participated in each survey. The analysis of variance was used to evaluate the changes in the following dependent variables, the Essen climate evaluation schema (EssenCES), the CREW civility scale, and the Utrecht work engagement scale (UWES) over time. Result: We found no significant effects. The effect size (Cohen’s d) for EssenCES was 0.35 from baseline to post-installation for all staff members. Effect sizes for EssenCES for medical doctors and UWES for nurses were 0.79 and 0.56, respectively, from baseline to post-program. Conclusions: Differences in social climate and work engagement among Japanese healthcare workers between the baseline and post-installation of the CREW program were non-significant.


Author(s):  
Hasan Saeed Alamri ◽  
Wesam F. Mousa ◽  
Abdullah Algarni ◽  
Shehata F. Megahid ◽  
Ali Al Bshabshe ◽  
...  

Background: This study aims to investigate the mental health of COVID-19 patients in Saudi Arabia. Method: A cross-sectional study was carried out targeting confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia. Due to travel and time constraints as well as the accessibility of patients, cases were included from East Jeddah Hospital, King Abdulaziz Hospital, and the Oncology Center in Jeddah. The data were collected using a predesigned self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire addressed COVID-19 cases, personal data, medical history, smoking, traveling abroad, and work-related conditions. Additionally, data regarding contact level with COVID-19 cases were considered. The mental health statuses of the patients were assessed using a validated Arabic version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scale. The study included 261 COVID-19 patients whose ages ranged from 18 to 65 years. Results: The survey findings revealed that 13% of COVID-19 patients had a borderline level of anxiety, 26.8% were considered anxiety cases, while 60.2% were normal. The findings also revealed that 29.9% had a borderline level of depression, 18.4% were considered depression cases, while 51.7% were normal. Conclusions: This study concluded that COVID-19 patients experience anxiety and depression, and as the COVID-19 epidemic continues to spread, the results of the study are particularly useful in developing a strategy to psychologically support COVID-19 patients.


2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 156-159
Author(s):  
Anup Ghimire ◽  
Shyam Sundar Budhathoki ◽  
Surya Raj Niraula ◽  
Abha Shrestha ◽  
Paras K Pokharel

Background: Injuries are a problem worldwide in all occupations. Welders are exposed to many hazards at work resulting in a variety of health problems including injuries at work. This study was conducted to find out the prevalence and factors associated with injuries among welders in Dharan city of eastern Nepal.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among 86 welders in Dharan city. Occurrence of injury in past 2 weeks and past 12 months were recorded. Data regarding sociodemographic along with occupational characteristics was collected using semi structured questionnaire. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 17.Results: All the welders in this study were male with almost half of the welders under the age of 25 years and about a fifth (21.1%) of the welders having received some form of welding training. In the past 12 months, 21.1% of the welders suffered from work related injuries. More than 95% welders used at least one personal protective equipment in this study. More injuries were seen among welders with age ≥35 years, working experience ≥ 5 years, not received training and not using of PPE at work. However, these factors were not found to be statistically significant.Conclusions: Work related injuries are high among welders of Dharan. Further research is required to explore the relationship between age, literacy, training and use of personal protective equipment with the occurrence of injuries among the welders.


2018 ◽  
Vol 85 (5) ◽  
pp. 408-417
Author(s):  
Sandra E. Moll ◽  
Caitlin M. Heino ◽  
Alison H. LeBlanc ◽  
Lydia B. Beck ◽  
Laura M. Kalef

Background. Workplace mental health (WMH) is an important and expanding practice area for occupational therapists. Purpose. This cross-sectional study explores the current practices and support needs of Ontario-based occupational therapists in WMH. Method. Registrants from the provincial association who provide mental health and/or work-related services were invited to participate. Ninety-three therapists completed an online survey; 10 participated in follow-up focus groups. Analysis involved descriptive statistics of the survey data and content analysis of the focus group data. Findings. Return to work, reactivation, and functional cognitive assessment were the most commonly reported services. Key challenges were limited funding and training and lack of awareness of the occupational therapy role. Therapists emphasized the importance of raising the competence, credibility, and profile of occupational therapy in WMH. Implications. Defining the role of occupational therapy, developing training and resources, and advocacy are needed to advance occupational therapy practice within this rapidly changing field.


2021 ◽  
pp. 002580242110196
Author(s):  
Mohammed Madadin ◽  
Ibtisam M Alkhattaf ◽  
Fatima H Abutaki ◽  
Mohammed A Almarzooq ◽  
Fahad A Alzahrani ◽  
...  

Forensic mortuaries have always presented a potential threat to workers who come into contact with dead bodies. This research aims to identify hazards faced by forensic mortuary personnel, including forensic pathologists and technicians working in forensic mortuaries in forensic medicine centres throughout Saudi Arabia, to recognise the prevalence of exposure to workplace hazards and to discover the degree of awareness and use of safety practices. A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in a total of 20 forensic medicine centres, using an online questionnaire distributed among forensic mortuary personnel. A total of 113 participants responded to the questionnaire. Just over half (53%) of workplaces always provided personal protective equipment, and 75% of participants always used them. The most common hazards were needle-prick wounds and accidental slips or falls. Almost two thirds (64%) of participants witnessed or experienced a work-related accident in the forensic mortuary. The lack of previous studies concerning hazard exposure among forensic mortuary personnel in Saudi Arabia means that this study provides foundational evidence for future research concerning forensic autopsy-related work accidents in Saudi Arabia.


2020 ◽  
Vol 65 (11) ◽  
pp. 132-143
Author(s):  
Nam Pham Tien

The provision of social work service for cancer patients is facing many challenges. Therefore, this study aims to explore factors affecting the provision of social work services for cancer patients at the Vietnam National Cancer Hospital. This is a cross-sectional study that used 10 in-depth interviews, and three focus group discussions to collect data. Our findings showed that the factors such as specialized qualifications of social workers, available facilities, the network of social work collaborators, finance, and policy regimes hindered the provision of social work services for cancer patients at the hospital. Meanwhile, the financial factor contributed to promote social work services for cancer patients at the hospital. Besides, the demands for the provision of social work services for cancer patients were one of the factors that should be considered in the coming time. Our study suggested stakeholders pay more attention to these factors.


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