The Effect of Mental Workload on the Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Disorders (Case Study: Bandar Abbas Zinc Production Company)

Introduction: One of the effective factors in the occurrence of musculoskeletal disorders is the mismatch between the mental workload on the person and his abilities and limitations. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of mental workload on the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in Bandar Abbas Production Company. Method: This cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study was conducted in 2019. The data collection tools included demographic information questionnaires, Nordic musculoskeletal disorders, and NASA-TLX mental workload. The participants were 172 people who were identified using Cochran's formula and simple random sampling. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS25 software. Results: The results indicated that 76.74% of the subjects had musculoskeletal disorders. Most of disorders were reported in the low back (51.16%), knees (38.95%), and neck (23.84%). The mean score of mental workloads in Bandar Abbas Production Company in this study was high (66.67). Among the mental workload subscales, the effort subscale had the highest score (85.32) and the performance subscale had the lowest score (20.00). Statistical tests showed that there was a significant relationship between mental workload and the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders. Conclusion: According to the findings of the study, there was a direct relationship between mental workload and the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders. Therefore, measures should be taken to reduce the perceived mental and psychological load, such as reducing working hours, interrupting and resting between working, increasing the variety of working postures, and

Predicting the Mental Health of the Staff of an Industrial Complex Based on Perceived Organizational Support, Workaholism, and Organizational Citizenship Behavior

Background: Mental health has long had a special place in the organization and has been considered as one of the most important factors determining the level of organizational productivity and quality of working life of employees. Organizational support, workaholism, and organizational citizenship behavior are other important factors considered in occupations. Therefore, this study aimed to predict the health and mental health of the staff of an industrial complex based on perceived organizational support, workaholism, and organizational citizenship behavior. Methods: This descriptive-analytic study was conducted on 16000 employees in a large industrial complex in 2017, 386 of whom were selected by available sampling method. The 34000 standard questionnaire was used to measure the dependent and independent variables and SPSS software for data analysis. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation), Pearson correlation test, and multiple linear regression analysis. Results: The results of Pearson correlation showed that the relationship between mental health and workaholism (r = -0.05, p = 0.57) which did not indicate a significant relationship, but the mental health and health of the staff had a direct and significant relationship with perceived organizational support (372/372). R = 0, p <0.001). There was also a significant relationship between health and psychological health with organizational citizenship behaviors of the staff (r = 0.207, p = 0.008). The results of multiple linear regression showed that organizational citizenship behavior (B = 0.345) and perceived organizational support (B = 0.291) had the ability to predict mental health; however, workaholism in this study did not have this ability. Conclusion: Considering the ability of citizenship behavior and organizational support in predicting mental health, measures to increase the staff’s willingness to perform voluntary (citizenship) organizational behaviors as well as the maximum organizational support, can be used to reduce the mental health reduction of the staff and provide factors to improve it, leading to increased productivity.

Predicting nurse's depression based on self-compassion and resilience

Introduction: Depression is one of the most important health problems in nurses. Despite the obvious protective role of some human abilities against psychological problems, there is limited information about the predictive role of self-compassion and resilience with depression in nurses. The purpose of present study was to determine the relationship of self-compassion and resilience with nurses’ depression. Method: This descriptive correlational study was conducted on170 nurses working in Yazd Afshar Hospital selected by convenience sampling method. Data collection tool was a questionnaire, including demographic characteristics, Beck Depression, Neff Self-compassion, and Connor and Davidson resilience completed through self-report. The data were analyzed by SPSS using Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis. Results: Most of the subjects were female (62.35%) and had bachelor’s degree. Mean ± standard deviation of depression, self- compassion, and resilience scores were72/17 ±28/8; 65/31±46/1; 65/33 ±06/1, respectively. There was a significant relationship between depression and self-compassion, as well as depression and resilience. Furthermore, multiple regression analyses showed that self-compassion and resilience can predict depression (R=0.627). Conclusion: The results indicated the importance and protective role of self-compassion and resilience against depression in nurses. Therefore, designing counseling systems and self-compassion and resilience educational programs are recommended to reduce the problems caused by the stressful conditions of the profession.

Identification and Evaluation of Safety Hazards in Laboratories of the National Shrimp Research Institute and the Effectiveness of Measures by FMEA Technique

Introduction: Safety, raising awareness, and preventing the occurrence of hazards are necessary in order to continue to improve the quality of laboratory activities, which have been recently considered by scientific, research, and industrial communities. Therefore, the present study was conducted to determine the risk factor, potential hazards, and provide practical programs in the laboratories of the Shrimp Research Institute. Methods: Safety hazards of eight laboratories of the National Shrimp Research Institute were evaluated during the intervention study with the Failure Mode and Effects Analysis technique. To this end, in the first phase, the team of safety experts (HSE: Health and Safety Executive), by preparing and completing safety questionnaire forms, identified the current status of safety indicators and danger points of laboratories, assessed the distance with safety indicators, and managed danger points. Based on risk severity, probability of occurrence, and probability of risk detection, the risk priority number (RPN) was calculated, prioritized, and corrective measures were proposed. In the second phase, after corrective measures, the safety questionnaire was completed again and the level of risk severity, probability of occurrence, probability of detection, risk priority number, risk number, and percentage reduction of risk priority number of the studied laboratories were calculated and analyzed. Results: Thirty-five hazard points were identified in the laboratories. The range of risk priority numbers ranged from RPN = 12 for the Plankton Laboratory to RPN = 210 for the Marine Microbiology Laboratories and Marine Pollutants. After control measures, the risk number of marine microbiology laboratory was reduced to 180 and marine pollutants to 120 (P <0.05). Conclusion: The results showed that FMEA technique is appropriate in identifying the risk points, evaluating, and classifying the risks of the Iran Shrimp Research Institute laboratories and provide control strategies to eliminate or reduce the risk rate of research environments.

Determining the prevalence of musculoskeletal injuries and its relationship with workplace posture in copper industry repairmen

Introduction: Musculoskeletal disorders are one of the most common causes of occupational injuries that mainly affect the low back, neck, and upper limbs. Preventing these discomforts requires assessing workplace posture using ergonomic job analysis methods. The aim of this study was to determine the rate of musculoskeletal injuries of mechanical repairs using REBA method in 2018 in Sarcheshmeh copper mine. Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study, the workplace posture of 65 mechanical repairs were evaluated using REBA method. The prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders was also obtained using the Nordic questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS 20. Results: In this study, the prevalence of wrist discomfort was 43.07%, neck 18.46%, shoulder 33.84%, low back 53.85%, and leg 27.70%. Regarding the risk level of the right limb, 9.25% of the subjects were at a low level, 46.15% at a medium level, 32.30% at a high level, and 12.30% at a very high level. Also, regarding the risk level of the left limb, 4.62% of the subjects were at a low level, 64.61% at a medium level, 26.15% at a high level, and 4.62% at a very high level. Conclusion: These results indicated that the workplace posture of the subjects needed to be improved. To prevent the occurrence of these disorders, education is required to recognize biomechanical risk factors and correct methods of working, use of appropriate tools and appropriate to the work process, and improvement and control of stressors and environmental factors.

Evaluating the Preparedness of a Process Industry to Deal with an Imminent Fire

Introduction: Due to occurrence of fires in process industries, it is vital to implement crisis management systems in these industries and keep the readiness of these systems high. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the readiness of emergency response teams to deal with a possible fire in a process industry. Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was performed in 2019 in a gas refinery with a statistical population of 200 people. A questionnaire with Likert scale was designed through library and field studies for all teams participating in the firefighting process. Content Validity Ratio (CVR) and Content Validity Index (CVI) were used to measure validity and Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used to measure the reliability of the questionnaires. The collected data were entered into SPSS software version 24 and statistical analysis was performed at 95% significance level using One Way ANOWA test. Results: The results showed that the readiness of this refinery to deal with a possible fire was 68.3%, which among the 11 teams participating in this process, the security team with 53.48% had the lowest and the logistics team with 77.5% had the highest preparedness (P-value = 0.028). The highest CVR was for the safety team questionnaire (0.77) and the highest Cronbach's alpha coefficient was for the liaison team (0.92). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the readiness of this gas refinery in the firefighting process is satisfactory, although some teams, including the security team, are less prepared than other teams. Therefore, it is better to take intervention measures as soon as possible, including providing the necessary equipment and providing various trainings and maneuvers in order to increase the readiness of the teams.

Investigating the Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Disorders and Degree of Body Discomfort in the Office Staff of the School of Public Health, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd

Introduction: Musculoskeletal disorders are one of the most important occupational health issues. In recent years, the rapid growth of technology and the use of computers have affected almost all office workstations. These disorders are also very common among office staff. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and the degree of body discomfort in the staff of the School of Public Health, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences Yazd. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 130 office staff of Yazd School of Public Health in 2021. The inclusion criterion consisted of having at least one year of work experience and the exclusion criteria included the presence of musculoskeletal complications in different organs of the body and no history of incidents, accidents, and inherited diseases. To collect data, the Nordic questionnaire was used along with a body map (to better understand the position of the limbs) and a visual analog scale (VAS) (to show the severity of discomfort in different parts of the body). The data were analyzed using SPSS software version 22 using frequency, mean, standard deviation, and AONVA tests. Results: 108 people (83.7%) of the study population felt pain and discomfort in at least one of the 9 areas of the body during the last 12 months. The most musculoskeletal disorders was related to the low back (67.4%), neck (63.6%), and back (55%). Also, the low back waist, neck, and shoulder areas had the highest mean discomfort, respectively, and the thigh and elbow areas had the lowest mean discomfort. In the report of pain by body map, a significant relationship was observed between the variable of work experience and shoulder, thigh, and low back organs (p <0.05). A significant relationship was observed between low back pain, musculoskeletal disorders in the hands and wrists and body mass index (p <0.05). Conclusion: Due to the high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and the high degree of discomfort, especially in the low back and neck, it is recommended to perform educational programs, corrective exercises, and appropriate interventions.

Investigating the Relationship between the Prevalence of Occupational Accidents with Individual and Occupational Factors in the Workplace Case Study: Industries of Qom Province

Introduction: Investigations of accidents in industry have shown that various factors affect the occurrence of accidents. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the prevalence of occupational accidents with individual and occupational factors in the industrial work environment of Qom province. Methods: This descriptive study was performed based on the incidents registered in the Labor Inspection Office of Qom Province in 2017. All cases were selected and 1048 cases were reviewed according to the accurate registration of incidents. Necessary parameters were extracted from accident reporting forms and their frequency and frequency percentage were analyzed by SPSS 18 software. Results: The highest number of accidents was in the age range of 20-30 years with less than 5 years of work experience. The lowest number of accidents was related to bachelor's degree and higher. In addition, a high number of victims (41.5%) were involved in construction activities. In the study of the working population, the highest number of accidents was related to workshops with a staff number of 10-24. In investigating the causes of accidents, 33.2% of accidents were identified as lack of safety training and 24.2% as lack of safe work procedures. In the group of equipment causes, the highest share of accidents was due to the lack of proper equipment and in relation to human causes, the main reason for the accident was the non-stopping of the device during repair. Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that demographic and occupational factors, such as age, work experience, and type of industry were very important in the occurrence of industrial accidents. In addition, it was found that managerial, equipment and human causes each have an effective role in the occurrence of accidents, which can be significantly reduced using more supervision by managers and recruiting safety and health officials, and finally observing safety principles in all areas of work.

The role of mediating effect of emotional intelligence on the relationship between job satisfaction and job preferences

Introductin: A large portion of a person’s days is spent at work. Job satisfaction has an important role in deliverables quality and goal achieved. Job satisfaction affects job interest and emotional intelligence so that, a study was conducted in 2018 in the Ministry of Health and Medical Education to determine the mediating effect of emotional intelligence on the structural relationship between job satisfaction and job interest among 253 Ministry of Health and Medical Education experts. Method: Evaluation was based on the Amabile’s, two-factor Herzberg’s and Golman’s theories using the Amabile work preference, Danet job satisfaction, and sharing emotional intelligence questionnaires. Research was conducted by available sampling method. The research was a cross-sectional and descriptive and correlational. In order to test the hypotheses, the path analysis method in the structural equations model in AMOS software was used. The Sobel test was used to examine the mediating effect of emotional intelligence as intermediate variable. Results: The results indicated that there was a significant and positive relationship between intrinsic and extrinsic motivations of job preferences, emotional intelligence, and job satisfaction based on the direct effect coefficient. Conclusion: In conclusion, the direct and indirect effects of the mediation variable and predicted variable shows that emotional intelligence has the most effects on job satisfaction and, the internal instinct is in the second place. Based on the study, emotional intelligence is a mediation variable between job preferences and job satisfaction.

Comparison of Perceived Stress, Work-Family Conflict and Job Burnout in Nurses and Teachers in Bandar Abbas

Introduction: Due to the great importance of health and various aspects of the duties and responsibilities of individuals in the nursing and teaching professions that can potentially be stressful for them. Therefore, the present study aimed to compare perceived stress, work-family conflict and job burnout in teachers and nurses in Bandar Abbas. Methods: The present study was descriptive and causal-comparative. The statistical population of the present study was all nurses and teachers in Bandar Abbas in the first half of 1398 in which 70 nurses and 70 teachers were selected by simple random sampling. Cohen et al.'s (1983) Perceived Stress Questionnaire, Carlson et al.'s Family Conflict Questionnaire (2000) and Maslash Burnout Questionnaire (1981) were used to collect data. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). Results: The results showed a statistically significant difference between the two groups of nurses and teachers in the variables of perceived stress (F = 9.85 and P <0.01), work-family conflict (F = 14.77 and P <0.01) and burnout. There was a job (F = 24.22 and P <0.01). The results also indicate that the mean scores of the nurses in the variables of perceived stress, work-family conflict and burnout are higher than the teachers. Conclusion: In general, the rotational and variable nursing system caused that they face more problems in family functioning and work stress than teachers; Also, job burnout among nurses was higher than teachers due to lack of job security and bright future.