Thermal Comfort Study Based on PMV-PPD in the Building of a Screening Center for COVID-19

Background: One way to achieve a standard heating, ventilating, and air conditioning system with maximum satisfaction is to use a thermal index to identify and determine the thermal comfort of people. In this study we intend to evaluate thermal comfort based on PMV-PPD (Predicted Mean Vote/Predicted Percentage Dissatisfied) model in workers of screening center for COVID-19. Methods: The study period was from March 1 to October 31, 2020. In this study, we used the ISO 7730 model to determinate PMV-PPD index. PMV index was used to determine thermal comfort at different scales in Birjand city with arid and hot climate. All data were analyzed using R software (version 3.3.0) and IBM SPSS statistics softwares. Results: The maximum and minimum recorded physical PMV values in the study period were observed in June as (2.09 ± 0.03) and March as (-1.27 ± 0.14), respectively. The amplitude of the thermal sense in the study period was varied between slightly cool (-1.5) and warm (+2.5). The PPD in spring was 40% which indicated slightly warm to hot condition. Conclusions: The October was the only month during the study in which thermal stress was in comfort or neutral thermal condition. Our results suggest that thermal comfort has dimensions and indices which are helpful in managing energy consumption.

Risk Assessment by Job Safety Analysis and William Fine Method and Comparison with Workers' Risk Perception Results

Background: Job analysis, detecting hazards, and measuring their relationship with risk perception in workers are efficient ways of preventing accidents. Therefore, the present study is an attempt to identify and assess the risk of job accidents in steel industry in the south of Iran in 2020 using job safety analysis and the William Fine method. The results are also compared with the workers' perception of risk. Methods: The study population consisted of workers in the supplementary section of the studied steel industry(N=169). All the collected data were analyzed in SPSS using frequency and percentage for description and simple/multivariate logistic regression for analysis with sig. equal to 0.05. To determine the risks, JSA was used. Risk assessment was also performed using William Fine method, and then risk scores were obtained. Afterwards, Risk Perception Questionnaire was used to collect information about risk perception in the workers. Results: In total, 265 job activities along with 2684 risks were identified and evaluated in 7 units of sections in the steel industry. Conclusion: The results of risk assessment and risk perception in this study indicate that when safety risk is properly perceived by workers, the chance of observing safety codes and better detection of risks increases. Therefore, in the face of an unsafe condition at work, workers will be abed to make the right decision and control the risk and prevent work accidents by taking corrective measures and making safe and efficient decisions.

The Effects of Nurses' Personal and Professional Characteristics on Needle Stick Injuries

Background: Nurses face many professional dangers such as needle stick injuries. This study investigated the effects of nurses' personal and professional characteristics on needle stick injuries. Methods: The present cross-sectional study was performed on 200 nursing staff in a hospital. The sampling method was the classified method. Participants were asked to complete a researcher-made questionnaire on personal characteristics (age, work experience, gender, marital status, and educational level) and job (work department, number of shifts per month, and type of work shift). Also, the number of their needle stick events was extracted from their medical records. Results: The prevalence of needle sticks was 45.5%. Based on individual characteristics, the mean age and work experience of people with a history of needle stick are significantly lower than people without a history of needle stick (P <0.03). There was a significant relationship between needle stick history and educational level (P <0.00). However, there was no significant difference between the two groups without and with a history of needle stick in terms of marital status (P = 0.11) and gender (P = 0.13). Based on job characteristics, there were significant relationships between the history of needle stick with the variables of type of work shift (P = 0.00) and the number of shifts per month (P <0.00). Conclusion: Some personal and professional characteristics effective in needle sticking were identified. These findings can be used as a guide to prioritize individuals to take precautionary measures against needle sticking.

The Impact of Organizational Culture on Safety-conscious Considering the Mediating Role of Employees' Job Satisfaction: A Case Study

Background: Employees' awareness about safety is a required element to develop a safe behavior so that it allows designing programs to improve safety performance at work. Therefore, the present study attempts to examine the effects of organizational culture on personal safety level with employees' satisfaction as a mediation variable. Methods: This descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional study was conducted with 229 steel industry workers using a standard questionnaire. The questionnaire had 47 items arranged in two sections, including demographics and job information as section one and organizational culture, personnel safety awareness, and employees' satisfaction as section two. Data analyses were done using SPSS and LISREL, and the relationships between the variables were determined using a structural equations model. Results: The mean score of satisfaction and personnel safety awareness was equal to 54.58 and 8.65, respectively. The highest mean score of organizational culture dimensions was obtained for patriarchy vs. matriarchy (33.2), and the lowest mean score was obtained for individualism vs. collectivism (16.08). Organizational culture was notably and positively affected by individualism vs. collectivism, avoiding uncertainty, and distance from power. In addition, there was a significant relationship between the total mean score of the dimensions of the organizational culture questionnaire and work wards (P<0.001). Conclusion: The study showed that organizational culture has a direct relationship with personnel safety awareness and job satisfaction. These results point out that the human factor has the most important role in preventing occupational accidents. Accordingly, businesses and employers should establish and disseminate organizational culture in their organizations.

The Relationship between the Economic Consequences of Accidents and Safety Measures: A Case Study

Background: Accidents impose harmful economic consequences for workers, employers, and society. The present study aimed to evaluate the economic consequences of occupational accidents. Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted in the Iranian Gas Engineering and Development Company in 2020. Data collection tools were a checklist and a researcher-made questionnaire. The reliability of this questionnaire was calculated through Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS statistical software and the significance level was considered 0.05. Results: The reliability of this questionnaire was estimated at α = 0.87. The average lost work day caused by occupational accidents was 36.67 days and the average cost imposed for each accident was 23.97 million Tomans. The total safety index in the studied environment was calculated at 3.59± 1.01. The results of linear multivariate regression analysis indicated that the cost imposed for each accident has a significant relationship with accident type and accident consequence, level of education, number of workers, training hours, work experience, salary, and total safety index (p <0.05). Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that the economic performance of a company can be affected by individual, occupational, and most importantly safety factors of the company. In addition, such factors are considered as strong predictors for economic safety performance.

Investigating the Effective Climate on Transfer of Lessons Learned and Providing Solutions to Improve the Effectiveness of HSE Training Courses

Background: Today's businesses spend a lot of money on educating their personnel. What matters is that people use their knowledge to their jobs. The goal of this study was to look into the environment that affects learning transfer and come up with a solution to increase the effectiveness of health, safety and environment (HSE) courses. Methods: In 2020, a cross-sectional study was done at the Tehran Oil Refining Company. The number of samples was 200, according to Cochran's formula. The major data gathering technique was a 20-item questionnaire created by the researcher. The multivariate regression model was used to analyze the study data, which was done with IBM SPSS software. Results: The questionnaire's content validity and reliability were estimated to be 0.83 and 0.929, respectively. 3.68±0.22 was the atmospheric indicator that proved effective in transferring learning and providing a way to increase the effectiveness of HSE training. The climate index affecting the transfer of learning had a significant link with the parameters of work experience (p = 0.02), education.(p = 0.03), and kind of employment (P = 0.01), according to the results of linear multivariate regression analysis. Conclusion: The atmospheric index influencing learning transfer and proposing a solution to increase the efficacy of HSE courses in the Tehran Oil Refining Company was deemed favorable. The outcomes of this study revealed that supervisors on job units in this business provide a supportive environment that is perfectly aligned with encouraging learners to enroll in training courses.

Dynamic Quantitative Risk Assessment (DQRA): New Fields of Study in Risk Assessment

The article's abstract is not available.

Assessing Safety Culture and its Relationship with Mental Load and Job Stress in the National Gas Company

Background: Accidents may occur for varying reasons, including unsafe behaviors, which originate from the safety culture of the organization. Job stress and mental load may also be contributory to accidents. This study aimed to assess safety culture and its relationship with mental load and job stress in a national gas company in Iran. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted over a period of one year. This study used the NASA-TLX task load index, a standard questionnaire approved by the American National Institute of Mental Health to measure job stress, and the standard Health and Safety Executive safety culture questionnaire. All personnel was counted, and the total number of employees was 122. Statistical methods of t-test, correlation coefficient, and averaging have been used. Data were collected and analyzed in SPSS software and Microsoft Excel software. Results: The average mental load of employees was 61.51, i.e., moderate level. The average job stress and employee safety culture were 180.43, i.e., high level, and 331.34, i.e., desired level. The mental load was assessed as moderate, safety culture was optimal, and job stress was high. A significant relation was found between safety culture and mental load (correlation coefficient: -0.278; p = 0.03). Besides, the mental load was significantly related to job stress (correlation coefficient=0.293; p = 0.2). Conclusion: Controlling stress and reducing the mental load in sensitive work environments is important and can lead to a higher level of safety culture in the organization.

Ergonomic Design of Classroom Furnitures: Evaluation of Comfortability and Musculoskeletal Disorders

Background: Anthropometric studies are essential in furniture design to ensure comfortability and improved productivity of the users. Methods: Anthropometry of 407 from a population of 5601 students, and classroom furniture at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology were evaluated. Student’s comfortability and reported musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in using the furniture were assessed with two questionnaires. Participants who volunteered for the study were randomly selected and had no previous history of MSDs. Descriptive statistics of the collected data were analyzed using SPSS software. Results: The participant's aged ranged from 17 to 28 years, and mostly were female (61%). The fitness between student’s anthropometry and classroom furniture included underneath table height for the imported plastic furniture and chair seat depth and width, as well as underneath table height for the locally manufactured wooden furniture. We observed high incidence of MSDs, including upper back (71.40%), lower back (58.30%), neck (51.90%), joint (39.10%), shoulder (32%), knee (25.20%), and wrist (22.60%) pain. The prevalence of MSDs were higher in women than men. The majority of the students were uncomfortable with using the furnitures, and only 6.6% reported comfortable experience. Conclusion: Recommended dimensions for ergonomically designed furniture have been proposed to reduce MSDs in the students. It would improves student’s health, and promote comfortability.

Exploring the Viewpoint of Oil Industry Employees about Factors Affecting the Success of Standard Operating Procedures

Background: Different factors affect the success of standard operational procedures (SOPs). This study was conducted to explore the viewpoints of employees of Tehran Oil Refining Company about factors affecting the usability of SOPs. Methods: This qualitative study was a conventional content analysis research conducted on the oil refining company employers 2020, using the semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed by content analysis method using MAXQDA software. Results: The results showed that the employees had a positive perception toward the standard operating procedures and most of them used these procedures to improve work performance and reduce accidents. Also, from the viewpoint of the employees, organizational factors (desirable organizational culture, continuous supervision and evaluation and assurance of accurate implementation of instructions, and continuous personnel training), individual factors (positive perception of the personnel about the organization goals, rules obedience of the personnel, positive experiences of personnel from the implementation of instructions in the past), and environmental factors (environmental dynamics and their related SOP dynamics, desirable but formal relationships of managers and supervisors with personnel as well as optimal and standard work schedule) had a positive effect on the applicability of these procedures. Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that the employees, consider standard operating procedures of organizational, individual, and environmental factors effective in using standard operating instructions. Therefore, to increase the applicability of these procedures, the employees should consider their opinions.