Iran Occupational Health

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  Background and aims

 Today in many jobs like nuclear, military and chemical industries, human errors may result in a disaster. Accident in different places of the world emphasizes this subject and we indicate for example, Chernobyl disaster in (1986), tree Mile accident in (1974) and Flixborough explosion in (1974).So human errors identification especially in important and intricate systems is necessary and unavoidable for predicting control methods.

  Methods

 Recent research is a case study and performed in Zagross Methanol Company in Asalouye (South pars).

  Walking –Talking through method with process expert and control room operators, inspecting technical documents are used for collecting required information and completing Systematic Human Error Reductive and Predictive Approach (SHERPA) worksheets.

  Results

 analyzing SHERPA worksheet indicated that, were accepting capable invertebrate errors % 71.25, % 26.75 undesirable errors, % 2 accepting capable(with change) errors, % 0 accepting capable errors, and after correction action forecast Level risk to this arrangement, accepting capable invertebrate errors % 0, % 4.35 undesirable errors , % 58.55 accepting capable(with change) errors, % 37.1 accepting capable errors .

  Conclusion

Finally this result is comprehension that this method in different industries especially in chemical industries is enforceable and useful for human errors identification that may lead to accident and adventures.

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  Background and Aims: Human being as the designer, programmer, and operator of systems, equipment and machineries plays a significant role in their safety at present time. In a sophisticated system, the operators’ behavior has the potential of errors that can influence the capability of the system. In the present study, human errors of 400 kV posts were identified, analyzed and their reduction due to the application of proposed control measures were predicted.

  Methods: After identification of key jobs affective on electric industry’s stability, the operator of 400 kV posts was selected as the sensitive and key joband analyzed using Hierarchical Task Analysis (HTA). The operator’s probable errors and their reduction were predicted using Systematic Human Error Reduction and Prediction (SHERPA).

  Results: The results revealed that in 107 predicted errors at 6 main tasks and 61 sub tasks of 400 kV posts, the most frequent type of error was action error and the maximum predicted error was related to maneuvering task. The results also showed that about 95% of identified risks from errors were at unacceptable and undesirable level. It was predicted that if the recommended control measures were applied the unacceptable and undesirable risks would be reduced to 0 and 7.5% respectively.

  Conclusion: It is possible to predict, identify and reduce the human errors in control rooms using SHERPA.

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  Background and aims : Microorganisms are one of the most important sources of contamination in indoor air and occupational environments especially in hospitals. The aim of this study was to evaluate the adsorption characteristics of bone char to adsorb B. Subtilis in the air.

  Methods: In this study B.subtilis spores were used as a model of bacterial spores. Also bone char was used as an adsorbent in this study that was prepared by thermal method from waste bones and the characterization of prepared adsorbent was determined. Then the adsorption capacity of bone char for B.subtilis was evaluated.

  Results: The Present study show that bone char as a mineral adsorbent has high efficiency in adsorption of bacterial spores. The adsorption capacity of this mineral was 3698 spores per gram.

  Conclusion: bone char has a high capacity for adsorption of bacterial spores. Mineral structure of bone char can delay the reproduction and biofilm formation of microorganism on its surface. The result of this study could be used in development of control equipment of biological air pollutant.

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Background and aims: The impact of work-related accidents due to multiple psychological consequences, financial and material outcomes, is in the focus of industrial and organizational psychology, management and health and safety specialist’s attention. For this purpose, this study aimed to compare personality characteristics and attitude towards safety among injured and non- injured workers was conducted in a large industrial plant.

Methods: This research is done with the method Causal-comparative and sample of 32 persons of injured and 30 persons non- injured that were selected randomly, and for data collection questionnaire of Personality Traits and questionnaire of safety attitudes were used, both questionnaires have satisfactory reliability and validity. Findings were analyzed by use of multivariable analysis of variances and t test for independent groups. Analyzing and comparing is done by SPSS software version 16.

Results: Scores of injured workers in the personality  characteristic components as  neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and attitude towards safety for injured workers are respectively 2/58, 3/39, 3/21, 3/51, 3/91 and 3/71, and  for non- injured workers 2/48, 3/52, 3/25, 3/55, 3/90, 3/92 respectively. Despite the existence of differences between injured and non- injured workers in the scores of neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness and attitude towards safety, but the differences was not significant (p <0/05).

Conclusion: According to existence of differences between scores of personality characteristic components and attitudes toward safety among injured and non- injured workers and lack of significant differences in research findings, it is likely that the one of most causes of many occupational accidents in the industry is   insecure environment. Hence, attention to safe work environment should be the first priority for officials and industry executives.

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Background and aims: Speeding and deviation to the left and right are the most notable and important causes of injuries that caused by traffic accidents in most countries. Injuries caused by these events are so great that it will be remembered as a war on the road. Due to the importance of the relation between aggression, errors and violations, this study aimed to investigate the relationship of aggressive driving and the average of driving speed and lane deviations.

Methods:  in the present study, 75 taxi drivers completed the Spielberger State-Trait Anger Inventory. Assessing the dimensions of aggression performed by car driving simulator. Using SPSS (V:22) ,descriptive tables and Spearman correlation coefficient data were analyzed.

Results: The findings showed that there was a significant direct relation between all aspects of aggression and the average and maximum of speeding and lane deviations, So that aggressive drivers drove with high speeds and were more willing to shift to the left and right.

Conclusion: Aggression is considered as one of the important factor affecting to increase the average speed and lane deviations.

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Background: Inappropriate postures when carrying loads and heavy objects can result in physical problems and changes in the body's skeletal structure and pressure on the sole of the foot. Therefore, this study was to evaluate the foot plantar pressure and the perceived comfort of two new types of ergonomic and common backpacks.
Methods: This study, which is semi- experimental, was performed on 20 female students aged 18 to 25 years. The PT-Scan Foot Scanner was used to measure the plantar pressure. The subjects, with the both types of backpacks, carried 10% of their body weight in walking, standing and balancing mode. After this stage, the perceived comfort of the backpacks was evaluated by using the Borg scale.
Results: The results showed that the difference in mean pressure of the foot between the two new ergonomic and common backpacks was not statistically significant (p> 0.05). But the average score of perceived comfort in the two parts of the waist and back pad, and the two new ergonomic and common backpacks while carrying was significant (p< 0.05).
Conclusion: According the finding, the features used in the design of the new backpack did not show statistically significant effect on decrease the foot pressure, but it decreased of perceived exertion and improved the perceived comfort and maintained the posture in the back and back areas. Therefore, using this backpack model probably could reduce musculoskeletal disorders in these areas in the long time.

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Abstract
Background and Aim: Boredom is a psychological phenomenon which is caused by many factors and it can be accompanied by undesirable effects such as reduction of professional performance. Boredom in the workplace leads to a decrease in job satisfaction and performance, and ultimately leads to a reduction in production and increase in costs of the organization. Boredom is marked by tiredness, nullity, sense of frustration with emptiness, being bored and uninterested, not interacting with a current event or situation. Most employees who are prone to boredom often experience monotony patterns in their working lives and these people are probably less self-sufficient and less enthusiastic about their work than their colleagues. Being physically present but without the motivation and not using their ability of the workplace is both costly for the organization and harmful to the health of employees. There are many factors contributing to boredom, such as mismatch between employees and work, repetitive and monotony work, feelings of job insecurity, lack of emotion, increasing levels of education and skills of employees over the job’s needs and their role in the workplace. Boredom has a long history in organizational research and has been extensively discussed in academic literature on the expenses associated with individuals and organizations and the evidence shows that it is associated with negative individual and organizational outcomes. Almost all people experience boredom at different times, regardless of the nature of the work. This phenomenon may have an impact at all levels of each organization across different countries. Although empirical evidence shows that the incidence of boredom is widespread, studies in this field have been neglected today. In Iran, there is no reliable tool to measure Boredom in employees. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine psychometric properties of a Farsi version of the Dutch Boredom Scale Questionnaire (DUBS) in the employees of Iranian University of Medical Sciences.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 588 employees of Iran University of Medical Sciences during 2013-2014. Given the number of employees in the university affiliated units by proportional allocation method. At first, the number of employees required for the study was determined in each unit, and then, through available sampling, individuals were selected and included in the study. In this study, two-part questionnaire was used to collect data, the first part of which was related to demographic information and the second part of the questionnaire is consisted of 8 questions presented by Reijger et al. A 5-point Likert scale with very disagree to strongly agree (one to five points) was used therefore boredom score will differentiate between 8 to 40). The questionnaire was translated from English to Persian by using the standard back – translation method. The English version of the questionnaire was translated by two translators from English to Persian; then the Persian version was obtained by comparing and compiling the two versions. Next, the back translation was performed in such a way that the re-translation of the English version was corrected by two content specialists who were not shown the original questionnaires. Finally, the questionnaires were edited and finalized. Face validity was used by 13 experts who all experts approved the face validity questionnaire. Content validity was also used by 13 experts in the fields of epidemiology, health education, statistics, occupational health and psychology. Content validity, simplicity, clarity, importance, validity and necessity of the questionnaire questions were studied separately using a questionnaire. The simplicity and clarity of each of the 8 questions were confirmed by experts and the content validity indexes (CVI) and relative content validity coefficients (CVRs) were evaluated. The test-retest method was used to confirm the reliability of the questionnaire by IntraClass Correlation (ICC). The ICC was calculated by completing the questionnaire in two stages with two weeks interval from 30 people who were available. In order to analyze the data, descriptive methods including frequency distribution tables and descriptive indices were used. Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to check the normality of the quantitative data and it was observed that the distribution of data was not normal.  Therefore, Spearman correlation coefficient, nonparametric Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used. Data were analyzed using SPSS (version 22) and AMOS (version 24).
Results: The results showed that 57% of the participants were female and their mean age was 35.72(±9. 18) years. More than half of the employees were married (68.4%) and 62.2% were Contract employees. The CVR Index for all questions was higher than the value in the Lawshe (0.54 for 13 expert). The CVI Index was calculated for all 8 questions and the mean was more than 0.8, so the questionnaire has good content validity. The test-retest method was used to check the reliability of the questionnaire and the intra-class correlation coefficient was 0.87 for the whole instrument that the questionnaire has a good reliability. Kaiser-Meier-Oklin was 0.846, which indicated that the data of this study were sufficient. Also, the Bartlett's Spearman's for Sphericity (1430.71; p <0.001) showed that the correlation matrix of the data in the study population is not zero, so the factor analysis is justifiable. In this study, varimax rotation method was used to investigate the principal components. Finally, according to Cattell diagram slope, eigenvalues and percent of variance explained by each factor, valuable components were extracted using principal component analysis method. Questions 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 were covered by factor 1 (Cronbach's alpha =0.81) and questions 3, 7 and 8 were covered by factor 2 (Cronbach's alpha = 0.64). In order to confirm the structure of factors of the questionnaire, the confirmatory factor analysis model was drawn in AMOS software and analyzed by model fit indices. The indices of final confirmatory factor analysis including RMSEA, CFI, IFI, NFI, AGF, GFI, X2 / df, DF were obtained as 0.054, 0.98, 0.98, 0.97, 0.96, 0.98, 2.71, 15, respectively. To confirm the suitability of these indices, confirmatory factor analysis of this study was approved. The mean score of boredom was slightly different in the men and women (mean = 16.6 for women and 16.5 for men), which was not statistically significant by Mann Whitney test (p= 0.893). Also, Kruskal-Wallis test showed that there was no significant difference between age, type of employment and years of service with boredom score (p> 0.05). The results show that the mean score of boredom in single staff was higher than married (p= 0.019). In level of education, the lowest mean level of boredom among employees with a master's degree and higher was also statistically significant (p= 0.016) compared to the average boredom in employees with lower degrees. Among the four occupations, the highest mean score of boredom was observed among service staff (17.15) and the lowest mean among educational-research staff (15.03) (p = 0.043). The mean CVI index for all items was 0.91 and the CVR index for items varied between 0.69 and 1.00 which indicated the validity of the questionnaire was acceptable. Using exploratory factor analysis, two factors were extracted and confirmed by fitting factor analysis. Correlation coefficient for the whole instrument was 0.89 and Cronbach's alpha for the whole instrument was 0.823. In exploratory factor analysis, two individual factors with 5 items and environmental factor with 3 items were obtained.
Conclusion: The results showed that the version of the DUBS scale had good psychometric properties for evaluation of Boredom at work in the employees of Iran University of Medical Sciences and could be used by Iranian researchers and experts in related fields.
 

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Background and aims: Mining has always been recognized as one of the most hazardous occupations, and mining environments have been discussed as one of the most dangerous work environments. Thus, occupational safety and health is a major issue for the 13 million people or miners in the world, many of whom are working in surface mines.
Considering the slogan "Healthy humans are at the center of sustainable development" and given the need for maintaining the health of the workforce and protecting the environment, HSE management systems have currently been extended to most companies, organizations, industries, and mines to ensure workforce health and environmental protection. On the other hand, any organization and industry needs monitoring and auditing to determine the status and effectiveness of its HSE management system in order to identify and improve the strengths, weaknesses, and non-compliances of the system. So far, no comprehensive and coherent tool or mechanism has been provided for monitoring and auditing HSE in surface mines.
HSE audit is a systematic process used to assess the compliance with the guidelines, regulations, rules, and standard executive procedures developed in the field of HSE. The existence of a comprehensive HSE audit system makes it possible to identify and control all system defects before they may cause irreparable damage. In addition, regarding the importance of HSE in mines and despite the existence of the ISRS[1] for safety auditing in mines, as this method only deals with safety and does not address health and environment as well as the main issues on mining, and due to the lack of a comprehensive and specific tool in Iran for auditing health, safety and environment, the present study was conducted in 2019 to provide a valid audit tool for HSE management system for surface mines.
Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in 3 stages:
A: Designing a preliminary checklist based on the HSE management system dimensions: Having reviewed the texts, standards, and regulations related to the health, safety and environment of the mines and also the related audit methods, the researcher developed the items for each dimension.
B: Checklist validity: Given that this study aimed to design a specific checklist for mines, face and content validity was evaluated. The convenience sampling method was used to ensure face validity, and 15 HSE experts (working in surface mines) were selected and invited to cooperate. Finally, according to the expertschr('39') opinions, the items were reviewed and corrected and a new draft was prepared.
To evaluate the content validity, qualitative and quantitative methods were used based on the Lawshe model. In a qualitative assessment of content validity, 15 HSE mining experts with work, research, and educational experiences were invited to participate as a panel group. They were then asked to read the checklist carefully and consider the issues such as the use of appropriate words, grammar, placement of items in their right place, and proper scoring, and to submit their corrective views in writing. Once the groupchr('39')s comments were collected, necessary changes were applied to the checklist.
To quantitatively examine the content validity, two indicators were used (content validity ratio and content validity index). Thus, the CVR[2] and CVI[3] were respectively used to ensure the selection of the most important and correct content and to ensure that the checklist items were best designed to measure the intended content.
C: Checklist reliability: Reliability shows how the measurement tool gives the same results under the same conditions. To determine the external reliability, the checklist was completed by HSE experts in 20 surface mines and was assessed using the test-retest method and correlation coefficient at a two-week interval.
Furthermore, the interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to calculate the internal reliability (agreement between evaluators) of the checklist items. To this end, the checklist was completed by three auditors in 8 surface mines, and the results were analyzed using the ICC method.
Results: The results of this research are presented in the following sections: determining the items and designing the preliminary checklist, and evaluating the validity and reliability of the checklist.
A: Determining the items and designing the preliminary checklist: Having reviewed various texts and considering the opinions of the research team and experts, the researcher used the HSE management system dimensions to design the audit checklist of the HSE management system of surface mines. The dimensions included leadership and commitment; policy and strategic goals; organization, resources, and documentation; risk assessment and management; planning, implementation, and monitoring; and audit and review. In the next step, the items were designed for each dimension.
B: Checklist Validity: 1- Face Validity: Once the experts examined the sentences and items of the checklist in terms of appearance, word choice, and comprehensibility, necessary changes were applied. 2- Qualitative evaluation of content validity: After reviewing the checklist in terms of grammar, insertion of items in their right place, and proper scoring by the panel group (15 experts), the expertschr('39') opinions were collected and necessary changes were applied to the checklist. 3- Quantitative evaluation of content validity: The results of examining the content validity ratio (CVR) showed that 27 items of the checklist had a content validity ratio of < 0.49, and were removed from the audit checklist. Also, examining the content validity index showed that 191 items received a CVI score of >0.79, two items had a score of <0.70 and were removed from the audit checklist, and 3 items received a score of 0.70 - 0.79, which were corrected and revised and were then provided to 6 experts from the panel group. They were kept in the checklist with a score of >0.79.
C: Checklist reliability: To ensure the external reliability (reliability over time), the health, safety and environmental experts completed the checklist twice at a two-week interval in 20 surface mines, and the data were analyzed using the SPSS software. The interclass correlation coefficient (reliability over time) of the dimensions and the total score of the audit checklist were favorable (> 0.8). Thus, the lowest and highest correlations after two weeks were estimated to be 0.970 and 0.995, respectively, which were associated to the policy and strategic goals and the risk assessment and management dimensions, respectively. To determine the internal reliability (agreement between evaluators), the audit checklist was completed by three auditors in 8 surface mines, and the collected data were entered into the SPSS software. The interclass correlation coefficient (agreement between evaluators) of the dimensions and the total score of the audit checklist were also favorable (> 0.8). The highest and lowest internal reliability were associated to leadership and commitment (0.806) and risk assessment and management (0.967), respectively.
Conclusion: According to the results of this study, the CVI and CVR values for the whole audit checklist were 0.95 and 0.84, respectively. In other words, the audit checklist had an acceptable and appropriate validity index. Also, studying the reliability over time and the agreement between evaluators showed that the interclass correlation coefficient of the dimensions and the total score of the audit checklist were greater than 0.8. In other words, the auditors had given approximately the same answers to the questions and thus the dimensions of the audit checklist, which in fact confirmed the validity of the researcher-made checklist. Finally, after making necessary changes and removing inappropriate questions from the preliminary checklist during validity and reliability assessments, 194 questions remained in the audit checklist.
One of the strengths of this research is the comprehensiveness of the audit tool, which not only included safety, but also health and environment. It is also a specific tool for auditing the HSE management system of surface mines. In addition, the tool has high validity and reliability. One weakness of the tool is that it can only be used for surface mines and is not suitable for underground ones. It is recommended to improve the checklist for auditing the HSE management system for underground mines.
According to the results of this study, the checklist designed for surface mines had proper reliability and validity and could be used to audit the HSE management system of surface mines. Finally, the audit output of the HSE management system for mines could be used to improve the HSE management system, identify the risks and non-compliances in the whole HSE management system, management interventions to eliminate defects, and achieve compliance with standards and regulations.

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Background and aims: The outbreak of COVID-19 is currently a major concern, and timely understanding of people's mental health status in the workplace has become an important issue. Physical-psychological parameters such as mental workload and job stress are among the most important components in determining the job performance of employees in work environments. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of COVID-19 epidemic on job stress and mental workload of employees in a chemical industry.
Methods: This longitudinal study was conducted in two stages (before and during the COVID-19 outbreak in Iran) from December 2019 to May 2020 in a chemical industry in Bushehr province. It should be noted that the first phase of this study was conducted before the outbreak of coronavirus in the form of a cross-sectional study. However, after the outbreak of coronavirus and in order to investigate the changing trend in the parameters of mental workload and job stress among participants, this study was performed in two stages in the form of a longitudinal study.  The statistical population included all employees working in a chemical industry. The sample size was calculated using Cochran's formula with an error level of 0.05 and included 182 workers who were selected by simple random sampling method.
The inclusion criterion was having at least one year of work experience and exclusion criteria were the presence of chronic mental illness, the use of sedatives, and insufficient willingness to participate in the study. Participants were able to drop out of the study at any stage if they were unwilling. Before starting the study and completing the questionnaires, all the necessary information about how to complete the questionnaires was explained to the staff and they expressed their willingness to take part in the study. However, to prevent a decrease in the number of participants in the study, the number of employees who entered the study included 200 people (182 people + 10% of the total sample size (18 worker)).
The NASA-TLX mental workload questionnaire and the HSE job stress questionnaire were used to evaluate mental workload and job stress, respectively. The data collected during the present study were analyzed using IBM SPSS statistical software version 25. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to test the normality of data distribution. The findings of this statistical test showed that the distribution of data was normal in all cases (p >0.05). Descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, frequency) were reported and statistical analysis was performed using paired sample t-test (to compare the mean of characteristics of the two psychological components of mental workload and job stress before and during the outbreak of coronavirus) as well as Chi-Square / Fisher's exact test. All tests were performed at a significance level of 0.05.
Results: The means of age and work experience of the subjects were 32.88±9.53 and 9.45±4.23 years, respectively. The results of mental workload assessment based on the NASA-TLX index showed that the mean score of mental workload before and during the prevalence of coronavirus disease was 56.32± 9.58 and 66.45±11.82, respectively, and  that there was a significant relationship between these values (p <0.05). Furthermore, a significant correlation was observed between the mean score of the dimensions of mental demand, overall performance, and frustration level before and during the outbreak of coronavirus. It was also found that the average score of all aspects of mental workload, except for temporal demand and overall performance, increased during the outbreak of coronavirus. The greatest increase was observed in the values of mental demand components and frustration level (Table 2).
The results of the job stress assessment showed that the mean score of job stress before and during the outbreak of coronavirus disease was 80.78±18/29 and 68.88±12.74, respectively. Moreover, it was found that the prevalence of coronavirus disease significantly increased the job stress level of employees (p <0.05).
Ultimately, these findings showed a significant relationship between the values of mental workload and job stress in employees before and during the coronavirus disease (p<0.05).
Conclusion: An examination of people's mental workload based on the NASA-TLX index revealed that the prevalence of COVID-19 significantly increased the mental workload of the studied staff. It was found that the mean values of the dimensions of mental demand and the frustration level were significantly increased at the time of the outbreak of COVID-19. The findings revealed that the prevalence of COVID-19 had increased the level of mental workload imposed on employees, as well as the level of frustration, insecurity, and stress of employees when performing their duties. It was also found that the COVID-19 epidemic significantly reduced employee performance, making staff less satisfied with their overall performance in the workplace. Previous studies have also shown that the spread of viral diseases can increase a person's workload, which is consistent with the results of the present study.
The study revealed that occupational stress levels increased during the outbreak of coronavirus. Previous studies have shown that the spread of viral diseases such as Mers and COVID-19 increases the level of anxiety, stress, insomnia, and depression among people. A study by Kim et al. revealed that after the outbreak of viral diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-COV), a person's level of burnout and stress increased, which could severely affect a one’s job performance, which is in tandem with the results of the present study.
The present study was conducted for the first time to investigate the effect of coronavirus outbreak on physical-psychological components in the industrial sector in Iran. Therefore, the results of the present study can provide a novel insight into the impact of coronavirus epidemic on the components of mental workload and job stress in different work environments. The findings of the present study revealed that the prevalence of coronavirus disease has been able to affect different physical and psychological dimensions of personnel in the workplace. Therefore, psychological intervention is essential to improve the mental health of employees during and after the COVID-19 epidemic.

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Background and aims: risk assessment is the most important tool for identifying unacceptable risks and preventing accident from occurring. In this study, the Safety Weighted Hazard Index (SWeHI) was used for assessing the risks associated with the storage tanks of the Ilam gas refinery company.
Methods: SWeHI has two parts to be determined: the potential hazard index (B) and the hazard control index (A). B can come into two forms: the fire and explosion hazards (B₁) and toxic release hazard (B₂). Both these forms should be computed separately and the higher one will be considered as B. For calculating A, all protection layers in place are assessed and quantified. SWeHI is calculated by dividing B by A.
Results: B1 values for atmospheric and spherical tanks were 347.31 and 269.16, and B2 values were 97.48 and 169.34, respectively. A value for all tanks was 84.31. Among factors affecting A, emergency management plan and the reliability of equipment were the most challenging ones. SWeHI grand scores were 3.1925 and 4.1993 for spherical and atmospheric tanks, respectively.
Conclusion: Compared to other similar indices, SWeHI is a more quick and straightforward technique for risk assessment and remedial measures prioritization in oil and gas industries.

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Abstract
Background and aims: There is evidence that driver distraction is one of the major causes of vehicle accidents. One of the key factors that can affect people's driving performance drastically, is texting. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the effects of texting on driving functions using a driving simulator.
Methods : This study was conducted on 80 students ranging from the ages of 20 to 40 and using a class 2 simulator. To check the performance of the drivers, reaction time variables, lane lateral deviation of the car, speed control, were used in two modes of driving without texting and driving while texting. The main scenario of the study consisted of driving a distance of 20 km on a highway.
Results: The average momentary lane lateral deviation of the car for drivers in two stages without texting and while texting, was 0.88 and 1.36 meters, respectively, which had a statistically significant difference (P<0.001). Also, the average reaction time for drivers in the two stages without texting and while texting was 1.23 and 1.52 seconds respectively, which had a statistically significant difference (P<0.001). Furthermore, the average speed for the drivers in the two stages was 35.12 and 34.04 m/s, respectively, which had a statistically significant difference (P=0.020).
Conclusion: It is indicated that texting while driving has a negative impact on driving performance. The results of this study have direct consequences for drivers who are involved in this type of distracting behavior while driving, therefore it is important and essential for drivers to be aware of the impact of using cell phones while driving on driving performance.

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INTRODUCTION: Noise is one of the harmful factors in workplaces. The most important effect of long-term exposure to it is hearing loss and its impact on the human auditory system. This effect is understandable despite its irreversible and permanent nature. One of the easiest ways to use this adverse effect is earmuffs. Nowadays, earmuffs are used with different sound insulation. Moreover, aerogels are acoustic and thermal insulators and can be a suitable alternative to the currently used compounds.
METHODS AND MATERIALS: Three models of Iranian, Taiwanese, and American earmuffs were assembled with two models of aerogel (thickness of 5 mm and density of 120 kg/m³ as four layers and thickness of 10 mm and density of 140 kg/m³ as two layers). The noise reduction of the assembled earmuffs was investigated using an acoustic head mannequin.
RESULTS: The obtained results showed that the acoustic properties of the earmuffs assembled with aerogel pads have been improved compared to before, and this difference is significant in Iranian earmuffs. The highest reduction was observed at the frequency of 8000 Hz, which was 34.5, 42, and 47.9 dB for the two-layer assembly and 33.5, 43.1, and 46.7 for the four-layer assembly in Iranian, Taiwanese, and American earmuffs. It was also found that double-layer aerogel pads performed better than four-layer pads.
CONCLUSION: Assembling earmuffs with aerogel pads can significantly improve acoustic performance and increase the amount of noise reduction in earmuffs. Of course, using the maximum amount of sound reduction requires sufficient monitoring of their correct use and the necessary training for their regular use.

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Introduction: Strategic planning aligns organizations’ resources to achieve their mission and long-term objectives and goals. At the moment, a comprehensive strategic plan in the field of Ergonomics is one of the academic and industrial priorities in Iran to achieve a superior scientific position and ultimately meet the real needs of society. Therefore, this study was conducted to develop a strategic plan for Ergonomics from 2021 to 2025.  

Material and Methods: This study was conducted using a participatory action research strategy in 2021. In this regard, the strategic planning committee consisting of 18 professors, specialists, and Ph.D. students in the Ergonomics and occupational health engineering fields was formed. The committee evaluated the internal and external environment of the Ergonomics using a strength, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) matrix and a researcher-developed checklist through several regular weekly sessions. Then, general and specific goals, and possible measures to achieve the goals were identified. 

Results: According to SWOT analysis, Ergonomics major is in the “hold and maintain” position which consisted of organizational architecture, quality management, market management, and cost management. In the proposed action plan, a total of 57 specific goals in six areas were extracted including education, research, specialized services in ergonomics, improving faculty member/employees/students’ satisfaction, and improving community satisfaction with ergonomic services. To achieve these goals, 124 related actions were also predicted.

Conclusion: Achieving Ergonomics major perspective will be possible by using the goals identified in this study, the proper implementation of the predicted objective-specific measures, planning to reach the maximum use of the opportunities, and minimizing challenges due to the major weaknesses.

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Abstract
Introduction: Police officers often suffer from poor sleep quality and a high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders due to shift work patterns and the physically and mentally demanding nature of their job. This study aimed to determine the effect of an ergonomic training program combined with corrective exercise techniques on improving sleep quality and reducing musculoskeletal disorders in police officers.
Methods and Materials: In a semi-experimental study, 47 shift work officers from the Mazandaran police force were investigated. Participants were randomly divided into intervention and control groups. The ergonomic intervention included three training sessions (sleep hygiene, ergonomic principles, and general exercise recommendations) and 16 practical sessions of corrective movements over 8 weeks. The control group did not receive any intervention. Before and immediately after the interventions, participants completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality and Nordic Musculoskeletal Disorder questionnaires. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software version 24.
Findings: The sleep quality score in the intervention group significantly decreased after the educational intervention program (P≤0.001). The Nordic questionnaire results showed that before the interventions, the highest percentage of disorders were reported in the back (81.8%), knee (68.2%), and shoulder (63.6%) regions. After the intervention, disorders in these areas significantly decreased to 40.9%, 36.4%, and 31.8%, respectively.
Conclusion: The results showed that training in sleep hygiene, ergonomic principles, and general exercise recommendations, combined with corrective movement exercises, can improve sleep quality and reduce musculoskeletal disorders. However, after two months of interventions, the average sleep quality score of participants still fell within the poor sleep quality level. Therefore, simultaneous training and practical corrective movement exercises are recommended to optimize sleep quality and decrease musculoskeletal disorders.
 

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Introduction
A musculoskeletal disorder is any disorder or injury affecting various parts of the body, including muscles, nerves, tendons, ligaments, joints, cartilage, and the spinal cord (1). Many health problems result from these risk factors, with one of the most significant being work-related musculoskeletal disorders, which are highly prevalent in both industrialized and developing countries. Statistics indicate that 150 million people are affected by these disorders (2). According to the World Health Organization report in 2022, the prevalence of musculoskeletal problems is increasing (3).
This disease has imposed a growing burden on both developed and developing countries. There seems to be a direct relationship between musculoskeletal disorders and the resulting pain and inability to perform physical activities, leading to immobility, weakness, and a decreased sense of well-being (4). Physical and psycho-social stressors can cause musculoskeletal disorders. These factors include: working in inappropriate and static positions, handling objects manually, repetitive movements, high forces, and vibration, as well as psycho-social risk factors, such as anxiety, depression, high tensions, inadequate social support, ambiguity, role conflict, and low occupation security (4, 5).
Given that a majority of individuals work in environments where both risk factors are likely to coexist, it becomes logical to address both factors concurrently and implement corresponding control measures for each. Consequently, interventions that concentrate on the simultaneous control or reduction of these risk factors are expected to be more effective in curtailing the proliferation of musculoskeletal issues compared to interventions targeting only one of these risk factors (6). These disorders are among industrialized and developing countries' biggest occupational health problems. Health centers are one of the work environments where people are at risk of occupational disease (7).
In research conducted on employees of healthcare centers in the cities of Babol, Aqalari et al reported that the highest prevalence of disorders in the past year was observed in the lower back area (9.58%) followed by the neck area (1.54%). In the past 7 days, the highest prevalence was also reported in the lower back area (9.46%) and the neck area (9.44%). Furthermore, 25.7% and 15.5% of employees required medical and physiotherapy services, respectively, due to the presence of disorders in the past year. A significant correlation was observed between sitting at a desk for long hours and experiencing pain in the neck area (p=0.002) and pain in the knee area (p=0.049) (8). According to the information recorded by the United States Statistics Organization in 2014, about 32% of all occupational diseases were related to musculoskeletal disorders. Musculoskeletal disorders account for 7% of all illnesses in society, 14% of doctor's visits, and 19% of hospitalizations (9).
According to the World Health Organization, quality of life is a comprehensive concept that includes physical health, psychological well-being, level of independence, social relationships, personal beliefs, and the individual's relationship with the environmental aspects they are in. Quality of life is the result of the interaction between the individual and the sustainable conditions, as well as situational events, changes, and unexpected occurrences in the person's living environment (10). Occupational health and mental health are promoted by establishing indicators of quality of life, and attention to this issue is essential in all organizations to prevent fatigue and low productivity. Nowadays, organizations consider their human resources valuable and strategically focus more than ever on improving employees' quality of life (11).
Considering the high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in health workers, whose causes are related to the non-observance of health-oriented behaviors in various physical and psycho-social dimensions; the purpose of this study was to determine how education can affect their perception of pain and quality of life in order to prevent musculoskeletal disorders.
Methodology
This study constitutes a quasi-experimental intervention conducted to assess the impact of an educational intervention on the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among health center employees in Varamin. The study involved both intervention and control groups and was carried out from March to December 2022. The study population was the employees of the Varamin health center, and the study samples were selected from among them. Varamin health center comprises nine comprehensive health centers, 19 health bases, and 24 health houses. Participants in the study were selected from a total of 371 force members of this center. The inclusion criteria for this study were as follows: 1) employment at the Varamin health center, 2) willingness to participate in the study. The exclusion criteria were: 1) unwillingness to engage in subsequent interventions and follow-ups, 2) presence of debilitating conditions such as chronic pain, muscular dystrophy, osteoarthritis, and others, and 3) pregnancy.
The study subjects were chosen and enrolled in the research using a simple random sampling technique. This involved creating a list of employees and selecting desired individuals using a table of random numbers. Based on this list of names, individuals were then assigned randomly to either the control or intervention groups.
The following formula was used to calculate the sample size of the intervention study, according to the study that Zahra et al. (13) had done in Saudi Arabia. The sample size of the study was 55 people.
 
The data collection tool at this stage was the quality of life questionnaire and the Nordic questionnaire. The quality of life questionnaire had been translated into many countries, such as Iran (13). The questionnaire had eight subscales as follows: 1. Physical performance 2. Role performance limitation due to physical problems 3. Physical pain 4. General health 5. Vitality and cheerfulness 6. Social performance 7. Role performance limitation due to emotional problems and 8. mental health. The Nordic questionnaire had 11 variables that can be completed by self-report method or through an interview, which is the way to answer yes-no questions, which are nine areas of the body (3 areas for the upper limbs, three areas for the spine, three areas of the lower limb) are included.
Upon receiving approval for the proposal and obtaining permission from the Research Vice-Chancellor of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, as well as introducing the study to the Varamin city health center, the health center employees were systematically divided into two groups: an intervention group and a control group. This division was executed through a random process.
In preparation for the study, a standardized questionnaire aimed at assessing the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders and quality of life was distributed to participating employees in person as a pre-test measure. Separate invitations were extended to the participants of each group, prompting them to convene in the health center conference room on distinct days. In the presence of the researcher, the employees completed the questionnaires during these sessions. In the second phase, educational intervention is carried out in accordance with the educational program and is based on the chapters on ergonomic principles, the performance of daily activities, required changes in the working environment, and activities in accordance with ergonomic principles approved by the Iranian Ministry of Health (14).  Also the educational program was prepared with the help of professional health experts from the health center and conducted personally for the intervention group. Six months after the intervention, two intervention and control groups were re-evaluated. Employees eligible to enter the study were randomly assigned to two groups. In the second stage, the intervention was designed according to the educational program and was conducted in person. The educational content was prepared by studying related texts and books approved by the World Health Organization. The educational content of this intervention was taught to the participants face-to-face in 4 sessions, each lasting 45 minutes. The researcher implemented the educational program, and the methods of lectures, questions and answers, and group discussions were used following the behavioral goals of each session. In addition, educational media such as video projectors, educational CDs, and booklets were used to implement the program. At the end of the educational intervention, the control group received the educational content in compliance with ethical principles.
Data analysis using SPSS-22 software and descriptive statistical tests (including frequency, percentage of frequency, mean and standard deviation) and inferential in order to compare the difference between baseline values and six months after the intervention in each group from the Independent t-test was used to calculate the mean between two groups, paired sample t-test was used.
Conclusion
Overall, the results of this study showed that education alone does not have much effect on the quality of life of healthcare workers, and it can only have a brief effect on some dimensions of quality of life. Also, the results of this study regarding the existence of pain in different parts of the body of employees showed that ergonomic training could reduce the pain of different parts of the body to some extent. Suppose this training aligns with physical measures, including providing appropriate work tools such as chairs, tables, and footstools. Therefore, the positive effects of these interventions will be more significant. In order to improve the quality of life of employees, in addition to educational interventions, attention should also be paid to other aspects of employees' lives, including their economic, psychological, and social factors.

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Introduction: Despite the significant advances in robotics in industrial, medical, military, and service fields, the role of human agent for optimal control of robots is still important. In this regard, anodal transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) is proposed as an intervention with the potential to improve cognitive-motor performance in the field of human-robot interaction. The study aim to explore how anodal tDCS could improve fine motor skill in a task that involved interacting with a robotic arm.
 Method: In this laboratory study, 40 healthy adults were asked to perform an object transfer task by a robotic arm in test sessions with sham (control group) and real (intervention group) anodal tDCS. Before and after sham and real stimulation, the the intelligent circuit of the robotic arm recorded the performance of the participants by such indices including the number of errors (transfer, return and total error), error duration, number of transferred objects, and number of correct transferred objects. The effects of anodal tDCS on the changes in performance indicators between and within the study groups (difference between pre and post anodal tDCS) were compared considering the significance level of p<0.05.
Results: The within-group comparison showed that the number of transferred objects and the number of return errors before and after anodal tDCS (real and sham) had a significant improvement trend. Also, the error duration and the number of correct transferred objects were significant for real and sham stimulation, respectively. However, the comparison of the mean differences of post-test and pre-test scores for all variables of the study indicated no significant statistical difference between the intervention and control groups. 
Conclusion: The results suggest that anodal tDCS did not have a specific effect on hand motor skill in a human-robot interactive task, but rather a general effect on the learning and performance of the task. This implies that anodal tDCS may not be a suitable intervention for enhancing fine manual motor control and coordination with a robotic arm, but rather for improving cognitive-motor processes involved in the task. This study contributes to the understanding of the potential applications of anodal tDCS in the field of human-robot interaction.