Mahnaz Saremi

Influence of traffic-related noise and air pollution on self-reported fatigue

A growing body of evidence suggests that exposure to environmental pollutions is related to health problems. It is, however, questionable whether this condition affects working performance in occupational settings. The aim of this study is to determine the predictive value of age as well as traffic related air and noise pollutions for fatigue. 246 traffic officers participated in this study. Air pollution data were obtained from the local Air Quality Control Company. A sound level meter was used for measuring ambient noise. Fatigue was evaluated by the MFI-20 questionnaire. The general and physical scales showed the highest, while the reduced activity scale showed the lowest level of fatigue. Age had an independent direct effect on reduced activity and physical fatigue. The average of daytime equivalent noise level was between 71.63 and 88.51 dB(A). In the case of high noise exposure, older officers feel more fatigue than younger ones. Exposure to PM10 and O3 resulted in general and physical fatigue. Complex Interactions between SO2, CO and NO2 were found. Exposure to noise and some components of air pollution, especially O3 and PM10, increases fatigue. The authorities should adopt and rigorously implement environmental protection policies in order to protect people.

Evaluation of Ergonomic Risk of Manual Handling of Patients With MAPO Index and Its Relationship with Incidence of Low Back Pain among Nurses

Low back pain (LBP) is the most common and most costly musculoskeletal disorder among nursing profession. The ergonomic risk factors are common causes of lumbar injury. This study aims to assess the risk of LBP among nurses in different wards of an Iranian subspecialty hospital by means of MAPO method and to investigate if there is any relationship between calculated index and the self-reported LBP. The study was conducted in 16 sections of an Iranian subspecialty hospital including 174 wards. Exposed nursing staff (N=54) were asked to report LBP experiences in the past year. Our results indicated approximately 90% of examined wards were in the red band while only 9% were in the yellow and 1% in the green bands. Among all nurses who worked in the high risk wards, 25% reported suffering LBP during the past 12 months. However, 16% of those who were in the medium risk wards also experienced LBP in the past year. Chi-square test showed a significant relationship between LBP incidence and the level of MAPO index (p=0.004). This study suggests that the frequency of LBP among nurses is higher than the general population. The most studied wards felt in the red band, indicating the elevated risk for low back in the majority of hospital wards. It is therefore necessary to implement an ergonomic program in order to modify the observed deleterious condition as soon as possible.

Hand Dimensions and Grip Strength: A Comparison of Manual and Non-manual Workers

The purpose of this study was to examine grip strength differences between manual and non-manual workers and to investigate possible contributors.

How Much Traffic Signs in Iran Are Usable? A Use of System Usability Scale (SUS)

The huge rate of road accidents in Iran demonstrates the necessity of implementing prevention interventions in this field. Traffic signs are communication tools for passing information to the road users. However, misunderstanding of their messages could be a major cause of road accidents. The aim of the present study was to measure the usability of traffic signs used in rural and urban areas of Iran. 356 Iranians licensed drivers (39.0 years ± 9.7) were requested to rate their estimation about the effectiveness of the 20 selected traffic signs on the Persian version of System Usability Score (SUS). The mean of usability score for all signs were 59.37 ± 15.3. Mean usability score of Indication signs was higher than two other groups (63.2 ± 29.3) followed by Mandatory signs (60.9 ± 13.5). Warning signs had the lowest level of usability (53.9 ± 15.2). Except two signs (“Unguarded railway crossing in 200 m”) with the SUS score of less than 50 and “Camping” with the SUS score of higher than 70, the effectiveness of all signs was assessed to be at moderate level (50 > SUS < 70). It could be concluded that the majority of Iran traffic signs are marginally usable for Iranian population. Taking into account ergonomic features in designing traffic signs, could result in increasing sign effectiveness and decreasing road accidents. Appropriate strategies should be implemented to design more user-friend traffic signs.

Demographic and occupational determinants of the work ability of firemen

Firefighters tackle various stressors that affect their health and job performance; therefore, assessment of their work ability is necessary. This study aimed to investigate the demographic and occupational determinants of the work ability of firemen.