Journal of Occupational Health and Epidemiology
Volume:4 Issue: 3, Summer 2015

The agricultural sector is one of the most important sectors in production. The safety and health of farmers are important factors that can cause a significant increase in efficiency and productivity. The aim of this study was the assessment of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) using the OVAKO Working Posture Analysis System (OWAS) and evaluation of the effect of ergonomic training on posture of farmers.
In this study, 400 farms were evaluated in 5 major activities including gathering of pistachios by men, gathering of pistachios by women, spading, gathering of pistachio waste, picking of wheat, and fertilizing regarding MSDs using the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) and OWAS. Then, the required ergonomic training was presented as face-to-face to farmers and again evaluation was performed after the intervention.
Low back pain and knee problems had the highest frequency and can be caused by standing or sitting for long periods of time, displacement and manual material handling, and undesirable workstations. A significant relationship was found between age and work experience, and MSDs (P 0.001). Risk level in pistachio and wheat gathering tasks was lowered significantly after the ergonomic interventions and required training compared to before the intervention (P 0.050). However, no significant change was observed in the spading and fertilizing tasks.
The results showed that the prevalence of MSDs was relatively high in the studied farmers. Moreover, the level of risk that was obtained according to the OWAS indicated that the working conditions and environment in this industry are harmful. Therefore, taking corrective actions in order to improve the working conditions is necessary.

Occupational stress has physical and psychological consequences, and is a major cause of job dissatisfaction among employees, which can reduce the quality of services provided. This study was conducted to examine the relationship between job stress and the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among computer users in hospitals (private & governmental) of Gorgan, Iran, in 2014.
This was a cross-sectional descriptive study. The study participants consisted of 94 hospital computer users. Data were collected using the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) and Osipow’s Occupational Stress Inventory. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software.
The mean score of the subjects studied was 159±77.24. The results revealed that 6.38% of the staff had mild stress, 68.9% mild to moderate stress, 24.47% had moderate to high stress, and none of the employees had high occupational stress. There was no significant relationship between job stress and MSDs of the neck, shoulders, back, elbows, and hands and wrists, but the relationship between stress and MSDs of the waist was significant (P=0.03).
The prevalence of MSDs in the studied hospital computer users was high and stress in the workplace can have an important role in the pathogenesis of this disorder.

Today, the prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) is considered as a vital issue and one of the highest national priorities. This study was conducted with the aim of evaluating occupational postures and the prevalence of MSDs among porcelain industry workers of the city of Rasht, Iran.
This cross-sectional study was done in 2015 on 66 workers, active in different factory units and chosen through stratified random sampling. To determine the frequency of MSDs symptoms in different body parts of the workers, the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) and Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) were used. To evaluate the risk of MSDs, the Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) method was utilized. Descriptive statistics, chi-square test, independent t-test, and logistic regression were used for data analysis.
Based on the data obtained through the questionnaires, 36% of the studied population had experienced pain at least in one body part in the last 12 months. The frequency of pain in the waist, hand and wrists, and neck was the most. According to the data collected through JCQ, the total score of job content had a statistically significant relationship with subjects’ age and their occupational background (P The present study indicated that, in the studied industry, work posture correction with the help of correction stations and appropriate training is absolutely necessary.

Determining quality requirements and quality dimensions is one of the most reliable ways of providing high quality services. The objective of the present study was to investigate the association between quality requirements and quality dimensions according to the points of view of physicians, nurses, and patients.
This descriptive study was carried out in hospitals under supervision of Medical Sciences Universities, in 4 provinces of Tehran, Fars, Lorestan, and Yazd (Iran). A group of 432 physicians and nurses answered the Quality Requirements Questionnaire which includes the 4 components of competitive, ethical, professional, and accountability requirements. Furthermore, 500 patients answered the Quality Dimensions Questionnaire, including the 11 dimensions of security (safety), professionalism, empathy (friendship), politeness, reliability, accountability, working speed, competency, accessibility, flexibility, and tangibles. The Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression method were used to analyze the data in SPSS software.
The mean quality requirements and quality dimensions scores in the studied hospitals were, respectively, 3.75 and 3.61, both of which were at a higher than medium level. Moreover, the results of Pearson correlation coefficient suggested that the competitive, professional, and ethical components of quality requirement had a significant and direct association with quality dimensions. However, there was no significant association between the accountability component and quality dimensions variables. Furthermore, based on the results of multiple regression and the determination coefficient, it is possible to claim that approximately 13% of variance in quality dimensions depend upon the mean of components of quality requirements.
It can be concluded that work commitment, attention to work, respect for ethical principles, and fair competition at the work place between physicians and nurses lead to the provision of safe and high quality services in hospitals.

Fire and explosion hazards are extremely important in processing units. This study was performed to identify the risk centers, the potential damage caused by fire and explosion, and the days of production cessation in the processing company.
The present qualitative case study was conducted using Dow’s index in 2015. The fire and explosion hazard index and level were calculated for the processing units after collecting the required data. In addition, hazard radius and level, damage factor (DF), actual maximum probable property damage (MPPD), and the maximum probable days’ outage (MPDO) were determined by analysis of the collected data.
The results indicated that the fire and explosion hazard level was high in 82% of the studied processing units. Moreover, the potential fire or explosion could cause financial damage of 51 million dollars and production cessation of 296 days.
The results of this study showed a variety of possible fire and explosion hazards in the studied processing units. By determining several weakness points in these units, serious engineering controls were suggested to decrease the determined hazard levels. Furthermore, Dow’s fire and explosion index (F&EI) was approved as an efficient technique for assessing the risk of fire or explosion in addition to their damage levels.

Following the outbreak of eltor cholera in Iraq’s Kurdistan, Iran was threatened through the western border. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the health system response of Marivan city in Kurdistan Province (Iran) as a risky gateway for the outbreak of eltor cholera epidemic in Iran.
This cross-sectional study was implemented in Marivan in October 2012 in 6 steps with different methods of data gathering including situation analysis, and document and literature review. Case finding is important in controlling disease outbreak. We mention to case finding in the health system.in Marivan city.
During the Eltor epidemic in Marivan, Control measures, training actions, and coordination measures had been within and outside the organization such as the health system, municipality, police, industries, mine and trade, terminals and transportation, local radio, agriculture, and water and sewerage. To create an intersectional coordination for disease control, job description of the offices was issued by the governor to them, and the health system response was appropriate and timely in controlling the Eltor epidemic.
After the outbreak of Eltor in Iraq and following the announcement of standby status by Iran’s Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MOHME), the health system of Marivan took steps to deal with the Eltor epidemic. We proposed the improvement of control measures and organizational coordination to control the probable outbreak. The appropriate strategies were presented to improve the performance of the health system and treatment in similar situations.

Every year, eating, exercise, work, and travel patterns change during the holidays and these behavioral changes at a larger scale may cause death due to cardiovascular disease (CVD). Considering the importance of CVD, the present study was conducted for the first time in Iran to determine the differences in the ratio of deaths due to CVD on holidays and working days.
This was a descriptive study. The study population consisted of all hospitalized cases of CVD in the city of Rafsanjan, Iran, during the years 2010-2014. Data on individuals were collected through electronic systems available at Ali-ibn Abi Talib Hospital, Rafsanjan. Holidays were specified using the official Iranian calendar and the number of deaths caused by CVD on holidays and working days were extracted. Finally, the collected data were entered into SPSS software and were analyzed using independent t-test, chi-square, and logistic regression model.
Within 5 years, about 11124 cases of hospitalizations due to CVD were studied. Among the total hospitalized cases, 993 deaths were reported. Of these cases of death 3.5% occurred on Iranian New Year holidays, 4.5% on Islamic and National holidays, 11.5% on Fridays and 80.5% on the ordinary days of the year (P The results of this study showed that the holidays in Iran may have an additive effect in relation to deaths from cardiovascular disease.

In recent decades, ýdue to the increase in users of roads and inadequate attention to the creation and development of appropriate passageways for traffic, there has been a growing trend in traffic accidents and casualties caused by them. The traffic accidents among pedestrians to take necessary measures in a timely fashion should be well studied. This study was conducted with the goal of survey traffic accidents among pedestrians in 2014.
This cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the National Accidents Record Program ýregarding 2013. In this study, all traffic accidents in which the injured person was referred to a public or private ýhospital in the country to receive health services or was transferred to the hospital by EMS 115 and ýreceived remedial measures on an outpatient or inpatient basis in all provinces were consideredý. The incidence of pedestrian-vehicle accidentsý was calculated per ten thousand. Map GIS software package was used for the mapping of occurrence of events and Microsoft EXCEL and Stata software were used for data analysis.
In this study, the 82066 pedestrians who were injured in road accidents consisted of a total of 53240 men and 28826 women. The rate of traffic accidents was higher in men than in women (64.87% and 35.13%, respectively) and the majority of individuals affected were in the age group of 20 to 24 years. Most pedestrian-vehicle ýaccidents had occurred on the street (89.8%).
Pedestrians are at risk of the irreversible outcomes of traffic accidents; therefore, effective and regular training on the prevention of injury and secure environment is essential to reduce injuries.