نشریه طب کار
سال پانزدهم شماره 1 (پیاپی 50، بهار 1402)

Sleep medicine is one of the new and leading branches of medical knowledge. During the past two decades, it has got a special position in the countries' health programs due to the development and identification of more effective diagnostic and management methods, and the identification of the adverse consequences of overlooked sleep disorders on the community's health. It is included in many countries' health programs in industrialized and developed countries such as the United States, South American countries, Australia, Europe, and China.
Sleep disorders with a variety of more than 80 types of diseases constitute complicated, high-risk, and costly diseases that affect the public health system. The prevalence and adverse consequences of these disorders could be reduced by implementing sleep health and appropriate preventive measures. Furthermore, it should be noted that if patients with these disorders are diagnosed correctly and on time, there would be effective management modalities in the world and the country (1). This letter had explained the importance of sleep health and its association with non-communicable diseases, associated consequences, and the urgent need to pay attention to sleep health and sleep disorders in the public health system.

Covid-19 was first reported as a viral disease in China in 2019, and it soon became a global pandemic. In addition, the types of occupations people have and the environments in which they work may increase the likelihood of being exposed to the virus. Thus, this study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of Covid-19 disease in various occupations and its relationship with some effective parameters in Shahroud city.

This research is a cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical study that was conducted in 2021. The required information was extracted from the database provided by Shahroud University of Medical Sciences. These files contain the results of the comprehensive study of COVID-19 in Shahroud. All the jobs that were asked of the person were classified based on International Standard Classification of Occupations and suspicious and definite cases were examined in different occupation. The information analyzed using SPSS software version 22.

According to the results, the highest percentage of cases (45%) was in healthcare workers, such as doctors, nurses, and operating room staffs—in other words, all employees working in the healthcare system. The next highest percentages were in household and home nursing workers (44.5%), retirees (43.2%), and construction workers (43%). The relationship between variables such as age, smoking status, presence of comorbidities, and presence of a high body mass index (BMI) associated with Covid-19 disease was examined by the regression test. It was found that the relationship was significant, that these variables affected the prevalence of the disease. Based on the odds ratio in the age variable, with each year of age, the chance of getting infected increased by 1%. A current smoker had a reduced chance of getting the disease by 57.2%. Having a comorbidity increased the chance of getting the disease by 14%, and with each increase in BMI, the chance of getting the disease increased by 3.8%.

The study found that in some occupations, such as healthcare worker, the prevalence of the disease was higher because workers were in direct contact with patients and people infected with the virus. In general, it can be said that the prevalence of the disease was low in workers who could telework and remain at home rather than go to a job or in the community. Factors such as age, the presence of comorbidities, status as a current smoker, and having a high BMI had an effect on contracting Covid-19 disease.

 In office tasks, pinch gripping of tools such as pen, paper, mouse, and keys are required during most working hours. This study aimed to determine the effect of demographic factors and working with a computer on office workers' hand grip and pinch strength.

 In this cross-sectional analytical study, after recording the demographic characteristics, the hand grip and pinch strength of 174 employees of 20 offices of Birjand city with at least 3 hours of daily computer work was measured using a Jamar hand dynamometer and Saehan pinch gauge. The data were analyzed by SPSS statistical software version 16. In addition to descriptive statistics, ANOVA, independent t-test, and Pearson correlation coefficient were used.

 The mean and standard deviation related to the age of the subjects were 37.5 ± 7.15 and 13 ± 7.35 years. The relationship between the hand grip and pinch strength with the variables of sex, height, weight, and Handedness (except the tip of the males) was significant (P<0.05), but with the variables of BMI, work experience, and age (except palmar of the dominant hand) was not significant. Computer work duration significantly affected the dominant hand's grip strength and both hands' palmar and tip pinch (P<0.05).

 The results of this study show the effect of computer work duration on reducing office workers' hand grip and pinch strength. Therefore, it is recommended to apply ergonomic principles to maintain hand grip and pinch strength of computer users.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can affect many years of professional practice of nurses and the quality of clinical care. This study aimed to determine the relationship between personality traits and PTSD in nurses in COVID-19 patient care.

We performed this cross-sectional correlational study on 316 nurses who were selected by random sampling method in 1400. The data collection tools in this study are demographic questionnaires, the Personality Traits Scale (NEO-FFI), and Mississippi Traumatic Stress Disorder Scale. Data were analyzed using PSS22 software, by statistical tests of Spearman and Pearson correlation coefficient, Paired-t test, and Wilcoxon tests. 

In this study, 13.3% of the nurses had post-traumatic stress disorder. Between subscales of personality traits with female gender, in the order of suffering (p=0.031), eagerness for new experiences (p=0.001), agreeableness (p=0.001), and age groups in the order of suffering (p=0.001), extroversion-introversion (p=0.02), eagerness for new experiences (p=0.001), agreeableness (p=0.02), history of covid-19 in the order of extroversion-introversion (p=0.05) and agreeableness (p=0.071). A significant difference was observed between PTSD with age groups (p<0.05). The dimension of suffering (r=-0.11 p<0.01), eagerness for new experiences (r=0.98 p<0.01), and agreeableness (r=0.57 p<0.01) had a significant relationship with the total PTSD score. 

 we can control or reduce stress and anxiety by employing nurses with the right personality traits. Developing appropriate training-therapy programs to change and modify personality traits, and training skills to deal with stressful situations is an effective step in reducing PTSD.

Gas pressure reduction stations are one of the most important parts of natural gas distribution networks. Risk assessment in operational units is a suitable method to assess risks, and their results can be used for management and decision-making regarding control and reduction of its consequences without critical concern. In other words, risk assessment is a process that identifies risks, assesses losses and determines risk characteristics. The present study aimed to model possible accidents, the subsequent evaluation of the consequences, and determination of safe boundaries in the suburban natural gas pressure reduction station located in the Bromi area of Ahvaz city using PHAST software.

In this study, possible scenarios based on the investigated background and utilizing the process data of the studied gas pressure reduction station, such as temperature, gas pressure, gas analysis, and meteorological data, and also using Pasquil's classification of atmospheric conditions the safe boundaries in the suburban natural gas pressure reduction station was investigated using PHAST software version 22.8 and. For this purpose, 6 possible scenarios were investigated in the selected atmospheric classes as well as the worst possible conditions. The consequences were evaluated based on different states of gas discharge, gas release, flash fire, sudden fire, and explosion.

Based on the obtained results, the areas with high-risk potential were related to gas release and explosion, respectively. Also, the highest risk range belonging to scenario number five was reported for a gas explosion with atmospheric class F and wave intensity of 0.02068 bars and equivalent to 358.5 meters. In this range, according to the damage caused by the explosion, with a probability of 95%, without serious damage, 50% of the windows will be broken, and therefore it can cause human injuries. Based on this, the safe distance in this station was determined to be 358.5 meters.

Based on concerns about the lack of risk assessment studies over the initial phases and during the operation of the station, the study shows that determining the safe boundaries and high-risk areas along with the priority of risk reduction is very necessary. It can be concluded that the modeling of accidents and the evaluation of the resulting consequences along with the determination of safe boundaries is one of the basic factors in the health of the working environment of personnel and the general public.

Nurses play a critical role in the health of society. Previous studies have reported a high level of occupational stress in the nursing community. Therefore, the present study investigates the relationship between demographic characteristics and job stress on nurses' workability. 

 408 nurses participated in this cross-sectional descriptive study. Data were collected using a demographic information questionnaire, nurses' job stress scale (NSS), and work ability index (WAI). SPSS version 24 statistical software and independent t-tests, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Pearson correlation were used for data analysis. The significance level in the present study was considered less than 0.05. 

The mean and standard deviation of the age of the nurses was 33.6 ± 5.1 years. 78.2% of the participants (319 nurses) were women, and the rest were men. 68.7% of female nurses (280 people) were married. Nurses had high job stress and poor workability. A significant negative relationship was observed between job stress and nurses' workability (P<0.001). Age and work experience had a negative significant relationship with occupational stress and a positive significant relationship with workability. Also, nurses with higher education had lower job stress and higher workability. 

Considering the negative impact of occupational stress on the nurses' workability, it is suggested that the relevant managers identify and eliminate the factors that cause occupational stress to maintain health, improve the ability to work, and increase the productivity of nurses, to reduce the amount of occupational stress and improve the workability of nurses.

dentists often have to adopt awkward, asymmetric, static postures and tilt their heads forward while working. If this situation continues for a long time every day, it leads to excessive pressure on the involved muscles and joints and causes symptoms such as pain and discomfort, especially in the neck, shoulders, back, and waist. Considering the importance of prevention, and early treatment of musculoskeletal disorders among dentists, this research investigates the effect of three types of chairs used in dentistry on the risk of musculoskeletal disorders and the comfort perceived by dentists using each chair.

This is a descriptive cross-sectional study conveyed in Tehran, the capital city of Iran. The present study includes a survey of a group of 70 male dentists. In this study, three types of chairs were compared. To evaluate body comfort, Corlette, and Bishop’s local discomfort questionnaire was used. The RULA method was used to determine the risk of upper limb musculoskeletal disorders and to assess each dentist's body condition.

The highest level of comfort was reported in the saddle model chair (the difference in the average intensity of discomfort before and after the work shift in the whole body = 12.39), the third type chair (13.04), and the second type chair (18/76). The dentists' posture evaluation results showed that the final score of RULA in three types of chairs varies from a minimum of 3 to a maximum of 7.

According to the results of the study, the average intensity of discomfort in the whole body after using the saddle chair compared to the state before using it has significantly decreased compared to the other two types of chairs, which implies the positive effect of using the saddle chair in reducing musculoskeletal discomfort. The results of posture evaluation indicate that the use of the saddle chair, compared to the other two chairs, improves the working conditions and facilitates the work.

Introductio: 

In recent years, the work environment has gained great importance and has been considered as a suitable place for health improvement activities. The work environment provides opportunities and suitable facilities to influence people's lives. The present research was conducted with the aim of the effectiveness of virtual anger management with Cognitive behavioral methodology using the cognitive behavioral method on anger rumination, mental health, work-family conflict  and interpersonal relationships.

The research method was a semi-experimental research method with control groups and pre-test-post-test. The statistical population included all secondary school female teachers in Isfahan city in the academic year of 2021-2020, 30 female teachers were selected by random sampling and randomly assigned to two experimental groups (15 people) and a control group (15 people). The experimental group underwent 60-minute virtual anger management training and the control group remained on the waiting list. Both groups were evaluated in the pre-test and post-test stages by Sakhodolsky et al.'s (2001) anger rumination, shortened form of the SCL-90 inventory, work-family conflict questionnaire (Carlson et al., 2000) and Interpersonal Relationship Quality Questionnaire (Pierce et al., 1991). In order to analyze the data, statistical methods and SPSS version 23 software and multivariate covariance and single covariance analysis were used.

The findings showed that the virtual training of anger management on rumination of anger and its dimensions, thoughts of anger, thoughts of revenge, memories of anger and knowing the causes are equal to 44.7, 16.9, 23.2 and 45.5 percent of the variance, respectively. , mental health is 43.3% of the variance, work-family conflict is 37.2% of the variance, and interpersonal relationships and its dimensions have a significant effect of 65.2% of the variance (p<0.01).

As a result, virtual anger management training as an effective therapy can help to improve mental health. Therefore, it is suggested that counselors and psychologists pay special attention to anger management virtual training to reduce anger rumination and work-family conflict and increase mental health and interpersonal relationships.