دو ماهنامه سلامت کار ایران
سال نهم شماره 3 (پاییز 1391)

Organophosphate compounds are the most popular insecticides with the widespread application in pest control. These toxic compounds interfere with the blood cholinesterase and inhibit the cholinestarse activity. Measurement of Cholinesterase activity is widely used for diagnosis of poisoning and adverse effects caused by pesticides. Green-house workers are one of the important occupational groups with the high risk of poisoning with organophosphate and karbamat pesticides. The purpose of this study was to assess the exposure of green-house workers with anti-cholinesterase toxic compounds by measuring the blood cholinesterase activity using electrometric method. This research is a descriptive cross sectional study that carried out on farmers of the cucumber green-houses. In this study، 40 workers were selected and their blood cholinesterase enzyme activity were measured using electrometric method. In electrometric method the reduction of cholinesterase activity can be measured through recording the changes of blood pH induced by anticholinestrase agents. The results were analyzed by version16 of spss software. Based on the obtained results the amount of erythrocyte cholinesterase enzyme inhibition was between 1 / 77% to 35 / 4% and the mean and standard deviation was 23 / 2% ±9 / 68. Similarly، the amount of plasma cholinesterase enzyme inhibition was between 1% to 28% and the mean and standard deviation was equal to 16/57 ±7 / 92. Following the analysis of results 25% (n=10) of the workers were identified with no poisoning، 17. 5% (n = 7) with minor poisoning، 55% (n=22) with moderate poisoning and 2. 5% (n=1) with severe poisoning. Organophosphate poisoning has been reported as the third cause of poisoning and also the leading cause of poisoning deaths in our country. Therefore، considering the results of this research and the importance of the evaluation of workers exposure to organophosphate pesticides it can be stated that the use of electrometric method is a valuable tool for biological monitoring of exposed populations. As this method is simple، portable and not expensive and at the same time provides high precision، it has a potential to be applied for screeningandearlydiagnosisof organophosphate poisonings inlarge-scale studies.

workers in petrochemical industries are exposed to various contaminants and are facing to serious hazards، therefore a comprehensive risk assessment program for identification of hazardous chemicals that affect human health and also determination of hazardous tasks and processes is necessary. This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in three stages. First stage consisted of identifying hazardous chemicals and determination of chemicals risk ratio، the second stage included the evaluation of worker''s exposure to hazardous chemicals، and the third stage was estimating the relative risk of blood cancer caused by exposure to benzene through epidemiological studies. With regard to risk assessment method، 40 chemicals were identified in this Petrochemical Company. Among them، Benzene introduced as the most hazardous chemical. The results of the second stage showed that site man workers in noon shift work and in aromatic site with mean exposure 4. 29 ppm had the highest exposure to benzene. The results of estimated leukemia relative risk stage in benzene exposure، the highest relative risk in workers related to site man workers in aromatic units with cumulative benzene exposure of 4. 149 ppm. Years that obtained the relative risk of 2. 3. The statistical test results showed that the relationship between worker''s exposure to benzene and their job was significant (p<0/001) This study showed that benzene with a risk ratio of 4. 5 -5 have 5th rank in risk levels and this indicates that preventative actions regarding to this hazardous and carcinogenic chemical must be started as soon as possible.

Hot and humid conditions are common in many parts of the world; these conditions can influence both the health and performance of individuals. Therefore to describe the environmental conditions appropriately، the amount of reliability of heat stress indices should be measured. The aim of this study was evaluating the reliability of WBGT and P4SR by comparison to core body temperature in an OilTerminal. The participants (94 persons) were two groups of acclimatized and not acclimatized employees of different units of the Oil Terminal. After identifying the units and their activities، air and wet temperatures، WBGT، and core body temperature (oral and tympanic) were measured in three situations including outdoor، indoor، and rest activities. The statistically significant correlation was found between above mentioned heat stress indices with oraland tympanictemperatures (P<0/05). The regression equations were shown that the most determinant coefficient belong to WBGT and tympanic temperature (R2=0/571). It was found that the WBGT and P4SR with core body temperature had significant correlations and WBGT had the most accuracy to predict heat stress in employees.

Backgoround and

Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent psychological disorders in common population. Medical students have many exposures in their occupational environment (university، hospital…) and these exposures have different effects on their physical and psychological health. In this study، our aim was to assess the prevalence of anxiety in female medical students of Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2010-2011 according to different items including educational section، marital status and habitancy situation.

This is a descriptive-analytic cross sectional study. This study was conducted in female medical students of Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2010-2011، using Stratified sampling method. We selected 196 persons of this population and evaluated them with Spielberger state- trait anxiety inventory and demographic questionnaire. The SPSS Ver. 15 was used for data entry and analysis.

In this study the prevalence of general anxiety، overt anxiety and hidden anxiety in female medical students was obtained 28. 5%، 25. 5% and 16. 3% respectively.

It can be concluded that the prevalence of overt anxiety was higher in interns than others and the prevalence of hidden anxiety was higher in students lived in dormitory than other students. In addition، there was no significant correlation between prevalence of anxiety and marital status.

In a healthy organization، staff''s physical and mental health is as important and considerable as production and productivity. Burnout is a result of long-term tension and stress in the job environment. Its symptoms occur when employees'' power and potency is not enough for the job environment demands. Emotional exhaustion، depersonalization and lack of personal accomplishment are three dimensions of burnout. In this survey we studied the nursing job environment considering nurses'' participation in hospital affairs، foundation for quality of nursing care، managerial support and leadership، staffing/resource adequacy and collegial nurse-physician relation and their effects on nurses'' burnout level. his survey is a cross-sectional، descriptive-analytical study to review of nursing job environment on nurses'' burnout dimensions in TUMS (Tehran …) general-teaching hospitals in 1386. For this study، 214 nurses (confidence interval %95، powers %80 and attrition %30) were selected randomly. Data were gathered using Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and Nursing Work Index (NWI) questionnaires filled in by studied nurses. The validity of these questionnaires determined using masters'' instructions. To determine the reliability of NWI questionnaire، a pilot study was conducted and its reliability coefficient (Cronbach’s alpha) was 0. 88. The reliability and internal validity of MBI questionnaire had been proved in previous studies. Data were analyzed by SPSS 11. 5 and Logistic regression and Chi-Square test. Results show that hospital type and nurses'' sex have effects on lack of personal accomplishment frequency and hospital type influences lack of personal accomplishment severity. Depersonalization frequency is effected negatively by decreasing foundation for quality of nursing care (OR=2. 326) and lack of managerial support and leadership (OR=4. 553) and limited collegial nurse-physician relation (OR=1. 339). Depersonalization severity is influenced negatively by decreasing foundation for quality of nursing care (OR=3. 310). Lack of managerial support and leadership (OR=2. 152) effects negatively on emotional exhaustion frequency، and finally، exhaustion severity is effected negatively by lack of foundation for quality of nursing care (OR=3. 838)، staffing/resource adequacy (OR=2. 440) and collegial nurse-physician relation (OR=2. 552). Also، logistic regression results show that all mentioned relationships (given standard errors) are positive that means increasing a variable results in increasing the other variable and vice versa. The type and numbers of patients refer to the studied hospitals، using flexible working models، applying new working ideas، team working، participating in hospital affairs، preparing educational and preferment opportunities for employees، providing managerial support etc. have important effects on the frequency and severity of burnout dimensions.

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. 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). 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. It is possible to predict، identify and reduce the human errors in control rooms using SHERPA.

The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of respiratory symptoms (phlegm، cough، shortness of breath and wheezing) and lung functional impairments associated with occupational inhalation exposure to carbon black (CB) dust among employees of a rubber industry. All of the eligible، CB exposed، employees of the industry (72 subjects) as well as 69 unexposed employees from the same industry (referent group) were investigated. Subjects were interviewed and were given standardized respiratory symptom questionnaires to answer. Furthermore، pulmonary function tests (PFTs) were measured before and after the work shift for exposed subjects and once during the work shift for referent subjects. Furthermore، to assess the extent to which workers were exposed to CB، using standard methods، inhalable and respirable dust fractions of it were measured. Levels of exposure to inhalable and respirable CB dust were estimated to be 6. 2±1. 7 and 2. 3±0. 29 mg/m3، respectively. Symptoms of respiratory disease such as regular cough، phlegm، wheezing and shortness of breath were significantly more prevalent among exposed workers. Furthermore، compared to unexposed group، significant decreases in mean values of VC، FVC and FEV1 of exposed workers were noted. The findings of this study show that exposure to high atmospheric concentrations of CB may result in a significant increase in the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and significant decrements in the mean value of some parameters of pulmonary function with a spirometric pattern consistent with restrictive pulmonary disorders.

Femalenurses are among people who exposed to various stressors because of their critical job conditions. This exposure predisposes them to stress and emotional exhaustion. One of the important stressors in nurses'' workplaces is injustice. The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of injustice on stress and emotional exhaustion in a multilevel model. The present study is a modern descriptive correlation one. Research statistical population included the female nurses of a hospital in Esfahan City in autumn 1389 (140 nurses)، among them، 100 persons were selected using convenience sampling. The data gathering instruments were job stress questionnaire with 5 items، emotional exhaustion with 9 items and three questionnaires، each with 3 items for distributive، procedural and interactional injustice. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) and mediation analysis. The results indicated that، there were positive significant relationship between distributive، procedural and interactional injustice with female nurses'' stress and emotional exhaustion (P<0. 01). The results of SEM indicated that، in two level relationships، there were direct relationships between interactional and procedural injustice with job stress and between job stress with emotional exhaustion، but there was no direct relationship between distributive injustice and job stress. Mediation analysis also showed that job stress is a complete mediator variable in relations between procedural and interactional injustice with emotional exhaustion. The evidences from confirmed model of the research indicated that، procedural and interactional injustice is a serious stressor for female nurses، which to continue، results in emotional exhaustion.

Managers decision making style can function effectively correct departments in universities and its positive impact on organizational health group will increase efficiency. The present study aims to examine the relationship between the decision-making styles and organizational health departments in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. A descriptive and survey research method was utilized. The statistical population included all 594 members of Isfahan Medical Science University Colleges from which a sample of 201 was selected though a classified random sampling The data gathering instruments included، a researcher – made decision making questionnaire and the Ho & Feldmn (1990)، organizational health questionnaire. The reliability of the instruments was estimated 0. 86 and 0. 92 respectively، though Cronbach Alpha coefficient. Utilizing SPSS (15) statistical software، both descriptive and inferential statistics were applied to analyze the data. Consultative decision making scored the highest average among the chairpersons، while the authoritative style scored the lowest average. The departments'' organizational health was more than mean level in all dimensions except chairperson''s influence. Moreover، a significant relationship was observed between decision making style and organizational health indices. Also a direct relationship was not observed between authoritarian decision makings and institutional integration، chairperson influence، consideration، initiating structure، and academic emphasis. A direct relationship was observed between Consultative decision making and chairperson influence، consideration، initiating structure، resource support، morale، and academic emphasis. A direct relationship was observed between Participative decision making and chairperson Influence، consideration، initiating structure. Consultative and participative decision making can lead to enhancement and maintenance of organizational health. High morale and institutional integration are among important organizational health dimensions and they enhance teaching and research processes in departments.