[ study of the association between oral temperature and sleepiness among night-shift workers in a glass industry]

Night-shift work has adverse effects on workers' health, productivity, and occupational safety. Night workers have complaints about sleepiness, decreased performance, and sleep disorders, due to disruption of circadian rhythm function. This research aimed to determine the level and process of sleepiness among night workers of a hot industry and evaluate its correlation with oral temperature. This study was performed as a cross-sectional study on 80 night-shift workers who were exposed to heat. The sleepiness level of the subjects was measured by Stanford Sleepiness Scale and their oral temperature were recorded at different hours [from 22 pm to 4 am] for two consecutive nights. Data analysis was performed using independent and paired t-tests, one-way ANOVA, repeated measures ANOVA, and Pearson correlation coefficient. The significance level was considered to be p<0.05. In this study, an increasing linear trend over time was obsereved for sleepiness index [p<0.001]. The mean of oral temperature had an increasing trend from 11 pm to 1 am and a decreasing trend afterward [p<0.001]. Also, the mean sleepiness index in the measurement hours of the second night was higher than that of the first night [p<0.001], but, the mean oral temperature in the second night was onsistent with the results obtained in the first night. The sleepiness index among night-shift workers was significantly decreased with increasing oral temperature [r=0.24, p=0.03]. According to the findings of this study, there was an inverse correlation between sleepiness and oral temperature after a few hours of exposure to heat. In this study, sleepiness symptoms were subjectively recorded based on the workers' self-expression; therefore, it is suggested that paraclinical trials, such as hormonal assessments be considered

Descriptive Study of Occupational Accidents and their Causes among Electricity Distribution Company Workers at an Eight-year Period in Iran

BACKGROUND: Occupational accidents are unplanned events that cause damage. The socio-economic impacts and human costs of accidents are tremendous around the world. Many fatalities happen every year in workplaces such as electricity distribution companies. Some electrical injuries are electrocution, electric shock, and burns. This study was conducted in an electricity distribution company (with rotational 12-hour shift work) in Iran during an 8-year period to survey descriptive factors of injuries. METHODS: Variables collected included accident time, age of injured worker, employment type, work experience, injury cause, educational background, and other information about accidents. RESULTS: Results indicated that most of the accidents occurred in summer, and 51.3% were during shift work. Worker negligence (malpractice) was the cause of 75% of deaths. Type of employment had a significant relationship with type of injuries (p < 0.05). Most injuries were electrical burns. CONCLUSION: High rate of accidents in summer may be due to the warm weather or insufficient professional skills in seasonal workers. Shift workers are at risk of sleep complaints leading to a high rate of work injuries. Acquiring knowledge about safety was related to job experiences. Temporary workers have no chance to work all year like permanent workers, therefore impressive experiences may be less in them. Because the lack of protective equipment and negligence are main causes of accidents, periodical inspections in workshops are necessary.