[Effect of the mental and physical disorders status of Tehran's public transportation system bus drivers on the occurrence of crashes]

In many studies, chronic diseases are associated with incidence of driving accident. The main objective of the present study is investigation the effect of physical and mental disorders status of bus drivers on the occurrence of crashes. This research is a cross-sectional and descriptive-analytical study that was performed on 665 bus drivers' public transportation system in Tehran. The samples were selected randomly and to the proportion of working population in nine bus systems or areas. In order to investigate physical [disease] and mental [family problems] disorders demographic information and health status questionnaires were used. The relationships between variables analyzed through Univariate analysis of variance [UNIANOVA] and Kendall's tau-b tests by SPSS 16 of software. The results showed 68.7% of drivers with mental disorders [with family problems] in both groups from healthy and unhealthy [physical diseases] drivers' had average 3.2 crashes in the last three years. Furthermore the tests of Univariate analysis of variance [UNIANOVA] [F = 0.43, p <0.05] and Kendall's tau-b [r = 0.112, p <0.01] showed significant and positive correlation between family problems and the number of self-reported crashes over the previous three years. Because of the increased risk of crashes among drivers suffering from mental problems, it is assumed that the removal of economic problems and the use of psychological consultations will reduce family problems including poor emotional relationships of family members which play an important role in increasing attention and concentration of the drivers while driving and consequently reducing traffic crashes.

[Assessing the recommended weight limit in manual carrying of loads in packaging lines of a factory in Qazvin]

Manual carrying of loads is one of the most important causes of occupational lumbago in workplaces. The reasons for application of recommended weight limit is due to injuries frequently occur in workers while pushing or conveying objects. The aim of this research was to assess the recommended weight limit in manual carrying of loads using NIOSH standard in Packaging lines of a factory within the industrial city of Qazvin. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out in one of the factories of industrial city of Qazvin in 2008. Three palette workers who were selected randomly included in our study. On each palette, cartons were arranged in 4 rows each containing 16 cartons. From 16 points on each row, 8 points were selected for assessment. Later, through determination of the multipliers of load lifting, the RWL [resistible weight limit], which is the final product of this equation, was obtained and the LI [lifting index] of each worker calculated. Calculation [definition of variables and coefficients as well as calculation of RWL and LI] and drawing of diagrams were performed using Excel program. Considering the recommended RWL, the box weight used in this study [15 kg] was heavier than the recommended weight limit [9.55 kg for origin and 7.33 kg for destination] and the LI was excited in all cases. By correcting the coefficients associated with load lifting height, distance of load displacement, and turning angle of the body, the LI can decrease to a great extent

[Review the proportion of university seats with body dimensions of students at the School of Public Health of Qazvin University of Medical Sciences in 1388]

Educating of students that have the ability to solve society problems, is considered as the most important task of universities. This important issue is achieved through effective education in a safe and stress free environment. Proper design of classroom seats proportional to anthropometric characteristics of students not only can improve academic quality but also prevent musculoskeletal disorders. In addition it may encourage students to practice correct sitting habits. This study was conducted to check the correlation of physical dimensions of students and prevalence of musculoskeletal disorder with educational chair dimensions that provided by companies. This descriptive - analytical study was performed on 115 students of 18 to 27 years. 15 anthropometric parameters with sitting on the chair were measured by anthropometry page and anthropometric caliper gauge. Dimensions of two Types of seats provided in the classrooms were compared with the standard seat dimensions. Comparison of dimensions confirmed that seat dimension and students dimensions correspond with one another only in elbow length parameter and other parameters were not correspondent with each other. T-Test showed that there are significant differences between girl and boy parameters. Comparison of the results of measurement of physical dimensions and chair dimensions with results of emotional dissatisfaction questionnaire and body map chart showed that plastic chair is better then wooden type in term of comfort., chair kind and slope of back rest, and in using plastic chairs students do not have to change their sitting postures; however, due to incorrect design of foot rest and high effective depth of sea, discomfort and pain in lower limbs is higher in plastic chairs when compared with wooden chairs

[ effects of an educational intervention on knowledge, attitude and ergonomic behaviors]

Obviously, decreasing the work-related musculoskeletal disorders is well achieved through the application of ergonomic design principles however, there are occasions in which the existence of some barriers [technical and economical] can preclude ergonomic improvement and therefore, some organizations rely on correct task performance methods. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of educational intervention on worker's knowledge increase, attitude change, and ergonomic habits promotion. In this interventional study, workers were randomly assigned to one of the two study groups: a case group receiving the ergonomic training [n=75], and a control group [n=75]. Ergonomic training program composed of five sessions of 30-45 minutes duration containing issues such as ergonomic science, human body mechanic, upright and awkward postures, pros and cons of upright posture maintenance, and solutions for removal of obstacles, stretch exercise for prevention of musculoskeletal disorders, and workstation adjustment. Data were gathered before and 3 months after intervention by self-reporting questionnaire and checklist. Reliability was assessed by test-retest method and the internal consistency evaluated by Cronbach's Alpha. Statistical analysis was performed using X[2] test, McNemar test, independent t-test, and paired t-test. Worker's knowledge significantly increased from 7.97 +/- 2.91 to 14.07 +/- 1.98 and the attitude change from 14.29 +/- 6.5 to 21.63 +/- 4.7 three months after educational intervention [p> 0.05]. No significant change was observed in control group. Regarding the ergonomic risk factors, our findings were indicative of significant change in general body and feet posture, trunk, neck, and wrist and hands postures while other ergonomic risk factors remained unchanged Results from this study emphasize on necessity of integrated educational-managerial and engineering approach to promote the workplace ergonomic condition as well as considering the substantial role of psychosocial factors such as knowledge and attitude and focusing on personal skills for improving ergonomic habits to achieve a higher level of health promotion among human power

[ study of the physical status of emergency wards' personnel in hospitals affiliated to qazvin university of medical sciences through reba [rapid entire body assessment] method and its relation with muscular and skeletal disorders in Qazvin, Iran]

Since occupational hazards are prevalent in emergency wards' personnel due to occupational stresses and nonstandard work facilities and equipment, and any negligence as to these personnel may reduce the quality of nosocomial services, to improve the quality of the hygienic and therapeutic services provided by this ward, the physical status of emergency wards' personnel including physicians, nurses, workers and administrative personnel should be assessed as the first step. For this purpose, it was the goal of this project to assess the physical status of the personnel of the emergency wards of hospitals affiliated to Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, in Qazvin, Iran, and discover the relation it had with muscular-skeletal disorders. This study was a descriptive-analytical one. The participants included all personnel of the emergency wards of Shahid Rajaei Hospital and Bouali Hospital and were selected from the four educational hospitals affiliated to Qazvin University of Medical Sciences. The occupational-bodily status of the subjects was first assessed by Rapid Entire Body Assessment Method. To study the muscular-skeletal disorders, Nordic's Standard Questionnaire was used. Finally, the obtained data were analyzed by SPSS/win 16 software, and statistical tests including Chi-Square and Coefficient Correlation Tests. In this study, the maximum amount of prevalent pain was found to be 51%, occupational accidents [6.7%] and the longest period of pain was found to exist in the waist area. In most cases, "pain in the neck" was the factor limiting the work activities, and it was also the reason for most cases of absenteeism and referring to physician during the last year. The body status score of most personnel was in the range of 4 to 7 according to REBA method. The risk proved to be at an average level and a corrective action in this regard seemed to be essential [71%]. Ultimately, the results revealed that no significant relation existed between REBA score of each member of the body and the pain felt in the same body part [P>0.05]. The total REBA scores of each individual proved to have a significant reverse relation with the education level, while it had a significant direct relation with stress intensity [P<0.05]. The research findings revealed that in 71% of work stations of the emergency wards in the above said hospitals, the need for taking corrective measures is essential, in 9% of these work stations, such corrective measure should be taken immediately and in 9%, these corrective measures are deemed very necessary. Thus, the current condition has led to the intensity of muscular-skeletal disorders, mostly in neck area

School desk and chair design based on high school female students anthropometry Qazvin, Iran 2007 to 2008

Anthropometry data compiled from body dimensions of female high school students are used to optimize the design of desks and chairs for the classrooms of these students. It is necessary to design suitable desk/chair based on anthropometry data in order to reduce musculoskeletal, visual, circulatory problems, and bad posture during long hours of studying. The goal of this study is to design desks/chairs based on the standard BS 5873 using the body dimensions of 240 female high school students. 240 female students, between the ages of 15 to 17 years old were selected from six different high schools in district 2 of city of Qazvin in Iran. Data for this study were gathered using an interview method and anthropometry measurement devices. Eighteen body dimension parameters of 240 female high school students were obtained. The collected data were analyzed and compared to the standard using SPSS methods. The participant students were divided into 2 groups and customized desk/chair designs were built to fit their body dimensions. There is a significant difference between each customized desk and chair dimension, and standard dimensions used in the industry with an exception of the heights of these designs. We suggest that customized designs based on body dimensions promote correct posture, comfort and health