Relationship between oral temperature and sleepiness among night workers in a hot industry

Night work can have a significant impact on health, well-being, performance and occupational safety of workers. Night workers often complain about the sleep disorder characterized by excessive sleepiness. The aim of the study was to determine the level of sleepiness among night workers and investigate its relationship with oral temperature in a hot industry. This cross-sectional study involved 80 night workers. Stanford Sleepiness Scale [SSS] has been used to measure the level of sleepiness. Oral temperature and SSS were recorded at different hours of night shift [23 pm to 4 am] for two consecutive nights. The analysis of results showed that there was a positive linear trend in the sleepiness scale [Pvalue<0.001] and an increasing trend in the oral temperature between 23pm and 1am. Then a decreasing trend has been observed after 1am for both of them [Pvalue <0.001]. Comparison of the results for two nights indicated that the mean sleepiness index in the second night is higher than the first [Pvalue <0.001], but the mean oral temperature in the second night was equal to that in the first night. Findings suggest a weak negative association between sleepiness and oral temperature. [r=-0.24, Pvalue =0.03]. A substantial proportion of subjects were working while sleepy, especially at late night and early morning hours. The combination of heat stress and sleepiness can lead to impaired performance. The growing amount of sleepiness index indicates the high risk of sleep disorders and the other possible problems related health among night shift workers

Association of subjective and interpretive drowsiness with facial dynamic changes in simulator driving

Background: Major injuries and death in accidents have roots in drowsiness. Sleepiness is a main result of insufficient sleep. It is vital to explore drowsiness and its level. There are various sorts of methods in the forms of subjective and objective approaches. The goal of this study was to detect the association of subjective and interpretive drowsiness with facial dynamic changes

Methods: This experimental study was conducted in the Virtual Reality Lab, in Khaje-Nasir Toosi University of Technology, Tehran Iran on 40 drivers in 2015. Facial Dynamic changes [eyes, mouth and eyebrows], Karolinska Sleepiness Scale [KSS] and Observer Rating of Drowsiness [ORD] were applied. The neural network and Viola-Jones were utilized for facial characteristics detection. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS version 21

Result: Thirty-four drivers got drowsy during the test. They were selected randomly among suburban drivers at the age in a range of 26 to 60 yr old. Descriptive statistics of the dynamic changes in eyebrows, mouth and eyes showed that these features were of meaningful changes with respect to the level of drowsiness during driving. A relationship between the dynamic changes of facial features and ORD was recognized. Moreover, there was a significant relationship between facial expression and drowsiness [P<0.05]

Conclusions: Results of KSS and ORD illustrated that there were dynamic changes in eyes and mouth and eyebrow parameters while driver felt sleepy. This research is helpful in a way that specific changes in elements of face could be effective to provide tools to predict drowsiness

[ 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.