ABSTRACT
Background: The gravity point of all management systems in the new approach of global worldwide standards includes management and assessment of risks and opportunities. Although the spread of COVID-19 as a global pandemic has threatened the health of the workforce and caused catastrophic human and economic consequences, the occurrence of this global challenge has also created opportunities to pay more attention to the risk assessment of biological harmful agents in the workplace. Therefore, this study was designed and implemented to analyze the risk of COVID-19 based on fuzzy logic. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional and descriptive-analytical study was conducted in 5 hospitals and health-treatment centers in Qom City, Iran (2019). The study sample included 247 employees of these medical centers. The risk assessment of COVID-19 is based on the rapid COVID-19 hazard analysis (RCHA) technique in which the risk level is calculated based on the three components of disease probability, consequence severity, and health belief level. Also, the data were analyzed using fuzzy logic. Results: The results of the fuzzy analysis of COVID-19 risk in these medical centers showed that the studied subjects were placed in five risk levels, including 10.5, 16.25, 26.75, 38.5, and 56.0. These results revealed that the group of nurses is at the highest risk of COVID-19 compared to the other seven groups working in medical centers. The definite risk of COVID-19 among people in this group was calculated at four levels equal to 16.25, 26.75, 38.5, and 56.0. Conclusion: The results of fuzzy analysis of COVID-19 risk indicated that the three groups of nurses, patient carriers, and ward services have the highest risk, respectively. Therefore, these groups should be prioritized in providing suitable solutions to prevent this disease. © 2022, Negah Institute for Scientific Communication. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Considering the importance of implementing occupational safety and health management systems for the prevention of various diseases in the workplace, as well as determining the notability and role of induction and implementation of occupational health management systems in controlling and reducing COVID-19 outbreak in work environments, as one of the most sensitive and important of society sectors, this study aimed to compare the prevalence of Covid-19 disease in two groups of industries with and without occupational health management systems and related management risk factors in several industries, in Iran. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed in May 2020 during the outbreak of coronavirus in some industries under Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences' supervision. During the present study, 70 industries included 24 industries active in chemical products, 6 industries of automotive parts manufacturing, 14 industries of home appliance manufacturing, 16 industries of health and cosmetics products, 4 industries of metal products, and six service companies were studied. The studied population included two industries with an occupational health management system (33 industries) and industries without an occupational health management system (37 industries). In this study, a checklist was designed to collect study data based on the requirements and parameters of occupational health management systems, as well as information related to infectious diseases such as COVID-19, which included information on COVID-19 disease in two groups of studied industry, occupational medicine, biological hazards risk management, occupational health information management system, training, and employee participation, as well as the management parameters of COVID-19 outbreak. Statistical analysis of the study data was performed using the Chi-square test and Fisher's exact test by SPSS. 23 software. Results: The number of workers working in the two groups of industries with and without occupational health management systems was 673 and 708, respectively. Among 33 industries with occupational health management systems, 12.1% industries had health, safety, and environment management system (HSE-MS), 66.7% industries had OHSAS 18001:2007 standard, and 21.2% industries also had ISO 45001:2018 certification. It was found that the prevalence of Covid-19 disease in those industries without occupational health management systems was significantly higher (p<0.05). It has been found that Covid-19 outbreak in industries without occupational health management systems was significantly higher (p<0.05). The findings also showed that there was a significant difference between the parameters of occupational medicine, risk management of biological hazards, occupational health information management system, training and employee participation, as well as the management parameters of COVID-19 disease in the two groups of studied industries (p<0.05). Conclusion: The findings of the present study indicated that there was a significant relationship between the scores of occupational medicine parameters and occupational health information management system, risk management of biological hazards, training and employee participation, management of COVID-19 and finally the prevalence of the disease among industries with or without occupational health management system. So, implementation and establishment of occupational health management systems can be an effective step in reducing the prevalence of viral and infectious diseases such as COVID-19.
ABSTRACT
Background and aims: The outbreak of COVID-19 is currently a major concern, and timely understanding of people's mental health status in the workplace has become an important issue. Physical-psychological parameters such as mental workload and job stress are among the most important components in determining the job performance of employees in work environments. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of COVID-19 epidemic on job stress and mental workload of employees in a chemical industry. Methods: This longitudinal study was conducted in two stages (before and during the COVID-19 outbreak in Iran) from December 2019 to May 2020 in a chemical industry in Bushehr province. It should be noted that the first phase of this study was conducted before the outbreak of coronavirus in the form of a cross-sectional study. However, after the outbreak of coronavirus and in order to investigate the changing trend in the parameters of mental workload and job stress among participants, this study was performed in two stages in the form of a longitudinal study. The statistical population included all employees working in a chemical industry. The sample size was calculated using Cochran's formula with an error level of 0.05 and included 182 workers who were selected by simple random sampling method. The inclusion criterion was having at least one year of work experience and exclusion criteria were the presence of chronic mental illness, the use of sedatives, and insufficient willingness to participate in the study. Participants were able to drop out of the study at any stage if they were unwilling. Before starting the study and completing the questionnaires, all the necessary information about how to complete the questionnaires was explained to the staff and they expressed their willingness to take part in the study. However, to prevent a decrease in the number of participants in the study, the number of employees who entered the study included 200 people (182 people + 10% of the total sample size (18 workers)). The NASA-TLX mental workload questionnaire and the HSE job stress questionnaire were used to evaluate mental workload and job stress, respectively. The data collected during the present study were analyzed using IBM SPSS statistical software version 25. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to test the normality of data distribution. The findings of this statistical test showed that the distribution of data was normal in all cases (p >0.05). Descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, frequency) were reported and statistical analysis was performed using paired sample t-test (to compare the mean of characteristics of the two psychological components of mental workload and job stress before and during the outbreak of coronavirus) as well as Chi-Square / Fisher's exact test. All tests were performed at a significance level of 0.05. Results: The means of age and work experience of the subjects were 32.88±9.53 and 9.45±4.23 years, respectively. The results of mental workload assessment based on the NASA-TLX index showed that the mean score of mental workload before and during the prevalence of coronavirus disease was 56.32± 9.58 and 66.45±11.82, respectively, and that there was a significant relationship between these values (p <0.05). Furthermore, a significant correlation was observed between the mean score of the dimensions of mental demand, overall performance, and frustration level before and during the outbreak of coronavirus. It was also found that the average score of all aspects of mental workload, except for temporal demand and overall performance, increased during the outbreak of coronavirus. The greatest increase was observed in the values of mental demand components and frustration level (Table 2). The results of the job stress assessment showed that the mean score of job stress before and during the outbreak of coronavirus disease was 80.78±18/29 and 68.88±12.74, respectively. Moreover, it was found that the prevalence of coronavirus disease significantly increased the job stress level of employees (p 0.05). Ultimately, these findings showed a significant relationship between the values of mental workload and job stress in employees before and during the coronavirus disease (p<0.05). Conclusion: An examination of people's mental workload based on the NASA-TLX index revealed that the prevalence of COVID-19 significantly increased the mental workload of the studied staff. It was found that the mean values of the dimensions of mental demand and the frustration level were significantly increased at the time of the outbreak of COVID-19. The findings revealed that the prevalence of COVID-19 had increased the level of mental workload imposed on employees, as well as the level of frustration, insecurity, and stress of employees when performing their duties. It was also found that the COVID-19 epidemic significantly reduced employee performance, making staff less satisfied with their overall performance in the workplace. Previous studies have also shown that the spread of viral diseases can increase a person's workload, which is consistent with the results of the present study. The study revealed that occupational stress levels increased during the outbreak of coronavirus. Previous studies have shown that the spread of viral diseases such as Mers and COVID-19 increases the level of anxiety, stress, insomnia, and depression among people. A study by Kim et al. revealed that after the outbreak of viral diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-COV), a person's level of burnout and stress increased, which could severely affect a one’s job performance, which is in tandem with the results of the present study. The present study was conducted for the first time to investigate the effect of coronavirus outbreak on physical-psychological components in the industrial sector in Iran. Therefore, the results of the present study can provide a novel insight into the impact of coronavirus epidemic on the components of mental workload and job stress in different work environments. The findings of the present study revealed that the prevalence of coronavirus disease has been able to affect different physical and psychological dimensions of personnel in the workplace. Therefore, psychological intervention is essential to improve the mental health of employees during and after the COVID-19 epidemic. © 2020 Iran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
This study aimed to evaluate the effect of COVID-19 epidemic on job stress and mental workload of employees in a chemical industry. This longitudinal study was conducted in two stages (before and during the COVID-19 outbreak in Iran) from December 2019 to May 2020 in a chemical industry in Bushehr province. It should be noted that the first phase of this study was conducted before the outbreak of coronavirus in the form of a cross-sectional study. However, after the outbreak of coronavirus and in order to investigate the changing trend in the parameters of mental workload and job stress among participants, this study was performed in two stages in the form of a longitudinal study. The statistical population included all employees working in a chemical industry. The means of age and work experience of the subjects were 32.88+or-9.53 and 9.45+or-4.23 years, respectively. The results of mental workload assessment based on the NASA-TLX index showed that the mean score of mental workload before and during the prevalence of coronavirus disease was 56.32+or- 9.58 and 66.45+or-11.82, respectively, and that there was a significant relationship between these values (p <0.05). Furthermore, a significant correlation was observed between the mean score of the dimensions of mental demand, overall performance, and frustration level before and during the outbreak of coronavirus. It was also found that the average score of all aspects of mental workload, except for temporal demand and overall performance, increased during the outbreak of coronavirus. The greatest increase was observed in the values of mental demand components and frustration level (Table 2). The results of the job stress assessment showed that the mean score of job stress before and during the outbreak of coronavirus disease was 80.78+or-18/29 and 68.88+or-12.74, respectively. Moreover, it was found that the prevalence of coronavirus disease significantly increased the job stress level of employees (p <0.05). Ultimately, these findings showed a significant relationship between the values of mental workload and job stress in employees before and during the coronavirus disease (p<0.05).
ABSTRACT
Background and Aim: The COVID-19 pandemic has a profound effect on various occupations and has different consequences for the working community. This study was designed and conducted to investigate the psychological consequences of the prevalence of COVID-19 on the occupational community in Iran. Methods: This study was a follow-up study that was conducted in two phases (before and during the outbreak of COVID-19) from November 2019 to April 2020 in a chemical industrial complex in South Khorasan province, Iran. The study involved 330 employees in the chemical industry. The lifestyle and burnout of the employees were evaluated and analyzed using Walker's health-promoting lifestyle questionnaire and Maslach burnout inventory questionnaire, respectively. Results: The participation rate of individuals was 91.2% (301 employees). The mean age and work experience of the subjects were 38.1±13.4 and 9.9±8.7 years, respectively. There was a significant difference between the lifestyle and job burnout values before and during the outbreak of COVID-19 (p0.05). Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that the prevalence of COVID-19 has imposed many negative effects on the psychological components of the occupational community such as lifestyle and burnout. Therefore, it is suggested that psychological interventions be performed to improve the mental health of staff to reduce the psychological consequences of the outbreak of this disease. © 2020 Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Background and Aim: One of the most important measures in the field of occupational health management in work environments is to evaluate the risk of diseases with the aim of providing preventive and reducing solutions to the risk of diseases and disorders in the workplace. Therefore, this study was designed to evaluate the risk of COVID-19 in high-risk occupational environments using the rapid risk analysis technique. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in May 2020 in three high risk workplaces including 5 banks, 4 post centers and 2 hospitals in the city of Hamadan, Iran. The tools used in this study included a rapid risk analysis technique. In this semi quantitative technique, the risk level is calculated based on three components: disease probability, severity (consequence), and level of health belief. Results: The findings showed that the risk level of COVID-19 is high for all studied subjects. The lowest and highest risk of COVID-19 in bank employees was estimated at 200 and 300, respectively. The lowest and highest risk of covid-19 in the hospital wards were 50 and 100, respectively. In addition, the low and high risk of covid-19 in the four postal centers were evaluated 50 and 150, respectively (unacceptable risk40). Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that the rapid risk analysis technique for COVID-19 can be considered as a suitable technique for screening in the workplace. Due to the high risk of infection in the study workplaces, it is recommended to provide appropriate protection and health measures to prevent the disease in these workplaces. © 2020 Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.