Majid Motamedzade

Background: Long-term use of computer in a static mode may cause musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in bank staff. Considering the high number of bank employees in different countries, such as Iran, the risk factors of these disorders should be investigated in order to implement interventions required to reduce the risk factors. This study aimed to examine the risk factors of MSDs using the Rapid Office Strain Assessment (ROSA) method and to perform an ergonomic intervention program with banking staff in Iran. Methods: This interventional study was conducted on 277 bank employees in Iran. Subjects were randomly divided into three groups, including a control group (without any intervention), an educational intervention (EI) group, and a group receiving both educational and physical intervention (EPI). Before and after the intervention, the ROSA method and Nordic questionnaire were used to assess the risk factors of MSDs in office jobs and to investigate the prevalence of MSDs. Data were collected 2 weeks before and 9 months following the intervention. Results: Before the intervention, the mean score of ROSA at workstations of all groups was above five with high risk. Nine months after the start of the intervention, there was a significant decrease in the mean ROSA score and its components in the two groups that received the intervention, which was statistically significant (P < 0.001). The results of the study of the prevalence of MSDs in the employees—before the intervention—indicate that the highest prevalence of MSDs in the control group was in areas of the neck (67.1%), back (64.4%), and lower back (63%). In the EI group, the highest prevalence of MSDs was in the neck (65.2%), lower back (61.6%), and back (60.7%) areas. In the EPI group, the discomfort areas were the neck (68.5%), shoulders (66.3%), and lower back (60.9%). Nine months after the intervention, there was a significant decrease in the prevalence of MSDs in the neck, shoulders, and lumbar regions of staff who received the intervention (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Nine months after performing the interventions, there was a relative improvement in workstations and prevalence of MSDs in various areas within the bodies of the bank staff. This study showed that using the ROSA method is appropriate for assessing the risk factors of office work and that it can identify deficiencies in workstations. These defects can be addressed by designing and implementing an EI program together with physical interventions according to the components of the ROSA method.

Introduction: Farming has been rated as an extensive and dangerous occupational activity that requires tolerating inappropriate physical condition. This study investigated the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and their related factors among farmers of Asadabad city in 2015. Materials and Methods: This descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional study was conducted on 378 male farmers in Asadabad city of Hamadan. A nordic standard questionnaire was used for data collection in this res

Background: Human error is one of the major causes of accidents in the petrochemical industry. Under critical situation, human error is affected by complex factors. Managing such a situation is important to prevent losses and injury. This study aimed to develop a dynamic model of human error assessment in emergencies in the petrochemical industry. Study design: A cross-sectional study. Methods: Fuzzy Bayesian network was used to improve the capabilities of the method for determining the control mode. Fuzzy-AHP-TOPSIS method was also used to prioritize emergency scenarios and human error assessment was applied for the most important emergency condition. Results: Fire in a chemical storage unit was recognized as the most important emergency condition. Common Performance Conditions (CPCs) were determined based on the opinions of a panel of 30 experts and specialists and 7 CPCs were selected for emergencies; then, based on the results of AHP method the relative weights were determined. Finally, membership functions, inputs, and outputs of fuzzy sets, CPC values in 8 emergency response tasks, and the probability of control modes were determined using Bayesian Cognitive Reliability and Error Analysis Method (CREAM) method. Conclusion: This method could be applied to overcome the weaknesses of traditional methods, provide a repeatable method for human error assessment, and manage human error in an emergency.

Background: Dutch Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (DMQ) is used to examine physical and environmental risk factors and to identify high-risk groups for exposure to the risk factors of musculoskeletal disorders at workplace. The aim of this study was to develop the Persian version of the DMQ and to assess its psychometric properties. ...

Background: This study aimed to investigate the effect size (ES) of air temperature on the executive functions of human brain and body physiological responses. Methods: In this empirical study, the participants included 35 male students who were exposed to 4 air temperature conditions of 18°C, 22°C, 26°C and 30°C in 4 separate sessions in an air conditioning chamber. The participants were simultaneously asked to take part in the N-backtest. The accuracy, electrocardiogram (ECG) signals and the respiration rate were recorded to determine the effect of air temperature. Results: Compared to moderate air temperatures (22°C), high (30°C) and low (18°C) air temperatures had a much more profound effect on changes in heart beat rate, the accuracy of brain executive functions and the response time to stimuli. There were statistically significant differences in the accuracy by different workload levels and various air temperature conditions(P<0.05). Although the heart beat rate index, the ratio between low frequency and high frequency (LF/HF), and the respiratory rate were more profoundly affected by the higher and lower air temperatures than moderate air temperatures (P0.05). Conclusion: The results confirmed that the unfavorable air temperatures may considerably affect the physiological responses and the cognitive functions among indoor employees.Therefore, providing them with thermal comfort may improve their performance within indoor environments.

Disrupting sleepiness and fatigue during the post-lunch dip by environmental factors may result in a decrease in human errors and accidents, and enhance job performance. Recent studies have shown that both red white light as well as blue white light can have a positive effect on human alertness and mental functioning. In the present study, the light intervention was evaluated for its effectiveness on alleviating the post-lunch dip. Twenty healthy volunteers experienced 117 min of four light conditions preceded by a 13-min initial dim light while performing a continuous performance test (CPT) and undergoing recording of the electroencephalogram (EEG): blue-enriched white light (12000 K, 500 lx, BWL), red saturated white light (2700 K, 500 lx, RWL), normal white light (4000 K, 500 lx, NWL), and dim light (<5 lx, DL) conditions. Other outcome measures were subjective sleepiness, mood, and performance tests (working memory, divided attention, and inhibitory capacity). We found that exposure to both BWL and RWL conditions decreased the lower alpha-band power compared to the NWL and DL conditions. No significant differences were observed in subjective sleepiness and mental performance during sustained attention, working memory, and inhibitory capacity tasks between NWL, RWL, and BWL conditions. The present findings suggest that both RWL and BWL, compared to NWL condition, can improve the physiological correlates of alertness in EEG measurements. However, these changes did not translate to improvements in task performance and subjective alertness.

Fatigue and sleepiness are one of the main causes of human errors and accidents in the workplace. The empirical evidence has approved that, in addition to stimulating the visual system, light elicits brain responses, which affect physiological and neurobehavioral human functions, known as the non-image forming (NIF) effects of light. As recent evidences have shown the positive effects of red or low correlated color temperature white light on alertness and performance, we investigated whether exposure to 2564 K light could improve subjective and objective measures of alertness and performance compared with 7343 K, 3730 K, and dim light (DL) conditions during the daytime. Twenty two healthy participants were exposed to the light while they were performing a sustained attention task and their electroencephalogram (EEG) and electrocardiogram (ECG) were recorded. Both 2564 K and 7343 K conditions significantly reduced EEG alpha-power compared with the DL and 3730 K conditions. Moreover, the 2564 K, 7343 K, and 3730 K conditions significantly reduced subjective fatigue, sleepiness and increased heart rate and performance compared with the DL condition. Furthermore, the effects of light conditions on alertness and performance varied over the day so that more effective responses were observed during the afternoon hours. These findings suggest that light interventions can be applied to improve daytime performance.

There is little epidemiological data to make reliable conclusions about the effects of exposure to cold on the body’s physiological responses. The current study aimed to address this lacuna in the available research. The study sample consisted of 50 outdoor mechanic workers as a case group and 15 staff members as a control group used in the outdoor automechanic workshops. Air environmental factors, including dry‐bulb temperature and air velocity, were measured by the portable hot wire thermo anemometer in the workstation of each subject. The body’s physiological responses were also measured during daily activities in accordance with ISO 9886. Using Semmes–Weinstein monofilament, touch sensory tests were conducted for determining hands’ sensorineural functions. The baseline measurements showed the mechanic workers had lower finger sensation levels and finger skin temperatures than the control group (p < 0.05). This may be attributed to long‐term exposure to acute cold air during cold seasons. However, after short‐term exposure to extreme cold environment, the mechanic workers showed lower losses in finger skin temperatures and finger sensation levels than the control group ( p < 0.05). The findings confirmed that prolonged localized cold exposure among mechanic workers can result in localized habituation of vasoconstrictor responses.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the physiological and mental health effects caused by exposure to low-frequency noise in typical control rooms and office-like areas. The participants were 35 male students who were exposed to noise at levels of 55, 65, 70, and 75 dBA. The N-back test was used at three cognitive performance loads (low workload (n = 1), medium workload (n = 2), and high workload (n = 3) to evaluate working memory simultaneously in an air conditioning chamber in four sessions with a constant level. The electroencephalography, electrocardiogram, and electrooculography were measured using Nexus 4 by Bio traces software (Mind Media Co.). For evaluation of mental fatigue, fatigue visual analog scale, and psycho-physiological indices were also used. The results showed that the losses of physiological and mental health were rapidly increased with exposure to noise levels of 65–75 dBA. The results showed that mental fatigue significantly affected heart rate, low- to high-frequency ratios, and electroencephalogram indices such as theta, alpha, as well as eye activities and working memory. The findings confirmed that the mental fatigue caused by low-frequency noise significantly impacted the employees’ psycho-physiological and working memory responses. Implementation of the effective interventions to overcome employees’ mental fatigue in typical control rooms and office-like areas can improve the health and acoustic comfort and, consequently, the cognitive performance.