Journal of Occupational Health and Epidemiology

128-135

Authors: HA Jamali , M Ghalenoei , M Yazdani Aval , E Taban , M Kolahdouzi , J Jalilian , M Rostami Aghdam Shendi *

Background: Anxiety disorders are among the most common types of psychological disorders in the world. Anxiety is an inseparable part of every person’s life and it seems that it is experienced more severely by university students. The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of anxiety and its related factors among environmental and occupational health students. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study in 2015, the participants were selected through census-based sampling; all the Bachelor students (continuous and discontinuous) of environmental and occupational health (141 respondents) from Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Iran, participated in this research. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire and Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory measuring respondents’ level of anxiety. The collected data were analyzed by independent samples t-test, analysis of variance, and Pearson correlation in SPSS software. Results: The prevalence rates of state and trait anxiety in the sample were 29.1% and 20.6%, respectively. Furthermore, 29.1% of students of environmental health and 57.9% of students of occupational health suffered from moderate to high levels of anxiety. The greatest prevalence of trait anxiety among students of environmental and occupational health was recorded for below moderate anxiety with indices of 72.8% and 84.2%, respectively. On the other hand, no significant relationship was observed between students’ year of study (ranging from the first to the fourth year) and state/trait anxiety. However, the results of Pearson correlation showed that there was a significant negative relationship between students’ grade point average and trait anxiety. Conclusions: Anxiety among university students of environmental and occupational health range from moderate to high. Some measures should be taken to reduce this level of anxiety.

144-149

Authors: S Karimi Zeverdegani , Y Mehrifar , M Faraji , M Rismanchian *

Background: Hazardous chemical agents in the welding operation are a mixture of metal fumes and toxic gases, the inhalation of which causes adverse health effects among welders. The emission of gases in the workplace is a logical cause for concern regarding the potential development of respiratory disease. The aim of the present study was to determine the concentration values of gases discharged during arc welding and perform risk assessment through semi-quantitative chemical risk assessment ‎(SQCRA) method. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in an Iranian steel mill on the 3 processes of plasma arc welding (PAW), submerged arc welding (SAW), and gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW). Direct reading instruments were used for sampling of carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen monoxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and ozone (O3). SQCRA method was used for risk assessment of gases. Results: The concentrations of O3 (0.356 ppm), CO (41.642 ppm), NO (6.357 ppm), and NO2 (4.871 ppm) were found to exceed their threshold limit values (TLVs), while the concentrations of CO2 (3879.285 ppm) were below its TLV. The maximum exposure concentration of all gases, except CO2, was observed in SAW. SQCRA method showed that among the gases, the highest and least risk rating was related to ozone and nitrogen monoxide, respectively. The risk rating for CO2, CO, and NO2 was low, high, and very high, respectively. Conclusions: In this study, exposure values were higher than the threshold limit values-time weighted average (TLV-TWA) and the results of risk assessment showed that control engineering should be applied and the use of respiratory protective equipment (RPE) should be made mandatory for welders especially in SAW, PAW, and GTAW processes.

157-164

Authors: M Mahdinia * , M Mirzaei Aliabadi , E Darvishi , A Mohammadbeigi , A Sadeghi , H Fallah

Background: Cognitive failure is mental lapses in perception, attention, memory, and action. It occurs during routine tasks that one would usually have no difficulty in successfully completing. Cognitive performance is influenced by conditions and some individual and job characteristics and the identification of factors that affect human performance is essential to prevent human error. The purpose of this study was to evaluate cognitive failures and identify individual and job related factors in industry employees. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 173 employees of an industry in Qom Province in Central Iran in 2016. The demographic information were collected via interviews and related questionnaires. Moreover, cognitive failures were assessed using the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ). Data analysis was performed using factor analysis, t-test, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regressions. Results: Factor analysis showed that cognitive failures have three domains (memory, attention, and action). Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the whole questionnaire was 0.89. The mean ± SD score of cognitive failures in the study group was 1.07 ± 0.55. The statistical analysis of the data revealed that there was a significant correlation between smoking, chronic disease, and work experience and cognitive failures (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Cognitive failures have a multi-dimensional structure and these dimensions have an integral relationship. It seems that chronic disease, smoking, and work experience cause an increase in the risk of cognitive failures, but this issue requires further and more comprehensive studies.

171-177

Authors: F Laal , M Hormozi * , R Fallah Madvari , N Noorizadeh , A Firouzi Chahak

Background: In most industries, employees are in contact with various chemical agents. The objective of this study was to assess the health risks posed by occupational exposure to harmful chemical agents in a pesticide manufacturing plant in Zahedan, Iran, in 2013. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in different units of a pesticide manufacturing plant. In order to evaluate the health risks associated with occupational exposure, a method provided by the Singapore Health Department was used. After identifying the pollutants, including benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX), CO, NO, NO2, and H2S, the degree of risk, the degree of exposure of the employees to the chemical agents, and the level of health risk were calculated. Results: The results showed that the highest hazard rate (HR) in all units was related to benzene and the lowest HR was related to NO and H2S. In the powder unit, the exposure rate (ER) and risk rate (RR) of NO2 were higher than other pollutants. Additionally, in different units, the RR of benzene was 2.23, which was the highest among the pollutants. Generally, the RR of all pollutants was very low (insignificant) and low. Conclusions: By using information related to the risks of chemical agents and results of assessments of the health risks of exposure to chemical pollutants, different occupations can be ranked in terms of exposure to chemical risk factors. This ranking can be used to prioritize the allocation of resources for control measures and reduce exposure levels to acceptable levels.