Psychometric properties of the Persian version of Proactive-Safety Role Orientation questionnaire (PRO-SAFE).

BACKGROUND: Participation and initiative of workers are effective in promoting safety in the workplace. Proactive-Safety Role Orientation questionnaire (PRO-SAFE) is a proper tool to evaluate the psychological drivers that support the proactive orientation of individuals toward workplace safety. This study was conducted to translate and measure the psychometric properties of the Persian version of PRO-SAFE. METHODS: The PRO-SAFE was translated into Persian using procedures for translation and cross-cultural adaptation. To collect data, 252 employees of a steel complex were selected. To measure the validity of the questionnaire, face, content, convergent, and construct validity was utilized. The questionnaire's reliability was evaluated by assessing its internal consistency. RESULTS: The mean of the content validity index and content validity ratio was equal to 0.83 and 0.85, respectively. We found a positive correlation between PRO-SAFE and safety behavior dimensions (r = 0.372 to 0.792, P < 0.001). Confirmatory factor analysis showed the Persian version of the PRO-SAFE questionnaire had an excellent six-factor model consistent with the original questionnaire. Cronbach's alpha of the Persian version of the PRO-SAFE questionnaire was obtained between 0.717 to 0.880. CONCLUSIONS: The Persian version of the PRO-SAFE questionnaire was found to have appropriate psychometric properties, indicating that it can be confidently used as a valid tool for assessing proactive role orientation toward safety management among Iranian employees.

Effect of simultaneous exposure to inhalational anesthetics and radiation on the adaptive response in operating room personnel.

Some operating room personnel, such as orthopedic surgeons, are exposed simultaneously to inhalational anesthetics (IAs) and radiation that both can cause DNA damage. Some studies have shown that low doses of radiation reduce DNA damage when the cells are followed by a higher dose of the same or related agent. This study, therefore, set out to compare DNA damage in the anesthesiologists, radiologists, orthopedic surgeons, and healthcare staff (non-exposed group). In this cross-sectional study, breathing zone concentrations of anesthetic gas nitrous oxide (N2O) were measured in the studied groups using standard method. Additionally, DNA damage was measured by micronucleus (MN) assay. The mean concentrations of N2O in the anesthesiologists and orthopedic surgeons were 450.27 ± 327.44 ppm and 313.64 ± 216.14 ppm, respectively. The mean annual exposure to X-rays radiation in radiologists and orthopedic surgeons was 15.65 ± 8.46 mSy/year and 3.56 ± 1.32 mSy/year, respectively. MN frequencies were significantly higher in anesthesiologists and radiologists exposed to IAs and X-rays radiation respectively than in the non-exposed healthcare staff. While, there were no statistically significant differences between MN frequencies of orthopedic surgeons exposed to both IAs and radiation and healthcare staff. These findings suggest that an earlier exposure of orthopedic surgeons to a small dose of ionizing radiation can increase their resistance to genotoxicity caused by high doses of N2O, a phenomenon that is called adaptive response.

The relation between shift work, sleepiness, fatigue and accidents in Iranian Industrial Mining Group workers.

The aim of this study was to examine the rate of fatigue and sleepiness around the shift and non-shift workers and its relation to occupational accidents. This was a cross-sectional study on the workers of Iranian Industrial Mining Group. They included 137 shift workers as the case and 130 non-shift workers as the control. A multi-part questionnaire including demographic characteristics, Piper Fatigue Scale and Epworth Sleepiness Scale were applied. The chi(2) test and t-test were used to measure differences between variables. The mean of PFS scores in the two groups was significantly different (p=0.045), but the difference in the mean of ESS scores was not significant. Shift workers with the reported accident had a higher score on fatigue than shift workers with no accident (p<0.001) whereas the difference in the number of accidents in the two groups was not related significantly to the rate of sleepiness. The rate of fatigue and the number of the work accidents was more in the shift workers. Also, fatigue had a stronger relationship with the occupational accidents as compared to sleepiness. It seems that evaluation of fatigue as compared to sleepiness is a more accurate factor for preventing work accidents.

Evaluation and comparison of respiratory symptoms and lung capacities in tile and ceramic factory workers of Yazd.

Tile workers are exposed to dust particles and are susceptible to multiple pulmonary complications. Problems like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary symptoms, and silicosis are more common among them. As there are many tile factories in Yazd, we decided to evaluate the respiratory symptoms and lung capacities in these workers and compare them with controls. This study included 176 tile and ceramic factory workers occupationally exposed to dust and 115 unexposed workers as controls. We recorded the respiratory symptoms using the British Medical Research Council questionnaire and measured lung capacities of the two groups.All study subjects were male, and the two groups were comparable in age and smoking. The exposed group had frequent respiratory symptoms and a significant relationship between them and duration of employment. In addition, lung capacities in ceramic workers with symptoms were lower than in workers without the symptoms. Even though the respiratory symptoms were more frequent in the exposed group than in controls, lung capacities of the two groups were similar.