Assessing personal protective equipment usage and its correlation with knowledge, attitudes, performance, and safety culture among workers in small and medium-sized enterprises.

BACKGROUND: The use of personal protective equipment (PPE) should be a culture of a workplace, and deeply rooted in worker behavior and attitude during their practice. According to the recent studies only 64% of the workers use PPE properly. The present study aims to investigate the utilization of PPE among workers in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and its relationship with knowledge, attitude, performance, and safety culture among workers. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was carried out using a questionnaire tool across SMEs in Kashan city in year 2023. The used tool included three questionnaires: demographic, safety culture, and knowledge, attitude and performance. Study papulation was 529 SMEs. Totally, the sample size was 369 persons and questionnaires were distributed among the workers of SMEs. Finally, SPSS software was used for statistical analysis and structural equation modeling. Various statistical tests including T-Test, ANOVA, RMSEA, CFI, TLI, and the chi-square ratio were employed. RESULTS: The mean values (standard deviation) of age and work experience were 35.19 (12.33), and 15.60 (1.69) years, respectively. Among the 369 participants, 267 participants (72.4%) indicated that they use some PPE, although not all types. However, 102 individuals (27.7%) do not employ any PPE. The lowest score for safety culture dimension was attributed to safety training at 1.58. The results of the final model indicate that the assumed relationships between variables, as outlined in the study objectives, were well established, with all connections proving statistically significant. CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that the missing of inadequate legal supervision for small industries exists. Therefore, it can be inferred that if supervision and regulation are enhanced for safety training and implementation that may lead to increased usage of PPE.

Investigation of psychosocial factors on upper limb musculoskeletal disorders and the prevalence of its musculoskeletal disorders among nurses: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Musculoskeletal disorders are one of the most important occupational problems especially among nurses. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in upper limbs and its associated psychosocial factors in the workplace. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted by searching the Medline/PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, ISI/web of knowledge and Google Scholar databases. The authors classified studies into categories of psychological work stressors and musculoskeletal problems. The statistical analysis was performed using Stata software. RESULTS: We found 1742 articles in our initial search. After reviewing the titles, abstracts and full texts, 66 articles were finally analyzed. Psychosocial factors affecting the prevalence of upper limb musculoskeletal disorders among nurses were identified which included boring work, inadequate staffing, job demands, insufficient support, time pressure, decision latitude, job dissatisfaction, and job stress. There was a significant relationship between these factors and prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in the wrists, shoulders, neck and shoulders, and wrists and hands. CONCLUSION: Collectively, the results of this study provide strong evidence of some psychosocial factors affecting the prevalence of upper limb musculoskeletal disorders among nurses. Thus, organizational interventions to minimize these stressors may be promising in reducing one risk factor for the development of nurses' musculoskeletal disorders. These interventions should not only consider the factors of physical ergonomics but also seek to improve the organizational aspects of the workplace.

Fuzzy Logic Modeling of Factors Affecting Musculoskeletal Disorders in a Steel Factory in Iran: A Cross-Sectional Study.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to model associated factors affecting musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), using fuzzy logic in a steel factory in Iran. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on steel industry workers. A 6-part questionnaire was used, consisting of demographic characteristics, occupational stress, work-family conflict, general health, occupational postures, and Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. Pearson correlation was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: The prevalence of MSDs for 270 participants in the studied factory was 94.8%. Job stress, work-family conflict, general health, and work posture had a statistically significant relationship with MSDs (P < .05). The fuzzy model demonstrated 23.8% predictability for the actual data of the study. The defuzzification data had significant correlation with real data of MSDs. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study provided a new perspective about associated factors affecting MSDs and demonstrate that fuzzy logic can be used as a possible tool for evaluating MSDs.

Epidemiology and risk factors of needlestick injuries among healthcare workers in Iran: a systematic reviews and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Occupational contact with blood and body fluids poses a significant risk to healthcare workers. The aim of this systematic review is to investigate the epidemiology and risk factors affecting needlestick injuries (NSI) in healthcare personnel in Iran. METHODS: In March 2020, researchers studied six international databases such as Medline/PubMed, ProQuest, ISI/WOS, Scopus, Embase, and Google Scholar for English papers and two Iranian databases (MagIran and SID) for Persian papers. Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Critical Appraisal Checklist was used to assess quality of studies. The method of reporting was based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement. RESULTS: A total of 43 articles were included in the analysis. Results showed that females (OR = 1.30, 95 % CI 1.06-1.58, P value = 0.009), younger age (OR = 2.75, 95 % CI 2.27-3.33, P value < 0.001, rotated shift workers (OR = 2.16, 95 % CI 1.47-3.15, P value < 0.001), not attending training courses (OR = 1.30, 95 % CI 1.07-1.56, P value = 0.006), working in the surgery ward (OR = 1.83, 95 % CI 1.33-2.50, P value < 0.001), less work experience (OR = 1.43, 95 % CI 1.04-1.95, P value = 0.025) apposed a greater risk factors for NSI among healthcare workers. CONCLUSION: Based on the results of this review, factors such as young age, less work experience, work shift, and female gender are considered as strong risk factors for NSI injury in Iran. Preventive measures including education programs can reduce the burden of NSI among healthcare personnel.

Using fuzzy logic approach to predict work-related musculoskeletal disorders among automotive assembly workers.

Background: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are considered an important health concern, particularly in automotive assembly industries. Evaluation of the effects of all MSDs risk factors is difficult due to its multifactorial nature. In addition, the risk factors cannot be detected accurately when they are only based on individual opinions. Thus, in this study, fuzzy logic tool was used to evaluate the combined effects of all risk factors on MSDs. Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted on 100 male workers in an automotive industry. Job satisfaction, job stress, job fatigue, and body posture were evaluated by a self-reported questionnaire. Body posture was evaluated using Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA). Primary data analysis on extracting the input variables of MATLAB was performed by SPSS 22, with a significant level of 0.05. T test, one-way Anova, and Pearson correlation analysis were used to extract the input variables for the fuzzy logic model. The results obtained from the Nordic questionnaire was selected as the output of the fuzzy model. Fuzzy logic assessment was performed using MATLAB software version 7.0. Results: There were significant differences between WMSDs factors, including job fatigue, strain, working posture, and the REBA final score, and pain in all limbs of the body (p<0.05). A significant difference was also found between working posture with wrist score (p<0.05). The findings on defuzzification showed a strong correlation between real and modelling results. Conclusion: The results showed that many factors such as posture, fatigue, and strain affect MSDs. Based on the obtained results, all categories of risk factors, including personal, psychosocial, and occupational, should be considered to predict MSDs, which can be achieved by a modeling approach.

Pore-scale investigation of low-salinity water flooding in a heterogeneous-wet porous medium.

Low-Salinity Water Flooding (LSWF) is a technique aimed at modifying the interactions between rock and fluids particularly altering wettability and reducing interfacial tension (IFT). However, there remains limited understanding of how heterogeneous wettability and the presence of Initial Water Saturation (Swi) can impact the effectiveness of LSWF. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of LSWF mechanisms in the context of heterogeneous wettability, while also considering Swi. The simulations were conducted using OpenFOAM, employing a non-reactive quasi-three-phase flow solver that accounts for wettability alteration and IFT reduction during the mixing of Low-Salinity (LSW) and High-Salinity Water (HSW). A heterogeneous pore geometry is designed, and four distinct scenarios are simulated, encompassing both heterogeneous and homogeneous wettability conditions while considering the presence of Swi. These scenarios included secondary High-Salinity Water Flooding (HSWF), tertiary and secondary LSWF. Notably, the simulations reveal that secondary LSWF consistently yields the highest oil recovery across all scenarios, achieving recovery rates of up to 96.98 %. Furthermore, the presence of Swi significantly influences the performance of LSWF in terms of oil recovery, particularly in heterogeneous wettability conditions where it boosts recovery by up to 3.5 %, but in homogeneous wettability, it decreases recovery by nearly 26 %. These simulations also underscore the pivotal role played by the distribution of oil and HSW phases in profoundly affecting the outcomes of LSWF.

The global incidence and associated factors of surgical gloves perforation: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Surgeon's hands are exposed to a range of chemical and physical stressors that influence the integrity of gloves. Thus, glove perforation facilitates pathogen transmission through the holes. Numerous studies have shown that glove perforation is of great importance, but there is still no complete consensus. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the safety conditions of surgical gloves based on the incidence of glove perforation among surgical teams. METHODS: A literature review was conducted by searching PubMed, Embase, Scopus, ISI, and ProQuest databases. The incidence of glove perforation was reviewed in eight categories. A total of 580 articles were found in the initial search. RESULTS: 109 articles containing 130 datasets were analyzed. The overall incidence of glove perforation was 14.44 %. Surgeons had the highest incidence of glove perforation (23.09 %). An increase in the duration of surgery increased the odds of perforation. It was found that 68.58% of the glove perforations were not identified by practitioners. CONCLUSION: Despite major advances in the design of surgical gloves, the issue of safety and integrity of gloves has not improved. Due to the high incidence of surgical glove perforations, most of which had not been identified, it is imperative to consider strategies to minimize the incidence of perforation. The results of the present study can be used to integrate information related to the rate of perforation of surgical gloves in different surgeries.

A scientometric study of unsafe behavior through Web of Science during 1991-2020.

Objectives. This scientometric study aimed to investigate research and hot topics on unsafe behavior. Methods. The study was performed using scientometric analysis mapping tools, such as CiteSpace, Gephi, MINITAB and VOSviewer, for statistical analysis. Studies published in Web of Science were included. Results. The first study was published in 1987. The results of the study showed that the Safety Science journal with 111 studies (10.45%) presented most of the published studies in this field. The USA and China were the two highest producing countries, with 289 and 229 published studies, respectively. The results of keywords and hot topics showed that between 1991 and 2000 safety climate, safety performance and modeling were ranked as the first to third most frequent words, and during 2001-2010 safety performance was removed from the list of top 10 keywords while safety climate and modeling were ranked, respectively, ninth and sixth most frequent. Finally, between 2011 and 2020, the keyword of organizational factors rose to first rank, indicating the significance of this keyword in the future. Conclusions. According to the results of the present study, it can be concluded that future studies on unsafe behavior can be conducted in the field of organizational factors.

Analysis of the research subjects and hot topics of occupational diseases through the Web of Science from 1975 to 2021.

A variety of studies have been conducted in Occupational diseases (ODs) and this makes it difficult for researchers to identify new areas of study. Therefore, the present study was conducted by examining Web of Science data to identify hot topics and research topics on ODs. This is a scientometric study performed using CiteSpace and Gephi software for statistical analysis. The published article in Web of Sciences was searched using the keywords "Occupational disease*" OR "Occupational illness*" OR "Industrial disease*" OR "Industrial illness*". Finally, the countries and institutions and their cooperation, the most important and main topics discussed, and the path of future progress in ODs was analyzed. Preliminary results of the study show that out of 5,947 articles. The results of important journals showed that the American Journal of Industrial Medicine with 233 articles (6.02%), Oxford Occupational Medicine, and International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health with 86 (2.22%), and 83 (2.15%), respectively. The two producing countries are the United States and Germany, which published 628 and 419 articles, respectively. The results of hot topics showed occupational exposures, epidemiology, mental health, and respiratory diseases were the most important keywords used in these 45 years. It can be concluded that Germany, with its current development trend in the coming years, will surpass the United States based on the number of articles and gain the first rank. Also, future studies can be conducted on respiratory diseases as the most important ODs and health care work as the most important job during the past years.

The Prevalence of Unsafe Behaviors in Iranian Workers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Unsafe behaviors are the cause of 80% of accidents. However, there has also been no worldwide review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of workers' unsafe behaviors. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate and estimate the prevalence of unsafe behaviors among Iranian workers using a systematic review and meta-analysis study. METHODS: This systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted from Nov to Dec 2018. The researchers searched Medline/PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Science Direct, and Google Scholar for international articles and four Iranian databases (Scientific Information Database, MagIran, IranMedex, and IranDoc) for Persian articles. The method of reporting this study was based on the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis) checklist. RESULTS: Overall, 235 articles from databases were imported to EndNote library. Final screening of the included studies produced a total of 38 studies. Based on the random-effect model, the prevalence of total unsafe behaviors, nonuse or inappropriate use of personal protective equipment, and inappropriate work posture was 40.37% (CI 95% = 35.8-44.9), 27.79% (CI 95% = 21.2-34.3), and 14.87% (CI 95% = 10.7-18.9). There was no statistically significant relationship between unsafe behaviors and mean age, mean of work experiences, and year of study. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of unsafe behaviors among Iranian workers was relatively high and the most common behaviors were non-use or inappropriate use of PPE; one of the most important causes for this behavior is lack of training, inappropriate working conditions, and lack of positive attitude towards safety. Therefore, further studied are required to investigate the causes of these unsafe behaviors.

The Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Disorders among Miners around the World: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Musculoskeletal disorders are responsible for significant problem for workers' health. The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among mining workers. METHODS: This systematic review and meta-analysis study were designed in 2020 (from Jan to Mar). The researchers searched five international databases Medline/PubMed, ProQuest, Scopus, Embase and Web of Science. All analyzes were performed using STATA statistical software. RESULTS: The search results were 447 articles and after screening stage finally 50 studies were included in review. The highest number of studies (26 studies) reported the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders of upper back and 4 studies reported the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders of the arms and ankles & feet. The results of meta-analysis based on prevalence in different organs showed that the highest prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders was in the upper back and the lowest in the knees with a prevalence of 50.39% (CI 95%: 31.23-54.73%) and 16.03% (CI 95%: 11.78-20.28%), respectively. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among miners is relatively high. Therefore, supervisors and mine managers should pay more attention to reducing musculoskeletal disorders and increasing the ergonomic level of mines in order to increase workers' health.

The Factors Affecting Unsafe Behaviors of Iranian Workers: A Qualitative Study Based on Grounded Theory.

BACKGROUND: Some researchers state that they are not yet able to provide a deep understanding of the underlying causes of unsafe behaviors (UBs). Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the attitudes and experiences of Iranian workers of UBs. METHODS: This present study was conducted in 35 industries using a semistructured interview based on grounded theory. Forty participants were interviewed, including 13 industrial safety and health experts and 27 workers and supervisors. The analysis of the present study consisted of a three-step coding process including open, axial, and selective coding. RESULTS: The results showed that the factors affecting UBs could be classified into three categories: organizational, individual, and socioeconomic factors. Organizational factors were divided into 6 parts: procedure and environmental conditions, communications, monitoring, organizational safety culture, resource allocation, and human resources. Socioeconomic factors had three subcategories: community safety culture, type of organizational ownership, and economic problems. Finally, the individual factors were classified into two categories of personality traits and individual competence. CONCLUSION: The results showed that organizational factors were the most categorized, and it is estimated that this factor has a more important role in the UBs. Of course, to better understand the close relationship between these factors and find the weight and importance of each factor, it needs to measure it with multicriteria decision systems.

The survival rate of hepatocellular carcinoma in Asian countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Hepatocellular carcinoma or Liver cancer (LC) is the sixth most common cancer and the fourth cause of death worldwide in 2018. There has not been a comprehensive study on the survival rate of patients with LC in Asia yet. Therefore, the present study was conducted to evaluate the survival rate of patients with LC in Asian countries. The methodology of the present study is based on the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis) statement. The researchers searched five international databases including Medline/PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Web of Knowledge and ProQuest until July 1, 2018. We also searched Google Scholar for detecting grey literature. The Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Form was used to evaluate the quality of selected papers. A total of 1425 titles were retrieved. 63 studies met the inclusion criteria. Based on the random-effect model one-year, three-year and five-year survival rate of LC were 34.8 % (95 % CI; 30.3-39.3), 19 % (95 % CI ; 18.2-21.8) and 18.1 % (95 % CI ;16.1-20.1) respectively. According to the results of our study, the LC survival rate in Asian countries is relatively lower than in Europe and North America.

Survival Rate of Prostate Cancer in Asian Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Prostate cancer is one of the most common health issues among men, especially older men. In recent years, incidences of prostate cancer is increasing. Objective: The aim of this study was to provide a comprehensive estimate of the survival of prostate cancer in Asian countries. Methods: We searched five international databases including Medline/PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Web of Knowledge and ProQuest until June 1, 2018. The Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment was used to evaluate the quality of selected papers. The review protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42019117044). Results: A total of 714 titles were retrieved. Thirty-seven studies met the inclusion criteria. Based on the random-effect model one-year, five-year and ten-year survival rate of prostate cancer were 81% (95% CI 77.8-84.2), 61.9% (95% CI 59.5-64.3) and 36.2% (95% CI 9.2-63.2) respectively. Survival rates based on HDI level for five-year were 30.07, 43.43 and 70.84 percent for medium, high and very high levels, respectively. Conclusion: According to the results of our study, the prostate cancer survival rate in Asian countries is relatively lower than in Europe and North America.

An Analysis of Individual and Social Factors Affecting Occupational Accidents.

BACKGROUND: Workforce health is one of the primary and most challenging issues, particularly in industrialized countries. This article aims at modeling the major factors affecting accidents in the workplace, including general health, work-family conflict, effort-reward imbalance, and internal and external locus of control. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Esfahan Steel Company in Iran. A total of 450 participants were divided into two groups-control and case-and the questionnaires were distributed among them. Data were collected through a 7-part questionnaire. Finally, the results were analyzed using SPSS 22.0 and Amos software. RESULTS: All the studied variables had a significant relationship with the accident proneness. In the case group, general health with a coefficient of -0.37, work-family conflict with 0.10, effort-reward imbalance with 0.10, internal locus of control with -0.07, and external locus of control with 0.40 had a direct effect on occupational stress. Occupational stress also had a positive direct effect on accident proneness with a coefficient of 0.47. In addition, fitness indices of control group showed general health (-0.35), work-family conflict (0.36), effort-reward imbalance (0.13), internal locus of control (-0.15), and external locus of control (0.12) have a direct effect on occupational stress. Besides, occupational stress with a coefficient of 0.09 had a direct effect on accident proneness. CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that although previous studies and the present study showed the effect of stress on accident and accident proneness, some hidden and external factors such as work-family conflict, effort-reward imbalance, and external locus of control that affect stress should also be considered. It helps industries face less occupational stress and, consequently, less occurrence rates of accidents.

Occupational Health Problems and Safety Conditions among Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: A Cross-sectional Study in Shiraz, Iran.

BACKGROUND: Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) include a large part of manufacturing jobs and play an important role in developing national economics and employment. OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to investigate occupational health problems and safety conditions among SMEs in Shiraz, Iran. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 711 SMEs, including 371 small enterprises (fewer than 25 workers) and 340 medium enterprises (25-99 workers), in Shiraz, Iran. The participants were selected randomly among the workplaces under the coverage of social security insurance. The researcher-made questionnaire, which consisted of demographic characteristics, the frequency rate of occupational accidents, and exposure to workplace harmful agents, were distributed among participants. FINDINGS: The results showed there were significantly more physical and chemical harmful agents in medium enterprises compared to small ones (P < 0.001). However, the frequency rate of accidents in small enterprises was significantly higher than in medium enterprises (P < 0.001). Also, there was no significant difference between the studied enterprises in ergonomic hazards, except for awkward posture, whose frequency rate was significantly higher in small enterprises (P < 0.05). Finally, among the reported symptoms, the prevalence of eye, skin, ear, and respiratory symptoms was significantly higher in medium enterprises compared to small enterprises (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Occupational health and safety (OHS) regulations in medium enterprises have led to improved OHS conditions compared to small enterprises. Therefore, small enterprises should be included in OHS regulations.