Temporal trend of occupational injuries; first versus second half of a working shift.

OBJECTIVES: To assess occupational injuries in the 1st versus 2nd half of a working shift in terms of (a) the likelihood of hospital referral following an injury event; (b) the external causes of injuries. METHODS: Logistic regression analyses of data from a 16-year (1991-2007) experience of ongoing surveillance of occupational injuries in a synthetic fiber factory in Iran. RESULTS: The likelihood of a hospital referral following an injury in the 1st half of a shift was higher than in the 2nd half (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.50, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.10-2.00). Comparing the 2 halves of the shift, an injury occurring in the 2nd half was more likely to be due to exposure to smoke, fire and flames (OR 2.34, 95% CI 1.06-5.19) or transport accidents (OR 1.84, 95% CI 1.06-3.21). CONCLUSIONS: Time-specific safety interventions could be used in the risk management of occupational injuries. Further studies to investigate the effect of time-dependent interventions are recommended.

Suicidal attempt and psychiatric disorders in Iran.

This study is part of broader research aimed to determine the lifetime prevalence and pattern of comorbidity on self-reported suicidal attempts in the general population of Iran. Overall, 25,180 subjects were interviewed, face-to-face, at home; the lifetime prevalence was 1.4% (0.9% males and 2% females). The majority of attempters were 26-55 years of age, married, more highly educated, female, retired, and lived in urban areas. Many of the attempters (45.3%) reported at least one psychiatric disorder during their lifetime; major depressive disorder (22%), panic disorder (6.3%), and obsessive compulsive disorder (6%) was the most common. Because less than half of suicidal attempters reported a psychiatric disorder, the existence of other pathways to suicide may be important foci for prevention. Many of the demographic correlates of suicidal behavior in Iran are very similar to those seen in Western cutlures; however, the sociodemographic factors such as few working women and very low levels of divorce is quite different to that of Western populations.