Burden of injury due to occupational accidents and its spatiotemporal trend at the national and subnational levels in Iran, 2011-2018.

PURPOSE: The spatiotemporal trend of the burden of injury due to occupational accidents in Iran, 2011-2018 were assessed at the national and subnational levels. METHODS: The burden of occupational injury was estimated using three datasets of occupational injury data, the employed population, and duration and disability weight of injuries. RESULTS: The disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), deaths, DALY rate, and death rate (per 100,000 workers) of occupational injury in Iran drastically decreased from 169,523, 2,280, 827, and 11 in 2011 to 86,235, 1,151, 362, and 5 in 2018, respectively. The DALY rates of occupational injury were significantly different by gender and age in a manner that the DALY rate of men was much higher than that of women and the DALY rates by age group in 2018 ranged from 98 for 50 y and over to 901 for 15-19 y. The shares of injury outcomes in the total DALYs in 2018 were as follows: 63.6% for fatal injuries, 17.4% for fracture, 7.9% for open wound, 7.3% for amputation, and 3.8% for other injuries. Over 83% of the DALYs was observed in three economic activity groups of construction, manufacturing, and community, social, and personal service activities. The three provinces with the highest DALY rates in 2018 were Markazi, West Azarbaijan, and East Azarbaijan, respectively. CONCLUSION: Despite the decreasing temporal trend, the burden of occupational injury in Iran in 2018 was high. The high-risk groups and hot spot provinces should be taken into more consideration for further reduction of the injury burden.

Graphene oxide/MIL 101(Cr) (GO/MOF) nano-composite for adsorptive removal of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4 D) from aqueous media: synthesis, characterization, kinetic and isotherm studies.

Contamination of water resources with various pollutants and therefore lack of clean water resources are major problems that threaten many human societies. The need to develop efficient methods and materials to decontaminate water resource is an undeniable fact. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), as new class of highly crystalline porous solids, have attracted a great deal of attention in different research fields, especially in adsorptive removal and purification. In this study, MIL 101(Cr) MOF decorated with graphene oxide nano-layers (GO/MOF) was synthesized by a simple one-pot hydrothermal method. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and electron dispersion energy (EDS) were utilized to approve the growing of Cr-MOF on graphene oxide nano-layer. The synthesized nano-composite was used as a potential adsorbent for the removal of a pesticide, 2, 4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4 D). The adsorption performance, kinetic and mechanism of 2,4 D adsorption onto GO/MOF were studied. The highest adsorption capacities of 476.9 mg g-1 was obtained at room temperature, pH 6.0 using 0.6 gL-1 of GO/MOF which was 34% higher than that of pristine Cr-MOF. The kinetics and isotherm data fitted well with pseudo-second kinetic and Langmuir isotherm model, respectively. The reusability and stability analyses showed that the synthesized GO/MOF nanocomposite kept 89% of sorption capacities for 2,4 D after four adsorption-desorption cycles. GO/MOF nano-composite was successfully applied to remove 2,4 D from agricultural waste. The results approved that the synthesized nano-composite could introduce as a stable and high performance adsorbent for adsorptive removal of selected pesticide.

An innovative index for assessing vulnerability of employees of different occupations from the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran.

The vulnerability of employees of different occupations from the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Iran was assessed using an innovative index. The vulnerability index was developed in five steps as follows: (1) determining the principles and components of employees' susceptibility and resilience, (2) weighting the principles and components, (3) converting the levels of components to the sub-index values, (4) introducing the aggregation functions, and (5) characterizing the vulnerability index values in five categories as very high (80-100), high (65-79), medium (50-64), low (30-49), and very low (0-29). The average values of susceptibility, resilience, and vulnerability index of the employees were determined to be 35.2 ± 15.0, 73.9 ± 17.0, and 32.9 ± 12.7, respectively. The average resilience of the employees was more desirable than their average susceptibility. The distribution of the employees into the vulnerability index categories was 46.3% for very low, 41.9% for low, 3.6% for medium, and 8.2% for high. The worst cases of susceptibility and resilience principles were exposure to contaminated surfaces (59.1 ± 22.8) and top management commitment (66.6 ± 23.1). The elderly staff (especially over 50 years old), employees with low education levels, and employees in private and self-employment sectors were significantly more vulnerable (p value < 0.01) from the COVID-19 pandemic. The principles with significant incremental effects on the vulnerability index (p value < 0.05) were respectively top management commitment (+1.78), exposure to COVID-19 patients at work (+1.36), exposure to contaminated surfaces (+0.82), installing clear shields and wearing PPE (+0.59), observance of social distancing (+0.48), and just culture (+0.22). An especial plan to support the more vulnerable employees with an emphasis on the principles with the most incremental effects on the vulnerability index can efficiently control the inequality between the employees as well as occupational transmission of the COVID-19 in Iran.

Age-sex specific and cause-specific health risk and burden of disease induced by exposure to trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs) from drinking water: An assessment in four urban communities of Bushehr Province, Iran, 2017.

Health risk and burden of disease induced by exposure to trihalomethanes (THMs, four compounds) and haloacetic acids (HAAs, 5 compounds) from drinking water through ingestion, dermal absorption, and inhalation routes were assessed based on one-year water quality monitoring in four urban communities (Bandar Deylam, Borazjan, Bushehr, and Choghadak) of Bushehr Province, Iran. The total average concentrations of THMs and HAAs at all the communities level were determined to be 92.9 ± 43.7 and 70.6 ± 26.5 µg/L, respectively. The dominant components of the THMs and HAAs were determined to be tribromomethane (TBM, 41.6%) and monobromoacetic acid (MBAA, 60.8%), respectively. The average contributions of ingestion, dermal absorption, and inhalation routes in exposure to the chlorination by-products (CBPs) were respectively 65.0, 15.4, and 19.6%. The total average non-carcinogenic risk as the hazard index (HI) and incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) of the CBPs at all the communities level were found to be 4.03 × 10-1 and 3.16 × 10-4, respectively. The total attributable deaths, death rate (per 100,000 people), age-weighted disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and age-weighted DALY rate for all ages both sexes combined at all the communities level were estimated to be 1.0 (uncertainty interval: UI 95% 0.3 to 2.8), 0.27 (0.08-0.75), 30.8 (11.3-100.1), and 8.1 (3.0-26.4), respectively. The average contribution of mortality (years of life lost due to premature mortality: YLLs) in the attributable burden of disease was 94.7% (94.4-95.6). Although in most of cases the average levels of the CBPs were in the permissible range of Iranian standards for drinking water quality, the average values of ILCRs as well as attributable burden of disease were not acceptable (the ILCRs were higher than the boundary limit of 10-5); therefore, implementation of interventions for reducing exposure to CBPs through drinking water especially in Kowsar Dam Water Treatment Plant is strictly recommended.

Health risk of phthalates in water environment: Occurrence in water resources, bottled water, and tap water, and burden of disease from exposure through drinking water in tehran, Iran.

Occurrence of phthalates in water resources, bottled water, and tap water, and health risk of exposure to the phthalates through drinking water in Tehran, Iran, 2018 were studied. The six phthalates with the most health and environmental concerns, including di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), dimethyl phthalate (DMP), and di-n-octyl phthalate (DNOP) were monitored in drinking water and water resources. The average levels (±standard deviation: SD) of the total phthalates in drinking water from the water distribution system, bottled water, surface waters, and ground waters were determined to be 0.76 ±â€¯0.19, 0.96 ±â€¯0.10, 1.06 ±â€¯0.23, and 0.77 ±â€¯0.06 µg/L, respectively. The dominant compounds in the phthalates were DMP and DEHP causing a contribution to the total phthalate levels higher than 60% in all the water sources. The phthalate levels of drinking water significantly increased by contact of hot water with disposable plastic and paper cups and by sunlight exposure of bottled water (p value < 0.05). The hazard quotients (HQs) of DEHP, BBP, DBP, and DEP for all ages both sexes combined were determined to be 1.56 × 10-4, 1.01 × 10-5, 1.80 × 10-5, and 1.29 × 10-6, respectively that were much lower than the boundary value of 1.0. The disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and DALY rate (per 100,000 people) attributable to DEHP intake through drinking water for all ages both sexes combined were estimated to be 6.385 (uncertainty interval: UI 95% 1.892 to 22.133), and 0.073 (0.022-0.255), respectively. The proportion of mortality in the attributable DALYs was over 96%. The attributable DALY rate exhibited no significant difference by sex, but was considerably affected by age in a manner that the DALY rates ranged from 0.052 (0.015-0.175) in the age group 65 y plus to 0.099 (0.026-0.304) in the age group 5 to 9 y. Both the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risks of the phthalates in drinking water were considered to be very low. The results can also be of importance in terms of developing frameworks to expand the domain of burden of disease study to the other environmental risks.

Synthesis and characterization of a new magnetic adsorbent for removal of 4-nitrophenol: application of response surface methodology.

Magnetic modified graphene oxide was synthesized as a new modified magnetic nano-composite (MMNC) by a simple sonochemical-hydrothermal method. The sonochemical reaction was employed to exfoliate, functionalize and decorate neomycin on graphene oxide sheets. Nickel ferromagnetic particles were synthesized by hydrothermal co-precipitation method and decorated on neomycin-modified graphene oxide. The morphology and chemical structure of MMNC were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction spectroscopy. The adsorption capability of MMNC for removal of phenolic compounds was assessed through adsorption of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) from aqueous solution. The three-factor Box-Behnken design coupled with response surface method was applied to evaluate and optimize the important variables which affect the adsorption process. A significant quadratic model (p-value <0.05, R2 (adj) = 0.9593) was derived using analysis of variance. The maximum adsorption capacity of 125.4 mg 4-NP/g MMNC at pH 6 was obtained, which was comparable in some cases and higher than most adsorbents reported in the literature. The presence of neomycin on graphene oxide sheets improved the maximum adsorption capacity of the nano-sorbent up to 28% (from 98.7 to 125.4 mg 4-NP/g adsorbent). The adsorption isotherms fitted well with the Langmuir model (Langmuir constant b = 0.064 l/mg, R2 = 0.9989) and the kinetic study showed that the nitrophenol uptake process followed the pseudo-second-order rate expression (R2 ≥ 0.9960, pseudo-second-order constant K2 ≥ 1.7 × 10-3).

Explaining of the experts' points of view about the types and importance of man-made hazards in Iran's process industries: A qualitative study.

Introduction: Process industries may have different hazards that can cause serious injury to humans, the environment, and the economy. Considering the importance of man-made risks in process industries, Experts' Points of View should be considered to apply risk reduction strategies Hence, the present study was performed to explain the views of experts regarding the types and importance of man-made hazards in process industries. Materials and methods: This study was conducted using a qualitative method of directed content analysis with a deductive approach. The participants included 22 experts in the field of process industries. The selection of samples started purposeful and continued until data saturation. Data collection was done through semi-structured interviews. Results: Based on experts' points of view, 5 man-made hazards in process industries were classified into 14 subcategories. The man category was divided into three subcategories: human error, technical knowledge error, and management error, the Material category was divided into 3 sub-categories of leakage and rupture, chemical properties, physical properties, Medium category was divided into two sub-categories of incorrect location selection and placement and harmful environmental factors, Machines category was divided into three sub-categories of failure in design, failure in Preventive Maintenance (PM), failure in Safety Instrumented System (SIS), and the Methods category was classified into three sub-categories: defects in inspection, defects in information, defects in executive instructions. Conclusion: Technical training to reduce personnel errors, conducting risk-based inspections to control leaks and possible ruptures, careful design and site selection in the initial phase of the project, is recommended. The use of engineering methods and artificial intelligence to obtain the risk number and control methods to reduce the harmful effects of risks can be helpful.

Improvements in musculoskeletal symptoms, mental workload and mental fatigue: Effects of a multicomponent ergonomic intervention among call center workers.

BACKGROUND: Call center workers are highly susceptible to work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) as well as mental stress. Nonetheless, there has been a surprising paucity in the body of the research regarding interventions among call center workers. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effectiveness of a multicomponent ergonomic intervention program on mental workload, mental fatigue and WRMSDs of call center employees. METHOD: A non-randomized interventional study with a single group pretest-posttest design was conducted among 84 call center workers of a private telecommunication company in the city of Tehran, Iran. At the baseline, data regarding WRMSDs prevalence, mental workload and mental fatigue were collected by means of standard Nordic, NASA-TLX and SOFI questionnaires, respectively. Then, subjects participated in a multifaceted intervention program including comprehensive office ergonomic training, work layout improvement, supervised on-site face to face visits, and provision of quality break time encompassing regular exercise program. Follow-up assessment was carried out after 6 months. RESULTS: After the intervention, prevalence of WMSDs in the neck (10%, P = 0.022), lower back (8.4%, P = 0.04), and knees (9.5%, P = 0.02) decreased significantly, while improvements in other body areas remained insignificant. Results also showed a significant decrease in overall score of mental demand (P = 0.000) as well as three of its subscales including performance (P = 0.02), effort (P = 0.001), and frustration (P = 0.025). Additionally, positive effect of the intervention was also observable on overall mental fatigue of call center workers (P = 0.016). As for its subscales, Lack of energy was reported to decrease meaningfully (P = 0.007) while lack of motivation did not change significantly (P = 0.240). CONCLUSION: Although the primary focus of many ergonomic interventions has remained to measure physical outcomes of the work place, our findings show that multicomponent interventions are indeed capable of boosting cognitive aspects of the work as well. The future studies should consider investigating such outcomes.

Prioritizing health, safety and environmental hazards by integrating risk assessment and analytic hierarchy process techniques in solid waste management facilities.

The aim of this research was to assess and prioritize risk levels of health, safety, and environmental (HSE) hazards in solid waste management facilities of Tehran, Iran. The risk of HSE hazards was assessed using Fine-Kinney and environmental failure mode and effects analysis (EFMEA) methods and then the high-risk hazards were prioritized for implementing corrective actions by analytic hierarchy process (AHP) considering six criteria of (1) probability of occurrence, (2) severity of consequences, (3) simultaneous HSE effects, and (4-6) feasibility, effectiveness, and cost of corrective actions. A total number of 485 HSE hazards were identified, of which 78% were health and safety hazards and 22% were environmental hazards. The proportions of the transfer and transport, material recovery and composting facilities and landfill sites in the identified hazards were 21%, 38%, and 41%, respectively. Based on the AHP method, the leading hazards in the transfer and transport, material recovery and composting facilities, and landfill sites were exposure to bioaerosol in carwash facilities, exposure to bioaerosols and odor/volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in manual waste separation, and leachate spills in the former landfill site, respectively. This study showed that the hybrid method was an appropriate and reliable tool to prioritize HSE hazards.

Risk assessment of fire, explosion and release of toxic gas of Siri-Assalouyeh sour gas pipeline using fuzzy analytical hierarchy process.

BACKGROUND: Risk assessment of gas pipelines is very important because of various hazards and economic losses. Using fuzzy logic increases the reliability and accuracy of the results. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the fuzzy risk of fire, explosion and release of toxic gas in the pipeline using fuzzy analytical hierarchy process. METHODOLOGY: Extraction of all hazards from HAZOP and HAZID was carried out. Fuzzy risk assessment was performed using MATLAB software. Using fuzzy hierarchy process analysis, the weight of each basic risk item (BRI) was summed up in a framework, and the fuzzy risk level was determined with a five-state criterion including highly desirable, favorable, moderate, undesirable and highly undesirable. RESULTS: The final risk score was equal to 0.1492, which according to the five-state criterion the risk level is in the favorable area. The highest risk score was related to hot work with open flame item with a risk score of 0.2485. CONCLUSIONS: The final risk score of fire, explosion and release of toxic gas in Siri-Assaluyeh gas pipeline is in the optimal area. Fuzzy risk assessment, compare to conventional risk matrices, provides more data to safety managers about the hazards and their rankings. Accordingly, the results are expected to be applicable to the safety managers while making decisions related to the risk management of gas pipelines.

Spatiotemporal analysis of solar ultraviolet radiation based on Ozone Monitoring Instrument dataset in Iran, 2005-2019.

The solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) at national, provincial and county levels in Iran during 2005-2019 were determined based on Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) dataset. The temporal (annual and monthly) trends and spatial distributions of the UVR in terms of erythemally weighted daily dose (EDD), erythemally weighted irradiance at local solar noon time (EDR), and UV index and the major factors influencing the spatiotemporal trends were analyzed. The population-weighted average values of EDD, EDR, and UV index in Iran were respectively 3631 J/m2, 176.3 mW/m2, 7.1 in 2005 and rose by 0.22% per year to 3744 J/m2, 181.7 mW/m2, and 7.3, respectively in 2019, but the annual trend was not statistically significant. The EDD in Iran during the study period exhibited the highest monthly average value in June (6339 J/m2) and the lowest one in December (1263 J/m2). The solar UVA/UVB ratios at the national level during 2005-2019 were considerably lower in summer. The EDD provincial average values in the study period were in the range of 2717 (Gilan) to 4424 J/m2 (Fars). The spatiotemporal variations of the solar UVR parameters were well described by the linear models as a function of cloud optical thickness (COT), ozone column amount, surface albedo, latitude, and altitude (R2 > 0.961, p value < 0.001) and the temporal changes of the solar UVR parameters were mainly caused by the COT. The results indicated that non-burning exposure to solar UVR in summer can be more efficient for vitamin D synthesis due to higher contribution of UVB in the solar UVR. The spatial distributions and temporal trends should be considered to determine the optimal duration, time and condition of exposure to the solar UVR for the public and occupational training and public health measures.

Conceptual compression discussion on a multi-linear (FTA) and systematic (FRAM) method in an offshore operation's accident modeling.

Risk assessment can be classified into two broad categories: traditional and modern. This paper is aimed at contrasting the functional resonance analysis method (FRAM) as a modern approach with the fault tree analysis (FTA) as a traditional method, regarding assessing the risks of a complex system. Applied methodology by which the risk assessment is carried out, is presented in each approach. Also, FRAM network is executed with regard to nonlinear interaction of human and organizational levels to assess the safety of technological systems. The methodology is implemented for lifting structures deep offshore. The main finding of this paper is that the combined application of FTA and FRAM during risk assessment, could provide complementary perspectives and may contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of an incident. Finally, it is shown that coupling a FRAM network with a suitable quantitative method will result in a plausible outcome for a predefined accident scenario.

Effectiveness of an Ergonomics Training Program on Decreasing Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders Risk among Video Display Terminals Users.

BACKGROUND: According to the findings of several studies conducted on work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) among the video display terminals (VDTs) users, Prevention of these disorders among this population is a challenge for many workplaces today. Ergonomically Improving of VDT workstations may be an effective and applicable way to decrease the risk of WMSDs. This study evaluated the effect of an ergonomics-training program on the risk of WMSDs among VDT users. METHODS: This study was conducted among a large group of computer users in SAPCO industrial company, Tehran, Iran (84 persons with 29.85±11.2 years of age and with 6.98±2.54 years of experience). An active ergonomics-training program was designed and implemented during 14 days to empower the VDT users and involve them in improving their workstations. The direct observational RULA (Rapid Upper Limb Assessment) method was used in pre and post-intervention stages to evaluate the risk of WMSDs among participants. RESULTS: The RULA final scores showed that 18.8 % of VDT users were at action level 2, 63.5% at action level 3 and 17.6% at action level 4 before any intervention. In addition, 8.2% of users were at action level 1, 44.7% at action level 2, 42.4% at action level 3 and 4.7% at action level 4 at the post-intervention stage. The results of Wilcoxon statistical test indicated that RULA scores ere decreased significantly after interventions (P < 0.05) and consequently, decreased risk of WMSDs. CONCLUSION: Active ergonomics training programs can be used effectively to improve the VDT workstations and decrease the risk of musculoskeletal disorders among VDT users.