Showing 12 results for Shams
Mohammad Kamaei, Seyed Shams Aldin Alizadeh, Abdolrahman Keshvari, Zeynab Kheyrkhah, Parisa Moshashaei,
Volume 6, Issue 2 (6-2016)
Abstract
Introduction: Although human industrial activities are as a part of efforts to achieve greater prosperity, the risks related to these activities are also expanding. Hazard identification and risk assessment in the oil and gas industries are essential to reduce the frequency and severity of accidents and minimize damage to people and property before their occurrence. The aim of this study was to evaluate the liquefied and pressurized petroleum gas spherical tanks in a refinery and assessing the risks of Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion (BLEVE) phenomenon.
Material and Method: In this study, the risks of BLEVE phenomenon were assessed, using the Bowtie method. The consequences of explosion wave phenomenon and the resulting wave quantity and its impacts on the neighboring machineries and equipment were analyzed. PHAST software version 6.54 has been used for modeling the BLEVE phenomenon.
Result: In this evaluation, generally five causes and two consequences were identified for BLEVE phenomenon. In order to reduce its consequences, forty-three controlling measures were introduced to prevent the BLEVE phenomenon and the impacts of 31 control measures were identified. According to the conducted analysis, it was found that the spherical tank blast wave caused by LPG can lead to explosion of close located tanks which can create a chain of explosions.
Conclusion: The results of modeling and risk assessment can be used to identify the BLEVE phenomenon causes and its effects on nearby people and equipment. Based on these results, preventive controlling measures can be implemented and also be determined by adopting proper design and layout, margin of safety for personnel, equipment and accessories.
Hamid Reza Heidari, Farideh Golbabaei, Shahram Arsang Jang, Ali Akbar Shamsipour,
Volume 6, Issue 3 (9-2016)
Abstract
Introduction: Regarding development of several thermal indices and limitations of each, in this research applicability and validity of temperature- humidity index (Humidex) were examined against the standard heat index, Wet Bulb Globe Temperature -WBGT, as well as tympanic temperature of subjects.
Material and Method: This cross-sectional study was done on 163 subjects at spring and summer (2013) in outdoor jobs of arid and semi-arid climates of Iran. Environmental parameters as well as tympanic temperature of subjects were measured simultaneously and then heat indices were determined. Data were analyzed using linear correlation charts and Kappa coefficient of agreement by means of SPSS software version 20.
Result: A strong correlation was obtained between WBGT and Humidex in both arid and semi-arid regions (r>0.98), while the correlation between Humidex and tympanic temperature was moderate (r=0.5-0.8). Based on the obtained Kappa value, the agreement coefficient between Humidex and WBGT was 0.878. This value was obtained equal to 0.226 for the Humidex and tympanic temperature.
Conclusion: The results of this study showed that Humidex can be applied as an appropriate substitute for the WBGT index. However, if evaluation of environmental condition with low air temperature or very hot situation is considered, relying only on the Humidex results will not provide a realistic estimation of thermal strain imposed to individuals.
Mahdi Asghari, Parvin Nassiri, Mohammad Reza Monazzam, Farideh Golbabaei, Hossein Arabalibeik, Ali Akbar Shamsipour, Armin Allahverdy,
Volume 7, Issue 1 (4-2017)
Abstract
Introduction: To evaluate heat stress in the workplace different indices are used. But, none of these measures have been widely accepted. The aim of this study was to determine effective criteria in selecting a heat stress index and weighting of these criteria.
Material and Method: This study is a qualitative study that was designed and conducted within 10 stages. In the current study, effective criteria for choosing a heat stress index was determined by using Delphi technique and expert’s opinions (30 people), and then the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process was used for weighting and prioritization of these criteria.
Results: Analyzing the completed questionnaires by the experts and according to the percentage of respondents, 11 criteria were finally selected. “Simplicity” criteria by %76.6 had the highest percentage of response. But, the relative weight of this criteria was 0.041, and had the lowest weight after the “low cost” criteria. The criteria relating to the “Standard” item was 0.141as the highest relative weight.
Conclusion: It can be concluded that the first step to have a reliable and accurate measurement is to choose a proper and correct index. Based on specialists and expert’s opinions, standardization of the index is the most important selection criteria. Other criteria that must be considered were accuracy, reliability and good correlation with the physiological strain indices.
Parvin Nassiri, Mohammad Reza Monazzam, Farideh Golbabaei, Aliakbar Shamsipour, Hossein Arabalibeik, Marzieh Abbasinia, Masoumeh Chavoshi, Mehdi Asghari,
Volume 7, Issue 2 (6-2017)
Abstract
Introduction: Heat stress is caused by many factors such as individual factors, environmental factors, and management factors. Individual risk factors can decrease the heat tolerance, and play an important role in heat stress disorders incidence. The aim of this study was to review individual parameters influencing the thermal stress and review the preceding studies.
Material and Method: In this review study sites such as Web of Science, Scopus, Pubmed, Iran Medex, Magiran, Google Scholar and SID databases were used for search. The keywords included heat stress, personal factors and heat exposure. The period of 1995 to 2015 was investigated, and finally 75 original articles were identified.
Result: At the individual level, exposure with a single risk factor may reduce the workers’ heat tolerance; while exposure with a combination of several risk factors probably synergistically increases the risk of heat-related disorders. Individual risk factors include age, gender, obesity, fatigue, race, and previous heat disorders and dehydration. In addition, some diseases (such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and infectious diseases) or use of certain drugs or alcohol can reduce the heat tolerance.
Conclusion: It is necessary to pay attention to the mentioned items when selecting workers in the hot environments. Also, due to the lack of awareness and knowledge of workers, it is necessary to provide appropriate training programs to reduce the effects of heat stress.
Parisa Moshashaei, Jalil Nazari, Seyed Shamseddin Alizadeh,
Volume 7, Issue 3 (9-2017)
Abstract
Introduction: Population growth and urban fast development caused increase production of all kinds of solid waste. And, street sweepers are exposed to a variety of risks and toxins by nature of their job for actual and potential. The aim of this study was to identify and to assess the risk factors of accidents and diseases threatening the health and lives of street sweepers in Tabriz city, Iran, and to propose practical solutions to control and remove them in order to promote health and safety and better efficiency.
Material and Method: This study is a descriptive-analytical type, which was conducted over a period of three months in 1393 among 150 street sweepers working in five city areas (areas 2, 5, 6, 7 and 9) of Tabriz. Data was collected through customized questionnaire. Content validity of the questionnaire was performed in the form of quality using a panel of experts and reliability through Cronbach’s alpha. Data after collecting were analyzed by SPSS-16software.
Result: The results showed that 48/7% of people have experienced at least one incident in the past two years. Records of disease showed that back pain with 20/7% and then skin problems whit 7/10% whit highest prevalence and kidney/bladder disease and thyroid whit 0/7% had lowest incidence. Musculoskeletal disorders symptoms percent have, respectively, in the hands, waist, legs highest and in elbow and knee least amount. Research findings showed that 50/70% of the study population, with a mean score of 168/82 have poor health and safety conditions, 21/71% of people have moderate condition and 81/26% of people have unfavorable condition. Among the components of health and safety respectively, components of clothes and other personal protective equipment and psychological problems with a high percentage of 80 percent, one of the most undesirable components of safety and health and components of periodic medical examinations and safety and health training programs were desirable.
Conclusion: The results showed that more than half of street sweepers (70/50%) had undesirable health and safety condition. Shortages or lack of use of personal protective equipment and psychological problems among these workers was evident more than other issues and need for substantial measures in this regard
Davoud Mahmoudi, Seyyed Shamsaddin Alizadeh, Yahya Rasoulzadeh, Mohammad Asghari Jafarabadi,
Volume 8, Issue 4 (12-2018)
Abstract
Introduction: Disasters, incidents and crises are complex and controversial issues for the industries and organizations. Organizational resilience is an effective goal that continuously helps the organization’s performance throughout business, disasters and critical situations. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the validity and reliability of organizational resilience questionnaire in dealing with major accidents.
Material and Method: The present study was a descriptive-analytic study. At first, the concept of organizational resilience and its dimensions were determined for the review. Then, for evaluating the content validity, the designed questionnaire was distributed among members of the expert’s panel and the Content Validity Index (CVI) and Content Validity Ratio (CVR) were calculated based on the comments. The reliability of the questionnaire was determined after completing it by 272 employees of the studied industries.
Result: The CVR was higher than the standard value (0.50) considering all items. Also, all dimensions of the questionnaire, except for the responsibility dimension the CVI’s were above 90%. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for all questionnaire dimensions except for the responsibility dimension was higher than the acceptable value (0.70). This coefficient for the whole questionnaire was 0.967 indicating that this index was in excellent level.
Conclusion: The findings showed that the organizational resilience questionnaire in dealing with major accidents had an acceptable validity and reliability and in order to examine the organizational resilience in organizations, it could be used as a comprehensive, strong and reliable tool.
Seyedeh Reyhaneh Shams, Ali Jahani, Mazaher Moeinaddini, Nematallah Khorasani, Saba Kalantary,
Volume 10, Issue 4 (11-2020)
Abstract
Introduction: As a metropolitan area in Iran, Tehran is exposed to damage from air pollution due to its large population and pollutants from various sources. Accordingly, research on damage induced by air pollution in this city seems necessary. The main purpose of this study was to forecast ozone in the city of Tehran. Considering the hazards of ozone (O3) gas on human health and the environment and its ascending trend over the past decades, it is also essential to study and predict its quantities in the air. Forecasting ozone in the air can be further used to prevent and control pollution by authorities.
Material and Methods: Using an analytical-applied research method, this study was to predict ozone gas in this metropolitan area via daily ozone data of air quality measurement stations, traffic variables, green space, as well as time factors such as one-day time delay. In this regard, an artificial neural network (ANN) model was employed to forecast ozone concentration using the MATLAB software.
Results: The results of the ANN model were compared with a linear regression one. Correlation coefficient and root-mean-square error (RMSE) of the ANN model were subsequently compared with R2=0.734 and RMSE=0.56 as well as R2=0.608 and RMSE=11.69 regression equations.
Conclusion: It was concluded that the error in the ANN model was smaller than that in the regression one. According to the results of the sensitivity analysis of the season parameters, the length of sunshine hours had the most significant effect on the amount of ozone gas in Tehran air.
Milad Abbasi, Mohammad Reza Monazzam, Mansour Shamsipour, Hossein Arabalibeik,
Volume 11, Issue 4 (12-2021)
Abstract
Introduction: There are several generic and specific models to assess the individual job performance (IJP). While these methods may provide the valuable information, none of them cover the complexity and wide range of the behaviors which express the IJP. This review study aimed to identify all existing models and incorporate them to achieve a comprehensive conceptual model to assess the IJP.
Material and Methods: Databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and ProQuest were systematically searched to meet the study’s goals. Moreover, references to relevant publications were examined. Finally, suitable publications were discovered and analyzed using the inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Results: The results of Search in databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and ProQuest, showed that 12754 articles were found in the initial search. After removing duplicate and unrelated articles, finally, 155 eligible articles were selected. Based on full-text screening, 10 studies were excluded, and 5 studies were not accessible. Finally, by checking the references mentioned in the selected articles, 4 more eligible articles which were not retrieved in the search strategy were added; finally, 61 articles were selected to be reviewed. Ninteen articles were related to the general models, and 19 articles addressed job-specific assessment models. The remaining 23 articles described other existing models.
Conclusion: To evaluate IJP, a heuristic structure was developed based on the literature research. These dimensions were selected because they can accommodate all of the preceding models’ dimensions. They also include any behaviors that may have an impact on IJP.
Ehsan Garosi, Adel Mazloumi, Amir Homayoun Jafari, Ahmadreza Keihani, Ali Sharifnezhad, Mansour Shamsipour, Ramin Kordi,
Volume 12, Issue 2 (6-2022)
Abstract
Introduction: The use of exoskeletons as a new ergonomics intervention to reduce musculoskeletal disorders risk factors and increase human performance has emerged in the fourth-generation industrial revolution. The aim of this study was to assess the cervical exoskeleton effect on the neck and shoulder muscles electrical activity.
Material and Methods: In this experimental study, 14 male participants were asked to perform the simulated overhead work with and without using the cervical exoskeleton at two neck postural angles randomly. During the task, electromyography of the target muscles in the neck and shoulders was recorded. In addition, at the end of each task, participants completed a perceived discomfort questionnaire. Electromyographic signals were processed with Matlab 2017b software and the level of the electrical activity of the target muscles was normalized to the maximum muscle activity. Data analysis was performed using Random intercept mix model in STATA 14 software.
Results: Mean perceived discomfort in the neck and shoulders regions significantly reduced by the exoskeleton device, but there was no statistically significant difference in other areas. Also, the mean activity level of sternocleidomastoid and splenius capitis muscles on the right and left was significantly decreased during the use of the cervical exoskeleton. However, this difference showed a significant increase in trapezius muscles.
Conclusion: The use of the neck exoskeleton was associated with a reduction of muscle electrical activity and the perceived discomfort in the neck area. These results may be related to transferring neck and head weight by the exoskeleton retaining jack during the neck extension to other areas of the body. The exoskeleton design did not provide support for the shoulder and arm area, which explains the reason for the non-significant results in the shoulder area. Using the exoskeleton with the additional support in shoulder area could be considered as an ergonomic intervention in such overhead works.
Elahe Chubineh, Saber Azami Aghdash, Ali Esmaili, Seyed Shamseddin Alizadeh,
Volume 14, Issue 2 (6-2024)
Abstract
Introduction: For years, chemical process industries have reported the unexpected release of highly hazardous liquids and gases. A disaster could not be avoided when these materials were not adequately controlled. The issue of Process Safety Management (PSM) is still being discussed in developing and developed countries. PSM was established to manage the risks of a company’s personnel, properties, products, environment, and credit risks. This study aimed to review the challenges and achievements of PSM implementation and provide recommendations for improvement.
Material and Methods: A collection of scholarly articles published from 2000 to 2023, such as Science Direct, WOS, PubMed, and Scopus, was chosen through a systematic, meticulous review. After thoroughly examining these abstracts, titles, and complete contexts, 49 articles were finally selected for inclusion in the study and classified based on different criteria, such as publication year, authors, achievements, and challenges.
Results: PSM in the United States has been chiefly studied due to the high number of chemical process industries and its presence in the form of OSHA legislation in this country. The areas of operations, audits, and resources have the most challenges in implementing PSM. On the other hand, reducing the severity of incidents in chemical processes and increasing productivity are considered the most significant achievements of PSM implementation.
Conclusion: PSM as an interdisciplinary field has improved and become more effective over the years.. However, incidents still exist, and the number can increase, considering the growth of industries’ chemical processes. Therefore, a deep look at the issues of risk-based regulations, competency, operational excellence, and learning from incidents is necessary to achieve excellence in PSM.
Azin Najafi, Farideh Golbabaei, Mohsen Sadeghi Yarandi, Mehdi Yaseri, Reza Jahani, Seyedeh Reyhaneh Shams, Saba Kalantary,
Volume 15, Issue 3 (10-2025)
Abstract
Introduction: Occupational exposure to volatile organic compounds (BTEX) and heavy metals in industrial settings poses significant health concerns. These substances may lead to toxic, carcinogenic, and hematobiochemical effects. This study aimed to assess the health risks associated with exposure to these pollutants in a power equipment manufacturing industry over a 10-year period and to compare the accuracy of quantitative (USEPA) and semi-quantitative (Singapore) risk assessment methods.
Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted across six occupational groups. Personal air sampling of BTEX and heavy metals was performed according to NIOSH protocols. Carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks were estimated using the USEPA method and the Singapore semi-quantitative approach. Additionally, hematological and biochemical indicators of exposed workers were analyzed.
Results: Nickel had the highest cancer risk, and the highest hazard quotient (HQ) values were related to xylene, benzene, and nickel. While the semi-quantitative method classified most risks as negligible to low, the USEPA method identified several cases with definite health risks. Significant effects were observed on SGOT, SGPT, fasting blood sugar, creatinine, and blood pressure among exposed groups.
Conclusion: The USEPA method demonstrated higher sensitivity and reliability in identifying occupational chemical hazards and should be prioritized in future assessments. Furthermore, the findings underscore the importance of preventive measures to reduce chronic exposure to BTEX and heavy metals in similar industrial settings.
Rasoul Ahmadpour-Geshlagi, Hadi Ahmadi Vafa, Ramin Abbasi, Parisa Moshashaei, Mahdi Firouzi, Mostafa Javanmardi, Seyed Shamseddin Alizadeh,
Volume 15, Issue 4 (12-2025)
Abstract
Introduction: Occupational diseases and workplace accidents have significant financial impacts on industries, communities, and nations each year. Risk assessment is considered an effective tool for managing these issues; however, many organizations fail to implement it successfully. This study explores this challenge from the perspective of Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) officers.
Material and Methods: In this study, 30 Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with HSE officers. Inductive content analysis was used for analyzing interviews. After analyzing the interviews, the codes in the interviews were categorized. To ensure credibility and transferability, participant checking and consultations with experts in the field of risk assessment were conducted.
Results: After analyzing the interviews, seven main categories were identified, each comprising several sub-categories. The main categories included: Resources, Technical Knowledge, Legal and Regulatory Barriers, Cultural Issues, Absence of Risk-Based Thinking in the Organization, Individual Issues, and Lack of Interaction and Communication.
Conclusion: This study revealed that seven major barriers hinder the implementation of risk management systems and the execution of risk assessments in the industries of East Azerbaijan Province. These obstacles can directly affect the identification, analysis, and control of risks, ultimately reducing the effectiveness of occupational health and safety processes. Therefore, to conduct effective risk assessments and enhance safety levels in industrial environments, it is essential for policymakers, industry managers, and regulatory bodies to accurately identify and analyze these barriers and develop appropriate solutions to address them. Moreover, designing and implementing educational programs, restructuring management systems, and strengthening interactions between regulatory organizations and industries can contribute to improving risk assessment processes and safety management in this sector.
