Showing 28 results for Performance
Zohreh Mohebian, Habibollah Dehghan, Ehsanollah Habibi,
Volume 7, Issue 3 (9-2017)
Abstract
Introduction: Heat stress is one of the Hazardous physical agents in the workplace, which can cause impairment of cognitive performance. The current study aimed to evaluate the effect of different levels of heat stress on attention and reaction time in a laboratory condition.
Material and Method: This experimental study was done among 33 students included 17 males and 16 females. Mean age of the participants was 22.1(SD=2.3). Attention and reaction time parameters were evaluated using the continuous performance test and reaction time measurement device respectivlely, after exposure to different heat levels (22°C and 37°C). Data were analyzed using ANOVA test and SPSS 20 software.
Result: The results of tests attention and reaction time showed that the average of attention percentage was decreased and the average of reaction time increased by increasing the heat level, with a statistical differences of (P˂0.001) in both cases. Attention percent in terms of exposure to 22°C temperature was significantly higher than 37°C (P˂0.001). But, reaction time was significantly higher than with the exposure to 37°C temperature than 22°C (P˂0.001).
Conclusion: The results of this study showed that, heat by increasing reaction time and decreasing attention leading to an impairment in the individual’s cognitive performances. Therefore, in jobs such as control rooms and various industries that need attention, concentration and quick reaction, it is necessary to consider and optimize the heat conditions in order to increase the level of attention and decrease of reaction time.
Athena Rafieepour, Parvin Nasiri, Omid Giahi, Mohammad Reza Monazzam Esmaeilpour, Abolfazl Zakerian, Farough Mohammadian,
Volume 7, Issue 4 (12-2017)
Abstract
Introduction: Exposure to vibration as one of the consequences of industrial noise or the use of vibration generators can cause discomfort, reduce the efficiency and level of safety in workplaces. Therefore, in this study, the effect of whole body vibration on individual’s mental performance and response time was investigated.
Material and Method: In this study, 40 male students of Tehran University of Medical Sciences were selected randomly and divided into two 20 subjects groups. Each group participated in two Pegboard Board and Math Calculations tests. Subjects in each stage of test were exposed to whole body vibration with acceleration in 0.8 and 1.1 m/s2 as well as background mode without vibration and were investigated response time and mental performance.
Result: In the present study, the mean response time to the manual Purdue Pegboard test in the vibrational acceleration of 0.0, 0.8 and 1.1 m/s2 with a decreasing trend was 197.55 ± 2.7, 176.25 ± 5.38 and 177.58 ± 2.92, respectively, which results in a significant reduction in the accuracy of the test. Also, the results showed that whole body vibration does not affect mental performance in shallow levels. But, in the intermediate and deep levels, this difference is statistically significant (p <0.001).
Conclusion: Based on the results, whole body vibration is an effective factor in individual’s response time and mental performance, which can lead to a reduction in the accuracy of the work.
Mahmoud Modiri, Mohammad Dashti Shiramin, Hamed Karimi Shirazi,
Volume 9, Issue 1 (4-2019)
Abstract
Introduction: Todays, the improvement and optimization of the safety performance are essential and important for control and prevention of accidents in the industry. The purpose of this research was to assist a hybrid cycle power plant for identification and prioritization of the influencing factors in enhancing safety in order to reduce risks and to improve system performance.
Material and Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study, influencing factors were classified within three main categories of human, equipment, and managment, and 14 sub-factors was screened and selected by experts using Fuzzy Delphi method. Then, fuzzy DEMATEL method was adopted to determine the relationships, the intensity of affecting and being affected factors, and the analytical network process method for weighting and prioritization the factors.
Results: The findings of the fuzzy DEMATEL method showed that “Managerial”, “equipment” and “human” factors are respectively influencing factors on the improvement of safety performance. “Managerial factors” is the most influencing and “Human factors” is the most influenced one. Based on the results of fuzzy analysis network process method, “human factors” is the first priority among the main factors, and “employee motivation”, “system of control and prevention”, “work team spirit”, “individual skills” and “Individual protection equipment” sub-factors are respectively the first to fifth priorities were according to their weight.
Conclusion: “Human factors” re the most influenced factor and the main problem of the organization, which can be improved by the most influencing “managerial” factor. The success or failure of the safety performance in the power plant depends on better management of the “human factors” and managers need to motivate employees to improve safety performance.
Mojtaba Zokaee, Mohsen Falahati, Hadi Asady, Masoud Rafee, Mohammad Najafi, Azam Biabani,
Volume 9, Issue 2 (6-2019)
Abstract
Introduction: Throughout the world, many efforts have been made to provide suitable tools for achieving sustainable urban development and the achievement of a sustainable city. Establishing a Health, Safety and Environment Management System (HSE-MS) is one of the tools for achieving sustainable urban development. Measuring the performance of an organization in the HSE area is a precondition for continuous improvement, which is the spirit of the new HSE management systems. Therefore, the main purpose of this research was to provide a practical model for quantitative ranking of different areas of Tehran municipality in terms of HSE performance with using of multi-criteria decision-making method.
Material and Methods: In this descriptive-applied study, after determining functional axis and performance evaluation indicators related to each of them (29 functional axis and 154 performance evaluation indicators), through designing a questionnaire and based on the views of the expert group, weight of functional axis and performance indicators were determined using a hierarchical process analysis technique.
Results: In this study, the weighted value for functional axis of the process based HSE in comparison to the result based HSE were higher. “Commitment and Leadership” and “HSE Certificate of Occupations” for the process based HSE, “Safety” and “Health” for the result based HSE, and “Economic Sustainability” and “Architecture and Urbanism” for urban management had the higher and lowest weighted values.
Conclusion: The results of assessment and validation of selected indicators and functional axis showed that in designing and determining the HSE performance assessment model of municipalities, in addition to the axises and indicators of the HSE domain, factors affecting urban management can have a significant impact on the performance of municipalities in the field of HSE.
Volume 9, Issue 2 (6-2019)
Abstract
Introduction: Along with the extensive production and use of various pesticides for controlling pests and enhancing the production of agricultural crops, there is a growing concern about the adverse effects of these toxic materials on human health. Therefore, the development of sensitive, selective, and accurate methods for continuous assessment of pesticides concentration in occupational and environmental fields and comparing them with national and international standards is of great importance. This study was aimed at synthesis and application of molecularly imprinted polymer as a selective sorbent for residue determination of two pyrethroid isomers in biological samples.
Material and Methods: The MIP particles were prepared by a non-covalent approach using permethrin as a template, chloroform as progen solvent, methacrylic acid as functional monomer and ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate as cross-linker, at 55 °C for 18 hours in an oil bath. Field emission scanning electron microscopy was used to investigate the morphology and size of polymer particles. Afterward, the critical parameters, which could affect the recognition properties of synthesized MIP, were investigated and optimized under the selected operational ranges for the highest adsorption and recycling yield in solid-phase extraction of permethrin in biological samples
Results: using precipitation polymerization technique, uniform and spherical particles with the nano-ranged diameter (less than 21.2 nanometers) were obtained. Under the optimized condition, the designed molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) technique exhibited great potential for the extraction of pesticide isomers in the real sample. More than 93 % of the recovery obtained from spiked urine samples. The linear calibration curve was obtained from 20-120 μg.L-1 (R2=0.99) and the detection limit was less than 6 ppb for both isomers. The presence of interferences had no effect on the selectivity of the method up to 100-fold.
Conclusion: employing the molecular imprinted solid-phase extraction method along with the high-performance liquid chromatography technique resulted in a selective and sensitive approach, suitable for quantitative monitoring of the desired pesticide in complex biological samples.
Omid Reza Heravizadeh, Monireh Khadem, Ramin Nabizadeh, Seyed Jamaleddin Shahtaheri,
Volume 9, Issue 3 (9-2019)
Abstract
Introduction: Along with the extensive production and use of various pesticides for controlling pests and enhancing the production of agricultural crops, there is a growing concern about the adverse effects of these toxic materials on human health. Therefore, the development of sensitive, selective, and accurate methods for continuous assessment of pesticides concentration in occupational and environmental fields and comparing them with national and international standards is of great importance. This study was aimed at synthesis and application of molecularly imprinted polymer as a selective sorbent for residue determination of two pyrethroid isomers in biological samples.
Material and Methods: The MIP particles were prepared by a non-covalent approach using permethrin as a template, chloroform as progen solvent, methacrylic acid as functional monomer and ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate as cross-linker, at 55 °C for 18 hours in an oil bath. Field emission scanning electron microscopy was used to investigate the morphology and size of polymer particles. Afterward, the critical parameters, which could affect the recognition properties of synthesized MIP, were investigated and optimized under the selected operational ranges for the highest adsorption and recycling yield in solid-phase extraction of permethrin in biological samples
Results: using precipitation polymerization technique, uniform and spherical particles with the nano-ranged diameter (less than 21.2 nanometers) were obtained. Under the optimized condition, the designed molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) technique exhibited great potential for the extraction of pesticide isomers in the real sample. More than 93 % of the recovery obtained from spiked urine samples. The linear calibration curve was obtained from 20-120 μg.L-1 (R2=0.99) and the detection limit was less than 6 ppb for both isomers. The presence of interferences had no effect on the selectivity of the method up to 100-fold.
Conclusion: employing the molecular imprinted solid-phase extraction method along with the high-performance liquid chromatography technique resulted in a selective and sensitive approach, suitable for quantitative monitoring of the desired pesticide in complex biological samples.
Abdolsamad Ahmadvand, Reza Arjmandi, Ali Mohammadi, Adel Mazloumi, Seyed Alireza Mirzahosseini,
Volume 10, Issue 4 (11-2020)
Abstract
Introduction: Assessing health, safety, and environment (HSE) performance based on up-to-date analytical models like resilience engineering, especially in automobile manufacturing companies, affected by the trilogy of HSE factors and functions, is of crucial importance. Therefore, this study was to review the factors effectively involved in HSE management performance assessment based on resilience engineering in automobile manufacturing industries.
Material and Methods: To collect and classify the data, many relevant articles and procedures published in journals or presented at seminars were researched and cited. In this study, reliable online databases, including Google Scholar, Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed were searched to meet this purpose. Other databases in Farsi such as Magiran, CIVILICA, and Scientific Information Database (SID) were also employed. Accordingly, a total number of 211 articles were extracted and filtered in terms of content and topic by a team of four HSE senior experts, whereby irrelevant studies were deleted, the full text of each relevant article was more closely considered, and finally 18 studies were selected and thoroughly examined.
Results: The findings from these 18 articles revealed that the HSE would be influenced in various industries by factors such as organizational culture, learning and training, political-economic variables, workforce qualifications and skills, strategic and large-scale programs of organization plus its assets and financial resources. In automobile manufacturing industries as well, circumstances might emerge because of some extra-organizational threats and intra-organizational weaknesses, whereby the appearance of deficiencies in various processes and even the functions of the HSE as a whole would be impaired. Of the many external factors, one could mention economic sanctions, large-scale socioeconomic problems, and lack of materials and production equipment. The internal problems would also range from production reduction and cuts in budgets earmarked for different management departments to a rise in the number of accidents and diseases, soaring medical treatment costs, as well as growing expectations in employees, which together impact the HSE management performance.
Conclusion: Regarding the studies conducted on various models presented so far in the area of resilience, it was concluded that the HSE performance of organizations intended to prevent and control risk factors were by no means distinct from other management factors and strategic decision-making in an organization. Rather, the HSE indicators could be impacted by many extra- and intra-organizational factors. Based on the models surveyed, it would be essential to consider the concept of resilience in HSE management. The reason for this is that the idea of the HSE would appear to be an issue of less virtue and importance in various stages and situations in the lifecycle of an organization, which is not consistent with the HSE management system and does not keep pace with the influencing factors.
Somayeh Mirza, Nabiollah Mansouri, Reza Arjmandi, Reza Azizinejad,
Volume 11, Issue 1 (3-2021)
Abstract
Introduction: The oil and petrochemical industries had been amongst the first industries which developed the HSE-MS. This system aims to maintain and protect human resources along with reducing the environmental impact of the industry. Although it has been mulling over this system in a plethora of studies, unfortunately, most of the assessments have been carried out in a qualitative manner. In recent years, the evaluation of the performance of HSE-MS has been limited due to the lack of appropriate quantitative evaluations.
Material and Methods: In the present study, the development of criteria and sub-criteria of health, safety and environment management system was investigated using a different approach. Using the opinion of experts and according to the performed categories, a questionnaire was developed to determine the pairwise comparisons. Decision making trial and evaluation (DEMATEL) technique was used to determine the relationships between the criteria and network analysis method was used to determine their importance weight. the developed methodology was then evaluated and compared between two factories in a case study.
Results: The performance evaluation showed that the leadership and commitment criterion with a final score of 1.8; Risk assessment and management with a final score of 0.8; Planning criterion with a final score of .0.40; Policy criterion with final score of 0.33, Organization, resources, and documentation with a final score of 0.31, implementation and follow-up with a final score of 0.22, and Evaluation and Review criterion with a final score of 0.12 were ranked from the first to the seventh, respectively.
Conclusion: The results of the study demonstrated that the most important criterion for health, safety and the environment is leadership. The significant difference between the final score of the leadership criterion and the other criteria reflects its crucial importance in HSE-MS performance evaluation. Participation of employees, allocation of appropriate funding and support of innovativeness are factors to be implemented in order to improve HSE-MS program as a better and successful management.
Mohsen Mahdinia, Mostafa Mirzaei Aliabadi, Ahmad Soltanzadeh, Ali Reza Soltanian, Iraj Mohammadfam,
Volume 11, Issue 2 (6-2021)
Abstract
Introduction: Safety situation awareness is an important element affecting operator's reliability and safety performance, which is influenced by various variables. Identification of these variables and their relationship will play a major role in optimizing control measures. The present study was conducted for this purpose.
Material and Methods: This study was based on the situation awareness, expert’s opinions and use of a Fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making method. Triangular fuzzy numbers was used to quantify the experts' judgments and to reduce the errors that result from theirs’ subjective evaluation on the relationships between the variables.
Results: The results showed that the studied organizational variables together with "safety/g knowledge" and "experience in job/specific task” are the most important predictive variables of situation awareness. Among the organizational variables, "Organizational Safety Attitudes", "Safe System Design" and "Education" are the most important determinants of safety situation awareness.
Conclusion: Fuzzy logic was used to aggregate expert opinions to determine the most important variables affecting situation awareness and their cause-effect relationships. Organizational variables are the main determinants of situation awareness. To improve situation awareness, the best results are obtained by modifying effective root variables, i.e., organizational variables and some individual variables.
Rostam Esmaeili, Ahmad Ali Babaei, Ghazaleh Monazami Tehrani,
Volume 11, Issue 2 (6-2021)
Abstract
Introduction: Each country needs to preserve its human capital through preventing accidents for its development. Therefore, this study is carried out to study the relationship between safety investments and safety performance indices considering the interactive effect of the project hazard level in construction industry.
Material and Methods: This study was conducted using multiple case studies in 5 major construction worksites, in Tehran, in 2019. Data was collected using questionnaire, checklists and interview as well as evaluating the safety documents. The data analysis in this study was carried out using SPSS 18.
Results: There was a strong inverse correlation between safety investments (total safety investment, basic safety investment, and voluntary safety investment) and accident frequency rate (AFR) (r=-0.936, P-value<0.05), and there was a direct strong correlation between safety investment and safety performance (P-value<0.05, r=0.939). Also, the effect of various safety investments on safety performance indices under various project conditions (project hazard levels) was not the same; when the project hazard level was high, the effect of safety investments on safety performance was higher.
Conclusion: Increasing safety investment improves safety performance through decreasing the accidents. Also, investment in both safety components (basic safety investment and voluntary safety investment) might improve safety performance. The results of the current study can be used as a basis by the contractors and construction companies to invest in safety and to determine proper budget for managing safety of construction projects.
Sepideh Keyvani, Mohammadreza Monazzam Esmaielpour, Fatemeh Fasih-Ramandi, Akbar Ahmadi Asour, Malihe Kolahdouzi, Zahra Hashemi,
Volume 11, Issue 3 (9-2021)
Abstract
Introduction: The acoustic performance of natural fiber adsorbents has been investigated in numerous studies. A part of these materials show a poor adsorption within the frequency range of less than 1000 Hz. In the present study, attempts were made to investigate the effect of layout sequence of double-layered composites consisting of natural and synthetic fibers on improving the acoustic adsorption coefficient of natural fiber in the low-frequency range (63 to 1000 Hz) using the numerical finite element method.
Material and Methods: In this study, the finite element method and the Johnson-Champoux-Allard model in COMSOL software version 5.3a were used to investigate the acoustic performance of the double-layered composites consisting of natural and synthetic adsorbents. The acoustic absorbers under study included date palm fiber, polyurethane foam and cellular rubber. Each double-layered composite included a date palm fiber with 10mm in thickness and a synthetic adsorbent (polyurethane foam or cellular rubber) with 10mm in thickness. In sum, four double-layered composite structures with different layouts of adsorbents in each structure were studied.
Results: The location of natural fiber can play a critical role in the acoustic performance of the double-layered composite structures such that comparing the studied double-layered composites revealed that when the natural fiber was the first layer exposed to the normal sound in the double-layered composites with 20mm in thickness, the trend of acoustic performance was approximately the same as the single-layered composite of natural fiber with 20mm in thickness; but in the composite structures, when the synthetic adsorbent was the first layer exposed to the sound, the trend of acoustic absorption was improved.
Conclusion: On the basis of the results, the double-layered composite structure with a higher-density and lower-porosity upper layer showed a better acoustic absorption trend than the single-layered composite including the natural adsorbent.
Maryam Babaei, Sahar Rezaian, Seyed Ali Jozi,
Volume 11, Issue 3 (9-2021)
Abstract
Introduction: Comprehensive and reliable performance evaluation of organizations has always been one of the main concerns of stakeholders and managers of organizations. Performance evaluation can raise awareness of the progress made in improving the performance of any organizations, especially in the field of health, safety, and environment (HSE) and thus, create the necessary motivation and opportunity to improve the quality of HSE performance. National quality awards and excellence approaches emphasizes the fact that survival in global competition requires improving the performance of organizations on a global scale. The EFQM enterprise excellence model, as a comprehensive tool with a comprehensive approach to all aspects of organizations, helps managers to understand their organization well.
Material and Methods: This study was conducted in Tehran Industrial Group in 2018, during which the performance of this industrial group in the design and construction of one of the dams in the south of the country was evaluated and analyzed. The data collection tool was a standard self-assessment questionnaire based on the EFQM enterprise excellence model, the validity and reliability of which was tested by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient at 0.971.
Results: In terms of “enablers” criteria, the leadership dimension, with a score of 76.36, obtained the best percentage of scores, while the processes criterion with a score of 72.04 had the lowest percentage of scores. This dimension, along with staff, resources, and partnership dimensions, needs to be improved. In the field of “results” criteria, the key performance results with 79.77 points had the best percentage and the customer result dimension with a score of 69.13 had the lowest, indicating that the organization should improve these sectors.
Conclusion: The results indicated the suitable status of the organization in terms of the criteria of excellence model. The results of this model are generally used for systematic analysis of the organization in order to achieve a comprehensive view of the organization and its challenges.
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.
Taleb Askaripoor, Majid Motamedzade, Rostam Golmohammadi, Mohammad Babamiri, Maryam Farhadian, Hamed Aghaei, Mohammad Ebrahim Ghaffari, Elahe Kazemi, Mehdi Samavati,
Volume 11, Issue 4 (12-2021)
Abstract
Introduction: Recent evidence indicates that lighting can affect physiological and neurobehavioral human functions, referred to as non-image forming (NIF) effects of lighteffects. This study aimed to determine the effects of illumination levels and correlated color temperature (CCT) on alertness and performance under NIF conditions.
Material and Methods: In this study, 22 participants were exposed to light at various levels of illumination, including very low illuminance (<5 lux, control) and light conditions with correlated color temperatures (CCT) of 4000 K, 8000 K, and 12000 K at 300 and 500 lux. The data collection process included recording the power of brainwaves (alpha, alpha-theta, beta, and theta), sleepiness and mood scales, and cognitive performance tests for sustained attention, psychomotor vigilance task (PVT), working memory, and inhibitory capacity.
Results: The results indicated that 500 lux light conditions at correlated color temperatures of 8000 and 12000K significantly reduced normalized alpha, alpha-theta power, subjective sleepiness, and performance compared to the dim light condition. Under illumination levels of 300 and 500 lux, there were no significant differences in the measured values of the variables.
Conclusion: Lighting interventions can be used as a supplement to other strategies for increasing alertness and performance in the workplace.
Azar Mehrabi Matin, Mahsa Alefi, Mohammad Reza Monazzam, Adel Mazloumi, Kamal Azam,
Volume 12, Issue 1 (3-2022)
Abstract
Introduction: The noise could affect some aspects of human health, including the cognitive performance. In addition to sound pressure level and exposure time, the psychoacoustic features of noise may cause destructive effects on humans. A few recent studies have been conducted on effect of sound quality on cognitive performance. This study aims to find the noise loudness and sharpness levels as the most destructive effects on human cognitive performance.
Material and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study on 10 male students of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. The Noises were generated in two channels that the left channel produced the pink noise as a background noise. The pink noise loudness and sharpness were 19.7 sone and 2.49 acum, respectively. The right channel generated noises with different loudness and sharpness levels the noise loudness ranged from 8.87 to 67.9 sone and the noise sharpness ranged from 1.07 to 6.4 acum. Finally, ten noises with different loudness and sharpness were applied. The students were exposed to ten different types of noise and a silent condition. The Mathematical Problem Solving Task (MPST) test was performed to assess cognitive performance. The reaction time and the accuracy rate were measured after 5 minutes of noise exposure. Data were analyzed by SPSS (ver. 22). P< 0.05 was considered as significant level.
Results: The mean reaction time and the mean accuracy rate increased with the sharpness level. However, alteration in the loudness and sharpness levels had no significant effect on the speed and accuracy of students. Performance speed increased in noise 3 with the highest loudness (L=67.9, SH=1.07) in comparison with the silent condition (p-value=0.05). The mean accuracy rate in exposure to the noise 9 reduced in comparison with silence (p-value=0.04)
Conclusion: Different levels of psychoacoustic features had no significant effect on the cognitive performance parameters. Although, the accuracy rate and the reaction time decreased in noises 9, the sharpest noise, and 3, the loudest noise, in comparison to the silence, respectively.
Seyed Mahdi Mousavi, Ali Karimi, Seyed Abolfazl Zakeriyan, Mehrdad Mehravar,
Volume 12, Issue 1 (3-2022)
Abstract
Introduction: Permit-to-work system (PTW) system is a documented system to control the activities with inherent risks and probability of accident occurrence. To inform the performance and efficiency of a system, it must be periodically monitored and evaluated, and the permit to work system is no exception of this principle. The aim of the present study was to design and develop software for evaluating the performance of the PTW system.
Material and Methods: This study included two main stages. At the first stage, based on the literature review and interview to the academic and industrial experts, the PTW questionnaire for evaluating the performance was created. The second stage involved the design and implementation of an initial version of a software and the investigation of its usability. Designing the software was performed using system development life cycle (SDLC). The usability of this software was evaluated by Think -Aloud method. Finally, the users’ satisfaction was measured using the Questionnaire for User Interface Satisfaction (QUIS) questionnaire.
Results: Based on the results of the QUIS questionnaire, the overall satisfaction of the designed software was 7.71 in a nine-point scale. The scores of the software performance, display and user interface features, software terminology and information, learning, and overall system capabilities were obtained as 7.58, 7.37, 7.75, 8.11, and 7.74, respectively. Also, the outputs of the excel and SPSS software were in accordance with those of designed software, which show the reliability of the outputs of the designed software.
Conclusion: The designed software facilitate the proper and systematic analysis and it is flexible to evaluate the PTW system and represent types of reports in predefined structures that can be a useful tool in the process industries such as oil and petrochemical refineries and other similar industries.
Leila Omidi, Hossein Karimi, Saeid Mousavi, Gholamreza Moradi,
Volume 12, Issue 3 (9-2022)
Abstract
Introduction: Safety climate potentially affects safety performance in high-hazard industries. Resilience is a developing concept and is defined as the ability that can affect the continuous improvement of safety performance. The present study assesses the influence of organizational resilience on workers’ safety performance in a steel-manufacturing industry. In this regard, the safety climate mediates the effect of organizational resilience on safety performance.
Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was accomplished in the steel manufacturing industry in 2021. The survey included three parts: (1) organizational resilience, (2) safety performance, and (3) safety climate. Besides, the organizational resilience was measured by a scale with six dimensions and 19 items. Also, safety performance was assessed by six items regarding two performance dimensions (i.e., safety compliance and safety participation). In addition, safety climate was measured by 19 items, comprising four dimensions (i.e., safety communication, supervisor safety perception, coworker safety perception, and work pressure).
Results: The structural equation modeling results showed that the organizational resilience and safety climate had significant impacts on safety climate (β = 0.23, P ≤ 0.05) and safety performance (β = 0.43, P ≤ 0.05), respectively. Also, the indirect results indicated that safety climate mediated the relationship between organizational resilience and workers’ safety performance.
Conclusion: The increment of organizational resilience and safety climate improves workers’ safety performance. Besides, organizational resilience and related dimensions (e.g., reporting culture, learning, and awareness) improve the safety performance dimensions (i.e., safety compliance and safety participation).
Ali Mohammad Mossadeghrad, Alireza Sadraei, Mohammad Reza Monazzam Ismailpour, Seyed Jamaleddin Shahtaheri, Seyed Abolfazl Zakerian, Adel Mazloumi, Monireh Khadem, Mahya Abbasi, Ali Karimi, Farideh Golbabaei,
Volume 12, Issue 4 (12-2022)
Abstract
Introduction: Universities play a key role in creating a knowledge-based society and its sustainable development. Strategic planning by strategically analyses internal and external environments of the organization, forecast its future, identifying its strategic direction, and strengthening organizational structures, processes, and outcomes, creates and sustains competitive advantages. This study aimed to formulate a strategic plan for the Occupational Health Engineering (OHE) department of School of Public Health (SPH) at Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS).
Material and Methods: In this participatory action research, a strategic planning committee was formed. The strategic planning committee used the strength, weakness, opportunity and threat (SWOT) matrix to evaluate the internal and external environments of the OHE department. Then, the mission, vision, values, goals and objectives of the OHE department were defined. Finally, the operational plan including actions to achieve the goals and objectives were formulated.
Results: Experienced professors and staff, specialized laboratories, professional journals, and high ranked postgraduate students were the most important strengths; and theoretical and non-practical courses, lack of educational protocols, poor communication with industries, lack of resources, and low motivation of employees were some of the weaknesses of the OHE department. The support of senior managers of TUMS, industry liaison council at school and university, facilities of the university faculties, comprehensive research laboratories of the university, capacities of the private sector and increasing the demand for research in the industry were the opportunities. High inflation, political sanctions, the absence of consulting engineering companies and the uncertainty of research priorities of industries were important threats to the OHE department. Therefore, the OHE department is in a conservative strategic position. The strategic direction of the department, including the mission, vision, values and goals, until 2025 was determined. Improving the structures, working processes and performance of the occupational health department were determined as objectives and 81 actions were formulated to achieve these objectives.
Conclusion: The educational departments, schools and universities must have a strategic plan for progress. The strategic plan of the occupational health department of TUMS was formulated in line with the four-year plan of the university and coordinated with the operational plans of the educational, health and research deputies of TUMS and school of public Health. Proper implementation of this comprehensive and evidence-based strategic plan will improve the performance of the occupational health department.
Zahra Ghanbari, Seyed Abolfazl Zakerian, Alireza Choobineh, Mohammad Nami, Faramarz Gharagozlou,
Volume 12, Issue 4 (12-2022)
Abstract
Introduction: Cognitive emotion regulation (CER) strategies define as cognition-based responses according to emotion-eliciting experiences that can change the type and severity of individuals’ reactions and behaviors. This modification may positively or negatively affect cognitive performance and therefore, it is a defining issue in the workplace. Notably, industries such as combined cycle power plants need to hire staff with a high cognitive ability to perform their duties in a highly efficient way. Since CER is of great importance for overall health and cognitive performance, we aimed to evaluate the state of CER among control room operators (CROs) in the Fars combined cycle power plant.
Material and Methods: The CER questionnaire (CERQ) measures nine cognitive coping strategies (i.e., self-blame, other-blame, rumination, catastrophizing, positive refocusing, planning, positive reappraisal, putting into perspective, and acceptance) that are followed when an individual confronts negative events. The CERQ (short version) was administered to 57 male CROs at the Fars combined cycle power plant. The questionnaire also collected demographic data. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS Version 25.0. For the normality test, Shapiro-Wilk was the method of choice.
Results: Results of the CERQ scoring showed that the median with interquartile range (IQR) in appropriate and inappropriate categories were 3.50 (3.30-4.00) and 2.62 (2.25-3.06), respectively. Of note, age (39.07 ±6.19) and work experience (14.49±6.26) were not significantly correlated with the results of CERQ.
Conclusion: Taken together, adaptive cognitive strategies (acceptance, positive refocusing, planning, positive reappraisal, and putting into perspective) were reported to be used more often than less adaptive strategies. In general, staff strategies were appropriate while facing a negative event. Although assessing CER in high-demand workplaces is necessary, factors such as managerial styles, job engagement, job satisfaction, and larger sample size should be further studied.
Younes Mehrifar, Majid Abasi, Kazem Samimi, Saber Moradi Hanifi, Mostafa Pouyakian,
Volume 13, Issue 2 (6-2023)
Abstract
Introduction: Many general indicators have been proposed to assess an organization’s safety performance. However, due to their holistic nature, these indicators may not always reflect safety-specific aspects of an organization’s performance. In other words, the nature of an organization’s activities necessitates the use of specific criteria to better reflect safety performance. This study aimed to identify and measure key safety performance indicators using the Delphi method in Alborz Province Electric Power Distribution Company.
Material and Methods: This descriptive, survey-based study utilized the Delphi method to collect the opinions of 11 safety experts in the electric power distribution industry. Opinions were gathered in four phases, and key indicators were determined in the last phase of the study. These indicators were subsequently used to evaluate the safety performance of Alborz Electric Power Distribution Company for three months.
Results: This study identified and documented 34 safety activities. The expert group proposed 20 indicators in the first phase of the Delphi method. In the second and third phases, four and one indicators were eliminated, respectively, because they did not receive the required score. The content validity ratio (CVR) and content validity index (CVI) were calculated for the remaining 15 indices in the fourth phase. The results revealed that the mean quarterly performance scores of Alborz Province electric power distribution districts and departments in 2016, including Nazarabad, Savojbolagh, Mehrshahr, Fardis, West, East, Taleghan, and Eshtehard, were 78.9, 54.7, 78.8, 75.9, 75.7, 80.8, 61, and 83.5 out of 100 points, respectively.
Conclusion: The Delphi method is useful for identifying key safety performance indicators. The indicators discovered using this technique are active indicators (pre-accident) that are crucial in determining Alborz Electric Power Distribution Company’s safety performance. These indicators are suggested for use in evaluating the safety performance of other electric power distribution companies.