Journal of Health and Safety at Work

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Introduction: Considering the importance of implementing occupational safety and health management systems for the prevention of various diseases in the workplace, as well as determining the notability and role of induction and implementation of occupational health management systems in controlling and reducing COVID-19 outbreak in work environments, as one of the most sensitive and important of society sectors, this study aimed to compare the prevalence of Covid-19 disease in two groups of industries with and without occupational health management systems and related management risk factors in several industries, in Iran.
Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed in May 2020 during the outbreak of coronavirus in some industries under Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences’ supervision. During the present study, 70 industries included 24 industries active in chemical products, 6 industries of automotive parts manufacturing, 14 industries of home appliance manufacturing, 16 industries of health and cosmetics products, 4 industries of metal products, and six service companies were studied. The studied population included two industries with an occupational health management system (33 industries) and industries without an occupational health management system (37 industries). In this study, a checklist was designed to collect study data based on the requirements and parameters of occupational health management systems, as well as information related to infectious diseases such as COVID-19, which included information on COVID-19 disease in two groups of studied industry, occupational medicine, biological hazards risk management, occupational health information management system, training, and employee participation, as well as the management parameters of COVID-19 outbreak. Statistical analysis of the study data was performed using the Chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test by SPSS. 23 software.
Results: The number of workers working in the two groups of industries with and without occupational health management systems was 673 and 708, respectively. Among 33 industries with occupational health management systems, 12.1% industries had health, safety, and environment management system (HSE-MS), 66.7% industries had OHSAS 18001:2007 standard, and 21.2% industries also had ISO 45001:2018 certification. It was found that the prevalence of Covid-19 disease in those industries without occupational health management systems was significantly higher (p <0.05). It has been found that Covid-19 outbreak in industries without occupational health management systems was significantly higher (p<0.05). The findings also showed that there was a significant difference between the parameters of occupational medicine, risk management of biological hazards, occupational health information management system, training and employee participation, as well as the management parameters of COVID-19 disease in the two groups of studied industries (p<0.05).
Conclusion: The findings of the present study indicated that there was a significant relationship between the scores of occupational medicine parameters and occupational health information management system, risk management of biological hazards, training and employee participation, management of COVID-19 and finally the prevalence of the disease among industries with or without occupational health management system. So, implementation and establishment of occupational health management systems can be an effective step in reducing the prevalence of viral and infectious diseases such as COVID-19.

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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.

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Introduction: Considering the importance of identifying and tracing primary sources of Covid-19 crisis in infection control, this study was carried out with the aim of identifying the occupational tasks effective in transmitting Covid-19 in the event of death of a female staff in medical record unit in Shafa Takestan Hospital (Qazvin Province).
Material and Methods: This case study was performed on the death of a 26-year-old married woman working in the medical records department of Shafa Takestan Hospital in March 2019. After identifying and completing the tasks, hazards analysis was performed and finally, various tasks and amount of the Covid-19 sources were determined.
Results: Covid-19 risk sources are classified into three groups of human resources with 51 cases (38.06%), office tools and equipment with 46 cases (34.33%) and paper with 37 cases (27.61%). Four tasks were identified as major tasks with a 59.90% of the total number of COVID-19 risk sources. In this study, two critical tasks were determined with the titles of “reply to requests of forensic medicine and insurance” and “reviewing patients’ surgical reports” that contained a total of 39.06% of the Covid-19 sources.
Conclusion: The results showed that the human resources in two major tasks were the most critical sources of Covid-19. So, the control of these critical tasks is of special importance. The results also showed that it is necessary to transfer the special and unusual tasks to the time after the crisis, in order to reduce the sources of Covid-19 contamination.

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Introduction: The carpet industry is one of the most important handicrafts in Iran. This industry is one of the most difficult and harmful professions, in which the employees are often working in a workplace with non-ergonomic, unsafe, and unhealthy conditions. The present study aimed to address the modeling of the individual, job characteristics, and workplace conditions with the general health of carpet weavers through an ergonomic approach.
Material and Methods: The current study was a descriptive-analytic survey. The study population was female workers, who have had a minimum of one-year work experience and working in the workshops located in Meshginshahr city villages. The data collection tool was a combination questionnaire including, Goldberg’s questionnaire (GHQ-28), NIOSH questionnaire (disease history section), and questions about workplace conditions. The obtained data were entered into SPSS-17 software and analyzed statistically using statistical modeling based on the general linear model, multivariate and other statistical tests.
Results: Unpleasant condition was observed among the 37.4% of the examined, in terms of general health. Logistic regression modeling was used to investigate the internal and external factors of carpet weavers with their general health status. According to the model, general health has a significant relationship (p<0.05) with most of the internal factors such as age, marital status, history of disease, etc. However, there was no significant relationship with the workplace conditions.
Conclusion: According to the results of this study, it can be concluded that demographic and job variables are of the most important factors affecting the general health of carpet weavers. Although in the model, the workplace conditions did not show any significant relationship with the components of general health, interpreting these findings requires more studies. More studies are required objectively to identify the effect causes of the general health of carpet weavers (especially workplace conditions).

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Introduction: Covid-19 pandemic has imposed a significant effect on mental health of the health care workers. The present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed at determining the pooled prevalence of anxiety and depression among Iranian health care workers during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Material and Methods: To conduct this systematic review and meta-analysis, Web of Science, Scopus, Medline (PubMed), Embase, SID, Magiran databases and Google Scholar search engine were investigated to find studies over the prevalence of anxiety and depression among health care workers during the Covid-19 pandemic from December 2019 to June 10, 2021. Quality of the primary studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa tool and the random effects model was applied to estimate the pooled prevalence. Furthermore, χ2 test and I2 index were used to evaluate the degree of heterogeneity among the studies. The pooled prevalence of anxiety and depression in different subgroups was reported based on the severity of anxiety and depression, assessment tools, and staff jobs.
Results: Of 488 articles obtained as a result of the initial search, 10 related studies were identified and entered into the systematic review and meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of anxiety was 42% (95% CI: 25-75) and the pooled prevalence of depression was 35% (95% CI: 19-55). The pooled prevalence of anxiety was 54% (95% CI: 39-70) in the occupational group of nurses and 29% (95% CI: 17-44) among all health care workers. The pooled prevalence of depression was 46% (95% CI: 30 to 63) and 17% (95% CI: 10 to 26) among nurses and all health workers, respectively.
Conclusion: According to the findings, a high prevalence of anxiety and depression was observed among the health care workers of Iran during the Covid-19 epidemic. The authorities are required to plan for preventive and therapeutic interventions to reduce the psychological burden of the epidemic.

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Introduction: Job burnout is a kind of psychological exhaustion that is associated with psychological stress or job and workplace stress and can affect the general health of the individual.  Job burnout is more likely to occur in jobs offering health and social services. Considering the special problems of hospital staff due to high work sensitivity, this study was conducted to identify the relationship between job burnout and mental health among non-medical staff of general, specialty and sub-specialty hospitals affiliated to the Iranian oil industry.
Material and Methods: This research is descriptive-analytical which is of correlation type. Cluster random sampling was used to select 251 non-medical staff members of Oil Company’s hospitals in Abadan, Ahwaz, Mahshahr and Tehran. The instruments used included demographic checklist, Goldberg General Health Questionnaire and Maslach Burnout Questionnaire. The data were analyzed by Spearman, Mann–Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis correlation test at the level of 0.05.
Results: The findings showed that the mean and standard deviation of age of participants were 38.82±8.3. 49.5% of participants were female  The mean and standard deviation of mental health was 2.12 ± 0.405 and the mean and standard deviation of burnout was 28.4 ± 0.634. There is a meaningful and reverse relationship between burnout and mental health, mental health and emotional exhaustion and depersonalization and personal adequacy in non-medical staff in general, specialty and sub-specialty hospitals affiliated to the Iranian oil industry.
Conclusion: Based on the findings of the study, job burnout affects mental health. Burnout affects both male and female. The findings of this study can be used in planning preventive measures, and identifying groups which are exposed to risk in work environments.

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Introduction: The study of noise has always been of interest to occupational health professionals as a harmful physical factor in the workplace. However, the psychological and psychoacoustic aspects of noise in the workplace have been less studied. This study has dealt with different colors of noise and their applications in psychoacoustics.
Material and Methods: This review study was conducted by searching the databases of Google Scholar, ProQuest, Science Direct, PubMed, and Scopus to extract the articles related to the research subject within a 50-year interval from 1970 to 2020.
Results: Based on the results of the present study, colored noises and white noise seem to have the potential to be used as acoustic stimuli to improve the sleep of employees, especially shift workers, to improve memory and attention, especially in jobs that require high care and attention. Colored noise and white noise have potential applications to improve cognitive function in different occupations to reduce the activity of the sympathetic nervous system and anxiety and stress, especially in jobs with high job stress. Also, these noises are helpful for people’s privacy, especially in the open workplace, for noise masking and noise control purposes, as well as for medicine and treatment of disorders such as tinnitus, ADHD, and hyperacusis.
Conclusion: Paying attention to the colors of noise and their psychoacoustic impacts shows us that the noise impacts are not limited to their undesirable and damaging effects. Instead, their positive and applied aspects should also note. Familiarity with such aspects and their introduction can identify the existing information gaps in this field and pave the way to fill them.

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Introduction: Ergonomics culture emphasizes ergonomics policies, goals, and programs that create behavioral, environmental, and structural reforms in the governing environment of the organization. The present study assesses the ergonomics culture dimensions in the North Tehran Health Center office building through the Delphi method and an expert questionnaire.
Material and Methods: The Delphi method was used to develop an expert questionnaire. The evaluation criteria were determined based on the engineering dimensions of human factors and the organizational culture factor model. Besides, the sub-criteria were specified based on the macro-ergonomics approach. In this case, the most critical sub-criteria were chosen using 15 experts and the Delphi method. Thus, a questionnaire was developed with 15 questions. The ergonomics culture criteria were classified considering the frequency of negative responses. The highest frequency of negative response demonstrated poor ergonomic status and vice versa.
Results: The results revealed that the maximum average negative score among the six principal evaluation criteria was related to the information and communication index at an average score of 66. The other criteria were ranked as follows: the management, staff, equipment design, environment layout, and job characteristics with average scores of 58, 56, 54.67, 49.5, and 36.8, respectively.
Conclusion: The ergonomics culture questionnaire was prepared and analyzed by an expert team using the Delphi method. According to the indices, the ergonomics culture level was unacceptable at the North Tehran Health Center. Thus, it is recommended to provide ergonomics courses and seminars, video clips, pamphlets, posters, and related courses. Also, training and development of ergonomics instructions can help establish an ergonomics culture in the organization to a significant extent.

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Introduction: Strategic management involves determining the organization’s direction, preparing a strategic vision and mission statement, and providing the basis for growth, profitability, and production. It also includes the inclusion of employee safety and health programs throughout the organization. The existence of a strategic plan for the scientific and practical strengthening of occupational health and safety is one of the country’s academic and industrial priorities. The purpose of this study is to present a strategic plan for developing the specialized field of occupational health and safety engineering in Iran.
Material and Methods: The current study is a collaborative action research study that was conducted in 2021. The strategic planning committee consisted of 20 professors, experts, and doctoral students. Over the course of 14 weeks, they held regular weekly meetings, collected information from inside and outside the organization, analyzed the organization’s internal and external environment, and identified its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Based on this analysis, the committee determined the organization’s mission, perspective, values, and general and specific goals for 2021-2024. They also identified the necessary measures to achieve these goals and developed an operational plan to improve the performance of the specialized field of occupational health and safety.
Results: Conducting this applied research led to the strategy of internal and external analysis of the specialized OHS field, determining the direction of the basic strategy, mission, perspective, values, and general goals. Finally, seven specific goals and 286 actions were determined to improve the performance of OHS. The SWOT analysis of OHS’s internal and external environment identified 27 strengths, seven weaknesses, 26 opportunities, and 12 threats. According to the results of the SWOT matrix, the strategic position of the OHS field is to implement preventive strategies and maintain existing conditions.
Conclusion: This plan aligns with the 4-year OHS plan. In developing the program, attention has been paid to the documents and policies of upstream organizations. The strategic position of occupational health and safety engineering is a prudent strategy. In this situation, strategies for maintaining existing conditions can be applied. Therefore, it is suggested to reduce the weaknesses of OHS as much as possible and increase its strategic capabilities by focusing on prudent strategies. From the second year of implementing the strategic plan, the OHS field can gradually focus on developing activities.

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Introduction: Studies have demonstrated that teaching carries a substantial burden of health risks. Prevalent health issues among teachers include asthma, respiratory diseases, musculoskeletal problems, and mental disorders. These problems can be attributed to the specific attributes of their work environment. Consequently, this study aims to investigate the correlation between air quality within educational establishments and the overall health of teachers.
Material and Methods: This systematic review aims to examine the impact of temperature, humidity, and ventilation rates within educational environments on teachers’ health status and thermal comfort. Relevant studies were searched for using the PubMed and Web of Science databases, employing keywords such as teacher, temperature, humidity, ventilation, school, classroom, health symptoms, and thermal comfort (2000-2022). The inclusion criterion was that articles examined teachers’ health and comfort with temperature, relative humidity, and ventilation of the educational place.
Results: Out of the 103 articles found in the initial search, 13 articles were finally reviewed. Six studies investigated the voice abnormalities of teachers due to various factors (including temperature, relative humidity, and the ventilation rate of the educational place) and found that these abnormalities were affected by these factors. Two studies explored the relationship between the prevalence and exacerbation of respiratory symptoms and quality parameters of the indoor environment of educational places. Additionally, five studies investigated the relationship of air quality parameters of educational places with common non-specific symptoms among teachers.
Conclusion: Teachers frequently experience symptoms such as voice disorders, respiratory difficulties, allergies, and other nonspecific ailments, which may be associated with the quality parameters of the indoor environment in educational settings. These parameters include temperature, humidity, and ventilation rate. Consequently, controlling and regulating these parameters within the recommended values can help prevent the onset or exacerbation of these symptoms.

 

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Introduction: To ensure employee safety and health, it is crucial to choose and use personal protective equipment correctly. An investigation of the respiratory and hearing protection equipment used in the industries of Tehran was conducted in the present study.
Material and Methods: This study was a descriptive-analytical study conducted in 2023 on 400 occupational health and safety experts in Tehran province. A researcher-made checklist and questionnaire (physical and online versions) were used to determine the criteria that are considered when selecting protective equipment. Statistical analysis and graphing were performed using SPSS-v21 and Excel-2016.
Results: Participants had an average age of 38.66 and an average work experience of 11.78 years. The participants reported 48.3% and 47.7% disapproval of the quality and 42.5% and 39.5% disapproval respectively of the quantity of respiratory and hearing protection equipment available in their industrial units. In addition, 56.3% of them admitted that they have no responsibility for providing or approving the equipment in their workplace. Overall, 27 and 29 criteria were mentioned by study participants pertaining to respiratory and hearing protection equipment, respectively. In the identified criteria, the frequency distribution ranged from 0.3% to 38%.
Conclusion: A high rate of expert dissatisfaction with protective equipment and a low frequency of most of the criteria mentioned indicates that industries aren’t paying much attention to the issue of choosing the right respiratory and hearing protection equipment. To improve the situation, more investigation is needed and practical and operational solutions will be provided. This study highlights the importance of proper selection and use of personal protective equipment in ensuring the safety and health of employees.

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Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has been a significant global health challenge. Primary care services, such as screening health centers, were crucial in identifying infected individuals. However, these centers were often crowded and posed a high risk to staff and non-COVID-19 patients. This study aims to assess the risk of airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in such settings through simulation.
Material and Methods: In this study, waiting and sampling rooms of a COVID-19 healthcare center were simulated using different scenarios. Then, the Quanta emission rate was estimated using the viral load in the sputum of infected individuals. Finally, the airborne transmission risk of SARS-CoV-2 was determined using the Wells-Riley method for scenarios of wearing and without masks.
Results: The study showed that the Quanta emission rate in an unmodulated speaking activity was higher than other expiratory activities in both units (p <0.001). Also, the total amount of Quanta was slightly higher in the sampling room than in the waiting room, which was not statistically significant. On the other hand, the calculation of transmission risk showed that the probability of airborne virus transmission in the sampling room was higher (about 2 to 8%). In addition, wearing masks reduced the possibility of airborne transmission of the virus significantly (77 to 81%).
Conclusion: This study shows that the level of risk in the sampling and waiting rooms is moderate. Masks also significantly reduce the possibility of airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Taking appropriate health and safety measures such as avoiding crowds, wearing masks, whispering, and monitoring social distancing can reduce the plausibility of airborne transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
 

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Introduction: The purpose of occupational health is to maintain and improve the health of employees and improve their physical, mental and social well-being through the prevention, control and elimination of occupational hazards. It is necessary to integrate educational, research and health service activities to prevent and control potential occupational health hazards in the community. This study aimed to develop a Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action (JCPOA) for occupational health at Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS).
Material and Methods: In this participatory action research, a strategic planning committee was established, whose members were professors of the occupational health department in the school of public health and managers of the occupational health department in the health deputy of TUMS. The strategic planning committee carried out a strategic evaluation of the internal and external environments of both occupational health deprtments of TUMS and identified the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Then, the strategic direction of JCPOA including the vision, mission, values, goals and objectives was determined. Also, the strategies and actions to achieve the goals and objectives were identified. Finally, the action plan to achieve these objectives was developed.
Results: This applied research led to the strategic evaluation of the internal and external environments of the occupational health depratment of the School of Public Health and the occupational health depratment of the Health deputy of TUMS, determining the strategic direction, and finally, developing an action plan to achieve the goals and objectives.
Conclusion: The JCPOA for occupational health was developed using a collaborative and systemic approach. The proper implementation of this plan can lead to the improvement of occupational health indicators in the community. Cooperation between university and industry is necessary for the sustainable development of society.

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Introduction: The prevalence of COVID-19 has significantly impacted work environments and the workforce. Therefore, identifying the most important preventive and control strategies, as well as assessing their effectiveness, is of paramount importance. Various studies have shown that machine learning algorithms can be used to predict complex and nonlinear issues, including predicting the behavior of various diseases such as COVID-19 and the parameters affecting it, and can be beneficial. The purpose of this study has been to examine the importance of preventive measures and hygiene behaviors in preventing COVID-19 in the oil refining industry using various machine learning models.
Material and Methods: For this purpose, demographic information and health behaviors of individuals were collected. Subsequently, a multi-layer perceptron (MLP), radial basis function (RBF), and support vector machine (SVM) models were compared to enhance the analysis of the effects of preventive measures on COVID-19 infection. Finally, the most influential factors affecting the likelihood of COVID-19 infection were determined using sensitivity analysis.
Results: The results showed that the accuracies achieved in predicting the impact of preventive measures and health behaviors on COVID-19 in occupational settings were 78.1%, 81.2%, and 78.1% by MLP, RBF, and SVM respectively. The RBF model was identified as the most accurate model for predicting the impact of health behaviors on COVID-19 disease Additionally, the level of social distancing with customers, handwashing frequency and disinfection, the availability of cleansing and disinfecting agents for hands and surfaces in the workplace, and gatherings for eating meals and snacks were identified as the most significant health behaviors influencing the prevalence of COVID-19 in the workplace.
Conclusion: Studies of this nature can underscore the importance of attention to preventive measures and health behaviors in unprecedented circumstances. Furthermore, the utilization of artificial intelligence models and tools such as DSS (Decision Support Systems) can serve as powerful tools for optimizing control measures in work environments.
 

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Introduction: The goal of this study is to investigate how the development of technology has affected the industry (especially the mining industry). For this purpose, this paper examines the impact of intelligent mining machinery systems, including tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS), dispatching systems, and vehicle health monitoring systems (VHMS), on health, safety, and environmental parameters and preventative maintenance.
Material and Methods: This study is descriptive-analytical research that was conducted between time intervals before and after employing the intelligent mining machinery systems. Initially, parameters were identified using the Delphi method. These parameters include human accidents, equipment accidents, environmental incidents, warnings and fines in the domains of health, safety, and the environment, tire usage parameters, the shelf life of the tire, oil overfill, fuel consumption, failure rate, mean time between failures, and preventive maintenance compliance schedules in the domain of preventative maintenance. The effectiveness of using these systems was then assessed by comparing the state of the specified parameters before and after the introduction of the intelligent mining machinery systems.
Results: The findings of this research indicate that using intelligent mining machinery systems will decrease equipment accidents by 33.3%, extend the useful life of tires by 7.1%, reduce fuel consumption by 14.6%, cut the mean time required to repair by 25.5%, and enhance preventive maintenance compliance schedules by 5.7%.
The findings showed the effectiveness of the use of intelligent systems of mining machines was obtained as follows: reduction of equipment accidents by 33.3%, increasing the useful life of tires by 7.1%, reducing fuel consumption by 14.6%, reducing the average downtime of the car for repair by 25.5% and increasing compliance with the maintenance program by 5.7%.
Conclusion: Utilizing intelligent mining machinery systems might have a positive impact on the safety of machines, reduce negative environmental effects like fuel consumption, and improve the maintenance of heavy machinery, which would lead to better mining conditions and lower costs.
 

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Introduction: Due to uncertainties regarding the risks of engineered nanomaterials for human health and the environment, different organizations and researchers have developed various management frameworks and assessment tools to mitigate hazards during the procedures and applications of engineered nanomaterials. However, most of these techniques do not meet all the individual requirements. This study provides a review and introduction to the techniques developed for the management of safety, health, and environmental risks associated with engineered nanomaterials.
Material and Methods: In order to find pertinent documents on the safe handling of engineered nanomaterials, a search was conducted using the following keywords: “Engineered nanomaterials”, “Framework”, “Tool”, “Risk management”, “Occupational exposure”, “Environment”, “Risk assessment”, and “Nanotechnology”. The search was conducted on various databases, including Scopus, Web of Science, NIOSH, ECHA, and ISO. Among the search results, tools and frameworks that specifically focus on the safety, health, and environmental risk management or assessment of engineered nanomaterials were selected.
Results: Among the search results, 17 frameworks and 11 developments in the field of managing occupational, environmental, and toxicological risks associated with engineered nanomaterials were discussed. Various frameworks and tools for identifying, evaluating, and managing the potential risks of engineered nanomaterials vary in terms of their scope, goals, risk assessment approaches, and output, offering diverse applications.
Conclusion: Various tools and frameworks, each with unique properties, applications, and limitations, can assist organizations in achieving their goals related to safety, health, and environmental issues in the field of nanotechnology. Currently, there is no consensus on the optimal approach for assessing the risks of nanomaterials, underscoring the necessity for additional research, development, and collaboration in this field.
 

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Introduction: Driving has various harmful factors due to its nature, which affect drivers’ health directly and indirectly. Therefore, it is necessary to know the situation and prevalence of these factors in drivers to implement preventive measures.
Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study is a part of a cohort study conducted (2016 to 2018) among the professional drivers of Shahroud, Iran. Data related to background information, blood pressure, height, weight, waist circumference, body mass index, blood factors, hearing loss (dB), respiratory performance indicators, sleep disorders, and accidents were collected from the participants with standard tools and methods.
Results: This study examined 1461 male professional drivers with an average age of 37.30±6.96 years. A total of 426 participants had metabolic syndrome. 797 and 942 people had different degrees of hearing loss, respectively, in the right and left ear. About 129 people had obstructive sleep apnea, and 1330 people had insomnia. Investigations showed that 351 drivers had at least one accident.
Conclusion: This study showed the prevalence of health risk factors in professional drivers at the examined time point. Considering the vital role of drivers in transportation and the country’s economy, it seems necessary to pay more attention to the health of this occupational group. Regular health screening, healthy lifestyle training, improvement of working conditions, and stress management are some interventions that can effectively improve drivers’ health.
 

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Introduction: Given the importance of the employment status of graduates for countries, the current study aims to investigate the employment status of occupational health and safety engineering (OHS) graduates from Kashan University of Medical Sciences (KAUMS), from the establishment of the field in 1996 up until 2023
Material and Methods: The cross-sectional study examined the employment status of OHS graduates of KAUMS using a researcher-developed Google form questionnaire. The questionnaire included demographic characteristics, five questions for unemployed individuals, and 60 questions for employed individuals. Finally, descriptive and analytical analyses of the study were performed using SPSS v16 software. 
Results: A total of 229 graduates participated in this study. The results regarding the frequency of employed and unemployed participants showed that 198 (86.5%) participants were employed, and 31 (13.5%) were unemployed at the time of the study. Most employed participants (46%, or 90 individuals) work in the industry and mining sector. Evaluating the effectiveness of the educational course of employed participants in relation to their jobs revealed that 88 participants (44.4%) believe that the subjects taught in the courses are moderately compatible with work needs. 
Conclusion: With the advancement of industries and the expansion of production, the need to control harmful factors and improve workers’ health is more evident than ever before, making it likely that graduates of this field will have favorable job prospects in the future. On the other hand, the academic conditions should be improved, particularly regarding the quality of the educational and curriculum programs of KAUMS. 
 

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Introduction: The increasing advancement of technology in the field of digital technology and automation has led to a change in the line of work and job content, and it seems that organizations are pushing their employees towards harder and longer work, which affects the health of employees. This study investigated the impact of job demands and resources on overtime and work-related health through the mediation of workaholism and work engagement.
Material and Methods: The work is a descriptive survey in terms of purpose and nature. The study’s statistical population consisted of employees of Isfahan Metro Company (320 people), of which (175 people) were studied by Simple Random Sampling. To collect the required information, Spence and Robbin’s (1992) Addiction Questionnaire, Lodahl and Kejner’s (1965), Langseth-Eide’s (2019) Perceived Health-Related Questionnaire, and Bryson Bangers’ Caricature Content (1998) were distributed and supplemented based on a Likert scale. A Structural equation model (SEM) was used to test the hypotheses.
Results: The results showed that job demands on workaholism (β=0.394, T=5.969, P <0.05) and job resources had a positive and significant relationship with work engagement (β =0.502, T =7.832, p <0.05), and workaholism and work engagement on the relationship between job demands and resources over time and health. Mediating work-related perceptions (Z= 4.383, Z= 2.189, Z= 3.797). In addition, job resources did not moderate the relationship between job demands and workaholism (β= -0.049, T =1.333, p> 0.05). 
Conclusion: The results of this study showed that there is a distinction between workaholism and work engagement as two different types of hard work (i.e., negative and positive) in the health process in the JD-R model. 

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Introduction: Workplaces often contain potential risks, such as exposure to toxic chemicals. Conducting a thorough health risk assessment helps employers recognize these dangers and implement necessary controls. In the 20th century, modern risk assessment frameworks began to be established with the rise of public health agencies.
Material and Methods: The present study is a narrative review. In order to obtain necessary information, Persian and English texts were searched in Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, SID and Magiran databases. Keywords such as “health risk assessment”, “chemicals” and “nanomaterials” were used in this study.
Results: Both quantitative and qualitative health risk assessments play critical roles in occupational health, with each method providing different levels of depth and accuracy depending on the situation. EPA Model, Monte-Carlo Simulation, Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic (PBPK) Modeling, Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship (QSAR) Models, Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA), Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA), and Biologically Based Dose-Response (BBDR) Models, are among the most important quantitative methods for assessing the health risk of chemicals. COSHH Model, ICCT Model, ICMM Model, Australian Model, and Romanian Model, are the most important qualitative methods for health risk assessment of chemicals. In addition to the quantitative and qualitative methods, semi-quantitative methods like Singapore Model, LEC Method, and SEP Model, have also been proposed for assessing the health risk of chemicals. The preference for qualitative over quantitative methods in the risk assessment of activities involving nanomaterials stems from substantial uncertainties, limited data availability, and the unique and complex behaviors of nanomaterials in the workplaces.
Conclusion: Overall, the evolution of health risk assessment methods reflects a continuous drive towards greater accuracy, reliability, and relevance. As we continue to innovate and expand our knowledge, the field is well-positioned to address the complex and evolving landscape of chemical and material risks, ensuring the protection of human health and the environment.