Journal of School of Public Health and

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Background and Aim: Lack of quantitative and qualitative data on the current status and the possible adverse effect of poor illumination necessitate the evaluation of the illumination system in the industrial section. To perform quantitative and qualitative assessments of illumination conditions in factories located in the west of Tehran and to look at the adverse consequences of insufficient illumination.
Materials and Methods: Data were collected through objective measurements and interviews with 616 factory workers. We used a structured questionnaire for data collection.
Results: Out of the total number of work sites inspected, 19.8% sufficient illumination, 46.1% had moderate illumination, and 29.7% work sites had illumination levels considered to be inadequate for precise tasks. Among those who worked in places with moderate illumination, 56.7% belonged to the 16-20 years age group 86.7% of individuals within this age group had to perform very precise tasks. Besides, 46.4% of the female workers and 45.7% of the males worked in places with moderate illumination .Work site observations and interviews revealed that those working under moderate and insufficient light commonly inhaled hazardous fumes and suffered from headaches and glare.
Conclusion: Factory work entails a variety of visual tasks. Besides creating a pleasant working environment, illumination of the workplace should provide sufficient amounts of light, visibility, luminance and contrast.

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Background and Aim: Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSDs) are the most prevalent occupational diseases and injuries. The aim of this investigation was WMSDs risk factors study in building construction industry by PATH (Posture, Activity, Tools and Handling) method.

Materials and Methods: This analytical-descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted in four construction sites. A total of 3100 observations of 89 workers in 14 jobs were obtained. The percent of time determined for trunk, legs and hands postures, and manual material handling activities, used tools and handling in job tasks.

Results: Trunk, legs and hands postures, tools and objects weight differed significantly between stages (P<0.0001). Neutral trunk posture was observed frequently. Neutral legs and hands postures were observed greater than %50 and %80 of the time respectively in studied workers. Tools are used with different frequency in studied jobs. Loads with less than 5 Kg were handled repeatedly.

Conclusion: The result of this study can be used to reduce musculoskeletal disorders in construction workers. This study revealed construction workers spent more time with neutral postures. But ergonomic interventions should be accomplished in specified jobs.

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Background and Aim: Ergonomics climate indicates employee perceptions of the extent to which the organization emphasizes and supports the design and modification of work, so that both performance and well-being of the personnel are improved. The purpose of this study was to determine the validity and reliability of the Persian version of the ergonomics climate assessment questionnaire in order to create a suitable tool for determining the overall values of an organization in connection with ergonomics and climate assessment.
Materials and Methods: First, the ergonomics climate assessment questionnaire was obtained from the Colorado State University of America, where it had been developed. The back-translation method was used to confirm its language suitability and precision. The content validity of the questionnaire was assessed by 10 relevant experts, followed by a cross-sectional study using a sample of 50 employees of a power generation plant using Cronbach's alpha to determine its reliability.
Results: The content validity ratio (CVR), content validity index (CVI) and reliability of thequestionnaire were found to be 0.90, 0.94 and 0.96 (a for the 59 items), respectively. These resultsindicating that the questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool.
Conclusion: Considering the acceptable validity and reliability of the ergonomic climate assessment questionnaire, it can be used as a valid and reliable tool to assess and analyze the status of ergonomic climate in different industries and organizations in Iran.