Showing 11 results for Afshar
Ghasem Hesam, Mohsen Aliabadi, Maryam Farhadian, Vahid Afshari Doust,
Volume 1, Issue 2 (Journal of Ergonomics 2013)
Abstract
Background: The use of visual monitors especially in relation to computer can cause health effects which have negative impacts on mental and physical performance of users. This study aims to determine the relation between ergonomic conditions in use of visual monitors and subjective feeling of fatigue in master science students as permanent users.
Methods: In this study, 40 students in the Hamadan University of Medical Scienceswere selected based onsimplerandomapproach. For determining subjective feeling of fatigue, the standard questionnaire with reliability coefficient equal to 0.8 was distributed and completed among students. This questionnaire has 30 questions which was covered three criteria included drowsiness, difficulty of concentration and physical impairment. The data about environmental and ergonomic conditions of the workstations was also recorded. Exposure to electromagnetic radiation in very low frequency was measured using instrument model HI 3603 front of the studied monitors. Data was analyzed with SPSS 16 software.
Results: The results showed mean score of drowsiness, difficulty of concentration and physical impairment were 17.8±6.5, 18.7±4.4 and 11.9±6.9, respectively. Totally, mean score feeling of fatigue was 48.5±15.7. The relation between continuous work time and feeling of fatigue was significant (P<0.05).The relation between work day time and feeling of fatigue was not significant (P>0.05). The relation between type of used monitor and feeling of fatigue was significant (P<0.05). Moreover, the relation between environmental conditions of the workstations and feeling of fatigue was not significant (P>0.05). However, descriptive results showed growing trend of feeling of fatigue in unsuitable environmental and ergonomic conditions. Moreover, exposure to electromagnetic radiation between to type monitors was statistically difference (P<0.05).
Conclusion: Criterion of difficulty of concentration was allocated the maximum score of feeling of fatigue which can cause negative impacts on educational performance. Compliance with the ergonomic principles especially reduction continuous work time and use of updated monitors and optimization of lighting and acoustic conditions of the workstations can reduce feeling of fatigue among students, considerably.
M.saeed Moradi, Davood Afshari, Taher Hoseinzade, Kambiz Ahmadi,
Volume 2, Issue 2 (Journal of Ergonomics 2014)
Abstract
Background: Safety signs are considered as visual intermediates for message transmission and play a crucial role in reducing accidents particularly in petrochemical industries. These signs are effective as long as they are designed in compliance with ergonomic principles, human factors, and cognitive features. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the psychological effects of safety signs in transmitting message given their designing features in the petrochemical industry.
Materials and methods: This descriptive-cross-sectional study was carried out on 100 employees in Mahshahr Petrochemical Complex. A 2 partite questionnaire was used to collect data the first part for demographic information and the second part included designing features of signs (familiarity, objectivity, simplicity, meaningfulness, semantic proximity). The Pearson correlation test was used to identify the correlation coefficients between signs features and scores given by the participants.
Findings: Mean and standard deviation of the scores of the signs’ message perception were 60.73 and 4.36, respectively. Cognitive features of the signs included familiarity and semantic proximity with a mean of 49.15 and 66.78, respectively. The factors of work experience, age, and academic level had no significant effect on guessing the meaning of signs (p>0.05).
Conclusion: The results of this study showed that no significant relationship existed between cognitive features of the signs and transmission of the message and message transmission of safety signs is affected by other features than their design. Therefore, in order to improve individuals’ awareness about familiarity of employees with particular meaning of signs, ergonomic design of safety signs and proper training for perceiving their meaning are proposed.
Raziyeh Morshedi, Matreh Boazar, Davood Afshari, Kambiz Ahmadi Angali, Maryam Malek Zadeh,
Volume 3, Issue 1 (Journal of Ergonomics 2015)
Abstract
Introduction: Manual handling of loads and carrying tasks widely exists in many occupations. Hospital staff because of Manual carrying of loads, are at increased risk of musculoskeletal disorders. Incorrect lifting methods, is an important risk factor for low back pain. The aim of this study was to analyze the biomechanical loads on the lumbar of nurses-aid in manual handling activities of serum cartons 12.5 kg in hospital and provide ergonomic solutions is the prevention of back pain.
Methods: This study was conducted one of the hospitals in Ahvaz city in year 1392. evaluated Postures were sampled through observation and photography. Then load lifting of complex index, was calculated by NIOSH equation and estimate the compressive forces on vertebras L5/ S1 as a quantitative index using software 3 D SSPP, during 2 stages before and after the intervention. The results of tests using Correlation, Regression and T-test were analyzed
Results: The results showed that the highest RWL in the top row 89/9 kg and minimum on the bottom row was 44/5 kg. The highest and lowest compressive force was estimated in the bottom and top rows, respectively, 6727 and 3707 Newton. Results of statistical tests showed significant reduction between the load lifting of complex index(CLI), and the compressive force average before and after the reform is the work station.
Conclusion:Throgh biomechanical analysis of work stations with two methods quantitatively and qualitatively can be made more accurate assessment and ergonomic conditions at work stations can be modified more accurately.
Maryam Mosavi Ghahfarokhi, Davood Afshari, Gholam Abbas Shirali,
Volume 8, Issue 4 (Iranian Journal of Ergonomics 2021)
Abstract
Background and Objectives: In recent decades, several major accidents have occurred in high-reliability industries such as petrochemical companies. Accident analysis shows that the occurrence of more than 90% of accidents in industries are due to human factor and only with technical-engineering measures and the establishment of safety rules and regulations can not be institutionalized safe behaviors in such industries. Therefore, despite a slight reduction in human presence in these industries, the potential for human error risks is still high. The aim of this study was to identify and assess human errors in a petrochemical plant using the technique for the retrospective and predictive analysis of cognitive errors (TRACEr).
Methods: The sample size was all the eight operators of control room working in four shifts. In the first step, all tasks were analyzed using the hierarchical task analysis in order to identify sub-tasks. Then, for all the subtasks, different error modes (external and internal), psychological error mechanism (PEM) and performance shaping factors (PSFs) were identified and recorded in TRACEr sheet.
Results: The analysis of TRACEr sheets indicated that of a total number of 1171 detected errors, the internal and external errors were 50.67% (n=593) and 49.33% (n=578), respectively. In this line, ̔timing/sequence̕ errors with 35.36% and 'quality/selection' errors with 30.03% were identified as the highest and lowest external error modes, respectively. In classifying the internal error modes, action errors with 31.87% and decision making with 10.73% were identified as the highest and lowest external error modes, respectively. Within PEMs, ̔distraction/preoccupation̓ (23.61%) was identified as the main causes of perception errors. The analysis of the PSFs shows that ‘Organization’ with 27.95% and ‘task complexity’ with 8.74% were two main factors affecting the task errors.
Conclusion: The current study could identify many of the errors and conditions that affect the performance of operators. Therefore, this study can be introduced as a basis for managers and stockholders of chemical industries with complexity and high risk in order to prioritize human error prevention programs.
Davood Afshari, Payam Amini, Behnoush Jafari, Ghasem Akbari,
Volume 9, Issue 1 (Iranian Journal of Ergonomics 2021)
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Psychosocial factors are among the factors affecting employee productivity. Since few studies have been done in this field, this study was conducted to investigate the relationship between psychosocial factors regarding productivity.
Methods: This cross-sectional and descriptive-analytical study was conducted in 2020 among 105 employees of a food distribution company in Ahvaz. Data collection tools included demographic information questionnaire, Copenhagen Psychosocial Factors Questionnaire (COPSOQ) and Goldsmith Hershey Productivity Questionnaire. Independent t-test, one-way analysis of variance and Pearson correlation coefficient were used to investigate the relationship between variables.
Results: The results showed that there was no significant relationship between any of the demographic variables with the score of psychosocial factors and productivity (P> 0.05). Psychosocial factor 2 has a negative and significant relationship with the average score of productivity, ability, role clarity, organizational support, motivation, feedback and credibility. And psychosocial factor 4 has a negative and significant relationship with motivation. The mean score of psychosocial factors, factor 1 and 3 showed a positive and significant relationship with the mean score of productivity, ability, role clarity, organizational support, motivation, feedback and credibility.
Conclusion: Considering the role of psychosocial factors on employee' productivity, it is necessary to consider organizational interventions in order to control effective psychosocial factors. More attention to psychosocial factors in the workplace can play an effective role in the efficiency and productivity of employees and the organization.
Solmaz Tabe-Afshar, Sahar Toofan, Arash Saghafi-Asl,
Volume 9, Issue 4 (Iranian Journal of Ergonomics 2022)
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Workplace architecture is one of the most important factors influencing employees' health and wellbeing. Therefore, it is necessary to study the role of workplace design on the emergence of various types of health problems among employees. The present research aims to study the prevailing conditions at the case studied workplaces and to identify the role of factors influenced by interior layout (location-ergonomics, lighting, indoor air quality (IAQ), temperature, noise, design style, and cleaning) on the emergence of Sick Building Syndrome among employees.
Methods: In the present study, three administration buildings (roads and urban development office, construction engineering organization, and airport) in Urmia, Tabriz are investigated as case studies and a total of 226 employees working in these buildings are selected as samples. Then, they are asked to fill out a questionnaire to collect the required data. The reliability of the questionnaire is confirmed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient.
Results: The findings indicate that despite the advantages of open plan layout for the organization of work environments, it still has many negative consequences such as too much noise and distraction, lack of ergonomics, congestion, reduced privacy, and the lack of personal control of environmental conditions. In general, it is not considered an efficient layout design for the workplace.
Conclusion: The results indicate that to effectively deal with the emergence of sick building syndrome and provide a healthy work environment, it is necessary to establish a balance between various parts in the workplace layout design including private office space, shared workplace, and/or open plan according to the nature and type of work while taking into account the factors and parameters influenced by the layout design and environmental properties.
Davood Afshari, Maryam Nourollahi-Darabad, Noorollah Karimi, Maryam Seyed Tabib,
Volume 10, Issue 1 (Iranian Journal of Ergonomics 2022)
Abstract
Objectives: Nurses are at the front line of treatment and coping with COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the present study investigates the pandemic’s impact on nurses ’mental workload and determines its predictive factors.
Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was done on 234 nurses in two groups working at COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 wards in 2020. The criteria for entering the study were the absence of psychological problems. Data was gathered using the General Health Questionnaire, NASA-TLX, and Demographic Questionnaire.
Results: The mean of the overall mental workload score in the group of nurses working at the Covid-19 wards (70.09 ± 2.51) was higher than the group of nurses working in the non-COVID-19 wards (66.55 ± 2.02). This difference was significant (P = 0.01). There was a significant difference between the mean score of the mental demand, the physical demand, the temporal demand, and the frustration level of the two groups. With the exception of performance, the group of nurses working in the corona ward had a higher mean score in all aspects. In the proposed linear model, 16% of the overall changes in mental workload depended on two variables, which were age and work experience. The work experience was the most influential factor in predicting nurses' mental workload.
Conclusion: The findings of the present study showed the importance of paying attention to the mental workload of nurses as well as personal and occupational factors affecting mental workload in the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, control and management of effective factors can help reduce mental workload, especially during pandemic conditions.
Solmaz Tabe Afshar, Sahar Toofan, Arash Saghafi Asl,
Volume 10, Issue 2 (Iranian Journal of Ergonomics 2022)
Abstract
Objectives: Undoubtfuly, people spend a significant portion of their time in workplaces. Many factors affect the health and well-being of employees. The present study aimed to identify the architectural problems of the environment by examining the symptoms of Sick Building Syndrome and ranking the parameters influenced by five physical factors (thermal comfort, noise, lighting, layout-ergonomics and decoration).
Methods: The present descriptive-analytical research was carried out in the summer of 2021. The statistical population included 52 employees of Urmia Engineering Organization Building which is based on Morgan's table and a sample size consisting 46 people was randomly selected. The required data were collected through a questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation) and Friedman test.
Results: Considering the average ranks, symptoms of fatigue (4.47), muscle pain (5.47), headache (5.87), high stress (6.14) and poor concentration (7.45), along with some defined parameters for each of the factors, including overcrowding and lack of speech privacy (78.12%), the noise of people's conversation (62.93%), improper workplace temperature in winter (58.59%) and summer (49.91%), inappropriate placement of uses and allocation of inadequate space for people and equipment (49.91%) played the most significant role.
Conclusion: The results indicated that the inefficient design of the environment and non-observance of ergonomic principles as a result of unprincipled renovations regardless of the nature of the work and its requirements, inappropriate placement of uses, the non-standard distribution of employees in an inflexible environment, lack of speech privacy and crowding were identified as the most important causes of the symptoms.
Maryam Afshari, Mehdi Kangavari, Farogh Mohammadian, Shahnaz Maleki, Farideh Kazemi,
Volume 11, Issue 2 (Iranian Journal of Ergonomics 2023)
Abstract
Objectives: Traffic accidents are one of the leading causes of death among pregnant women. One of the investment for maternal and neonatal health is targeted interventions to increase maternal safety to prevent traffic accidents. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim of identifying and categorizing different types of safety interventions to reduce traffic accidents among pregnant women.
Methods: The study was a systematic review. Intervention articles were searched from Persian databases, such as Magiran, Iran Medex and SID and English scientific information databases, such as PubMed, Cochrane, Sciencedirect, Embase, Science of Web and Scopus. All identified articles were collected by one person using Endnote software. The full text of the articles was then reviewed by two researchers and the articles that met the entry criteria were identified. Other articles were added to the previous collection of articles using Forward Citation and Backward Citation Reviews. The EPHPP instrument was used to assess the quality of the studies.
Results: The initial search resulted in finding 5329 article abstracts. Finally, two intervention studies were selected for evaluation in this study. One study used an educational/behavioral approach and the other used an engineering/approach. Both studies reported that they had produced significant changes in the desired outcome of seatbelt use in pregnant women. The quality of one study was rated as poor and the other as moderate.
Conclusion: Safety interventions to reduce traffic accidents among pregnant women have been tested only to a very limited extent worldwide. It seems that there is still much room for study in the field of safety interventions to reduce traffic accidents among pregnant women.
Reza Ziyari, Parvin Afshar, Mahsan Afshar,
Volume 12, Issue 1 (Iranian Journal of Ergonomics 2024)
Abstract
Objectives: It was expected the healthcare system would help to provide better services by taking advantage of the opportunities provided by the expansion of information and communication technology. In some cases, the efforts of service providers or users to increase their interests have resulted in the commercialization of health at the cost of effectiveness and personal well-being. The present study aimed to identify and analyze the impact of digital components of social media on the commercialization of health with the aim of improving ergonomics at macro and cognitive levels.
Methods: This applied research was conducted based on a descriptive cross-sectional design. The statistical population included 300 professors of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, out of whom 169 cases were selected by simple random method. The components were determined by the descriptive method. The questions were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis in SPSS software. The ranking of the components was performed using Friedman's method, and the final model was then presented.
Results: The digital components of social media in the commercialization of health include five parts(the health system, medicine, patient, insurance, and healthcare personnel) and 30 sub-components.
Conclusion: The digital components related to the health system have the most marked impact on the commercialization of health, highlighting the need to pay attention to the development of social media regulations in the health sector. Common strategies include controlling data availability, building coalitions among health stakeholders with compliance monitoring, using social responsibility laws for digital companies, and promoting self-regulation among stakeholders.
Ali Afshari,
Volume 12, Issue 3 (Iranian Journal of Ergonomics 2024)
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Job satisfaction is one of the most basic components of mental health, dynamism, efficiency and creativity of employees in any job and profession. The aim of the present study was to determine the relationship between self-efficacy, self-regulation and locus of control with job satisfaction in rotating shift employees of Imam Khomeini Hospital in Urmia.
Methods: The research method is correlational. The statistical population in this study included all male employees working on rotating shifts in Imam Khomeini Hospital in Urmia, from which 150 people were selected as a sample based on the stratified random sampling method. In this study, the Hoffman and Kashdan Emotional Self-Regulation Questionnaire (2010), the Scherrer Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (1982), the Rutter Locus of Control Test (1966) and the Smith, Kendall and Hewlett Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (1969) were used as data collection tools. Pearson correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis were used to analyze the hypotheses.
Results: The results of the study showed that there is a relationship between self-efficacy and job satisfaction (0.001). There is also a positive relationship between self-regulation and job satisfaction and locus of control with job satisfaction (0.001). In the components of emotional self-regulation, the relationship of all three components of concealment, compromise and tolerance with job satisfaction was confirmed (0.001).
Conclusion: Job satisfaction is one of the most important variables in career success and increasing organizational productivity. Among the factors affecting job satisfaction are self-regulation, locus of internal control, and emotional self-regulation.
