Hossein Mardi, Seyyed Abolfazl Zakerian, Mehdi Jalali, Mojtaba Abbaszadeh, Javad Korozhdeh, Zahran Panjali,
Volume 2, Issue 1 (Journal of Ergonomics 2014)
Abstract
Background: Shift work is one of the inevitable consequences of technology in which in the recent years numerous studies have been done about its effect on health. Somatic, psychological and social disturbances are among the problems that are seen more in people with shift work than other people. The current study aims to determine the prevalence of these disturbances in one of the LPG and gas refinery complex, oil companies.
Methods: This cross-sectional case-control study was carried out at 180 shift-work people as case group and 90 day-work people as control group at the security section of the oil refinery company. Data of shift workers were collected with Survey of Shift workers (SOS) questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of questions on demographic characteristics and health problems associated with shift work. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS Ver.19 at a significance level of 5%.
Results: The mean (SD) of shift working and day-work workers were estimated to be 41 ± 4.8 and 39 ± 4.1 years, respectively. The results showed that health problems shift-workers were more prevalent than day-work workers. The differences were significant in gastrointestinal disease, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and fatigue (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: According to the result of this study, shift work can be a risk factor for the incidence of somatic and psychological disturbances. Initiatives should be implemented to prevent these complications in shift workers.
Samin Asghari, Mahmoodreza Azghani, Sadra Jalali,
Volume 13, Issue 3 (Iranian Journal of Ergonomics-In Press 2025)
Abstract
Objectives: Musculoskeletal disorders, particularly foot problems, are among the leading causes of reduced quality of life and work productivity. Evidence suggests that occupational conditions and daily activities play a crucial role in the development of foot pain. This study aimed to examine the association between occupational status and the severity of foot pain and functional impairment using the Foot Function Index (FFI).
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 2,848 participants in East Azerbaijan Province, Iran. Based on occupational status, participants were categorized into employees, self-employed, housewives (women only), and students. Data were collected using the FFI questionnaire. Normality of the data was tested using the Kolmogorov–Smirnov and Shapiro–Wilk tests. Since the distribution was non-normal, inter-group comparisons were performed using the non-parametric Kruskal–Wallis test, followed by pairwise comparisons with the Mann–Whitney U test and Bonferroni correction where necessary
Results: The findings revealed that students, in both men and women, reported the highest levels of foot functional problems, while employees and self-employed individuals had lower FFI scores. Among women, housewives reported fewer problems compared to students. Statistical analyses confirmed significant differences between occupational groups (p<0.001)
Conclusion: This study demonstrated that occupational status is directly associated with foot pain and functional impairment. The results highlight students as a high-risk group requiring targeted preventive and ergonomic interventions. Identifying the impact of occupational factors on foot health can provide a basis for designing strategies to improve occupational health and reduce the burden of musculoskeletal disorders.
