Iranian Journal of Ergonomics

Background and Objectives: Macro Ergonomics is a socio-technical approach that deals with organizational, and work system design, as well as the design of human-machine, human-environment, and human-job interactions. Researches show that workplace macroeconomic’ conditions have undesirable effects on employees’ health, and hospital staff experience high levels of occupational stress and high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders. This study aimed to investigate the relation between macroeconomic’ condition and prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders as well as outcomes of job stress among employees of hospitals affiliated to Urmia University of Medical Sciences.
Methods: This study was a descriptive cross-sectional study and 350 employees who randomly were selected from 5 hospitals participated in this study. Macro-ergonomic, Nordic and job stress outcomes questionnaires were used for data collection. Descriptive statistics, ANOVA and Chi-square tests were applied for data analysis.
Results: The findings of the present study indicated that out of 350 participants 217 (62%) were female and 168 were nurses (48%). Their mean age was 36.63 (±8.13) years and their average work experience was 11.53 (±7.65) years. The results of ANOVA test showed that the status of macro-ergonomics was significantly different in hospitals and hospital 1 had favorable condition. The majority of musculoskeletal disorder symptoms were reported in the neck (75.7%), hip, and waist (73.7%). The average score of job stress outcomes for the participants was lower than favorable limit. Macro-ergonomic’ conditions had significant associations with musculoskeletal disorders and job stress’ outcomes.
Conclusion: Based on the results of the current study, macro-ergonomic conditions had significant effects on musculoskeletal disorders and job stress outcomes. Interventional efforts should focus on organization and developing macro-ergonomic training programs to reduce musculoskeletal disorders and job stress and improve job conditions in hospitals.

Background and Aims: Ergonomics is associated with the study and systematic design of the workplace to improve human health and well-being. The health and well-being of employees are influenced by a variety of factors. Nature is a new paradigm in occupational ergonomics that has not been well explored in the main texts of ergonomics in relation to human well-being. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to investigate the results of joining with nature on staff health, especially well-being in the form of a systematic review study.
Methods: By searching articles published from 2000 to 2019 in the field of Biophilic design, 25 articles were selected for the present systematic study based on the research criteria. Non-English language articles excluded.
Results: The results of this study showed that Biophilic design is associated with improved human well-being, performance, concentration and stress reduction.
Conclusion: Organizations, with the help of ergonomists, should consider such changes in the workplace, and nature-based solutions as strategic programs for improving well-being rather than merely applying a temporary strategy that changes the physical condition of a building or its landscape.

Background and Objectives: One of the major challenges that managers face in competitive organizations is the improvement of the performance and productivity of the organization and understanding the factors affecting them. The promotion of the organizational performance requires managers to focus on the organizational justice and employees’ motivation at work. The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between organizational justice and organizational performance in the Health Center of Kermanshah Province.
Methods: The present work was a descriptive-analytic and correlation study. This study was performed on 166 employees of the Health Center of Kermanshah in summer 2019, selected by random sampling. Data were collected using two standard questionnaires: the organizational justice of Nihoff and Morman (1993), and the organizational performance of Hersey and Goldsmith (1980). Reliability of the questionnaires was assessed by the pilot study and Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 16 software.
Results: The results showed that the average scores of the organizational justice and the organizational performance are 54.84± 16.92 and 140.54± 18.66, respectively. According to the results of Pearson correlation coefficient, there is significant relationship between the organizational justice and its dimensions with organizational performance (P<0.001). However, the procedural justice has the more potential to predict the organizational performance.
Conclusion: The organizational justice is an important variable, strongly affecting the organizational performance. Therefore, managers need to pay particular attention to the justice as an important motivating factor for employees in order to improve the organizational performance and productivity.

Background and Objectives: Factors affecting one's job performance include job stress, job calling and burnout. The purpose of this study was to determine the causal relationship between job stressors, job calling and job burnout among employees of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences.
Methods: This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was performed on 378 non-faculty members of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences. Data were collected using Maslach Burnout Inventory, Job Stress Questionnaire (HSE-Q) and Dik's job calling. To investigate the relationship between variables, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) method was used in AMOS version 24 software.
Results: The mean age of participants was 38.93 years. The components of job stressors and job calling had a positive and significant correlation with the components of job burnout (P<0.05). The measurement model was acceptable with the collected data. Job stressors indirectly and mediate the dimensions of presence and search of job calling are related to job burnout of medical university employees. The sum of squares of multiple correlations for job burnout variable was 0.56. This finding indicated that occupational stressors and job calling account for 52% of the variance in burnout.
Conclusion: Given the detrimental effects of burnout on employees, it is suggested that authorities reduce stressors such as the psychological and physical needs of the workplace, lack of support, job insecurity, and job calling.

Background and Aim: Undesirable lighting at work environment causes visual and non-visual effects on employers. The aim of this study was to compare the quantity and quality of combined and artificial lighting in daytime and its relationship with the indexes of mental performance.
Methods: This study was carried out at 65 rooms and on 81 employees randomly selected from different clusters. Measurement of lighting parameters was done using a spectrometer. To assess the cognitive function, the Pshycomotor Vigiliance Task (PVT) test and for the sake of visual comfort, alertness and sleep quality, the Conlone, KSS (Karolinska Sleepiness Scale) and PSQI (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) questionnaires were used respectively.
Results: Most artificial sources used in the rooms included fluorescent lights in different shapes and colors. The average indexes of combined lighting was more than artificial lightings (P<0.001). Visual comfort was correlated with high color temperature (P=0.006, r = 0.315). The employees with natural lighting had less visually impairment. The sleep quality of the subjects was related to the type of work environment lighting (Chi²=0.59, P=0.44). Alertness of subjects exposed to high color temperature or natural light was better at 8 and 11 hours. The results of cognitive performance test showed no significant difference between different lighting conditions.
Conclusion: Using natural light or artificial lights with adequate illuminance and high correlated color temperature can increase the alertness and visual comfort to some extent and improve the sleep quality of day staff employers.

Background and Objectives: The silence of employees has become a critical issue for organizational development, referring to deliberate neglect of important ideas, suggestions and opinions about their work. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of variable organizational support perceived by employees on breaking the silence with the mediating role of emotional commitment.
Methods: The statistical population includes 900 governmental employees from which 273 persons have been selected using Cochran formula and random sampling method. Information gathering tools include Eizenberger (1986) perceived organizational support questionnaires, Allen & Meyer (1990) affective commitment Questionnaire and Silence climate questionnaire of Vakola and Bouradas (2005). After gathering requested information from the participants, the information was analyzed by Microsoft Excel 2016, SPSS 23.0 and smartpls3.
Results: The results showed that perceived organizational support was positively correlated with employee silence. The results also showed that the emotional commitment mediates the relationship between perceived organizational support and employee silence.
Conclusion: Given the relationship between perceived organizational support and emotional commitment with employee silence, it is essential for planners to consider these components.

Background and Aim: Occupational accidents are recognized as one of the major concerns in the mining industry. The purpose of this study was to analyze the incidence of occupational accidents in a mine for 10 years using Human Factor Analysis and Classification System (HFACS).
Method: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 664 mining accidents during 2009-2018. The tools used in this study included accident reporting checklists, human factors analysis and classification system (HFACS), and a team approach to analyze these accidents. Data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS AMOS v. 23.0.
Results: The accident frequency rate (AFR) was 15.10±3.34. The results of 10-years accident analysis in this mine based on HFACS model showed that the highest contribution of each parameter to the four layers including unsafe acts, preconditions for unsafe acts, unsafe supervision and organizational influences were respectively devoted to perceptual error (64.4%), Physical environment (29.5%), inadequate supervision (59.6%), and organizational process (65.6%). The results of structural equation modeling showed that the AFR is directly and indirectly affected by the layers of the HFACS model (P<0.05). The most significant impact on the AFR was related to the unsafe acts layer.
Conclusion: The findings of this study indicated that all four causal layers of human factors were effective in mine accidents, in addition the HFACS model is highly effective for unsafe acts-based accidents analysis, so it can be used for future planning to reduce accidents in the mining sector.

Background and Aim: Agricultural combine harvesters play a crucial role in cereal productions. A combine operator performs almost all harvesting activities in seated posture. As an interface of the biomechanical system of operator’s body and combines’ mechanical system, seat has major effect on operator’s safety, health, and comfort. A successful design of seat is not achievable without considering the anthropometric characteristics of user population in geometric design. In current study, the accommodation of common harvesting combines’ seat with Iranian operators’ body dimensions has been investigated.
Methods: This study was conducted in Bijar, the widest county of Kurdistan province in the west of Iran. Eight anthropometric dimensions including weight, stature, shoulder height, elbow rest height, popliteal height, buttock-popliteal length, shoulder breadth, and hip breadth were measured on a sample of operators. The accommodation of seat pan width, upper backrest width, lower backrest width, seat height, armrest height, seat depth, and backrest height were investigated based on logical equations.
Results: There was a considerable mismatch between evaluated combine seats and the anthropometric dimensions of operators. Selecting 440, 370, 440, 410, 260, 430, and 415 mm for respectively seat pan width, upper backrest width, lower backrest width, seat height, armrest height, seat depth, and backrest height can increase the match percentage to a range of 62.2% to 100%.
Conclusion: The dimensions of available combine harvester seats are not suitable for Iranian population. However, considering the anthropometric dimensions of operators can improve the seats ergonomically. It should be noted that a design based on corresponding national and international standards cannot guarantee the geometrical accommodation of seats.

Background and Aim: A good work environment is a place where one can feel relaxed and focused. In the field of environmental psychology, color is one of the environmental factors that greatly influence human perception and behavior. The purpose of this systematic review study was to investigate the effect of color on work environment.
Methods: This article is a systematic review study. Full-text and English-language articles published in PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, Google Scholar were searched using the following keywords: Color perception, color ergonomics, color psychology, color effect, mental health and Workplace. The search was without time limit, and 45 eligible articles were reviewed.
Results: Initially, 262 articles were identified from different databases. Among them, 93 articles met the criteria for entering the study. After that, 48 articles were removed from the study due to lack of experimental studies and 45 articles were selected for final review. A total of 18 studies focused on color priority, 25 studies on mood and emotions, 6 studies on health outcomes, and 19 studies on the effect of workplace color on work-related outcomes. The results showed that color has a significant effect on emotions (eg mood), well-being (eg stress, comfort, well-being) and performance (eg productivity, creativity).
Conclusion: Workplace color should be considered as one of the main ways to promote the (mental and physical) health of individuals.

Background and Objectives: Job stress is among the factors that affect job performance. The present study aimed at the developing and studying the effectiveness of an educational package to cope with the occupational stress of the flight crew.
Methods: The research method is mixed (qualitative & quantitative). The statistical population in the qualitative section consists of elites and informants in the field of coping strategies for the flight crew’s stress and seven people were selected by targeted sampling method. In the quantitative method, the statistical population included Mahan flight crew and forty people were selected through convenient sampling and they were randomly assigned into two experimental and control groups. The quasi-experimental method with an unbalanced control group was used. The Vandroff‌’s Job Stress Questionnaire was used for measuring the dependent variable. The data were analyzed by Multivariable Variance method and Independent t-test for differential scoring using SPSS 25 software.
Results: The results indicated that the educational package of coping with occupational stress led to the reduction of stress in the flight crew. The analysis of each occupational stress components showed that the training for coping with the occupational stress is effective for, Decision-making Power, job & time strain, role ambiguity, value deficiency, as well as social support from the manager and colleagues.
Conclusion: Thus, according to the effectiveness of the educational package for coping with occupational stress, it is recommended that this package be used in other airline companies and also by the psychologists and consultants who utilize occupational therapy for the occupational stress of the flight crew.

Background and Aim: Job adjustment is an important factor for the successful employment of nurses. The job nature can be a factor influencing job adjustment. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of job nature on job adjustment among a sample of nurses. 
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 542 nurses working in hospitals affiliated to Kashan University of Medical Sciences. Using Cochran's formula and stratified random sampling method, 190 nurses were selected as a sample. Two standard and validated questionnaires were used for gathering data associated with job nature and job adjustment. The reliability of the questionnaires was estimated through Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Data analysis was performed at both descriptive and inferential levels using SPSS 22.
Results: Findings revealed that means of job nature (70.43±45.07) was higher than average (60) and mean of job adjustment (3.23±0.42) was higher than average (3). Pearson correlation coefficient showed that there is a positive and significant relationship between job nature and job adjustment (r=0.29). The regression coefficient showed that the job nature was able to predict the job adjustment of nurses.
Conclusion: The average job nature and adjustment of nurses were favorable and there was a positive relationship between job nature and job adjustment of nurses. Therefore, in order to increase the adjustment of nurses, managers should pay more attention to nurses' perceptions of their job characteristics and provide them with diversity, feedback and the opportunity to create friendly relationships at work.

Background and aim: Nowadays performance management is used to make organizational agility and improve organizational architecture. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of organizational architecture on performance management with the mediating role of organizational agility of physical education departments of country's medical science universities.
Methods: The method is a descriptive-survey research and operational and applied in terms of purpose. The statistics of this study included all senior managers and staff of physical education departments in medical universities throughout Iran, selected as a statistical sample for a total of 216. Data collection tools were organizational architecture questionnaire, Baldrige performance standard questionnaire and Sharifi organizational agility questionnaire. In order to analyze the research findings, path analysis and structural equations and SPSS 20  were used.
Results: It showed that organizational architecture and its dimensions have a significant effect on performance management with the mediating role of organizational agility of physical education departments in medical universities of the country. The magnitude of the effect of the mediating variable using VAF was 0.228 and according to the magnitude of the direct effect of the independent variable on the dependent which was equal to 0.799, it can be said that the magnitude of the direct effect is greater than the indirect effect.
Conclusion: In modern performance management, the aims of staffs and the purposes of the organization should be aligned and by creating coordination and providing the necessary guidance by supervisors, people feel more belonging to the organization and make the organization more agile by organizational changes.