Iranian Journal of Ergonomics

Background and Objectives: Participatory ergonomics, with its focus on the active involvement of stakeholders in designing and improving work systems, can be proposed as a key strategy for sustainable environmental management. This study aims to explore the mechanisms of integrating ergonomic principles and employee participation to elucidate how environmental sustainability can be achieved in workplace settings.
Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted in an Iranian automotive industry. The participatory ergonomics program involved a 14-member expert team through weekly sessions consisting of two hours of theoretical training and one hour of practical application over a three-month period. The primary objectives of the program encompassed comprehensive training on ergonomics checkpoints established by the International Labour Organization (ILO), integration of ergonomic principles with environmental sustainability considerations, and development of practical competencies to implement acquired knowledge in actual workplace environments.
Results: Following the completion of the participatory ergonomics program and a thorough assessment of workplace issues, the ergonomics team successfully developed fifty practical recommendations, 20% of which addressed environmental concerns. Through six months of sustained collaboration between workers and management support, ten of the proposed recommendations were implemented.
Conclusion: The application of participatory ergonomics principles, with its emphasis on stakeholder engagement in work system design, can serve as a pivotal strategy for sustainable environmental management. This approach not only enhances the physical and psychological well-being of employees but also establishes an inseparable connection between technology, humans, and the environment through reducing occupational stress and natural resource consumption. Undoubtedly, interdisciplinary research in ergonomics and environmental sustainability can play a strategic role in achieving balanced development for future generations.
 

Background and aim: Traffic accidents are a leading cause of mortality and severe injuries. Driver behavior is a significant factor influencing this issue. This study aimed to investigate the status of unsafe driving behaviors and their relationship with road accidents among intercity drivers in Urmia.

Methods: This cross-sectional study conducted on 378 intercity drivers visiting the Occupational Medicine Center at Urmia University of Medical Sciences. Sampling was performed using a convenience method. The Driver Behavior Questionnaire (DBQ) was employed as the standard instrument. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 24 at the significance level of 0.05.

Findings: The highest score for unsafe behaviors was related to non-routine violations, with a mean of 1.33 ± 0.44. Significant positive correlations were found between all four DBQ subscales and road accidents (p < 0.001). Linear regression analysis revealed that routine violations and errors significantly predicted 24.3% of the variance in annual accidents.

Conclusion: This study demonstrated significant associations between unsafe driving behaviors and traffic accidents, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions to reduce high-risk driving behaviors.

Background and Objective: Adverse events, defined as errors occurring during nursing care, have become one of the most serious threats to patient safety and quality of care in hospitals. This study aimed to investigate the role of various factors influencing adverse events among nurses.

Methods: An analytical epidemiological study was conducted on 360 nurses working in public hospitals in Ahvaz. Data were collected using a personal information questionnaire, an environmental factors checklist, the standardized Patient Safety Culture questionnaire, the NEO Personality Inventory, the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire assessing psychosocial work factors, and a standardized adverse events checklist. Data analysis was performed using SPSS and SMART PLS software.

Results: The most frequently reported adverse events were complaints from patients or their families, while surgical wound infections were reported less frequently. Additionally, 31 nurses (8.6%) reported more than 20 adverse incidents in the past 12 months. The developed model indicated that environmental noise significantly affects both patient safety culture and adverse events, and psychosocial factors influence patient safety culture; however, patient safety culture alone did not have a significant effect on the occurrence of adverse events.

Conclusion: Overall, the prevalence of adverse events among the studied nurses was high. Exposure to environmental noise and psychosocial factors substantially impacts patient safety culture. These findings can inform strategies to improve adverse event management and enhance patient safety culture.