Iranian Journal of Ergonomics

Investigation of the Production and Publication Status of Ergonomics Books in Iran

Mehdi Jahangiri

Objectives: A significant indicators of progress and development is the publication of books within any scientific domain. Ergonomics, a critical field associated with human and occupational health, contributes to enhancing productivity and the health level of employees. The present study aims to investigate the state of production and publication of ergonomics books in Iran.
Methods: The current study employed a descriptive approach and content analysis with a bibliometric perspective. The research population encompaased all ergonomics books registered on the National Library website. To access relevant books, searches were conducted without temporal limitations using keywords such as ergonomics, human factors engineering, and other related terms. The collected data were then entered into a pre-designed form in Excel software and, in the final stage, were analyzed using descriptive statistics.
Results: In total, 313 book titles in the field of ergonomics have been published between the years 1989 to 2023, indicating an increasing trend in the publication of books in this area. The highest frequency was for authored books, accounting for 78.27 percent of the publications. Mohammad Amin Mououdi, Majid Motamedzadeh, and Alireza Choobineh were the most active authors in this field. The subject areas of ergonomics principles and application, occupational ergonomics, and human factors engineering had the highest frequency. Fanavaran publications held the highest rank among all publishers. In total, 38 book titles reached multiple editions.
Conclusion: The results of the current study signify an upward trend in book publication within the field of ergonomics in Iran. However, there is a need for more attention from authors in some specializations of this science, including occupational biomechanics, urban ergonomics, ergonomics in domestic settings, and ergonomics for children. Additionally, there is a notable lack of focus on the publication of electronic books in this scientific field. Therefore, to give more consideration to the advantages of electronic books and consider their publication.

Prevalence of Work-related Musculoskeletal Pains and Their Association with Body Posture, Work-related Stress, Mental Health, and Psychological Flexibility among the Employees of an Industrial Company

Mohsen Arefian

Objectives: Work-related musculoskeletal pains (WMSPs) are considered one of the major factors affecting the quantity and quality of work and threatening the physical and psychological health of employees. The present study aimed to assess the prevalence and prediction of WMSPs based on body posture, work-related stress, mental health, and psychological flexibility among the employees of an industrial company in Shiraz.
Methods: To this end, among the employees of an industrial company in 2023, 147 people (51 women and 96 men) were selected and evaluated by 1. The Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire, 2. Quick Exposure Check, 3. Effort-Reward Imbalance questionnaire, 4. General Health Questionnaire, and 5. Cognitive Flexibility Inventory. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 26) using regression analysis test.
Results: Descriptive findings demonstrated that the most common WMSPs in the sample group were back pain(76.19%), neck pain (69.38%), and lower back pain (56.46). Moreover, the mean hours of physical exercise per week were significantly associated with WMSPs (P<0.05). Based on the findings, body posture had the greatest ability to predict neck, shoulder, hand, and back pain (P<0.01). Furthermore, work-related stress, mental health, and psychological flexibility significantly predicted WMSPs (P<0.05).
Conclusion: As evidenced by the obtained results, body posture education may contribute greatly to the mitigation of WMSPs.Moreover, work-related stress management and the promotion of employees’ psychological flexibility will reduce WMSPs.

Investigating the Effects of Workload, Fatigue, Sleep Quality and Posture on Musculoskeletal Disorders in Workers in the Steel Industry

Abbas Mohammadi

Objectives: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are widespread and important health and social problems in industrialised society, reducing productivity, increasing treatment costs and affecting the quality of life of workers. The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the effects of workload, fatigue, sleep quality and physical condition on musculoskeletal disorders among workers in the steel industry.
Methods: The present study is a descriptive and analytical study conducted on a population of 540 workers working in the steel industry in the city of Dezful. Based on simple random sampling, 400 people were selected as samples. The instruments used in this study are the Demographic Information Questionnaire, the Cornell Musculoskeletal Disorders Questionnaire (CMDQ), the Swedish Occupational Fatigue Inventory(SOFI), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality (PSQI) and the NASA-TLX workload index. The Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) was used. Descriptive statistical indices were used to analyze the data, and the relationships between observed and hidden variables were examined using structural equation modeling (SEM) The data were analyzed at a significance level of 0.05 and in SPSS software version 25.
Results: According to the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders, back pain ranked first with a mean and standard deviation of 52.39±25.44 and knee pain ranked second with a mean and standard deviation of 46.46±26.45, indicating that the prevalence of these disorders is high among steel industry workers. The results of the correlation analysis showed that there is a positive and significant relationship between workload, fatigue, sleep quality and body condition and musculoskeletal disorders (p<0.05). The RMSEA index of less than 0.1 shows that the model proposed in this study fits well and demonstrates the role of workload variables, fatigue, sleep quality and body position in the direct and indirect causation of musculoskeletal disorders.
Conclusion: The results of this study show that improving workplace ergonomics, reducing workload and fatigue, and improving sleep quality can reduce the likelihood of musculoskeletal disorders in workers.

Psychometrics of an Occupational Cognitive Failures Questionnaire for Heavy Machinery Operators in Road and Urban Construction: A Study of Validity and Reliability

Neda Mahdavi

Objectives: Today we are witnessing tremendous growth in construction and the use of heavy machinery. As a significant portion of human errors is attributed to cognitive failures, there is a need for robust tools to assess these cognitive failures. Therefore, the primary goal of this study was to investigate the psychometrics of the current Occupational Cognitive Failures Questionnaire for Heavy Machinery Operators in Road and Urban Construction.
Methods: A total of 84 drivers of road and urban construction machinery were selected by simple random sampling method. Initially, job-related items for these people were selected for inclusion in the questionnaire, irrelevant items were removed, and proposed items were added. To assess structural validity, the tool was administered to 10 experts. Then, content validity ratios (CVR) and content validity indices (CVI) were determined for each of the items and evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis conducted in AMOS software (version 23). Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used to measure reliability. Data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 20).
Results: The final questionnaire comprised 16 items, with CVR and CVI leading to their inclusion in the final structure. The CVR of the questionnaire was 0.90. Additionally, the indices of the fitted model included CMIN/DF, TLI, CFI, IFI, GFI, AGFI, and RMSE, which were obtained at 1.16, 0.851, 0.88, 0.898, 0.86, 0.802, and 0.044, respectively. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient was calculated at 0.633.
Conclusion: The psychometrics of the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire demonstrated suitable validity and reliability for heavy machinery operators in road and urban construction. It can be effectively used for ergonomic evaluations.

Evaluation of the Level of Comprehension of the Symbols on the Iranian Washing Machine by the Visitors to Saraye-Irani in the City of Qom

Seyed Abolfazl Zakerian

Objectives: Signs and symbols are used to inform how different tools work. Considering that washing machines are a widely used device and tool in today's life, the present study was conducted to determine the level of comprehension of “Saraye-Irani” visitors regarding the symbols placed on Iranian washing machines.
Methods: The number of 300 people who referred to "Seraye-Irani" located in Qom city participated in this study. A researcher-made checklist based on the ISO 9186-1 2007 standard was used to collect the required data. After the checklist was approved by the experts, it was distributed among the participants and they were asked to write down the meaning of each symbol in front of it. The gathered data were analyzed in SPSS version 22 software using the Chi-square and Fisher's tests.
Results: The results showed that the symbol of "wrinkle-free washing" with a comprehension rate of 70% was the only symbol that the participants had a good comprehension of. However, the participants' comprehension of the other 13 symbols in question was below the standard level. The understanding of symbols of "extra rinse" (P=0.016), "cold water wash" (P=0.037), "child lock" (P=0.001), and "full power wash" (P=0.044) decreased with increasing age. Moreover, individuals with higher education levels had a better understanding of symbols (P=0.001).
Conclusion: Among the 14 symbols measured in the present study, only one symbol had an acceptable level of comprehension. Therefore, according to the widespread use of washing machines, to optimize the use of this tool, it seems necessary to design and implement the necessary training to familiarize and understand these symbols.

Comparative Analysis of the Effect of Six Weeks Online Corrective Exercises and Posture Retraining on Pain, Disability, Percieved Fatigue, and Mental Workload Among Dentists in Shahrekord

Farzaneh Gandomi

Objectives: Musculoskeletal disorders and associated pains are represent significant and prevalent factors contributing to occupational injuries. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of online upper cross syndrome-based exercises and the posture retraining on pain, disability, fatigue, and mental workload of experienced by dentists in Shahrekord city.
Methods: A total of 33 dentists were selected as the statistical sample and randomly assigned to three groups including, control (n = 11), Online National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) based corrective exercises (n=11), and posture retraining (n=11) groups. Baseline assessments were conducted, and outcomes were examined immidietly after the interventions. The experimental groups underwent the study interventions for six weeks, while the control group maintained their regular daily activities during this period. Primary outcome measure was pain, and secondary measures included disability, perceptual fatigue, mental workload, and quality of life. Within-group comparisons were analyzed using paired sample t-tests, and between-group comparisons utilized one-way analysis of variance.
Results: The results indicated that both exercise interventions positively affected pain, disability, perceptual fatigue, mental workload, and quality of life among dentists (P<0.05). Notably, correction of the upper crossed syndrome demonstrated a more significant effect compared to the posture retraining intervention (P<0.05).
Conclusion: The utilization of online NASM-based corrective exercises and posture retraining could have positive effects in reducing pain and disability and also improving the overall performance of dentists.

Investigating the Relationship of Work-related Stress and Work Fatigue with the Prevalence of Skeletal-muscular Disorders in Pre-hospital Emergency Staff in Saveh in 2023

Maryam Rafiee

Objectives: Pre-hospital emergency workers who are responsible for providing essential pre-hospital medical services are exposed to physical and mental disorders. Since musculoskeletal disorders can be affected by work-related stress and fatigue, the present study aimed to assess the relationship of work-related stress and fatigue with the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in pre-hospital emergency workers in Saveh.
Methods: This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in 2023. A total of 88 personnel of urban and road pre-hospital emergency centers in Saveh were included in the study by the census method. Data collection tools were the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20, and Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. Data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 22) using independent t-tests, analysis of variance, Poisson regression, and Pearson correlation coefficients.
Results: The most common areas involved in musculoskeletal disorders were back (34.1%; n=30), neck (19.3%; n=17), and upper back (19.3%; n=17). Moreover, mean scores of work-related stress and work fatigue were 113.52±4.09 and 62.95±5.06, respectively. Musculoskeletal disorders showed a significant relationship with marital status, workplace, age, work experience, and number of working hours (P≤0.05). Nonetheless, there was no significant relationship between work-related stress and work fatigue (P=0.28), musculoskeletal disorders and work-related stress (P=0.93), as well as musculoskeletal disorders and work fatigue (P=0.44).
Conclusion: The prevalence of skeletal-muscular disorders was relatively high, and considering that these disorders are more frequently observed in married people and those who work on the road, training should be provided to these workers according to their place of work. The risk of developing skeletal-muscular disorders increases with age and work experience. Therefore, it is necessary to take precautions in this regard. Furthermore, since skeletal-muscular disorders increase with an increase in working hours, it is necessary to adjust working hours and avoid long shifts.

Investigation and Evaluation of Management Strategies to Reduce Occupational ‎Stress among Human Resources at Imam Reza Hospital

Roholah Hosseini

Objectives: Human resources are the most important capital and strategic factor in any organization, especially hospitals. Managers need to employ suitable strategies to decrease and remove job stressors to utilize this capital more effectively for enhancing the quality of hospital services. Reducing occupational plays a significant role in improving the morale and motivation among the hospital's human resources. In this research, management strategies were investigated to reduce occupational stress among human resources in Imam Reza Hospital, Zarandiya, Iran.
Methods: The current applied research was conducted based on the descriptive-analytical method. The data were collected using the field survey method. The statistical population of the research included all experts working at the Imam Reza Hospital. The samples (n=28) were selected using a snowball sampling method. The data collection tool in this research was a researcher-made matrix questionnaire in the context of the research problem. The data were analyzed by the Taxonomy technique.
Results: According to the data analysis based on the calculation of the importance coefficient of the research indicators, self-confidence with Wj = 28.1% and employee motivation and morale with Wj = 27.1% were identified as effective indicators, Moreover, based on the data analysis obtained in this research with the Taxonomy technique, among different management strategies to reduce job stress, strengthening the work environment by intimacy (confidence interval [CI]=0.469), transparency of job goals (transparency in roles and tasks, CI=5.521), and participatory management (CI=3.798) were prioritized.
Conclusion: Based on the results of this research, hospital managers need to develop and execute strategies focused on creating a more intimate work environment, transparent roles, and a collaborative management approach to alleviate employee occupational stress.