Showing 20 results for Fatigue
Faramarz Gharagozlou, Jebraeil Nasl Saraji, Adel Mazloumi, Ali Nahvi, Ali Motie Nasrabadi, Abbas Rahimi Foroushani, Mohammadreza Ashouri, Mehdi Samavati,
Volume 1, Issue 1 (9-2013)
Abstract
Introduction: Driver fatigue is one of the major causes of
accidents in roads. It is suggested that driver fatigue and drowsiness
accounted for more than 30% of road accidents. Therefore, it is important to
use features for real-time detection of driver mental fatigue to minimize
transportation fatalities. The purpose of this study was to explore the EEG
alpha power variations in sleep deprived drivers on a car driving simulator.
Materials and Methods: The present descriptive-analytical study was
achieved on nineteen healthy male car drivers. After taking informed written
consent, the subjects were requested to stay awake 18 hrs before the
experiments and refrain from caffeinated drinks or any other stimulant as well
as cigarette smoking for 12 hrs prior to the experiments. The drivers sleep
patterns were studied through sleep diary for one week before the experiment.
The participants performed a simulated driving task in a 110 Km monotonous
route at the fixed speed of 90 km/hr. The subjective self-assessment of fatigue
was performed in every 10 minute interval during the driving using Karolinska
Sleepiness Scale (KSS). At the same time, video recordings from the drivers
face and their behaviors were achieved in lateral and front views and rated by
two trained observers. Continuous EEG and EOG records were taken with 16
channels during driving. After filtering and artifact removal, power spectrum
density and fast Fourier transform (FFT) were used to determine the absolute
and relative alpha powers in the initial and final 10 minutes of driving. To
analyze the data, descriptive statistics, Pearson and Spearman coefficients and
paired-sample T test were employed to describe and compare the variables.
Results: The findings showed a significant increase in
KSS scores in the final 10 minutes of driving (p<0.001). Similar results
were obtained concerning video rating scores. Meanwhile, there was a
significant increase in the absolute alpha power during the final section of
driving (p=0.006).
Conclusion: Driver mental fatigue is considered as one of
the major implications for road safety. This study suggests that alpha brain
wave rhythm can be a good indicator for early prediction of driver fatigue.
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Shirazeh Arghami, Abolfazl Ghoreishi, Koorosh Kamali, Masoud Farhadi,
Volume 1, Issue 1 (9-2013)
Abstract
Introduction: Mental fatigue is defined as body or soul
tiredness which can be caused by stress, overwork, excessive use of drugs or
physical or mental illnesses. Fatigue is one of the reasons of productivity
loss as well as occurring accidents. Therefore, mental fatigue measurement is
of great importance. This study was aimed to determine the consistency of
mental fatigue measurement by self-reported VAS and the flicker fusion
apparatus.
Material and Methods: A descriptive study was conducted on 30 students.
After they had accomplished mental tasks (i.e. mathematical problem solving and
responding to MMPI questionnaire), mental fatigued was measured by
self-reported VAS and flicker fusion apparatus. To analyze the results, paired
sample T-test and Spearman correlation test were applied in SPSS software
version 11.5 (P<0.05).
Findings: The results of mental fatigue measurements by
both methods of self-reported VAS and the flicker fusion apparatus showed
significant increase in mental fatigue after finishing each of the mental
tasks. But the findings revealed no consistency between the two methods.
Conclusion: Since
self-reported VAS is a subjective technique, it seems that the lack of
consistency between the two methods is due to its inefficiency in the mental
fatigue measurement. Therefore, further studies with more precise methods such
as EEG is suggested.
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Ghasem Hesam, Mohsen Aliabadi, Maryam Farhadian, Vahid Afshari Doust,
Volume 1, Issue 2 (12-2013)
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.
Mansour Ziaei, Hamed Yarmohammadi, Meisam Moradi, Faramarz Gharagozlou,
Volume 1, Issue 3 (3-2014)
Abstract
Introduction: Working with Visual Display Terminals (VDTs) can be associated with visual complaints particularly visual fatigue and symptoms including headache, disruption in continuing the work and ocular disorders. The objective of the present study was to determine the prevalence of visual fatigue and its related risk factors in computer users of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences in 2013.
Materials and Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was achieved on 260 computer users. The data were collected by Visual Fatigue, demographic and job questionnaires. For data analysis, Spearman, Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used.
Results: The mean (SD) age of the users was 36.74 (7.74) and daily working time with VDTs was 5.85 (2.28) hours. Visual fatigue score was 2.99 (1.97), so that 32.3% of computer users had severe eye fatigue. Meanwhile, 45.4, 21.9, 32.7 and 46.2 percentage of users suffered severely from eye strain, visual impairment, eye-surface disorder and extra-ocular problems. Visual fatigue incidence and its compliments were significantly increased with increasing of age, work experience and daily working hours with computer (p<0.05). Visual fatigue was higher in users wearing glasses than those not wearing glasses (p<0.001) and was lower in monitor to window angle of 90º than two other monitor to window positions of 0º (p=0.041) and 180º (p=0.036).
Conclusion: The prevalence of visual fatigue among computer users was very high. Visual fatigue and its serious consequences can be prevented by applying the principles of ergonomics such as regular and short breaks, looking at distant objects, blinking regularly and reducing the direct and indirect glares.
Somayeh Bolghanabadi, Habibollah Dehghan, Mehdi Pour,
Volume 2, Issue 1 (6-2014)
Abstract
Introduction: The development of the industry has led to an increased incidence of muscle-skeletal disorders. The disorders increased caused by factors such as type of job, repetition of work, intensity and duration of the work. Food industries, including industries that are doing the type of job that involves repetitive movements, this study examined was conducted the role of stress and other psychosocial factors on musculoskeletal disorders.
Methods: The present cross-sectional study to determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in different organs and factors affecting food production was one of the workers. According to a random sample of 215 workers were studied with an average age of 39 years. To evaluate the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders was used of the Nordic questionnaire, also for of occupational stress was used OSIPOW questionnaire the data obtained are analyzed by SPSS 16 software and processing of data with the descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation test.
Results: The results showed that the study population in the past 12 months the most common symptoms of lower back 69.8%. We were founded between stress and musculoskeletal discomfort in the neck, shoulder, wrist, upper back, a significant relationship (P<0.05). We were founded between smoking and low back pain (P <0.05), shoulder pain (P = 0.023), leg pain (P = 0.008) statistical test significant. As well as we were found between the average working hours per day and work experience, with musculoskeletal symptoms, fatigue, and BMI also a significant relationship.
Conclusions: The results obtained in this study shows that job stress, work experience, BMI, the number of working hours and fatigue is considered a risk factor for upper extremity musculoskeletal disorder.
Fozieh Javadpour, Sareh Keshavarzi, Alireza Choobineh, Mandana Aghabaigi,
Volume 3, Issue 1 (6-2015)
Abstract
Introduction: Perceived work-related
fatigue is an important issue since it may adversely impact workers’
performance. Additionally, workers’ fatigue is known as a main cause of
occupational accidents in workplaces. Considering the consequences of perceived
work-related fatigue, assessing fatigue at workplace is critical to
work-related fatigue risk management. Therefore, this study assessed the
validity and reliability of the Persian version of the Swedish Occupational
Fatigue Inventory (SOFI-20) among Iranian employees.
Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional
study, 501 employees of two petrochemical companies were selected by simple
sampling method. The Persian version of SOFI-20 was developed using forward and
backward translation processes and used to collect the required data. The
validity and reliability of the translated inventory were examined by
confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and Cronbach’s alpha coefficient,
respectively.
Results: Assuming
that some items of the Persian version of the SOFI-20 were correlated, the
confirmatory factor analysis was repeated to achieve better fitness. The results of CFA revealed an acceptable fit for the
Persian version of SOFI-20. The total Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient for the
SOFI-20 was 0.95. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for different dimensions of the
SOFI-20 were found to range from 0.690 to 0.887.
Conclusion: The validity and
reliability of the Persian version of the SOFI-20 was acceptable for assessing
the dimensions of work-related fatigue among Iranian employees.
Mohamad Hosein Ghasemi, Abed Salimi, Mehrdad Anbarian, Maasome Fadaee, Sara Moghadasi, Hamed Esmaeeli,
Volume 3, Issue 1 (6-2015)
Abstract
Introduction:
Today, computers are widely used in many homes and workplaces. The relationship
between computer use and musculoskeletal disorders in the neck and upper
extremities has been well documented. Muscle fatigue in the shoulder and arm
regions is one of the most frequently reported problems in computer users.
Supporting the upper extremities has been suggested as a way to reduce the
static load on upper body muscles while using a keyboard. The purpose of this
study was to determine the effect of elbow and forearm support on upper
trapezius muscle fatigue while typing.
Materials and Methods: Eight
students of Bu-Ali Sina University (Hamadan, Iran) participated in this quasi-experimental study. The
surface electromyography activity of the upper trapezius muscle of the dominant
side was recorded in three positions, namely without elbow support, elbow
support with the table, and elbow support with a pad while typing. The muscle fatigue index for the three
typing positions was
calculated based on the median frequency slope of the raw electromyography
signals. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was employed for
statistical analyses.
Results: Median
frequency slope decreased significantly in elbow support with the table in
comparison with non-support position (p = 0.04). There were no significant
differences between elbow support with a pad and other two positions.
Conclusion: These
results suggested elbow support as a mechanism to delay trapezius muscle
fatigue and thus increase task efficiency. More research is required to
determine the advantages or disadvantages of using different pads.
Shirazeh Arghami, Maryam Moradi, Fatemeh Habibi,
Volume 3, Issue 3 (12-2015)
Abstract
Background: Driver’s fatigue is a major factor contributing to the prevalence of road accidents. A vast number of city dwellers in most countries use public transport bus services to move around the city. Driver’s fatigue causes job burnout and affects the risk of a traffic accident injuring the public. Several methods have been used to date for evaluating mental fatigue however, using questionnaires tends to be a less time-consuming and more accessible technique. The present study was therefore conducted to develop a mental fatigue questionnaire for public transport bus drivers.
Materials and Methods: The study was conducted based on the criteria used for qualitative research. Semi-structured interviews were held with public transport bus drivers using probing questions and data were collected until their saturation so as to enable access to a direct description of mental fatigue by the bus drivers. Data saturation occurred with 30 interviews and sampling was then discontinued. The analysis of the interviews led to the extraction of the themes and an initial list of questionnaire items was then developed. The psychometric properties of the questionnaire were then evaluated through examining the content validity and internal consistency of the items. The content validity of the items was calculated using Lawshe’s table. A minimum CVR of 0.99 and a minimum CVI of 0.75 denoted an acceptable content validity for the items. To determine the internal consistency of the items, 200 bus drivers completed the final version of the questionnaire. The data obtained were then analyzed in SPSS-16 using Cronbach's alpha to measure the reliability of the questionnaire and considering an acceptance level of 0.7.
Results: The interviews conducted at the beginning of the study with 30 drivers led to the emergence of an initial list with 26 items. A total of 9 items with a CVR less than 0.99 were omitted from the list and 17 items with adequate simplicity, clarity and correlation between them and which had a minimum CVI of 0.75 were kept. The questionnaire had a Cronbach's alpha value of 0.87 and was therefore considered a reliable tool.
Conclusion: The questionnaire developed in this study has a good validity and reliability and can therefore be used to assess mental fatigue in public transport bus drivers.
Fariba Kiani, Mohammad Reza Khodabakhsh,
Volume 4, Issue 4 (3-2017)
Abstract
Introduction: Studies have shown that one of the factors affecting occupational injuries is employees’ awareness of work situation. Therefore, it is important to identify factors affecting situational awareness. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of fatigue and cognitive failures in predicting work situation awareness among employees.
Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study with a descriptive-correlational design. The sample consisted of 154 employees of the Tehran Pars Khodro Company in 2015, who was selected by stratified random sampling method and responded to questionnaires of fatigue from Chalder et al. (1993), cognitive failures from Broadbent et al. (1982) and work situation awareness of Sneddon et al. (2006). Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient and stepwise regression analysis.
Results: The results showed that there were significant relationships between fatigue, cognitive failures and work situation awareness (P < 0.01). Also, fatigue and cognitive failures predicted almost 14% and 25% of the variance of work situation awareness among employees, respectively (P < 0.05).
Conclusions: The reduction of employees’ cognitive and emotional capacity could reduce their awareness of work situation.
Samaneh Asadi, Teimour Allahyari, Hamidreza Khalkhali , Alireza Choobineh ,
Volume 5, Issue 2 (9-2017)
Abstract
Introduction: Psychosocial factors and fatigue are significant factors in nurses’ performance. Since the relationship between psychosocial factors and fatigue has been rarely studied, the aim of this study was investigating the relationship between psychosocial work factors and fatigue among nurses.
Method: In this cross-sectional study, 270 nurses from hospitals of Urmia University of Medical Sciences randomly participated. The Job Content Questionnaire and Swedish Occupational Fatigue Inventory were used for data collection. Pearson’s correlation coefficient and Structural Equation Modeling were used for data analysis.
Results: The mean (SD) of control was 66.32 (7.36), psychological job demand 35.47 (3.68), social support 22.31 (2.64), physical job demand 15.22 (2.18), and job insecurity 8.72 (4.06). Control and social support dimensions had low levels. Moreover, psychological and physical job demand had high levels, which indicates a high stress level. According to the results, psychological and physical job demand had a significant relationship with all dimensions of fatigue (P < 0.001).
Conclusions: The majority of nurses were exposed to high levels of job stress. Among psychosocial factors, physical demand was identified as the most effective factor on fatigue. Any comprehensive interventional program regarding psychosocial work factor in order to reduce job stress and fatigue can improve health care quality and also prevent medical errors.
Behzad Fouladi Dehaghi, Abbas Mohammadi, Leila Nematpour,
Volume 7, Issue 2 (9-2019)
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Mental fatigue is a condition triggered by prolonged cognitive activity. Mental fatigue causes brain over-activity. This is a condition where the brain cells become exhausted, hampering person productivity, and overall cognitive function. The aim of this study was to assess students’ mental fatigue using brain indices.
Methods: The present descriptive - analytic study has been conducted on 20 students of the Faculty of Health mean age (SD) of 24.40 (3.73) years old in Ahwaz University of Medical Sciences (2019). To assess the performance of the participants, they were asked to study a text with spelling errors and correct those errors. This activity was performed in five stages, each lasting 15 min and EEG was recorded at all stages, and at each stage, the visual analog scale was completed by participants. Data analysis was done by SPSS 24.
Results: The results showed that the activity of alpha, beta, and theta signals in the first 15 minutes was 0.89±0.30, 0.70±0.33, and 1.19±0.36, and the last 15 minutes, 0.63±0.34, 0.55±0.26, and 1.03±0.34 respectively. Reducing the activity of the signals indicated there has been an increase in the amount of mental fatigue in individuals. Also, using visual analog scale, the individuals have acknowledged that they have experienced symptoms of mental fatigue. Finally, there was no significant relationship between students’ EEG and visual analog scale.
Conclusion: The results showed that alpha, beta and theta indices could be suitable indicators for evaluating mental fatigue. Also, mental fatigue can be one of the factors that affect the accuracy and performance of individuals, so that it can reduce their attention and efficiency.
Esfandyar Ataei, Ramin Sadeghian, Peyman Najafi,
Volume 7, Issue 4 (2-2020)
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Recognition and prevention of burnout plays an important role in promoting mental health and increasing the quality of services provided. This paper aimed to prevent the occurrence of this problem, seeking to identify the effective factors on the employees' burnout.
Methods: Many studies have been carried out by researchers on staff burnout using a descriptive-analytical approach, but there is no model comprehensively identifying the factors affecting employee burnout and, more importantly, expressing the relationships between the factors involved. Therefore, system dynamics analysis and VENSIM software have been used for explaining the quantitative relationships between factors affecting employees' burnout, evaluation and simulation.
Results: After designing causal, flow diagrams and model validation, four scenarios were extracted using system dynamics and simulation methods. The first scenario, which shows the current status of the company, indicated an increase in burnout. In the second scenario, with increased job satisfaction, employee productivity increased, but higher productivity, in practice, did not lead to reduction in burnout. In the third scenario, burnout decreased with increasing occupational control variables. And in the fourth scenario, by increasing the welfare and rest parameters of the staff, it was found that this scenario also had a significant effect on reducing the burnout of employees.
Conclusion: From among the four simulated scenarios, the fourth one, which is the increase in staff welfare parameters, had the most impact on reducing the burnout of Ardabil Regional Water Company employees.
Neda Mahdavi, Javad Faradmal, Iman Dianat, Hassan Khotanlou, Rashid Haidari Moghadam,
Volume 8, Issue 3 (10-2020)
Abstract
Backgrond and Aim: Fatigue is a common and highly prevalent problem among workers. Muscle fatigue is the result of general fatigue that is caused by different risk factors. This research was conducted to assess grip fatigue between workers with manual tasks and its relationship to psychosocial risk factors.
Methods: In this study, Jamar hydraulic dynamometer was used to investigate the decrease in the production of grip force or grip fatigue. The grip force of 157 subjects in three job levels that met inclusion criteria recorded, three times in an 8 hours shift. The psychosocial risk factors were also assessed using the Copenhagen psychosocial questionnaire and their relationship with grip force and grip fatigue was analyzed.
Results: sixty-one percent, 62%, and 69% of employees in light, medium, and heavy tasks, respectively, experienced grip fatigue in the second phase of the study. It seems that as the power/speed increased and the tasks became more difficult, employees experienced more grip fatigue in the right hand. The declining trend of grip force and the increase in grip fatigue was more evident in heavy task jobs. No moderate or strong correlation was observed between the psychosocial risk factors and grip fatigue.
Conclusion: Because the nature of worker tasks in heavy manual tasks required more force exertion, they experienced more grip fatigue in their right hand than other workers. It is not possible to draw definitive conclusions about the impact of psychosocial risk factors on grip fatigue. Investigating the impact of cognitive loads and anthropometric dimensions on grip fatigue can be an interesting topic for future studies.
Seyed Abolfazl Zakerian, - Bahram Kouhnavard,
Volume 9, Issue 3 (12-2021)
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Electroencephalography is one of the non-invasive and relatively inexpensive methods that can be used to evaluate neurophysiology and cognitive functions. This systematic review study was performed with the aim of using electroencephalography (EEG) in ergonomics.
Methods: In this review study, all articles published in Persian and English on the application of electroencephalography (EEG) in ergonomics from March 20, 2010 to March 21, 2021 were reviewed. For this purpose, a systematic search of articles was performed using the keywords cognitive ergonomics, mental fatigue, electroencephalography, EEG and brain waves in the databases of PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of science, SID, Scopus, Magiran Iran Medex.
Results: Most studies were conducted between 2015 and 2020 (41 papers) and most of the subjects were car drivers. Selected articles were reviewed in seven areas of mental fatigue, mental workload, mental effort, visual fatigue, working memory load, emotions, stress, and error diagnosis. The journal Perceptual and Motor Skills, followed by Applied Ergonomics, published the largest number of related articles.
Conclusion: In the reviewed articles, the assessment of a person's mental states, especially when driving a vehicle, has been further studied and through it, tracking, monitoring and various tasks of working memory have been followed. Future research should focus on the use of computational methods that take into account the dynamic and unstable nature of EEG data. Such an approach could facilitate the development of fatigue detection systems and automated adaptive systems.
Hamed Ahmadi, Mojtaba Noorllahi, Mohmmad Reza Soleimani, Ehsan Bitaraf,
Volume 10, Issue 4 (3-2023)
Abstract
Objectives: Human-made environments can have negative and positive effects on the planet. One of the two-faceted artifacts is the construction of buildings for people's lives, buildings that are being built irregularly and quickly and lead to excessive consumption of fossil resources and energy waste. Become Therefore, one of the most important things in the design of a building is providing its thermal comfort; Comfort that has a direct effect on the cognitive function of humans. In this research, in addition to the topic of thermal comfort, we also discuss fatigue in the classroom, which is one of the factors influencing the cognitive performance of the students.
Methods: In this research, the cognitive performance of people were examined and compared in the range of thermal comfort and the suggested range of the Ashri standard. To investigate their performance in different temperature ranges, 220 architecture students of Ilam universities were selected by systematic random sampling method. The state of thermal comfort, cognitive functions, and fatigue of people was evaluated after measuring environmental factors through questionnaires and standard cognitive function software.
Results: In addition to thermal comfort, which has a direct relationship with the cognitive performance of students, the passage of time is not an exception to this rule, in other words, the cognitive performance of students is derived from thermal comfort and the passage of time, which has a direct effect on academic, mental productivity. and also their practical efficiency. After examining the data in this regard, we reached meaningful results that indicate the highest efficiency of the students in the conditions of proper thermal comfort and the first 60 minutes of the start of their performance.
Conclusion: The results of this research show that even if the thermal comfort of the students' classrooms is provided according to the ASHERI standard, the students' cognitive performance will decrease after 60 minutes from the start of the class.
Sinaz Niazi, Farzaneh Gandomi, Laila Ghazaleh, Parviz Soufivand,
Volume 11, Issue 1 (5-2023)
Abstract
Objectives: Chronic neck pain is one of the most common musculoskeletal disorders that has a great impact on people's quality of life, health, and work efficiency. Due to the high costs of drug treatments, the search for simple and low-cost treatment solutions is inevitable. Stretching and tissue release techniques are effective solutions for correcting skeletal-muscular disorders. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate their effectiveness in controlling pain and improving the performance of people suffering from non-specific chronic neck pain.
Methods: In this semi-experimental study with parallel groups and pre-test-post-test design, 39 patients with non-specific chronic neck pain with an average age of 25 to 45 years, in a non-random and available form, were selected from the office workers. Individuals were randomly assigned into three groups of traction stretch, release, and control, and received interventions for six weeks. At the beginning and after the completion of the interventions, pain intensity, qualitative fatigue, and quality of life were evaluated using the visual measure of pain, multidimensional fatigue questionnaire, and SF36 questionnaire, respectively. To compare the averages, one way ANCOVA a mixed analysis of variance test was used.
Results: Intra-group comparisons showed that pain intensity, quality of life, and fatigue improved significantly in both intervention groups (P<0.05). Stretching and release exercises both had a significant effect on improving the variables (P<0.05). However, the results of the release exercises group were more significant.
Conclusion: Six weeks of releasing and stretching techniques in non-specific chronic neck pain patients reduces pain and fatigue and increases their quality of life.
Atefeh Elyasi Gomari, Behzad Fouladi Dehaghi, Saeed Ghanbari, Abbas Mohammadi,
Volume 11, Issue 3 (12-2023)
Abstract
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.
Esmaeil Hani, Maryam Rafiee, Tahereh Eskandari,
Volume 11, Issue 3 (12-2023)
Abstract
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.
Nilufar Davoodi, Arash Salahshouri, Marzieh Sadeghian,
Volume 12, Issue 3 (12-2024)
Abstract
Objectives: One of the occupations that is exposed to a lot of heat stress is taxi drivers. Due to their working conditions, these people spend a lot of time standing next to their cars in the sun to pick up passengers, and they are also exposed to heat stress throughout the entire driving journey. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention program on the cognitive performance of taxi drivers exposed to heat stress in a city in southern Iran.
Methods: The present study was a semi-experimental intervention that was conducted in three stages: initial assessment, training, and secondary assessment for 80 taxi drivers in two intervention and control groups. In the first stage, a general assessment of all drivers' knowledge and awareness of heat stress was performed, while cognitive parameters, including concentration skills and mental fatigue, were measured using a questionnaire. Then, training was given to the intervention group in both in-person and online formats. Two months after the start of training, cognitive parameters were measured for both intervention and control groups. Data analysis was also performed using SPSS software.
Results: The results after the intervention showed that the training significantly increased concentration skills and significantly reduced mental fatigue (P<0.001). Regarding concentration skills and mental fatigue, along with all subcategories of the two questionnaires, the results showed that there was no significant difference between these variables before the intervention between the two groups. However, the difference between the two groups was significant after the intervention (P<0.001).
Conclusion: Implementing an appropriate training program with follow-up over a period of two months to familiarize individuals with heat stress improved cognitive performance, and using follow-up training with a virtual structure improved the teaching and learning process and had an impact on individuals' performance.
Rohollah Fallah Madvari, Reyhane Sefidkar, Reza Raeisi,
Volume 12, Issue 3 (12-2024)
Abstract
Objectives: Mental workload and chronic fatigue in the workplace are challenges that affect employees' capabilities and health. The aim of this study is to examine the correlation between the subscales of mental workload and various physical and mental dimensions of chronic fatigue in small industries and related jobs.
Methods: This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was conducted on employees of small industries in Eghlid with a sample size of 247 participants. Data were collected using three questionnaires: demographic information, NASA-TLX, and Chalder fatigue scale. For data analysis, Spearman's correlation test and SPSS software were used.
Results: The results showed significant differences between marital status, age groups, and work experience across different occupations, while no significant differences were found based on education level. The highest mean score of the mental workload subscales was related to the physical demand subscale, while the lowest was related to the frustration subscale. Significant differences were observed in the scores of mental workload subscales across different job categories, but no significant differences were found in the scores of physical and mental fatigue dimensions across job types. All mental workload subscales, except for performance, had a direct correlation with physical and mental fatigue dimensions, while the performance subscale showed an inverse relationship.
Conclusion: The findings of this study emphasize the importance of a more precise understanding of the relationship between mental workload and fatigue in workplace environments and could contribute to improving working conditions and the quality of life for employees in small industries.
