Background: The noise caused by traffic is an increasingly prominent feature of urban environments. However, limited studies have been focused on the assessment of exposureresponse relationship between road traffic noise exposure and driving behaviors in Iran. The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of the violations caused by road traffic noise exposure in Qazvin, Iran. Methods: Initially, a line with 70 taxi drivers was selected for the evaluation of noise exposure. According to ISO9612:2009, the eight-hour equivalent noise level [Leq8h] was measured during a workday. In addition, driving behaviors were assessed using the selfreport Iranian version of Manchester driving behavior questionnaire (MDBQ). Results: Statistical analysis included the mean, standard deviation, minimum and maximum, Pearson's correlation-coefficient, and logistic regression. The results of Pearson's correlation-coefficient indicated a strong correlation with noise levels and personal characteristics with driving behaviors (P < 0.05). Moreover, logistic regression showed that noise level was significantly associated with the components of driving behaviors. Conclusion: According to the results, traffic noise exposure is a significant influential factor in the increased rate of driving violations. Equivalent sound pressure level in taxies was observed to be above of the limit for occupational comfort based on NR 17 standard, which may affect driving behaviors.
Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are among the main causes of incapacity at work [1], which is a worldwide health concern in industrialized and industrially developing countries [2-4]. In the past decade, work-related activities have been considered to be a major cause of WMSDs [5, 6]. The imbalance of occupational demands with the ability to work have contributed to the high prevalence of WMSDs, which may develop gradually within days, weeks, months or even years after exposure to unfavorable working conditions [7-9]. Some of the main risk factors for WMSDs are workplace activities such as manual handling, bending, twisting, work pace, repetitive tasks, heavy load lifting, awkward posture, and seated static postures. Furthermore, individual characteristics and cognitive and psychosocial factors are considered to be the important predictive variables in this regard [1, 4, 10, 11].
Background & objective: Safety training is believed to be one of the pioneering safety measures to improve the safety culture in organizations. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of training and technical interventions on providing a work environment with proper safety culture and understanding the risk of dangerous situations at height among construction workers. Methods: In this interventional study, 394 workers of different job groups in construction companies including impact driver operators, masonry workers, ironworkers and concrete vibrating operators were entered. Data were collected using "demographic", "safety culture" and "the risk of dangerous situations at height" questionnaires. Questionnaires were completed and collected in three stages: before the intervention, two months after the first intervention and two months after the second intervention (eight months after the first intervention). The data were analyzed using Bonferron's modulation tests (follow-up tests in variance analysis) and binary logistic regression test in SPSS version 23 software. Results: The findings of the present study revealed the significant impact of safety training on all components of the safety culture and also the empowerment of workers in understanding of risk of dangerous situations at height. The findings of this study, also revealed the significant improvements in safety culture, indicating the role of training along with technical intervensions as crucial factors in improving workers safety in organizations. Conclusion: Industries can prevent occupational accidents and their consequences by adopting proper safety and hygiene measures and engineering design through a coherent training program and achieve a sustainable industrial and development prosperity. In this regard, the findings of the present study showed that conducting training courses by involving workers and encouraging group discussion and expressing the importance of safety in the workplace as well as technical measures can positively influence workers' safety behaviors and promote safety culture. Exchange of views and sharing experiences, well-designed training programs, and devoting enough time can also be effective in promoting safe behaviors.
Introduction: Noise is considered as a risk factor for a wide range of industrial environments, including construction industry. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship of job stress caused by noise exposure with sleep disturbance. Methods: This descriptive-analytic study was carried out among 134 workers of an Iranian construction industry. To assess the individuals' noise exposure in accordance with the ISO 9612: 2009, the eight-hour occupational exposure level was measured. To assess the occupational stress, the Parker Job Stress Questionnaire and Insomnia Severity Index were applied. Epworth Sleepiness Scale was also used to assess the sleep disturbance. Data were analyzed using Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Pearson correlation test, and multivariate regression in SPSS version 23. Results: The results of Pearson correlation test and multivariate regression showed that noise can cause sleep disturbance by causing occupational stress in workers. Based on the results of this study, noise exposure, occupational stress, and sleep disturbance have a direct and positive relationship. In other words, increased noise exposure leads to occupational stress and sleep disturbance. Conclusion: Assessment of the noise exposure in workers of a construction industry showed that noise was a very important factor in the psychological problems of workers in this industry. In addition to the direct effects of noise on sleep disturbance, it can indirectly exacerbate the sleep disturbances.
Background: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are among the most common occupational disorders in many jobs. WMSDs are known as an influential factor in work productivity. Also, an important factor that may influence the occupational health of individuals is the safety climate. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between WMSDs, work productivity and safety climate. Methods: This quantitative, theoretical and descriptive study was performed on 344 employees. The samples were randomly selected. Data were gathered by means of the Body Map, Safety Climate, and Work Productivity questionnaires. This study was conducted on different types of jobs from three types of industries. STATISTICA software was used for all data analyses (SPSS Version 23) with a significant level of P <0.01. Results: One-way analysis of variance was used to examine the significant differences between industries and jobs, which indicated that there is a statistically significant difference. Correlations between the WMSDs, work productivity, and safety climate was tested using the parametric Pearson correlation coefficient that showed a significant negative correlation between WMSDs with work productivity and safety climate. Positive correlations were found between safety climate and work productivity. Conclusion: In general, safety climate and work productivity are important for the health and safety of employees, and this study showed that it might be also important for employees in construction industries.
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