Background: The aim of this paper was the comparison of ergonomic risk assessment results (final score and action levels) for the entire body as determined using Quick Exposure Check (QEC) and Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA). Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study in which all 82 workers engaged in various processes with different activities in an anodizing and aluminum profiles producing industry in Tehran, Iran, were studied. The REBA and QEC ergonomic risk assessment techniques and Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) were used in order to assess the correlation between results of the two methods and evaluate the correlation between the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and the results of these two methods. Results: Studied postures, using QEC and REBA assessment methods, acquired the risk levels, respectively, of low risk = 10.9%, moderate risk = 25.5%, and high/very high risk = 63.6% in QEC. They obtained the risk levels of low risk = 56.3%, moderate risk = 40%, and high/very high risk = 12.7%, respectively, in REBA. The kappa (0.12) and gamma scores (0.51) showed no agreement between the outputs of the two tools. No significant correlation (P > 0.05) was found between final scores of these two methods and prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders.
Conclusions:These results indicate that the risk assessment outcomes of these two ergonomic assessment tools for the entire body do not agree. Thus, there is no possibility of applying them interchangeably for postural risk assessment, at least not in this industry.
Background: Noise as a most common harmful physical agent in workplaces has some effects on the exposed persons such as hearing threshold reduction, increasing blood pressure, and interference with the speech. The adverse side-effect of noise is one of the scientific areas that have seldom been considered by researchers. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of occupational noise on the male fertility (human and experimental animals) to be finally able to provide solutions for the future orientation of research studies, and on the other hand, to increase awareness in industrial divisions about effects of noise stress on workers fertility. Materials and Methods: In this study, we conducted the bibliographic search in PubMed and Google Scholar databases and studies about effects of workplaces noise on the male fertility with keywords such as fertility, noise, and testicular damage were selected. Results: Male infertility is a major health problem in the world. According to different study, Noise can impact on testis weight, sperm parameters (count, viability, motility and morphology), sexual hormones, testicular tissue, oxidative stress and finally infertility. Conclusions: The results of this study shows that noise exposure plays an important role as an environmental risk factor for male fertility; therefore, it is necessary to formulate guidelines for occupational exposure limits of noise effects, exposure time, use or not usage of supplemental antioxidants and to consider fertility and not be confined merely to the effects of noise on hearing system.
Background: The sound is an environmental and occupational pollutant and can cause a number of reactions in human body, in which hearing loss is one of the most important effects. Cement industry is one of the industries with noise induced hazards. The aim of this study was to evaluate the noise level in different parts of Kerman Cement Plant. Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was done in Kerman Cement Plant in 2009. The sound level was measured according to the standard ISO 9612:1997 (E) in workers main commuting spots. Noise levels were measured by the testo SLM device (Model CEL-815) in network A and calibrator model IEC942/90 claa2. Data were analyzed by the EXCEL software. Results: The highest sound pressure level in the Cement Plant (106 db) was recorded in the stone crushing units and the grinding units (mills); 14 units had a mean sound level above the permissible 85 db noise level. Conclusion: There are specific units with high noise exposure in the Kerman Cement plant. Thus systematic noise evaluation in the working units, worker education, noise control, distributing proper standard noise protection equipment among the workers, performing annual audiometries, and evaluating and updating noise control programs are necessary.
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