Journal of Behdasht dar Arseh (i.e., Health in the Field)

Background and Aims: Preventive approach leads to reduce accident, create a safe environment, and increase productivity and protection of the workforce. The purpose of this study was to investigate safety culture and its relationship with accidents and to present strategies for promoting safety culture.

Materials and Methods: This study was a descriptive research. The statistical population of the study consisted of the staff of operating and maintenance units in Tehran’s Metro Company. A questionnaire was used as the tool for data gathering. The Cronbach's alpha was calculated to be 0.7 and its content validity was confirmed. The data were analyzed by SPSS software. All the ethical considerations were observed in this study.

Results: The work experience of about 50.4% of the staff was less than 10 years and about 5% of the staff had at least one occupational accident. The highest and lowest correlation coefficients were found between safety culture and management commitment (0.949) and making safety a priority (0.156), respectively. The average levels of information exchange, work environment and safety culture were poor.

Conclusion: Based on the results, the management commitment was one of the most important factors in safety culture. The factors making safety a priority, level of information exchange and work environment were identified as the major factors reducing the safety culture score., The most effective measures for promoting the safety culture were determined to be establishing a system of independent safety proposals without threats and punishment, introducing top safety staff for technical analysis, and staff participation in safety meetings.

Background and Aims: Strengthening and improving self-efficacy among employees is effective in promoting mental health and reducing psychological symptoms during the Coronavirus outbreak. This study, therefore, aimed to study the relationship between psychological symptoms and self-efficacy of the staff of the Ministry of Health during Covid-19 pandemic.

Materials and Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted cross-sectionally among 330 staff members of the Ministry of Health in 2019. Sampling was done in a stratified random manner. Data were collected online using a general health and self-efficacy questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 16 software. Ethical considerations were observed at all stages of the study.

Results: Depression (10.39 ± 9.04) showed the highest score and morbid fear (3.20 ± 3.75) had the lowest score among psychological symptoms. The efficiency of employees was evaluated well. There was no significant difference between psychological symptoms and the variables of gender, marital status, employment status, and number of children. There observed a significant difference with variables of Corona involvement, age, education level, and work experience. The relationship between all psychological symptoms and self-efficacy was significant and inverse. The regression model showed that sensitivity variables in reciprocal relationships, age, depression, aggression and morbid fear together predict 38% of self-efficacy changes.

Conclusion: Considering the negative correlation between self-efficacy and psychological symptoms and the predictor of self-efficacy by psychological symptoms, holding training classes, coping methods and teaching self-efficacy skills can be useful in promoting mental health and self-efficacy of employees.

Background and Aims: Employees’ motivation to perform job duties safely plays an important role in reducing risk of occupational accidents in the construction industry. The aim of this study was to identify, weight and prioritize the main factors and components affecting health, safety and environment (HSE) motivation in the construction industry.

Materials and Methods: First, a primary list of factors and components potentially affecting HSE motivation was prepared by literature review and face-to-face interviews with the experts (faculty members and executive experts) and important factors and components were identified using fuzzy Delphi technique. Then, weighting and ranking of these factors and components were performed based on three criteria of cost, effectiveness and feasibility by network analysis process (ANP) using Super Decision software.

Results: The main factors affecting HSE motivation were organizational factors, individual factors, management factors, safety knowledge and safety climate, and the most important factors were respectively management factors (with a weight of 0.27), safety knowledge (with a weight of 0.25), and organizational factors (with a weight of 0.22). The prioritization of the components affecting HSE motivation showed that the components with the highest priorities are not only related to management factors and a combination of actions such as increasing awareness of existing risks, holding operational maneuvers, management's commitment to HSE, and fairness of encouragement and punishment can be more effective in promoting HSE motivation in the construction industry.

Conclusion: Applying the results of identifying and prioritizing effective factors in HSE motivation in the construction industry and focusing on components related to safety knowledge, management factors, and organizational factors can improve the effectiveness of HSE management programs in this industry.

Background and Aims: Professional management plays a key role in increasing hospital productivity. Manager succession planning is the process of identifying, training and developing people with the necessary competencies to take on the key management jobs of the organization, which ensures the long-term success of the organization. The commitment and support of the hospital's senior managers is a prerequisite for the success of the manager succession planning. The purpose of this study was to identify the characteristics of a succession planning manager in the hospital.

Materials and Methods: This qualitative case study was conducted in 2018 at Hasheminejad Hospital in Tehran. The research population consisted of hospital managers and employees. Sampling was done purposefully and with maximum variation continued until data saturation (45 people). Semi-structured individual interviews were used to collect data along with document analysis. Content analysis method was used for data analysis using MAXQDA 11 software. Ethical issues such as informed consent, voluntary participation, participants’ anonymity, information confidentiality and researchers’ objectivity in data collection, analysis and reporting were all considered.

Results: Fourteen characteristics for a succession planning manager were identified and grouped into three main themes of value, psychological and behavioral characteristics. The manager's value characteristics include not having love of position, honesty, human dignity and mutual trust; Psychological characteristics include resilience, forecasting, optimism, self-efficacy and organizational utilitarianism. Finally, behavioral characteristics include communication transparency, organizational involvement, managerial support, meritocracy and managerial stability. These characteristics of a succession planning manager facilitate the succession planning in a hospital.

Conclusion: Health policymakers and senior managers should strengthen these characteristics (value, psychological and behavioral) in health care managers in order to institutionalize succession planning in healthcare.

Background and Aims: Some industrial wastewaters contain high contents of phenolic compounds, so that the removal of these compounds is not possible through biological treatment. Fenton process is known to be a suitable alternative because of the ease of construction and operation in different scales and economic considerations. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the independent variables of operation in total phenol oxidation by Fenton process and their optimization.

Materials and Methods: This experimental study was conducted on a laboratory scale in a 1.5 liter Plexiglas reactor. Wastewater samples were taken from an olive oil mill plant. Independent variables of process included H₂O₂ / Fe^{2 +} ratio, pH and reaction time, each of them was studied at five levels. Experiments were designed by central composite design using Design Expert 7.0 software.  Ethical considerations were observed at all stages of the study.

Results: The results revealed that the main, interaction and quadratic effects of all three independent variables including pH, reaction time and H₂O₂ / Fe^{2 +} ratio were effective in removing total phenolic compounds. The highest effect was related to the quadratic effect of H₂O₂ / Fe^{2 +} ratio and the lowest effect was associated with the quadratic effect of pH. Under optimal conditions of H₂O₂ / Fe^{2 +} ratio 8, pH 2.8 and reaction time of 67 minutes, the removal efficiency of phenolic compounds reached up to 70.4%.

Conclusion:The results revealed that the main, interaction and quadratic effects of all three independent variables including pH, reaction time and H₂O₂ / Fe^{2 +} ratio were effective in removing total phenolic compounds. The highest effect was related to the quadratic effect of H₂O₂ / Fe^{2 +} ratio and the lowest effect was associated with the quadratic effect of pH. Under optimal conditions of H₂O₂ / Fe^{2 +} ratio 8, pH 2.8 and reaction time of 67 minutes, the removal efficiency of phenolic compounds reached up to 70.4%.

Background and Aims: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a dangerous viral disease with the potential for malignant genital cancers. Vaccination rates against HPV are very low in Iran and there are no plans for HPV vaccination. This study was conducted to evaluate knowledge and attitudes about HPV, health beliefs about HPV vaccination benefits, barriers, and intention to recommend HPV vaccination for girls and boys.

Materials and Methods: The study was conducted using a descriptive cross-sectional questionnaire in four sections: demographic measurement, knowledge, attitude and information resources for 500 female and male students in higher education centers of the province in 1400. The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by the faculty members of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences and its reliability was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha test. Data analysis was done using logistic regression method and 95% confidence interval using SPSS software version 18. Ethical considerations were observed in all phases of the study.

Results: There was a significant difference in knowledge and attitude of participants based on gender in women with 36.4%, postgraduate degrees in women with 16.84%, and disciplines related to medical sciences with 30.25% (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: Although no program has yet been presented for HPV vaccination in the province's universities, it is necessary to promote public knowledge about HPV vaccination and to explain HPV vaccination goals among young men and women by health professors.