Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed a great burden on humans in various areas. The return to work of individuals after contracting this disease was likely to be affected by various factors, one of which could be psychological disorders. Therefore, we decided to conduct a study in this field. Materials and Methods: This study was a cross-sectional and conducted on patients with COVID-19 who were hospitalized for treatment and subsequently returned to their previous jobs. A questionnaire including demographic and occupational information, as well as the Persian version of the DASS-21 questionnaire, was completed for each participant via telephone interview. Depression, anxiety, and stress were compared between the two groups: those with a return-to-work time of up to 21 days and those with a return-to-work time of more than 21 days. The data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 22) and the chi-square test. Results: The sample size of this study was 152 individuals with the average age of 40.1±7.8 years. Fifty-seven of participants (37.5%) returned to work within a maximum of 21 days after the onset of COVID-19 onset, while this period took longer than 21 days for 62.5% of the participants. Depression, anxiety, and stress were significantly higher in individuals whose return to work took longer than 21 days, and depression was significantly higher in those with non-university education compared to those with university education. Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrate the importance of early assessment of psychological status and timely intervention from the perspective of occupational health and appropriate return to work during the outbreak of pandemics.

Abstract Chronic or persistent pain - such as back pain, headache and arthritis - affects a significant portion of the UK workforce and can limit their ability to work effectively. Line managers are often the first point of employee contact for support and act as a gatekeeper for support services such as occupational health. This perspective highlights the urgent need for tools to empower line managers to consistently support employees with chronic pain and suggests a digital solution based on the Pain-at-Work Toolkit.

Introduction: Nonspecific chronic low back pain ranks among the most prevalent musculoskeletal disorders worldwide, exerting a considerable impact on productivity and quality of life, particularly in occupational settings. The present study aimed to compare the effects of an eight-week functional restoration exercise program and lumbosacral orthosis on proprioception and quality of life in male employees with nonspecific chronic low back pain. Materials and Methods: This quasi-experimental study included 45 male employees suffering from nonspecific chronic low back pain, who were randomly divided into two experimental groups and one control group through simple randomization. The mean (±SD) age of the participants in the control, functional restoration, and lumbosacral orthosis groups was 36.2 ± 3.64, 37.3 ± 3.61, and 37.8 ± 3.42 years, respectively; their mean weight was 89.26 ± 9.26, 87.93 ± 9.36, and 92.26 ± 8.77 kg, respectively. Proprioception (measured using a goniometer) and quality of life (assessed by the SF-36 questionnaire) were evaluated before and after the eight-week intervention. The participants in the exercise group performed functional restoration training for eight weeks, attending three sessions per week. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25. Within-group changes were assessed using paired t-tests, while between-group differences were examined using one-way ANCOVA at a significance level of p ≤ 0.05. Results: The findings demonstrated significant effects of both functional restoration training and lumbosacral orthosis on proprioception (p = 0.001) and quality of life (p = 0.001). Improvements, however, were more significant in the functional restoration group than in the lumbosacral orthosis group (p = 0.001), indicating the superior effectiveness of exercise-based intervention. Conclusion: Both functional restoration exercises and lumbosacral orthosis improved proprioception and quality of life in male employees with nonspecific chronic low back pain. Nevertheless, functional restoration training proved more effective. Consequently, these exercise protocols may serve as a beneficial rehabilitation approach for men suffering from nonspecific chronic low back pain.

Introduction: Noise pollution is a significant factor impacting employee health. A large number of employees face noise problems in their work or life. Therefore, this study sought to examine the noise condition in industrial workshops where the worker population of less than 20 individuals.Materials and Methods: This descriptive-cross-sectional research was carried out in 500 small industrial workshops, each with fewer than 20 employees, comprising automotive service workshops, turning operations, plastic industries, door and window manufacturing, woodworking, CNC facilities, metalworking industries, and welding workshops. The chosen workshops were selected from a pool of 1000 available workshops through simple random sampling. Initially, the workshop gathered information regarding the maintenance condition of the devices, the noise type, and the device’s response time. workshop, including the maintenance status of the devices, the type of noise, and the response speed of the device, was recorded. Subsequently, a straightforward TES52A sound level meter was utilized to measure the sound. Results: The sound measurement findings indicated that 63.2 percent of the workshops exhibited a desirable sound level. The minimum, maximum, mean and standard deviation of the sound were 45, 105 and 79 ± 11.3 dB, respectively. 82.8% of the workers in the workshops exposed to sound did not utilize personal protective equipment. The maximum sound intensity was recorded in the occupational categories of door and window manufacturing (90.7 dB) and woodworking (88.7 dB). Additionally, the Spearman correlation coefficient for the equivalent sound level and workshop volume was 0.315 and statistically significant (P<0.001). Conclusion:The findings indicate that the noise level in jobs like door and window manufacturing and woodworking exceeds the allowable limit, and the majority of employees do not utilize hearing protection devices. Additionally, the dimensions of the workshop and the number of individuals working in each workshop were recognized as factors affecting the equivalent sound level.

Abstract For much of its lifetime, the Society of Occupational Medicine has been based at St Andrew's Place, Regents Park, London. The terrace of stucco fronted houses belongs to the Royal College of Physicians and was designed by the architect John Nash as part of a grand plan to build Regency London.

Introduction: Considering the rising development of industries and technology and the resulting rise in workplace accidents and injuries, this study aimed to investigate and analyze the epidemiological events in the steel industry in Iran. Materials and Methods: This study was a descriptive-analytical investigation conducted to investigate work-related accidents in a steel factory in Iran over a period of 7 years, from 2016 to 2022. In this study, data were collected via documentation and interviews with individuals affected by the accident or those who witnessed it. Subsequently, data analysis was performed utilizing the demographic information of the victims (age, work experience, etc.), accident type, and cause of the accident using SPSS version 22 software. Additionally, the victims’ educational background, work shifts, and the timing of the accident were analyzed. Results: The results indicated that among 7251 workers, 130 accidents occurred over a span of7 years. The results showed that individuals with extensive work experience had the fewest accidents. A significant relationship was observed between lost work days and unsafe practices and conditions (P<0.001), with unsafe conditions exerting a more considerable influence on lost work days due to accidents. Additionally, the greatest harm to individuals resulted from impact with objects. Regarding the timing of the accidents, the highest number of accidents occurred in the fall and during the morning shift. Conclusion: In this study, the highest number of accidents was seen in individuals with under 5 years of work experience who had previously undergone safety training. The primary factors contributing to the accident were hazardous behavior and their interaction with unsafe conditions. Therefore, ongoing basic information and training for workers based on the changing environmental conditions, alongwith routine inspections, can improve safety and reduce unsafe practices in this industry.