1.Framework for Continuous Assessment and Improvement of Occupational Health and Safety Issues in Construction Companies.
Shahram MAHMOUDI ; Fakhradin GHASEMI ; Iraj MOHAMMADFAM ; Esmaeil SOLEIMANI
Safety and Health at Work 2014;5(3):125-130
BACKGROUND: Construction industry is among the most hazardous industries, and needs a comprehensive and simple-to-administer tool to continuously assess and promote its health and safety performance. METHODS: Through the study of various standard systems (mainly Health, Safety, and Environment Management System; Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series 180001; and British Standard, occupational health and safety management systems-Guide 8800), seven main elements were determined for the desired framework, and then, by reviewing literature, factors affecting these main elements were determined. The relative importance of each element and its related factors was calculated at organizational and project levels. The provided framework was then implemented in three construction companies, and results were compared together. RESULTS: The results of the study show that the relative importance of the main elements and their related factors differ between organizational and project levels: leadership and commitment are the most important elements at the organization level, whereas risk assessment and management are most important at the project level. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated that the framework is easy to administer, and by interpreting the results, the main factors leading to the present condition of companies can be determined.
Construction Industry
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Leadership
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Occupational Health*
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Risk Assessment
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Safety Management
2.Surprising Incentive: An Instrument for Promoting Safety Performance of Construction Employees.
Fakhradin GHASEMI ; Iraj MOHAMMADFAM ; Ali Reza SOLTANIAN ; Shahram MAHMOUDI ; Esmaeil ZAREI
Safety and Health at Work 2015;6(3):227-232
BACKGROUND: In comparison with other industries, the construction industry still has a higher rate of fatal injuries, and thus, there is a need to apply new and innovative approaches for preventing accidents and promoting safe conditions at construction sites. METHODS: In this study, the effectiveness of a new incentive system-the surprising incentive system-was assessed. One year after the implementation of this new incentive system, behavioral changes of employees with respect to seven types of activities were observed. RESULTS: The results of this study showed that there is a significant relationship between the new incentive system and the safety performance of frontline employees. The new incentive system had a greater positive impact in the first 6 months since its implementation. In the long term, however, safety performance experienced a gradual reduction. Based on previous studies, all activities selected in this study are important indicators of the safety conditions at workplaces. However, there is a need for a comprehensive and simple-to-apply tool for assessing frontline employees' safety performance. Shortening the intervals between incentives is more effective in promoting safety performance. CONCLUSION: The results of this study proved that the surprising incentive would improve the employees' safety performance just in the short term because the surprising value of the incentives dwindle over time. For this reason and to maintain the surprising value of the incentive system, the amount and types of incentives need to be evaluated and modified annually or biannually.
Construction Industry
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Motivation*
3.Comparison of chest CT scan findings between COVID-19 and pulmonary contusion in trauma patients based on RSNA criteria: Established novel criteria for trauma victims.
Hossein ABDOLRAHIMZADEH FARD ; Salahaddin MAHMUDI-AZER ; Qusay ABDULZAHRAA YAQOOB ; Golnar SABETIAN ; Pooya IRANPOUR ; Zahra SHAYAN ; Shahram BOLANDPARVAZ ; Hamid Reza ABBASI ; Shiva AMINNIA ; Maryam SALIMI ; Mohammad Mehdi MAHMOUDI ; Shahram PAYDAR ; Roham BORAZJANI ; Ali TAHERI AKERDI ; Masome ZARE ; Leila SHAYAN ; Mohammadreza SASANI
Chinese Journal of Traumatology 2022;25(3):170-176
PROPOSE:
In this study, we re-assessed the criteria defined by the radiological society of North America (RSNA) to determine novel radiological findings helping the physicians differentiating COVID-19 from pulmonary contusion.
METHODS:
All trauma patients with blunt chest wall trauma and subsequent pulmonary contusion, COVID-19-related signs and symptoms before the trauma were enrolled in this retrospective study from February to May 2020. Included patients (Group P) were then classified into two groups based on polymerase chain reaction tests (Group Pa for positive patients and Pb for negative ones). Moreover, 44 patients from the pre-pandemic period (Group PP) were enrolled. They were matched to Group P regarding age, sex, and trauma-related scores. Two radiologists blindly reviewed the CT images of all enrolled patients according to criteria defined by the RSNA criteria. The radiological findings were compared between Group P and Group PP; statistically significant ones were re-evaluated between Group Pa and Group Pb thereafter. Finally, the sensitivity and specificity of each significant findings were calculated. The Chi-square test was used to compare the radiological findings between Group P and Group PP.
RESULTS:
In the Group PP, 73.7% of all ground-glass opacities (GGOs) and 80% of all multiple bilateral GGOs were detected (p < 0.001 and p = 0.25, respectively). Single bilateral GGOs were only seen among the Group PP. The Chi-square tests showed that the prevalence of diffused GGOs, multiple unilateral GGOs, multiple consolidations, and multiple bilateral consolidations were significantly higher in the Group P (p = 0.001, 0.01, 0.003, and 0.003, respectively). However, GGOs with irregular borders and single consolidations were more significant among the Group PP (p = 0.01 and 0.003, respectively). Of note, reticular distortions and subpleural spares were exclusively detected in the Group PP.
CONCLUSION
We concluded that the criteria set by RSNA for the diagnosis of COVID-19 are not appropriate in trauma patients. The clinical signs and symptoms are not always useful either. The presence of multiple unilateral GGOs, diffused GGOs, and multiple bilateral consolidations favor COVID-19 with 88%, 97.62%, and 77.7% diagnostic accuracy.
COVID-19
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Contusions/diagnostic imaging*
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Humans
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Lead
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Lung/diagnostic imaging*
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Lung Injury/etiology*
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Retrospective Studies
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SARS-CoV-2
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Tomography, X-Ray Computed/methods*