Manual Material Handling Assessment Among Workers of Iranian Casting Workshops

Manual material handling (MMH) tasks can be found in most workplaces and they may constitute a risk factor for work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of WMSDs and to compare MMH loads with the acceptable weight and force limits among Iranian casting workers. Data were collected from 50 workers of casting workshops who performed MMH tasks. The Nordic musculoskeletal disorders questionnaire and the Snook tables were used as tools for data collection. Hand/ wrist symptoms were the most prevalent problems among the workers (84%). The results of the Snook tables showed that the loads in lifting (84%), lowering (86%), carrying (66%), pushing with initial (43%) and sustained force (59%), and pulling tasks with initial (48%) and sustained force (93%) exceeded recommended limits. WMSDs occurred in high rates among the workers and, thus, ergonomics interventions should focus on decreasing WMSDs and redesigning MMH tasks.     

Reverse vaccinology approach for multi-epitope centered vaccine design against delta variant of the SARS-CoV-2

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, initially identified in Wuhan, China, has impacted people all over the globe and new variants of concern continue to...     

The influence of FDI on GHG emissions in BRI countries using spatial econometric analysis strategy: the significance of biomass energy consumption

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Indeed, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) plays an increasingly important role in global economic and climate change mitigation. However, scientists...     

Correction to: Clustering the Concentrations of PM10 and O3: Application of Spatiotemporal Model–Based Clustering

Environmental Modeling & Assessment -     

CO2 separation by supported liquid membranes synthesized with natural deep eutectic solvents

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Betaine-based natural deep eutectic solvents (NADESs), a new class of green solvents, were immobilized into a porous polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)...     

Takakura composting method for food wastes from small and medium industries with indigenous compost

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The current work aimed to study the physical, chemical and biological properties of food wastes generated from small and medium industries by using...     

Role of economic growth and innovative technologies in the outlook of energy and environmental efficiency: a way forward for developing Asian economies

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Energy consumption is widely regarded as the primary driver of economic development and environmental degradation. The current study examines how...     

Faecal and nitrate contamination in the groundwater of Mardan district,Pakistan

Environmental Geochemistry and Health - This study aimed to determine the status of groundwater contamination with faecal coliform and nitrate in the rural areas of Mardan district, Pakistan. Both...     

Investigation on the effect of impact location height on pedestrian safety using a legform impactor dynamic model

Because of rapid increase in the urban population and hence road traffic, the vehicle–pedestrian crashes are more frequent and have become a major concern in road traffic safety. Though the bumper of a vehicle plays an important role to protect the vehicle body damage in low speed impacts, many bumpers particularly in larger vehicles are too stiff for pedestrian protection and safety. To prevent lower extremity injuries in car–pedestrian collisions, it is important to determine the loadings that car front structures impart on the lower extremities and the mechanisms by which injuries are caused. In the present work, a dynamic legform impactor model is introduced and validated against EEVC/WG17 criteria. The collision mechanism between a GMT bumper and the legform impactor model is investigated numerically using LS-DYNA software. The effect of the height of the impact point of bumper assembly to lower extremity injuries is also investigated. In this paper, it is shown that changing the local stiffness of bumper assembly due to the change in the height of the bumper and distribution of stiffness from upper parts of the bumper assembly to lower parts are the most important parameters in the pedestrian’s leg injuries. As lower extremity injuries are related to the lower bumper height, developing special legform impactors for different countries with different average person height seems essential in investigating the effect of people’s height on lower extremity injuries.