Cooking smoke and respiratory symptoms of restaurant workers in Thailand

Work-related injuries and illnesses among kitchen workers at two major students' hostels

BACKGROUND

Kitchen workers face a disproportionately high risk of injuries and illnesses. Yet, despite the ubiquity of kitchen-related injuries, there has been a relative lack of comprehensive research on this topic, particularly in developing countries. Ain Shams University, as a prestigious educational institution with its diverse kitchen staff, provides an ideal setting for studying the challenges faced in professional kitchens. This study aims to measure the prevalence of work-related injuries and illnesses among kitchen workers of two major students' hostels at Ain Shams University in Cairo and to explore their risk factors.

METHODS

A cross-sectional analytical study involving kitchen staff from two hostels that house students at the university was carried out in 2021. The study involved all kitchen staff in the dorms for students (n = 128). Data was collected using a structured interview questionnaire.

RESULTS

The findings showed a significant prevalence of work-related illnesses (81.3%) and injuries (77.3%) among restaurant employees. Age, education, and job type all had a statistically significant relationship with the frequency of work-related injuries over the previous year. Additionally, there was a statistically significant relationship between age, job type, and the frequency of diseases among kitchen workers (p ≤ 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Cooks and other food service employees are more susceptible to occupational diseases and injuries in the workplace. Restaurants and the university hostel authorities should implement preventative measures and policies to lower the risk of harm among these employees by offering occupational health and safety services such as training and education programs, personal protective equipment, and regular health examinations.

Temperature-dependent particle number emission rates and emission characteristics during heating processes of edible oils

The goal of this research is to investigate the temperature-dependent emission rates of particle numbers and emission characteristics during oil heating. Seven regularly used edible oils were studied in a variety of tests to attain this objective. First, total particle number emission rates ranging from 10 nm to 1 μm were measured, followed by an examination within six size intervals from 0.3 μm to 10 μm. Following that, the impacts of oil volume and oil surface area on the emission rate were investigated, and multiple regression models were developed based on the results. The results showed that corn, sunflower and soybean oils had higher emission rates than other oils above 200 °C, with peak values of 8.22 × 109#/s, 8.19 × 109#/s and 8.17 × 109#/s, respectively. Additionally, peanut and rice oils were observed to emit the most particles larger than 0.3 μm, followed by medium-emission (rapeseed and olive oils) and low-emission oils (corn, sunflower and soybean oils). In most cases, oil temperature (T) has the most significant influence on the emission rate during the smoking stage, but its influence was not as pronounced in the moderate smoking stage. The models obtained are all statistically significant (P < 0.001), with R2 values greater than 0.9, and the classical assumption test concluded that regressions were in accordance with the classical assumptions regarding normality, multicollinearity, and heteroscedasticity. In general, low oil volume and large oil surface area were more recommended for cooking to mitigate UFPs emission.

Temperature-dependent particle mass emission rate during heating of edible oils and their regression models

Particulate matter emitted by heated cooking oil is hazardous to human health. To develop effective mitigation strategies, it is critical to know the amount of the emitted particles. The purpose of this research is to estimate the temperature-dependent particle mass emission rates of edible oils and to develop models for source strength based on the multiple linear regression method. First, this study examined seven commonly used oils by heating experiments. The emission rates of PM2.5 and PM10 were measured, and the effects of parameters such as oil volume and surface area on the emission rates were also analysed. Following that, the starting smoke points (Ts') and aggravating smoke points (Tss') of tested oils were determined. The results showed that oils with lower smoke points had greater emission rates. Notably, the experiments performed observed that peanut, rice, rapeseed and olive oil generated PM2.5 much faster at 240 °C (2.22, 1.50, 0.82 and 0.80 mg/s, respectively, at the highest emission conditions) than that of sunflower, soybean, and corn oil (0.15, 0.12 and 0.11 mg/s, respectively). The temperature, volume, and surface area of oils all had a significant impact on the particle mass emission rate, with oil temperature being the most influential. The regression models obtained were statistically significant (P < 0.001), with the majority of R² values greater than 0.85. Using sunflower, soybean and corn oils, which have higher smoke points and lower emission rates, and smaller pans for cooking is therefore recommended based on our research findings.

AI-big data analytics for building automation and management systems: a survey, actual challenges and future perspectives

In theory, building automation and management systems (BAMSs) can provide all the components and functionalities required for analyzing and operating buildings. However, in reality, these systems can only ensure the control of heating ventilation and air conditioning system systems. Therefore, many other tasks are left to the operator, e.g. evaluating buildings’ performance, detecting abnormal energy consumption, identifying the changes needed to improve efficiency, ensuring the security and privacy of end-users, etc. To that end, there has been a movement for developing artificial intelligence (AI) big data analytic tools as they offer various new and tailor-made solutions that are incredibly appropriate for practical buildings’ management. Typically, they can help the operator in (i) analyzing the tons of connected equipment data; and; (ii) making intelligent, efficient, and on-time decisions to improve the buildings’ performance. This paper presents a comprehensive systematic survey on using AI-big data analytics in BAMSs. It covers various AI-based tasks, e.g. load forecasting, water management, indoor environmental quality monitoring, occupancy detection, etc. The first part of this paper adopts a well-designed taxonomy to overview existing frameworks. A comprehensive review is conducted about different aspects, including the learning process, building environment, computing platforms, and application scenario. Moving on, a critical discussion is performed to identify current challenges. The second part aims at providing the reader with insights into the real-world application of AI-big data analytics. Thus, three case studies that demonstrate the use of AI-big data analytics in BAMSs are presented, focusing on energy anomaly detection in residential and office buildings and energy and performance optimization in sports facilities. Lastly, future directions and valuable recommendations are identified to improve the performance and reliability of BAMSs in intelligent buildings.

Maternal exposure to cooking oil fumes during pregnancy and autistic-like behaviors in Chinese preschoolers

There is growing evidence that cooking oil fumes (COFs) are harmful indoor air pollutants. However, there is a dearth of research investigating whether maternal COFs exposure during pregnancy may affect children's autistic-like behaviors in China. This study aimed to explore this association, and examine the effects of different cooking fuels and ventilation methods used by mothers on the presence of autistic-like behaviors. This study analyzed the survey data of the Longhua Child Cohort Study in 2017 with a total of 62,372 mothers enrolled in this study. A self-administrative questionnaire was used to collect information on socio-demographic characteristics, cooking habits during pregnancy, and autistic-like behaviors (measured using the Autism Behavior Checklist). After adjusting for potential confounders, the results showed that compared with children whose mothers never cooked during pregnancy, children whose mothers cooked sometimes, often, always during pregnancy had the higher risk of autistic-like behaviors. As the amounts of COFs exposed to and the frequency of cooking during pregnancy increased, the risk of a child's autistic-like behaviors also increased. Mothers using natural gas as cooking fuels had a lower risk of their child having autistic-like behaviors, compared with mothers using coal or other cooking fuels. Furthermore, pregnant women using ventilation measures during cooking significantly decreased likelihood of the presence of autistic-like behaviors in their children. These results suggest that maternal exposure to COFs during pregnancy may increase the likelihood of the presence of autistic-like behaviors in offspring. These findings support a recommendation that pregnant women should avoid exposure to COFs and use clean fuels and ventilation equipment in kitchens to reduce the risk of autistic-like behaviors in children.

Exposure to second-hand smoke is an independent risk factor of small airway dysfunction in non-smokers with chronic cough: A retrospective case-control study

Objectives

This study aimed to identify the potential risk factors for small airway dysfunction (SAD) in non-smokers with chronic cough.

Methods

Non-smokers with chronic cough who underwent lung function tests at Xiangya Hospital from May 2019 to May 2020 were enrolled, and divided into the derivation and validation cohorts based on their hospital admission time. SAD was determined based on the presence of at least two of the following three indicators of lung function being less than 65% of predicted: maximal mid-expiratory flow, forced expiratory flow at 50% of forced vital capacity (FVC), and forced expiratory flow at 75% of FVC. Clinical data of these patients were collected. Risk factors for SAD were identified by logistic regression analysis in the derivation cohort and further confirmed in the validation cohort.

Results

In total, 316 patients (152 in the non-SAD group and 164 in the SAD group) were included in the derivation cohort. Compared with the non-SAD group, the SAD group had a higher proportion of female patients (82.3 vs. 59.2%, P < 0.001), was more commonly exposed to second-hand smoke (SHS) (61.6 vs. 27.6%, P < 0.001), and tended to be older (median age, 45.5 vs. 40.0 years old, P = 0.004). The median FVC, forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV₁) % pred, FEV₁/FVC ratio, and peak expiratory flow (PEF) % pred were slightly lower in the SAD group. Multivariable logistic analysis showed that exposure to SHS was an independent risk factor (OR 4.166 [95% CI 2.090–8.302], P < 0.001) for SAD in non-smokers with chronic cough after adjusting for related variables. In the validation cohort (n = 146), patients with SHS exposure had a relative risk of 1.976 (95% CI 1.246–3.135, P = 0.004) for SAD compared to those without SHS exposure. Multivariable logistic analysis consistently confirmed that exposure to SHS was an independent risk factor (OR 3.041 [95% CI 1.458–6.344], P = 0.003) for SAD in non-smokers.

Conclusions

Exposure to SHS is independently associated with a higher risk of SAD in non-smokers with chronic cough. Reduction in SHS exposure may ameliorate lung function, thus lowering the risk of irreversible airway obstruction.

Assessing the cooking oil fume exposure impacts on Chinese women health: an influential mechanism analysis

Oil fume is always considered as a major source of indoor air pollution. This article aims to examine the effects of cooking oil fume as environmental pollution on the health of Chinese women by using the data obtained from China Labor force Dynamic Survey (CLDS). In order to estimate the effect of environmental pollution on the human health, we utilize probit model approach and baseline regression method. The results showed that oil fume has a significant negative impact on the health indicators of "physical pain, health impact on work and injury." By conducting endogeneity analysis, our results show the robustness and indicate that oil fume has a robust effect on the women health. Heterogeneity analysis show that heavier oil fume has a negative impact on the subjective health of middle-aged and young women, while it has  a significant negative impact on the objective health of middle-aged women. Analysis of the impact mechanism reveal that heavier oil fumes will reduce women's sleep quality and will lead to the poorer health. Based on our study findings, this study proposes policy recommendations from the perspectives of the use of smoke extraction equipment, cooking methods, and sleep quality to reduce the negative impact of cooking fumes on women's health.

Environmental and Occupational Health Exposures and Outcomes of Informal Street Food Vendors in South Africa: A Quasi-Systematic Review

Introduction: Informal street vending is a form of informal employment, and occupational conditions for people within this group have been proven to be detrimental to their health. Two independent reviewers carried out a systematic evaluation of the existing literature in South Africa on environmental and occupational exposures, as well as the health effects faced by informal street food vendors. Methods: 354 published publications were reviewed and 9 were included, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Results: The evidence showed that informal street vendors are exposed to workplace risks that affect their health and wellbeing. Non-enclosed vendor stalls and frequent use of open fires were among the risk concerns. Vendors are vulnerable to gastrointestinal diseases such as salmonellosis and respiratory infections such as influenza and COVID-19 due to inadequate access to water, waste disposal facilities, and basic hygiene awareness and practices. Exposure to air pollutants increased the risk of respiratory and urinary illnesses and an impact on the reproductive health of female street vendors. Conclusions: This investigation demonstrated the difficulties in complying with the requirements of the Regulations Governing General Hygiene Requirements for Food Premises, the Transport of Food, and Related Matters (no. R638 of 22 June 2018) and the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act (no. 85 of 1993). Within South African borders, there is a scarcity of research on occupational exposures and health effects in this occupation. As a result, eliminating or preventing these occupational exposures should be at the top of government and stakeholder agendas. The majority of the research was carried out in KwaZulu Natal and used a quantitative, cross-sectional technique. Other designs, including cohorts, time series, and randomized intervention trials, were underutilized.

A Study Protocol to Assess the Respiratory Health Risks and Impacts amongst Informal Street Food Vendors in the Inner City of Johannesburg, South Africa

The overall unemployment rate in South Africa was impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which led many people to resort to informal work such as street trading opportunities in big cities. However, this work is located in the same cities where air pollution is of concern. Furthermore, literature has indicated the lack of regulation of the informal trading sector as compared to the formal sector. An analytical cross-sectional study is proposed to be conducted amongst all of the informal food street vendors (indoor/inside buildings and outdoor/street pavements stalls) in the inner city of Johannesburg, South Africa. By adopting a total sampling method of 746 vendor stalls, this study's key focus is on inhalation as an occupational exposure. In addition, the study aims to assess the respiratory risk factors amongst informal food street vendors' stalls and their impact on vendors' respiratory health. The risk factors to be assessed include the five common air pollutants: street vendor's infrastructure; socioeconomic factors; personal behavior such as tobacco smoking and handwashing practices; wearing of respiratory protective equipment; and vendors' exposure duration. The data collection will follow three phases using quantitative methods. In the pre-assessment phase, it will include a pilot study to test the walkthrough survey checklist and the respiratory symptoms and diseases questionnaire. The assessment phase includes a total of eight area samples, which will be taken in a 1-day event over four yearly seasons, as well as thirty personal samples taken in winter over an 8-h work shift. The post-assessment phase will be the development of a risk impact assessment and a risk management model. The study is essential for healthy occupational conditions as indicated in the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act (no. 85 of 1993) and the Regulations governing general hygiene requirements for food premises, the transport of food, and related matters (no. R638 of 22 June 2018).

Characteristics and risk assessment of occupational exposure to ultrafine particles generated from cooking in the Chinese restaurant

Ultrafine particles have been increasingly linked to adverse health effects in restaurant workers. This study aimed to clarify the exposure characteristics and risks of ultrafine particles during the cooking process, and to provide a reasonable standard for protecting the workers in the Chinese restaurant. The temporal variations in particle concentrations (number concentration (NC), mass concentration (MC), surface area concentration (SAC), and personal NC), and size distributions by number were measured by real-time system. The hazard, exposure, and risk levels of ultrafine particles were analyzed using the control banding tools. The NC, MC, and SAC increased during the cooking period and decreased gradually to background levels post-operation. The concentration ratios of MC, total NC, SAC, and personal NC ranged from 3.82 to 9.35. The ultrafine particles were mainly gathered at 10.4 and 100 nm during cooking. The exposure, hazard and risk levels of the ultrafine particles were high. These findings indicated that the workers during cooking were at high risk due to exposure to high levels of ultrafine particles associated with working activity and with a bimodal size distribution. The existing control strategies, including engineering control, management control, and personal protection equipment need to be improved to reduce the risk.

A Comparison of Occupational CO Levels, HbCO, and Lung Functions Between Grill and Non-grill Street Vendors

BACKGROUND

There is a surge increase in grills-fast food outlet in the urban areas that plays an essential role in producing air pollution. Chronic accumulation of carbon monoxide might affect the airway and destroy alveolus as well as correlated with the disturbance of lung function.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study is to compare the occupational CO levels, HbCO, and lung functions between grill and non-grill street vendors.

METHODS

This was an observational analytic study with a case-control design. The subjects were grill street vendors and non-grill street vendors in Medan city who fulfilled several inclusion criteria. The questionnaire was used to determine some characteristics, while smokerlyzer, and ELISA for expiration CO level and blood CO level, spirometer was used to determining lung function. Logistic regression was performed with p-value < 0.05 considered to be significant using SPSS ver 24.0.

RESULTS

A total of 50 subjects enrolled into this study with the majority of subjects in the case group were in red (40%) zone in CO exhaled test with the results in pulmonary function test, predominantly restrictive (56%) and mixed-type (40%) with the mean value of HbCO was 486.16 (ng/mL). Meanwhile, the majority of subjects were green zone with mixed type of lung function disturbance in the control group with 540.15 (ng/mL) as HBCO mean value. Grilled street vendors have a higher level of exhaled CO level (p- value: 0.03) without significant difference in HbCO and lung functions (p-value > 0.05). Age, smoking status, HbCO, and lung function did not significantly affect the CO level (p-value: 0.05).

CONCLUSION

There was a significant difference in exhaled CO level between grill-and non-grill street vendors without significant difference in HbCO and lung functions.

In vivo respiratory toxicology of cooking oil fumes: Evidence, mechanisms and prevention

BACKGROUND

As cooking is an essential part of people's daily life, cooking oil fumes (COF) has been recognized as one of the major indoor air pollutant. Mounting epidemiological evidence has indicated that COF exposure is significantly associated with an increased risk of various health effects including lung cancer, but toxicological studies are very limited.

OBJECTIVES

We conduct a systematic study to provide toxicological evidence of COF exposure on the lungs, to examine the underlying toxicological mechanism, and to suggest intervention measures to mitigate this toxicity.

METHODS

A total 96 female rats were randomly divided into control groups, COF exposure groups (0.2, 2, 20 mg/kg) and vitamin E protection groups, receiving appropriate treatment for 30 days. First we measured airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) followed by a lung histological analysis to investigate the toxicological effects of COF. We next analyzed the biomarkers of oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis to examine the underlying toxicological mechanism, and finally we investigated the protective effects of vitamin E against the toxicity of COF.

RESULTS

AHR measurement indicated that the airway resistance increased with the COF dose and the lung histological assay showed narrowing of the airway lumen, which provided evidence of the toxicological effects of COF. The biomarkers of oxidative stress (ROS and MDA), pro-inflammation (TNF-α and IL-1β), and apoptosis (NF-κB and Caspase-3) were all significantly increased with COF dose. We observed that above toxicological effects and biomarker levels induced by COF were significantly ameliorated after administration of VE.

CONCLUSION

The toxicity of cooking oil fumes on the lungs is clear from the evidence and mechanism, and can be ameliorated by vitamin E. We suggested that oxidative stress may be primarily responsible for the observed cooking oil fumes-induced toxicity.

Occupational hazards, health conditions and personal protective equipment used among healthcare workers in hospitals, Thailand

This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate occupational hazards, health conditions and personal protective equipment used among healthcare workers. Information from the sample size of 1,128 healthcare workers were collected using questionnaires. The healthcare workers participated in this study were from five departments including inpatient, outpatient, surgery and anesthesia, nutrition service and hospital support services departments in five hospitals in Thailand. The results indicated that the majority of healthcare workers were female; these healthcare workers work 9.0 to 11.1 hours/day on average and were exposed to several chemical, biological and physical hazards. The healthcare workers in the nutrition service department reported the highest percentage of musculoskeletal disorder and respiratory problems. The highest percentage of skin problems were reported by healthcare workers in surgery and anesthesia department. The results showed musculoskeletal disorder, respiratory and skin problem significantly differed among healthcare workers in the five departments including the wrists/hands (p = 0.024), upper back (p = 0.009), chest pain symptoms (p = 0.004), and dry/wound symptoms (p = 0.013). Healthcare workers did not have adequate protection from work-related hazards in their workplace. Health education programs, control measures and organizational policies should be implemented to mitigate the hazards for healthcare workers in hospitals.

Work environment factors and respiratory complaints in Norwegian cooks

PURPOSE

Norwegian cooks exhibit relatively high mortality, particularly from respiratory diseases. Both occupational hazards and lifestyle factors have been suggested as possible explanations. Negative health effects from exposure to cooking fumes are well documented in non-Western populations, and it has been claimed that cooking fumes in Western style cooking might be substantially different. We hypothesise that exposure to cooking fumes contributes to respiratory diseases also in professional cooks in Western countries. The aim of this study was to elucidate if specific work environment factors related to cooking fume exposure are determinants for respiratory morbidity in Norwegian cooks.

METHODS

We surveyed specific work environment factors and respiratory complaints in 553 subjects that were currently working as skilled cooks. Inclusion was based on the register of people that had graduated as skilled cooks in central Norway between 1988 and 2008. Determinants for the occurrence of respiratory complaints were explored by logistic regression.

RESULTS

Overall, 17.2% of subjects reported respiratory complaints at work, while 8.1% had chronic bronchitis. Those who performed frying for over half of their workday exhibited an increased odds ratio for having chronic bronchitis of 2.5 (95% CI 1.2-5.3). Using gas for frying and using a fryer in the kitchen were also related to the occurrence of respiratory complaints.

CONCLUSIONS

This study in Norwegian cooks demonstrates a relationship between the extent of frying and the occurrence of work-related respiratory complaints. Therefore, reducing exposure to cooking fumes could reduce respiratory complaints in cooks, and potentially help alleviate excess morbidity and mortality in this occupation.

Peak expiratory flow rate and chronic respiratory symptoms among restaurant workers: a cross-sectional study from Thailand

Background: Cooking smoke is a major source of indoor air pollution affecting millions of people worldwide. To date, there has been no epidemiological study to show the variation in health effects resulting from work at different kinds of restaurants in Thailand. This study determines lung function and chronic respiratory symptoms of workers in four types of eateries commonly found in Thailand. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of 321 people working in four common types of restaurants in Thailand: 'tamsang' restaurants (from the Thai word ร้านอาหารตามสั่ง, a restaurant that makes a variety of foods to order) (170 people), papaya salad restaurants (51 people), noodle restaurants (50 people), and barbecue stalls (50 people).  The restaurant workers' demographic data as well as information on their working conditions was collected using a questionnaire administered in a face to face interview. Each worker's peak expiratory flow rate was measured using a portable peak flow meter. Results: This study found that working in a 'tamsang' restaurant is associated with a higher risk of poor lung function (OR = 2.59, 95% CI 1.33-5.06) and a higher prevalence of moderate dyspnea symptoms (OR = 3.79, 95% CI 1.63-8.79) compared to working in a papaya salad restaurant. The study also found that each of the following were associated with poor lung function and/or chronic respiratory symptoms: cooking with palm oil, having irritated teary eyes while cooking, cooking without a ventilation hood, long past experience working at restaurants, and working in a small cooking area (1-6 m ²). Conclusions: Work in different kinds of restaurants with variations in cooking methods and work conditions produces diverse effects on airway and lung function. Regulatory organizations should pay careful attention to protecting the health of restaurant workers, especially those working in 'tamsang' restaurants.

Cooking smoke exposure and respiratory symptoms among those responsible for household cooking: A study in Phitsanulok, Thailand

Cooking smoke affects the health of millions of people worldwide. In Thailand, however, information in regard to household cooking and the effects of cooking smoke is scarce. The objective of this descriptive study was to explore the risk factors and respiratory symptoms in household members responsible for household cooking. Participants from 1,134 rural households in Phitsanulok province, Thailand were randomly selected, using multistage sampling. Data on cooking activities and chronic respiratory problems, and symptoms identified in the past 30 days were collected using a modified questionnaire from the British Medical Research. Most of the participants were women aged over 40 years, who were responsible for food preparation in the household, and who usually cook with vegetable oil, using LPG gas, without a ventilation hood, according to the responses that we received, and our particular knowledge of household cooking facilities in rural areas in Thailand.

The most common chronic respiratory symptoms were runny nose (24.5% males, 21.8% females), dyspnea (26.1% females, 19.0% males) and chronic cough (9.2% females, 6.4% males). The most common respiratory symptoms experienced in the past 30 days were having a cold (28.3% females, 18.7% males), coughing (25.5% females, 21.1% ,males) and having sputum (13.0% females, 8.2% males). These symptoms were associated with tears while cooking, the number of hours present in the kitchen grilling food, and the number of stir-fried and deep-fried dishes prepared. This study demonstrated that cooking even with a clean fuel can quantitatively increase the risk of respiratory difficulties and symptoms. Since cooking is undertaken in every household in Thailand, this is a serious public health matter that demands more attention.

Self-Reported, Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses Among Restaurant Workers in Shiraz City, South of Iran

Background:

Restaurant sector is one of the most rapidly developing sectors in the world and there is evidence that restaurant industry has high levels of work-related diseases and injuries. This study examined the prevalence of self-reported work-related injuries and illness (WRIIs) and their association with demographic variables among restaurant workers in Shiraz, the capital of Fars Province, Iran.

Methods:

In this cross-sectional study, 300 randomly selected restaurant workers completed a self-statement, research-made questionnaire regarding the prevalence of self-reported WRIIs, in Shiraz, Iran. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 20.

Results:

A high prevalence of work-related injuries (84%) and musculoskeletal disorders (70%) was reported among restaurant workers. Cuts and lacerations, arising from accidents with knives, were the most common injuries seen, followed by burns, falls, slips and trips. Moreover, the prevalence of occupational accidents had a significant association with work experience (p = 0.012), cooking (p < 0.001), as well as preparation and washing (p = 0.011). Age (p < 0.001) and work experience (p < 0.001) had a significance association with the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders.

Conclusion:

Preventive measures and polices, through providing occupational health and safety services including trainings, personal protective equipment and health examinations, should be taken as to restaurants and catering industry in Iran.