Document Type : Original Article

Authors

• Maryam Jafari Kuchi ¹
• Mehdi Zare ²
• Teamur Aghamolaei ³

¹ Department of Environment Management, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Islamic Azad University, Zahedan, Iran

² Department of Occupational Health Engineering, Faculty of Health, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas; Social Determinants in Health Promotion Research Center, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran

³ Social Determinants in Health Promotion Research Center, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran

Abstract

Aims: In this study, which was done in Persian Gulf Mining and Metal Industries Special Economic Zone, the efficiency of "theory of planned behavior" in training the correct principles of manual material handling was investigated. Materials and Methods: To perform this semi-experimental study, based on the theory of planned behavior and method of manual material handling required questionnaires were prepared. After preliminary studies and determining the reliability and validity of questionnaires, the appropriate study population was selected from the workers, and the questionnaires were filled up through interviews. Results: The results showed that subjective norms (safety factor = 0.51, P < 0.001) are the predictors of behavior intention (performing manual material handling correctly) and behavioral control, as well as behavioral intention, are appropriate predictors for behavior change. Conclusion: This study confirms the efficiency of the theory of planned behavior in modifying the workers' manual material handling behavior. But since all constructs of the theory of planned behavior could not predict the behavioral intention for correct manual material handling, it can be concluded that for changing the behavioral intention, other theories also should be taken into consideration.

Keywords

• Manual material handling
• perceived behavioral control
• subjective norms
• theory of planned behavior