Assessment of ultraviolet radiation exposure of welders working in Shahrud City, Iran, 2014

Background: Farmers and welders who work in open spaces and are exposed to direct sunlight are often exposed to sunlight radiation on the neck and head. Thus, they may be afflicted with various types of skin cancer. The aim of the present study was to investigate the amount of UV exposure in welders working in Shahrud City, Iran. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive, analytical study was conducted from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in indoor environments on all welders working in Shahrud City (n = 50) in 2014. An ultraviolet radiation (UVR) meter was used to measure UVR and the instrument was calibrated and utilized using factory instructions. Moreover, All data obtained through the demographic checklist and self-reporting, and information related to UVR exposure were entered into SPSS software and analyzed. Results: The results showed that average UVR exposure with personal protection was 0.27 ± 1.15 , average UVR exposure without personal protection was 4.14 ± 1.69 . In addition, skin radiation exposure amount was 2.55 ± 1.54 . There was no significant statistical relationship between presence of disease, and radiation expsoure with or without protection euqipment and on the skin of welders (P > 0.05). Conclusions: This study indicated that UVR is among the main harmful factors in occupational environments. Welders are vulnerable to skin and eye disease due to UVR exposure. UV exposure in welders working in Shahrud City is below the threshold value; therefore, it can cause injury and damage to the welders. Furthermore, insurance status, daily radiation exposure amount, received radiation exposure amount, and use of protection equipment had no significant relationship with incidence of disease in welders.