Mansour Balkhyour - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Mansour Balkhyour

Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences, May 1, 2019

Maǧalaẗ ǧameʼaẗ al-malīk Abdul Aziz. Uʼlum al-arṣad wa al-biʼaẗ, 2007

Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences

A designed checklist was personally administrated to investigate the laboratory safety facilities... more A designed checklist was personally administrated to investigate the laboratory safety facilities and safe work practices in chemistry laboratories (n = 68) of a university in the Kingdom Saudi Arabia. Overall mean percentile for practices in the checklist which were adopted was found to be 45% for all eleven safety elements surveyed, namely general work environment (75%); personal protective equipment (61%); emergency planning, equipment (55%); chemical storage & chemical labeling (50%); emergency planning (46%); fume hood and chemical handling (45%); waste and hazardous waste management (43%); safety training/awareness (43%); electrical safety (38%); lab safety documents (18%) and compressed gas (18%). However, special areas of concern, such as laboratory posting, inspection and proper use of a fume hood, availability of chemical waste containers, updating chemical inventory, availability of SDS, availability of the spill kit, segregation of chemicals by hazards class and safety training were studied. Existing areas with poor performance should be addressed with the involvement of top management, laboratory safety training programs and strict monitoring with continuous evaluation.

Journal of Safety Studies, 2019

Systematic management of occupational safety and health (OSH) issues requires attention in many a... more Systematic management of occupational safety and health (OSH) issues requires attention in many aspects like regulatory, technical, organizational and managerial. Approaching OSH from an organizational culture perspective can also facilitate achieving sustainable improvements in organizational OSH performance. OSH culture helps in seeing and organizing safety from different perspectives and should not be reduced to a matter of culture only. The knowledge, information and data gathered is expected to be very useful in the process of improving OSH-related procedures, practices and policies, eventually leading to enhanced OSH performance. This paper attempts to describe a cultural approach towards understanding organizational OSH. It will help the readers, professionals, authorities, and policy makers in understanding OSH from a cultural point of view, and how to assess this OSH culture as part of the of organizational improvement process. The aim is to disseminate latest information o...

Journal of Safety Studies, 2016

Academic laboratories considered as more hazardous than industry due to relaxed approach of acade... more Academic laboratories considered as more hazardous than industry due to relaxed approach of academic management for chemical safety. This study designed to analyze the safe work practices and facilities by Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) using Varimax rotation. A designed checklist of 26 safety items administered personally in 68 academic laboratories in a Saudi university. From EFA, five factors were extracted: "Availability of laboratory safety documents (5 items, α = 0.92)", "Maintenance of fume hood (2 items, α = 0.75)", "Proper chemical storage (3 items, α = 0.64)", "Proper use of fume hood for chemical handling (4 items, α = 0.62)" and "Laboratory safety labelling (2 items, α = 0.73)". The results revealed the 5 factors model that grouped 16 safety items that may be crucial for chemical storage, fume hood, laboratory safety plans and labels in the academic laboratories. The extracted factors derived from EFA are expected to help in the development of chemical safety management in the academic laboratories.

This study evaluated some of the occupational hazards present in a plastic factory in Jeddah، Sau... more This study evaluated some of the occupational hazards present in a plastic factory in Jeddah، Saudi Arabia، which accompanies the manufacturing process. This study aims to assess the level of exposure to noise intensity and heat stress for workers in the work environment during daily working hours، Measurements were performed daily for a period of four months. The researcher unloaded and analyzed the data with the appropriate statistical treatment using SPSS program. The results of the study showed that the average level of noise intensity ranges from (85.6 - 93.3 dB). Average of exposure to heat intensity (30، 57-31، 97) ° C. The study concluded that some of the workers in the factory are at risk of exposure to some occupational hazards such as increased noise intensity، and increased intensity of thermal stress exceeding the permissible exposure limits، according to the standards of the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) and the National Institute fo...

Please cite this article as: Ahmad, I., M. Rehan, M. A. Balkhyour, M. Abbas, J. M. Basahi, T. Alm... more Please cite this article as: Ahmad, I., M. Rehan, M. A. Balkhyour, M. Abbas, J. M. Basahi, T. Almeelbi and I. M.I. Ismail. 2016. Review of environmental pollution and health risks at motor vehicle repair workshops: Challenges and perspectives for Saudi Arabia. Int. J. Agric. Environ. Res., 2(1): 1-20. Abstract The increasing population, urbanization and industrial growth are causing serious environmental challenges including air pollution worldwide. According to WHO, the indoor and outdoor air pollution exposure has caused around 7 million deaths globally only in 2012. The major air pollution sources include transportation and petrochemical based industry. Motor vehicle repair workshops (MVRW) pose many environmental as well as occupational health challenges. Workers safety and protection at workplace has been a great concern for employees, employers, governments and the entire society for years. This review highlights the prominent air pollutants and health and safety challenges at...

Antioxidants

Soil contamination with indium (In) oxide nanoparticles (In2O3-NPs) threatens plant growth and de... more Soil contamination with indium (In) oxide nanoparticles (In2O3-NPs) threatens plant growth and development. However, their toxicity in plants under ambient (aCO2) and elevated (eCO2) conditions is scarcely studied. To this end, this study was conducted to investigate In2O3-NPs toxicity in the young and old leaves of C3 (barley) and C4 (maize) plants and to understand the mechanisms underlying the stress mitigating impact of eCO2. Treatment of C3 and C4 plants with In2O3-NPs significantly reduced growth and photosynthesis, induced oxidative damage (H2O2, lipid peroxidation), and impaired P and Fe homeostasis, particularly in the young leaves of C4 plants. On the other hand, this phytotoxic hazard was mitigated by eCO2 which improved both C3 and C4 growth, decreased In accumulation and increased phosphorus (P) and iron (Fe) uptake, particularly in the young leaves of C4 plants. Moreover, the improved photosynthesis by eCO2 accordingly enhanced carbon availability under the challenge o...

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of personal variables on the fit of ... more Abstract: The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of personal variables on the fit of the respirators used by firefighters and workers in highly polluted environments. However, resistance from many plants managers was met to conduct the study on their workers. Therefore, we were forced to limit the study on firefighters who were found very cooperative. Forty volunteer firefighters from different departments participated in the study. They were subjected to a daily leak rate measurement using a Control Negative Pressure (CNP) fit tester for five consecutive days. Two types of respirators were used for each volunteer: the Drager type and the MSA. At the end of the study, the association between face shape and presence of beard with the respirator leak rates was investigated. A significant difference in the leak rate was detected between the two types of respirators used, with the Drager respirator having higher leak rates. The presence of a beard increased dramatically the ...

Abstract: Welding is a major industrial process used for joining metals. Occupational exposure to... more Abstract: Welding is a major industrial process used for joining metals. Occupational exposure to welding fumes is a serious occupational health problem all over the world. The degree of risk to welder’s health from fumes depends on composition, concentration, and the length of exposure. The aim of this study was to investigate workers ’ welding fume exposure levels in some industries in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. In each factory, the air in the breathing zone within 0.5 m from welders was sampled during 8-hour shifts. Total particulates, manganese, copper, and molybdenum concentrations of welding fumes were determined. Mean values of eight-hour average particulate concentrations measured during welding at the welders

Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance

BACKGROUND: Over the next 20 yr, international market expansion will necessitate the production o... more BACKGROUND: Over the next 20 yr, international market expansion will necessitate the production of new commercial airplanes and the recruitment of additional crewmembers and technicians. Research has proven that fatigue and lack of sleep are risk factors for impaired cognitive performance and human error. Pilots frequently report fatigue to their employers, which may be related to sleep disturbance. Airline pilots, in particular, often experience circadian desynchronization and other types of sleep disorders. Shift workers have been observed to be at higher risk of fatigue that affects their performance and alertness. In Saudi Arabia, sleep disorders among airline pilots are understudied and underreported. The primary objective of this study was to screen for and determine the risk of sleep disorders, fatigue, and depression among pilots.METHODS: A cross-sectional epidemiological study with national commercial pilots was conducted from March 2019 to March 2020 using validated questi...

The increasing population, urbanization and industrial growth are causing serious environmental c... more The increasing population, urbanization and industrial growth are causing serious environmental challenges including air pollution worldwide. According to WHO, the indoor and outdoor air pollution exposure has caused around 7 million deaths globally only in 2012. The major air pollution sources include transportation and petrochemical based industry. Motor vehicle repair workshops (MVRW) pose many environmental as well as occupational health challenges. Workers safety and protection at workplace has been a great concern for employees, employers, governments and the entire society for years. This review article highlights the prominent air pollutants and health and safety challenges at MVRW. Many scientific articles studying pollutants that are detrimental to health e.g. benzene, PAHs, VOCs, heavy metals, PM, NOx and SOx are reviewed here. The national and international environmental legislations and health and safety standards by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA),...

Nature and Science of Sleep, 2021

Purpose To evaluate the presence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), using home sleep testing in pi... more Purpose To evaluate the presence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), using home sleep testing in pilots and first officers in Saudi-based airlines. This will allow for proper diagnosis and management of OSA in that group which can help in minimizing any possible aviation accidents related to sleep disturbances secondary to OSA. Materials and Methods This is a cross-sectional study conducted through Saudi-based aviation among pilots and first officers who were in service, active, and flying short- to medium-haul flights. Forty-one participants met the inclusion criteria. However, 39 out of 41 completed the study questionnaires (Berlin questionnaire, Epworth sleepiness scale, Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), Fatigue severity scale (FSS), Visual analog fatigue scale (VAFS), and Patient health questionnaire (PHQ9), along with home sleep testing. Results Sixty-nine percent of the study population had OSA by home sleep testing. Majority of which had mild OSA (64%) and 5% had moderate ...

Agronomy

Compared to seeds and mature plants, sprouts are well characterized based on their nutritive valu... more Compared to seeds and mature plants, sprouts are well characterized based on their nutritive values and biological properties. Moreover, laser light application is known to be a promising approach to improving plant growth, photosynthesis, and nutraceutical values. However, no studies have investigated the phytochemicals and biological activity of lemongrass (Cymbopogon proximus (Hochst. ex A.Rich.) Chiov.) sprouts or the further improvement of their quality by applying laser light treatment. We carried out a preliminary experiment for the optimization of laser treatment conditions, finding that a helium neon (He–Ne) laser at 632 nm and 5 mW for 5 min provided the most favorable conditions. We then investigated fresh weight, photosynthetic reactions, and primary and secondary metabolites, including sugars, amino acids, organic acids, essential oils, and phenolic compounds. Moreover, we studied the effect of laser light-induced changes in chemical compositions on the antioxidant, ant...

Environmental Science: Nano

SiNPs orchestrate carbon and nitrogen metabolism and cell fortification in pea seedlings to cope ... more SiNPs orchestrate carbon and nitrogen metabolism and cell fortification in pea seedlings to cope with Phelipanche infection.

Biology

Besides the lack of studies regarding applying elevated CO2 (eCO2) as a strategy to improve the c... more Besides the lack of studies regarding applying elevated CO2 (eCO2) as a strategy to improve the chemical composition of anise (Pimpinella anisum L.) seeds, studies on its interaction with seed developmental stages and origin are very limited. The seed yield, chemical composition, and biological activity of 6 aniseed accessions (Egypt, Tunisia, Syria, Turkey, Yemen, and Morocco) were investigated during three developmental stages (immature, premature, and mature) under control and elevated CO2 conditions. Mature seeds from all aniseed accessions had significantly higher (p < 0.05) dry weight (DW) percentages than premature and immature seeds. The highest DW percentages were recorded in Egypt and Morocco accessions. Seed maturation increased nutrients and antioxidant metabolites in most eCO2-treated accessions. In contrast, essential oils were decreased by seed maturation, while eCO2 reversed this effect. Essential oil-related precursors (e.g., phenylalanine) and enzyme activities ...