Status of occupational health and safety in Iran.

In recent decades, Iran has had a steadily growing economy with an annual rate of 6% on average. The country's economy is dominantly influenced by oil and natural gas production and related industries like petrochemicals and fertilizers. There are two million job units and sixteen million employees. The occupational health and safety (OHS) system is mainly regulated by two bodies: the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, responsible for occupational health services and legislations; and the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, which undertakes the enactment and enforcement of occupational safety legal issues. Inspectorates in each ministry carry out regular health and safety monitoring according to the OHS legislations. The most common occupational health disorders are musculoskeletal problems, respiratory diseases, noise induced hearing loss, and occupational injuries. Because the OHS is a complex system with overlapping responsibilities among the co-responders, its improvement needs well-organized collaboration among Iranian universities, industries, and governmental agencies, and reliable basic data. The present study takes a glance at the situation and activities of the Iranian OHS system.