Mental stress in the workers exposed to humidity in a cheese processing factory

Certain inevitable physical factors in working environment can damage the workers in related fields. Sea sickness and white finger due to ship movement and vibration respectively are two examples in this regard. Humidity in working area can also bring discomfort of the workers in humid area. Cheese processing factories are such places where there is high humidity in the working space. Mental stress is a psychological complication which can arise due to some physical factors in certain occupational activities, therefore an attempt was made to have a search on mental stress in the laborers working in a cheese factory in Orumieheh, a city in north of Iran, with a cold climate throughout the year. For the purpose of the present study, a cheese processing factory with 100 workers was selected. The workers were divided in to two groups. One group was exposed to high humidity and the other exposed to normal humidity level. A standard questionnaire was given to two groups to check the mental stress. The results obtained from both groups were compared.. The result showed severe mental stress in workers exposed to high humidity whereas moderate stress level in other workers. The conclusion of the present work is a proof of the adverse effect of humidity in working environments which reflect in mental stress in workers which will be discussed in detail in full paper.