Plutonium working group report on environmental, safety and health vulnerabilities associated with the Department's plutonium storage. Volume 2, Appendix B, Part 2: Hanford site assessment team report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-09-01

The Hanford Site Self Assessment of Plutonium Environmental Safety and Health (ES and H) Vulnerabilities was conducted in accordance with the US Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary's directive of February 1994. The implementation plans to carry out this directive are contained in the Project Plan and the Assessment Plan. For this assessment, vulnerabilities are defined as conditions or weaknesses that may lead to unnecessary or increased radiation exposure of the workers, release of radioactive materials to the environment, or radiation exposure of the public. The purpose for the Assessment is to evaluate environmental, safety and health vulnerabilities from plutonium operations and storage activities. Acts of sabotage or diversion of plutonium which obviously may have ES and H implications are excluded from this study because separate DOE programs evaluate those issues on a continuing basis. Security and safeguards activities which may have negative impacts on safety are included in the evaluation

Plutonium working group report on environmental, safety and health vulnerabilities associated with the Department's plutonium storage. Volume II, part 8: Argonne National Laboratory - East and New Brunswick Laboratory working group assessment team report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-09-01

The Plutonium Vulnerability Working Group Assessment Team No. 1 (WGAT-1) visited Argonne National Laboratory-East (ANL-E) and New Brunswick Laboratory (NBL), located at the ANL-Illinois site, from May 23 through May 27 and June 6 through June 10, 1994. The objective of the WGAT-1, the ANL-E Site Assessment Team (SAT), and the NBL SAT was to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the environment, safety, and health (ES ampersand H) vulnerabilities arising at ANL-E and NBL from the storage and handling of the Department's current plutonium holdings. During the first visit to the site (May 23-27), WGAT-1 toured various site facilities and, after each tour, met with SAT members to conduct 'table-top' discussions. In addition, various briefings were given to ANL-E management, NBL management, and DOE management. During the second visit (June 6-10), WGAT-1 completed their assessment report, and met with various site technical representatives

Environmental safety and health vulnerabilities of plutonium at the Los Alamos National Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pillay, K.K.S.

1995-01-01

A national effort to assess the environmental safety and health issues of plutonium at nuclear facilities included an assessment of such vulnerabilities at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). LANL was well below the most serious problem sites, however, the problems are serious enough to require immediate attention and resources are being sought to address the most serious vulnerabilities

Plutonium working group report on environmental, safety and health vulnerabilities associated with the Department's plutonium storage. Volume 2, Appendix B, Part 3: Los Alamos National Laboratory site assessment team report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-09-01

Environmental safety and health (ES and H) vulnerabilities are defined as conditions or weaknesses that may lead to unnecessary or increased radiation exposure of the workers, release of radioactive materials to the environment, or radiation exposure of the public. In response to the initiative by the Secretary of Energy, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has performed a self assessment of the ES and H vulnerabilities of plutonium inventories at the laboratory. The objective of this site-specific self assessment is to identify and report ES and H vulnerabilities associated with the storage, handling, and processing of plutonium and maintenance of plutonium-contaminated facilities. This self-assessment of ES and H vulnerabilities and validation by a peer group is not another compliance audit or fault-finding exercise. It has a fact finding mission to develop a database of potential environment, safety, and health vulnerabilities that may lead to unnecessary or increased radiation exposure of the workers, release of radioactive materials to the environment, or radiation exposure of the public

Plutonium working group report on environmental, safety and health vulnerabilities associated with the department's plutonium storage. Volume II, Appendix B, Part 11: Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory site assessment team report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-09-01

The Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory was founded in 1931 on the Berkeley campus of the University of California. The laboratory evolved from accelerator development and related nuclear physics programs to include energy production, atomic imaging, research medicine, and life sciences. The LBL research with actinide elements, including plutonium, focuses principally to develop methods to dispose of nuclear wastes. Also, LBL uses sources of plutonium to calibrate neutron detectors used at the laboratory. All radiological work at LBL is governed by Publication 3000. In accordance with the directive of Energy Secretary O'Leary open-quote Department of Energy Plutonium ES ampersand H Vulnerability Assessment: Project Plan,close-quote April 25, 19941. Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico has conducted a site assessment of the SNL/NM site's plutonium environment, safety and health (ES ampersand H) vulnerabilities associated with plutonium and other transuranic material. The results are presented in this report

China's Work Safety Report

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Liang Jiakun

2005-01-01

@@ General Situation of China's Work Safety in 2004 In 2004, the national work safety situation remained stable as a whole and gained momentum to improve. The totality of accidents held the line and began to drop. The safety conditions in industrial,mining, and commercial/trading enterprises improved. Progress was made in ensuring work safety in the relevant industries and fields. The safety situation in most provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government) kept stable.

Identification of protective actions to reduce the vulnerability of safety-critical systems to malevolent acts: A sensitivity-based decision-making approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Tai-Ran; Pedroni, Nicola; Zio, Enrico

2016-01-01

A classification model based on the Majority Rule Sorting method has been previously proposed by the authors to evaluate the vulnerability of safety-critical systems (e.g., nuclear power plants) with respect to malevolent intentional acts. In this paper, we consider a classification model previously proposed by the authors based on the Majority Rule Sorting method to evaluate the vulnerability of safety-critical systems (e.g., nuclear power plants) with respect to malevolent intentional acts. The model is here used as the basis for solving an inverse classification problem aimed at determining a set of protective actions to reduce the level of vulnerability of the safety-critical system under consideration. To guide the choice of the set of protective actions, sensitivity indicators are originally introduced as measures of the variation in the vulnerability class that a safety-critical system is expected to undergo after the application of a given set of protective actions. These indicators form the basis of an algorithm to rank different combinations of actions according to their effectiveness in reducing the safety-critical systems vulnerability. Results obtained using these indicators are presented with regard to the application of: (i) one identified action at a time, (ii) all identified actions at the same time or (iii) a random combination of identified actions. The results are presented with reference to a fictitious example considering nuclear power plants as the safety-critical systems object of the analysis. - Highlights: • We use a hierarchical framework to represent the vulnerability. • We use an empirical classification model to evaluate vulnerability. • Sensitivity indicators are introduced to rank protective actions. • Constraints (e.g., budget limitations) are accounted for. • Method is applied to fictitious Nuclear Power Plants.

Plutonium Vulnerability Management Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-03-01

This Plutonium Vulnerability Management Plan describes the Department of Energy's response to the vulnerabilities identified in the Plutonium Working Group Report which are a result of the cessation of nuclear weapons production. The responses contained in this document are only part of an overall, coordinated approach designed to enable the Department to accelerate conversion of all nuclear materials, including plutonium, to forms suitable for safe, interim storage. The overall actions being taken are discussed in detail in the Department's Implementation Plan in response to the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) Recommendation 94-1. This is included as Attachment B

Gendered depression: Vulnerability or exposure to work and family stressors?

Science.gov (United States)

Marchand, Alain; Bilodeau, Jaunathan; Demers, Andrée; Beauregard, Nancy; Durand, Pierre; Haines, Victor Y

2016-10-01

Research has shown that employed women are more prone to depression than men, but the pathways linking gender to depression remain poorly understood. The aim of this study was to examine how work and family conditions operated as potentially gendered antecedents of depression. It evaluated more specifically how differences in depressive symptoms in women and men could be explained by their differential vulnerability and exposure to work and family conditions, as well as by the mediating role of work-to-family conflict (WFC) and family-to-work conflict (FWC). Data were collected in 2009-2012 from a sample of 1935 employees (48.9% women) nested in 63 workplaces in the province of Quebec (Canada). Data were analyzed with multilevel path analysis models to test for the differential exposure hypothesis, and stratified by gender to test for the differential vulnerability hypothesis. Results supported both hypothesizes, but only WFC played a mediating role between work-family stressors and depression. Regarding the vulnerability hypothesis, WFC was more strongly associated with women depressive symptoms, and the magnitude of the association between family income and WFC was stronger for women. Overall, the differential exposure hypothesis seemed to reach a greater empirical support. After accounting for work and family stressors as well as WFC, differences in depressive symptoms in women and men were no longer significantly, as WFC, working hours, irregular work schedule and skill utilization acted as mediators. WFC associated with higher depressive symptoms and skill utilization with lower depressive symptoms. WFC related to higher working hours and irregular work schedule. Compared to men, women reported higher WFC, but lower working hours, less irregular work schedule and lower skill utilization at work. Women's higher rate of depression is intrinsically linked to their different social experiences as shaped by a gendered social structure and gendered organizations

Plutonium working group report on environmental, safety and health vulnerabilities associated with the department's plutonium storage. Volume II, part 12: Working group assessment team report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-09-01

The Secretary of Energy's memorandum of March 15, 1994, established an initiative for a Department-wide assessment of the ES ampersand H vulnerabilities of the inventory of plutonium (Pu) in storage. Pu in intact nuclear weapons, spent fuel and transuranic (TRU) waste not colocated with other Pu was excluded from this assessment. The DOE Plutonium Vulnerability Working Group, which was formed for this purpose and produced the Project and Assessment Plans, will also manage the overall DOE complex assessments and produce a final report for the Secretary of Energy by September 30, 1994. The Project Plan and Assessment Plan for this assessment, and which established responsibilities for personnel essential to the study, were issued on April 25, 1994. This report contains the assessment of the Pantex Plant

The effects of `non-infrastructural' measures to improve the safety of vulnerable road users : a review of international findings, prepared for the OECD Scientific Expert Group "Safety of vulnerable road users".

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hagenzieker, M.P.

1997-01-01

This report reviews the evaluated effects of what can be called `non-infrastructural measures' to improve the safety of vulnerable road users. Three selected areas are discussed: education and training, measures to enhance visibility and conspecuity, and protective devices for bicyclists. Other

Plutonium working group report on environmental, safety and health vulnerabilities associated with the Department's plutonium storage. Volume 2, Appendix B, Part 1: Rocky Flats site assessment team report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-09-01

The most important vulnerability on a frequency basis is that liquids containing plutonium are stored in containers that are being attacked by the solutions. These containers are presently failing on a random basis. The most important vulnerability on a material at risk basis is that solid plutonium is packaged for short-term storage. These conditions are presently degrading the containers, potentially to failure, which allows release of the material in the building. This assessment comprehensively evaluated environmental, safety and health vulnerabilities resulting from the storage and handling of plutonium at the Rocky Flats Plant. The term ES and H vulnerability, for the purpose of this assessment, means any condition, other than diversion of material, that could lead to unnecessary or increased exposure of workers and the public to radiation or to the release of radioactive materials to the environment

Self-employed individuals performing different types of work have different occupational safety and health problems.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Jungsun; Han, Boyoung; Kim, Yangho

2018-05-22

We assessed the occupational safety and health (OSH) issues of self-employed individuals in Korea. The working conditions and OSH issues in three groups were analyzed using the Korean Working Conditions Survey of 2014. Among self-employed individuals, "Physical work" was more common among males, whereas "Emotional work" was more common among females. Self-employed individuals performing "Mental work" had more education, higher incomes, and the lowest exposure to physical/chemical and ergonomic hazards in the workplace. In contrast, those performing "Physical work" were older, had less education, lower incomes, greater exposure to physical/chemical and ergonomic hazards in the workplace, and more health problems. Individuals performing "Physical work" were most vulnerable to OSH problems. The self-employed are a heterogeneous group of individuals. We suggest development of specific strategies that focus on workers performing "Physical work" to improve the health and safety of self-employed workers in Korea. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Exploring the impacts of safety culture on immigrants' vulnerability in non-motorized crashes: a cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Cynthia; Lin, Haiyun; Loo, Becky P Y

2012-02-01

Pedestrians and cyclists are a vulnerable group of road users. Immigrants are disproportionally represented in pedestrian and cyclist crashes. We postulate that the mismatch in safety culture between countries of their origin and the U.S.A. contribute to their vulnerability in pedestrian and cyclist crashes. Over time, the differences may disappear and immigrants' traffic behavior gravitates toward those of native-borns. We describe this process as safety assimilation. Using the pedestrian and cyclist crash database in New York City between 2001 and 2003, we examined the effects of foreign-born population, their countries of origin, and time of entry into the USA on census tract-level pedestrian and cyclist crashes. We find that neighborhoods with a higher concentration of immigrants, especially those from Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Asia, have more crashes. Our results also exhibit a pattern of the hypothesized safety assimilation process. The study suggests a higher level of vulnerability of immigrants to pedestrian and cyclist crashes. We propose that targeted policies and programs need to be developed for immigrants of different countries of origin.

Informality and employment vulnerability: application in sellers with subsistence work

Science.gov (United States)

Garzón-Duque, María Osley; Cardona-Arango, María Doris; Rodríguez-Ospina, Fabio León; Segura-Cardona, Angela María

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To describe the origin, evolution, and application of the concept of employment vulnerability in workers who subsist on street sales. METHODS We have carried out an analysis of the literature in database in Spanish, Portuguese, and English, without restriction by country. This is a review of the gray literature of government reports, articles, and documents from Latin America and the Caribbean. We have analyzed information on the informal economy, social-employment vulnerability, and subsistence workers. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS The concept of informal economy is dispersed and suggested as synonymous with employment vulnerability. As a polysemic term, it generates confusion and difficulty in identifying defined profiles of employment vulnerability in informal subsistence workers, who sell their products on the streets and sidewalks of cities. The lack of a clear concept and profile of employment vulnerability for this type of workers generates a restriction on defined actions to reduce employment vulnerability. The profiles could facilitate access to the acquisition of assets that support their structure of opportunities, facilitating and mediating in the passage from vulnerability to social mobility with opportunities. We propose as a concept of employment vulnerability for subsistence workers in the informal sector, the condition of those who must work by day to eat at night, who have little or no ownership of assets, and who have a minimum structure of opportunities to prevent, face, and resist the critical situations that occur daily, putting at risk their subsistence and that of the persons who are their responsibility, thus making the connection between social and employment vulnerability. PMID:29020122

Informality and employment vulnerability: application in sellers with subsistence work

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

María Osley Garzón-Duque

2017-10-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To describe the origin, evolution, and application of the concept of employment vulnerability in workers who subsist on street sales. METHODS We have carried out an analysis of the literature in database in Spanish, Portuguese, and English, without restriction by country. This is a review of the gray literature of government reports, articles, and documents from Latin America and the Caribbean. We have analyzed information on the informal economy, social-employment vulnerability, and subsistence workers. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS The concept of informal economy is dispersed and suggested as synonymous with employment vulnerability. As a polysemic term, it generates confusion and difficulty in identifying defined profiles of employment vulnerability in informal subsistence workers, who sell their products on the streets and sidewalks of cities. The lack of a clear concept and profile of employment vulnerability for this type of workers generates a restriction on defined actions to reduce employment vulnerability. The profiles could facilitate access to the acquisition of assets that support their structure of opportunities, facilitating and mediating in the passage from vulnerability to social mobility with opportunities. We propose as a concept of employment vulnerability for subsistence workers in the informal sector, the condition of those who must work by day to eat at night, who have little or no ownership of assets, and who have a minimum structure of opportunities to prevent, face, and resist the critical situations that occur daily, putting at risk their subsistence and that of the persons who are their responsibility, thus making the connection between social and employment vulnerability.

Informality and employment vulnerability: application in sellers with subsistence work.

Science.gov (United States)

Garzón-Duque, María Osley; Cardona-Arango, María Doris; Rodríguez-Ospina, Fabio León; Segura-Cardona, Angela María

2017-10-05

To describe the origin, evolution, and application of the concept of employment vulnerability in workers who subsist on street sales. We have carried out an analysis of the literature in database in Spanish, Portuguese, and English, without restriction by country. This is a review of the gray literature of government reports, articles, and documents from Latin America and the Caribbean. We have analyzed information on the informal economy, social-employment vulnerability, and subsistence workers. The concept of informal economy is dispersed and suggested as synonymous with employment vulnerability. As a polysemic term, it generates confusion and difficulty in identifying defined profiles of employment vulnerability in informal subsistence workers, who sell their products on the streets and sidewalks of cities. The lack of a clear concept and profile of employment vulnerability for this type of workers generates a restriction on defined actions to reduce employment vulnerability. The profiles could facilitate access to the acquisition of assets that support their structure of opportunities, facilitating and mediating in the passage from vulnerability to social mobility with opportunities. We propose as a concept of employment vulnerability for subsistence workers in the informal sector, the condition of those who must work by day to eat at night, who have little or no ownership of assets, and who have a minimum structure of opportunities to prevent, face, and resist the critical situations that occur daily, putting at risk their subsistence and that of the persons who are their responsibility, thus making the connection between social and employment vulnerability.

The effects of `non-infrastructural' measures to improve the safety of vulnerable road users : a review of international findings, prepared for the OECD Scientific Expert Group "Safety of vulnerable road users".

OpenAIRE

Hagenzieker, M.P.

1997-01-01

This report reviews the evaluated effects of what can be called `non-infrastructural measures' to improve the safety of vulnerable road users. Three selected areas are discussed: education and training, measures to enhance visibility and conspecuity, and protective devices for bicyclists. Other types of non-infrastructural measures are briefly mentioned.

Plutonium working group report on environmental, safety and health vulnerabilities associated with the department's plutonium storage. Volume II, part 6: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory working group assessment team report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-09-01

President Clinton directed an Interagency Working Group to initiate a comprehensive review of long-term options for the disposition of surplus plutonium. As part of this initiative, Secretary of Energy Hazel O'Leary directed the Department of Energy to develop options and plans for the interim safe storage of these materials. One step in this direction is a plutonium vulnerability assessment of DOE facilities by a open-quotes Plutonium Vulnerability Working Group.close quotes In this effort, the working group developed a Project Plan and an Assessment Plan which basically laid out the approach and methodology for the assessments. The plans were issued on April 25, 1994. The Project Plan specifies a WGAT for each site with significant holdings of plutonium. Also, the plan requires that each site form a Site Assessment Team (SAT) to provide the self assessment for the project. Additionally, the working group was tasked with managing the assessments at each site, and providing the results in a final report for the Secretary by September 30, 1994

Plutonium working group report on environmental, safety and health vulnerabilities associated with the Department's plutonium storage. Volume 2, Appendix A: Process and protocol

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-09-01

This appendix contains documentation prepared by the Plutonium ES and H Vulnerability Working Group for conducting the Plutonium ES and H Vulnerability Assessment and training the assessment teams. It has the following five parts. (1) The Project Plan describes the genesis of the project, sets forth the goals, objectives and scope, provides definitions, the projected schedule, and elements of protocol. (2) The Assessment Plan provides a detailed methodology necessary to guide the many professionals who have been recruited to conduct the DOE-wide assessment. It provides guidance on which types and forms of plutonium are to be considered within the scope of the assessment, and lays out the assessment methodology to be used. (3) The memorandum from the Project to Operations Office Managers provides the protocol and direction for participation in the assessment by external stakeholders and members of the public; and the guidance for the physical inspection of plutonium materials in storage. (4) The memorandum from the Project to the assessment teams provides guidance for vulnerability screening criteria, vulnerability evaluation and prioritization process, and vulnerability quantification for prioritization. (5) The Team Training manual was used at the training session held in Colorado Springs on April 19--21, 1994 for all members of the Working Group Assessment Teams and for the leaders of the Site Assessment Teams. The goal was to provide the same training to all of the individuals who would be conducting the assessments, and thereby provide consistency in the conduct of the assessments and uniformity in reporting of the results. The training manual in Section A.5 includes supplemental material provided to the attendees after the meeting

Plutonium working group report on environmental, safety and health vulnerabilities associated with the department's plutonium storage. Volume II, part 11: Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory working group assessment team report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-09-01

President Clinton has directed an Interagency Working Group to initiate a comprehensive review of long-term options for the disposition of surplus plutonium. As part of this initiative, Secretary of Energy, Hazel O'Leary, has directed that a Department of Energy project be initiated to develop options and recommendations for the safe storage of these materials in the interim. A step in the process is a plutonium vulnerability assessment of facilities throughout the Department. The Plutonium Vulnerability Working Group was formed to produce the Project and Assessment Plans, to manage the assessments and to produce a final report for the Secretary by September 30, 1994. The plans established the approach and methodology for the assessment. The Project Plan specifies a Working Group Assessment Team (WGAT) to examine each of the twelve DOE sites with significant holdings of plutonium. The Assessment Plan describes the methodology that the Site Assessment Team (SAT) used to report on the plutonium holdings for each specific site.This report provides results of the assessment of the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory

Safety, mobility and comfort assessment methodologies of intelligent transport systems for vulnerable road users

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Malone, K.; Silla, A.; Johanssen, C.; Bell, D.

2017-01-01

Introduction: This paper describes the modification and development of methodologies to assess the impacts of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) applications for Vulnerable Road users (VRUs) in the domains of safety, mobility and comfort. This effort was carried out in the context of the VRUITS

MORAL HARASSMENT DURING WORK AND FEMININE VULNERABILITY

OpenAIRE

Silva, Sarah Cristina Andrade; Universidade de Franca - UNIFRAN; Bittar, Cléria Maria; Universidade de Franca - UNIFRAN

2012-01-01

Current investigation is a bibliographical review on feminine vulnerability with regard to moral harassment. Moral harassment is defined as all vexation during work, especially when a hierarchy between people has been established. Horizontal moral harassment among people of the same occupation, although it exists, is more difficult to be proved in court. Literature shows that victims of moral harassment may be women and men but research in Brazil and in other countries reveals that most victi...

Design strategies from sexual exploitation and sex work studies among women and girls: Methodological considerations in a hidden and vulnerable population.

Science.gov (United States)

Gerassi, Lara; Edmond, Tonya; Nichols, Andrea

2017-06-01

The study of sex trafficking, prostitution, sex work, and sexual exploitation is associated with many methodological issues and challenges. Researchers' study designs must consider the many safety issues related to this vulnerable and hidden population. Community advisory boards and key stakeholder involvement are essential to study design to increase safety of participants, usefulness of study aims, and meaningfulness of conclusions. Nonrandomized sampling strategies are most often utilized when studying exploited women and girls, which have the capacity to provide rich data and require complex sampling and recruitment methods. This article reviews the current methodological issues when studying this marginalized population as well as strategies to address challenges while working with the community in order to bring about social change. The authors also discuss their own experiences in collaborating with community organizations to conduct research in this field.

Safety climate and accidents at work

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ajslev, Jeppe; Dastjerdi, Efat Lali; Dyreborg, Johnny

2017-01-01

Aim: Occupational safety climate is utilized as a way to measure the risk of accidents and injuries at work. This study investigates which factors are associated with safety climate and accidents at work. Methods: In the 2012 round of the Danish Work Environment and Health Study, 15,144 workers...... from the general working population of Denmark replied to questions about safety climate and accidents at work. Mutually adjusted logistic regression analyses determined the association between variables. Results: Within the last year, 5.7% had experienced an accident resulting in sickness absence....... The number of safety climate problems was progressively associated with the odds ratio (OR) for accidents. For one safety climate problem the OR for accidents was 2.01 (95% CI 1.67–2.42), for four or more safety climate problems the OR was 4.57 (95% CI 3.64–5.74). Young workers (18–24 years) had higher odds...

Safety at Work : Research Methodology

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Beurden, van K. (Karin); Boer, de J. (Johannes); Brinks, G. (Ger); Goering-Zaburnenko, T. (Tatiana); Houten, van Y. (Ynze); Teeuw, W. (Wouter)

2012-01-01

In this document, we provide the methodological background for the Safety atWork project. This document combines several project deliverables as defined inthe overall project plan: validation techniques and methods (D5.1.1), performanceindicators for safety at work (D5.1.2), personal protection

Work safety and sustainable development in enterprise

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

TANG Min-kang; ZHOU Yue; XU Jian-hong

2005-01-01

The nature of work safety and the way insisting on sustainable development in enterprise were analyzed. It indicates that problem of work safety in enterprise is closely related to the public's consciousness, to the development of science and technology, and to the weakening of safety management during the economic transition period. However, it is the people's questions concerned in the final analysis for the forming and development of the problem of work safety. Therefore, in order to solve the problem of work safety radically, the most basic way of insisting on the sustainable development in safety administration is to do a good job of every aspect about people. We should improve all people quality in science and culture and strengthen their safety and legal consciousness to form correct safety value concept. We should fortify safety legislation and bring close attention to approach and apply new safety technology.

Plutonium working group report on environmental, safety and health vulnerabilities associated with the department's plutonium storage. Volume II, part 10: Sandia National Laboratories - New Mexico working group assessment team report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-09-01

The Secretary of Energy's memorandum of March 15, 1994, established an initiative for a Department-wide assessment of the vulnerabilities of the inventory of plutonium in storage. Plutonium in intact nuclear weapons and spent fuel were excluded from this study. The DOE Plutonium Vulnerability Working Group, which was formed for this purpose and produced the Project and Assessment Plans, will also manage the open-quote snap-shot close-quote assessments and produce a final report for the Secretary by September 30, 1994. The Project Plan and Assessment Plan to accomplish this study, and which established responsibilities for personnel essential to the study, were issued on April 25, 1994

Social Work Implication on Care and Vulnerability of Older People in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Social Work Implication on Care and Vulnerability of Older People in Tanzania. ... as the national ageing policy, health policy, national social security policy, ... The social workers were found at the district headquarters but also in few numbers.

Plutonium working group report on environmental, safety and health vulnerabilities associated with the department's plutonium storage. Volume II, Appendix B, Part 9: Oak Ridge site site team report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-09-01

This report provides the input to and results of the Department of Energy (DOE) - Oak Ridge Operations (ORO) DOE Plutonium Environment, Safety and Health (ES ampersand H) Vulnerability Assessment (VA) self-assessment performed by the Site Assessment Team (SAT) for the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL or X-10) and the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant (Y-12) sites that are managed by Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc. (MMES). As initiated (March 15, 1994) by the Secretary of Energy, the objective of the VA is to identify and rank-order DOE-ES ampersand H vulnerabilities associated for the purpose of decision making on the interim safe management and ultimate disposition of fissile materials. This assessment is directed at plutonium and other co-located transuranics in various forms

Vulnerability

Science.gov (United States)

Taback, I.

1979-01-01

The discussion of vulnerability begins with a description of some of the electrical characteristics of fibers before definiting how vulnerability calculations are done. The vulnerability results secured to date are presented. The discussion touches on post exposure vulnerability. After a description of some shock hazard work now underway, the discussion leads into a description of the planned effort and some preliminary conclusions are presented.

Safeguarding vulnerable families: work with refugees and asylum seekers.

Science.gov (United States)

Burchill, John

2011-02-01

This paper will highlight one of the key findings of a qualitative study based on the analysis of in-depth interviews with 14 health visitors describing their experiences working with refugees and asylum seekers. Despite changes in government legislation to improve children's services in order to prevent harm to children, this recent study demonstrated that health visitors were working with the complexities of needs among refugees and asylum seekers related to safeguarding both children and vulnerable women. The health visitors often worked with families and individuals with no support from other professional services, they worked with failed asylum seekers who were unable to access other forms of support and they worked with women and children who were caught in a cycle of domestic abuse due to their immigration status. They were also working with families who would disappear from the systems in place to safeguard children.

Differential use of danger and safety signals in an animal model of anxiety vulnerability: The behavioral economics of avoidance.

Science.gov (United States)

Spiegler, Kevin M; Fortress, Ashley M; Pang, Kevin C H

2018-03-02

Differential processing of danger and safety signals may underlie symptoms of anxiety disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder. One symptom common to these disorders is pathological avoidance. The present study examined whether danger and safety signals influence avoidance differently in anxiety-vulnerable Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats and Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. SD and WKY rats were tested in a novel progressive ratio avoidance task with and without danger or safety signals. Two components of reinforcement, hedonic value and motivation, were determined by fitting an exponentiated demand equation to the data. Hedonic value of avoidance did not differ between SD and WKY rats, but WKY rats had greater motivation to avoid than SD rats. Removal of the safety signal reduced motivation to avoid in SD, but not WKY, rats. Removal of the danger signal did not alter avoidance in either strain. When danger and safety signals were presented simultaneously, WKY rats responded to the danger signals, whereas SD rats responded to the safety signal. The results provide evidence that 1) safety signals enhance motivation to avoid in SD rats, 2) both danger and safety signals influence motivation in WKY rats, and 3) danger signals take precedence over safety signals when presented simultaneously in WKY rats. Thus, anxiety vulnerability is associated with preferential use of danger signals to motivate avoidance. The differential use of danger and safety signals has important implications for the etiology and treatment of pathological avoidance in anxiety disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Working up a Debt: Students as Vulnerable Consumers

Science.gov (United States)

Robson, Julie; Farquhar, Jillian Dawes; Hindle, Christopher

2017-01-01

Students are recognized as vulnerable consumers where financial matters are concerned, particularly with reference to indebtedness. This study examines student indebtedness in order to initiate wider debate about student vulnerability. We consider vulnerability as dynamic and temporal, linked to an event that renders the consumer susceptible to…

Stigma, violence and HIV vulnerability among transgender persons in sex work in Maharashtra, India.

Science.gov (United States)

Ganju, Deepika; Saggurti, Niranjan

2017-08-01

Among marginalised groups in India, HIV prevalence is highest among transgender persons; however, little is known about their HIV vulnerability. This study describes transgender sex workers' experiences of stigma and violence, a key driver of the HIV epidemic, and explores their coping responses. In-depth interviews were conducted with 68 respondents in Maharashtra state, India. Findings show that respondents face pervasive stigma and violence due to multiple marginalised social identities (transgender status, sex work, gender non-conformity), which reinforce and intersect with social inequities (economic and housing insecurity, employment discrimination, poverty), fuelling HIV vulnerability at the micro, meso and macro levels. Several factors, such as felt and internalised stigma associated with psycho-social distress and low self-efficacy to challenge abuse and negotiate condom use; clients' power in sexual transactions; establishing trust in regular partnerships through condomless sex; norms condoning violence against gender non-conforming persons; lack of community support; police harassment; health provider discrimination and the sex work environment create a context for HIV vulnerability. In the face of such adversity, respondents adopt coping strategies to shift power relations and mobilise against abuse. Community mobilisation interventions, as discussed in the paper, offer a promising vulnerability reduction strategy to safeguard transgender sex workers' rights and reduce HIV vulnerability.

Influence of gender, working field and psychosocial factors on the vulnerability for burnout in mental hospital staff: results of an Austrian cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Schadenhofer, Petra; Kundi, Michael; Abrahamian, Heidemarie; Stummer, Harald; Kautzky-Willer, Alexandra

2018-03-01

According to the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), hospitals represent a work environment with high job strain. Prolonged perceived occupational stress may result in symptoms of burnout, such as emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalisation (DP) and reduced personal accomplishment (PA). Understanding which factors may reduce vulnerability for burnout is an important requirement for well-targeted occupational stress prevention in mental hospital staff. To identify the influence of gender, age, working field, family structure, education, voluntarily occupational training during holidays and length of stay on job on occupational stress perception. In a cross-sectional design, 491 employees (311 female, 180 male) of an Austrian mental health centre participated in the study. The extent of perceived occupational stress was assessed by the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) with the scales for emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and personal accomplishment. Participants were divided according to their working field in those working with/without patients. Prevalence of emotional exhaustion was higher in women working with patients compared to men working with patients (25% vs. 18%, p = 0.003). Age above 45 years was significantly associated with decreased vulnerability for burnout in men (EE p = 0.040, DP p = 0.010, PA p = 0.007), but not in women. A lower level of education had a significant impact on depersonalisation in both sexes (p = 0.001 for men, p = 0.048 for women). Length of stay on job showed a significant influence on emotional exhaustion. No significant relationship was found between family structure and vulnerability for burnout. Gender had a differential effect on perceived occupational stress indicating a need for gender-tailored preventive strategies. Age, working field, education, voluntarily occupational training during holidays and length of stay on job affect vulnerability for burnout in mental hospital staff. �

Safety at work-third edition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keidar, Y.; Keren, M.

1992-01-01

This book treats various aspects of safety at work with a view to instructing the worker in safeguarding himself against common risks and hazards. Special empasis is laid on the safety in nuclear installations. (author)

Plutonium working group report on environmental, safety and health vulnerabilities associated with the department`s plutonium storage. Volume II, Appendix B, Part 9: Oak Ridge site site team report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1994-09-01

This report provides the input to and results of the Department of Energy (DOE) - Oak Ridge Operations (ORO) DOE Plutonium Environment, Safety and Health (ES & H) Vulnerability Assessment (VA) self-assessment performed by the Site Assessment Team (SAT) for the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL or X-10) and the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant (Y-12) sites that are managed by Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc. (MMES). As initiated (March 15, 1994) by the Secretary of Energy, the objective of the VA is to identify and rank-order DOE-ES&H vulnerabilities associated for the purpose of decision making on the interim safe management and ultimate disposition of fissile materials. This assessment is directed at plutonium and other co-located transuranics in various forms.

Safety procedures for radiography works

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abd Nasir Ibrahim; Azali Muhammad; Ab Razak Hamzah; Abd Aziz Mohamed; Mohammad Pauzi Ismail

2004-01-01

The following subjects are discussed - Work preparation: before exposure, during exposure, after work completion. Radiographic work at the open site: types of open sites, establishment of radiographic boundary, storage of radiographic equipment at sites. Safety procedures for radiography works; radiographic works in exposure room

Are there high-risk groups among physicians that are more vulnerable to on-call work?

Science.gov (United States)

Heponiemi, Tarja; Aalto, Anna-Mari; Pekkarinen, Laura; Siuvatti, Eeva; Elovainio, Marko

2015-05-01

Work done in the emergency departments is one stressful aspect of physicians' work. Numerous previous studies have highlighted the stressfulness of on-call work and especially of night on call. In addition, previous studies suggest that there may be individual differences in adjusting to changes in circadian rhythms and on-call work. The objective of this study was to examine whether physicians' on-call work is associated with perceived work-related stress factors and job resources and whether there are groups that are more vulnerable to on-call work according to sex, age, and specialization status. This was a cross-sectional questionnaire study among 3230 Finnish physicians (61.5% women). The analyses were conducted using analyses of covariance adjusted for sex, age, specialization status, and employment sector. Physicians with on-call duties had more time pressure and stress related to team work and patient information systems compared with those who did not have on-call duties. In addition, they had less job control opportunities and experienced organization as less fair and team climate as worse. Older physicians and specialists seemed to be especially vulnerable to on-call work regarding stress factors, whereas younger and specialist trainees seemed vulnerable to on-call work regarding job resources. Focusing on team issues and resources is important for younger physicians and trainees having on-call duties, whereas for older and specialists, attention should be focused on actual work load and time pressure. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Work and vulnerability: the social question on Robert Castel’s thought

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fabrício Maciel

2015-02-01

Full Text Available The article emphasizes the centrality of the concept of work in the thought of the French sociologist Robert Castel. Despite being best known in Brazil for his concepts of social question and social disaffiliation, the concept of work is crucial in the articulation of the author's thought, notably in his latest writing. The article is divided into four parts. First, it provides a general introduction to the work of Castel. Then, it demonstrates how work can be considered the main social question of contemporary global capitalism. Following, it resumes the relationship between work and social vulnerability. The study concludes by pointing out the importance of understanding work as the main contemporary social issue.

Understanding Risk Tolerance and Building an Effective Safety Culture

Science.gov (United States)

Loyd, David

2018-01-01

Estimates range from 65-90 percent of catastrophic mishaps are due to human error. NASA's human factors-related mishaps causes are estimated at approximately 75 percent. As much as we'd like to error-proof our work environment, even the most automated and complex technical endeavors require human interaction... and are vulnerable to human frailty. Industry and government are focusing not only on human factors integration into hazardous work environments, but also looking for practical approaches to cultivating a strong Safety Culture that diminishes risk. Industry and government organizations have recognized the value of monitoring leading indicators to identify potential risk vulnerabilities. NASA has adapted this approach to assess risk controls associated with hazardous, critical, and complex facilities. NASA's facility risk assessments integrate commercial loss control, OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) Process Safety, API (American Petroleum Institute) Performance Indicator Standard, and NASA Operational Readiness Inspection concepts to identify risk control vulnerabilities.

Work Safety Climate, Musculoskeletal Discomfort, Working While Injured, and Depression Among Migrant Farmworkers in North Carolina

Science.gov (United States)

O’Hara, Heather; Grzywacz, Joseph G.; Isom, Scott; Chen, Haiying; Quandt, Sara A.

2012-01-01

Objectives. This analysis described Latino migrant farmworkers’ work safety climate and its association with musculoskeletal discomfort, working while injured or ill, and depressive symptoms. Methods. Data were from a cross-sectional survey of 300 farmworkers conducted in North Carolina in 2009. Generalized estimating equations models were used to investigate the association of work safety climate with health and safety outcomes. Results. Farmworkers perceived their work safety climate to be poor. About 40% had elevated musculoskeletal discomfort, 5.0% had worked at least 1 day while injured or ill, and 27.9% had elevated depressive symptoms. The odds of elevated musculoskeletal discomfort were 12% lower and the odds of working while injured or ill were 15% lower with each 1-unit increase in the work safety climate. Work safety climate was not associated with depressive symptoms. Conclusions. Work safety climate was important for agricultural workers. Poor work safety climate was associated with health outcomes (musculoskeletal discomfort) and safety (working while injured or ill). Interventions to improve work safety climate in agriculture are needed, with these interventions being directed to employers and workers. PMID:22401520

Plutonium working group report on environmental, safety and health vulnerabilities associated with the Department's plutonium storage. Volume II, Appendix B, Part 8: Argonne National Laboratory - East and New Brunswick Laboratory site assessment team report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-09-01

The objective of the Plutonium ES ampersand H Vulnerability Assessment Project is to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the environmental, safety and health (ES ampersand H) vulnerabilities arising from the Department's storage and handling of Its current plutonium holdings. The term open-quote ES ampersand H vulnerabilitiesclose quotes is defined for the purpose of this project to mean conditions or weaknesses that could lead to unnecessary or increased radiation exposure of workers, release of radioactive materials to the environment, or radiation exposure of the public. The assessment will identify and prioritize ES ampersand H vulnerabilities, and will serve as an information base for identifying corrective actions and options for the safe management of fissile materials. The Argonne National Laboratory-East (ANL-E) Site Assessment Team (SAT) was formed from Department of Energy (DOE) Chicago Operations Office-Argonne Area Office Personnel, to conduct a self-assessment of the plutonium holdings and any associated ES ampersand H vulnerabilities at the ANL-E site

Are long physician working hours harmful to patient safety?

Science.gov (United States)

Ehara, Akira

2008-04-01

Pediatricians of Japanese hospitals including not only residents but also attending physicians work long hours, and 8% work for >79 h per week. Most of them work consecutively for >or=32 h when they are on call. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of long work hours on patient safety. The electronic databases MEDLINE and EMBASE to searched identify the English- and Japanese-language literature for studies on work hours, medical errors, patient safety, and malpractice for years 1966-2005. Studies that analyzed the relationship between physician work hours and outcomes directly related to patient safety were selected. Seven studies met the criteria. Four studies suggest that reduction of work hours has a favorable effect on patient safety indicators. In the other three studies no significant changes of the indicators were observed, but no report found that shorter work hours were harmful to patient safety. Decrease of physician work hours is not harmful but favorable to patient safety.

42 CFR 3.212 - Nonidentification of patient safety work product.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Nonidentification of patient safety work product. 3... PROVISIONS PATIENT SAFETY ORGANIZATIONS AND PATIENT SAFETY WORK PRODUCT Confidentiality and Privilege Protections of Patient Safety Work Product § 3.212 Nonidentification of patient safety work product. (a...

42 CFR 3.204 - Privilege of patient safety work product.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Privilege of patient safety work product. 3.204... PROVISIONS PATIENT SAFETY ORGANIZATIONS AND PATIENT SAFETY WORK PRODUCT Confidentiality and Privilege Protections of Patient Safety Work Product § 3.204 Privilege of patient safety work product. (a) Privilege...

Plutonium working group report on environmental, safety and health vulnerabilities associated with the Department's plutonium storage. Volume II, part 3: Los Alamos National Laboratory working group assessment team report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-09-01

The Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) was established in 1943 with its sole mission to develop a fission bomb. Since that time, the mission of the Laboratory has expanded to include not only the primary one of nuclear weapon stockpile stewardship, but also one that supports energy, biomedical, environmental, and physical research. As part of the Laboratory's primary and diverse missions, many forms of plutonium materials are used and stored. Over the years of production and use of plutonium at Department of Energy (DOE) sites, some events have occurred that were unexpected and that have resulted in environmental, safety, and/or health concerns. Some of these events have led to improvements that will preclude these concerns from arising again. However, the end of the cold war and the expansion of the Laboratory mission have introduced the possibility of new vulnerabilities

75 FR 73946 - Worker Safety and Health Program: Safety Conscious Work Environment

Science.gov (United States)

2010-11-30

... Environment AGENCY: Office of the General Counsel, Department of Energy (DOE). ACTION: Notice of denial of... Nuclear Regulatory Commission's ``Safety-Conscious Work Environment'' guidelines as a model. DOE published.... Second, not only would instituting a ``Safety-Conscious Work Environment'' by regulation be redundant...

Putting Safety in the Frame: Nurses' Sensemaking at Work.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Keeffe, Valerie Jean; Thompson, Kirrilly Rebecca; Tuckey, Michelle Rae; Blewett, Verna Lesley

2015-01-01

Current patient safety policy focuses nursing on patient care goals, often overriding nurses' safety. Without understanding how nurses construct work health and safety (WHS), patient and nurse safety cannot be reconciled. Using ethnography, we examine social contexts of safety, studying 72 nurses across five Australian hospitals making decisions during patient encounters. In enacting safe practice, nurses used "frames" built from their contextual experiences to guide their behavior. Frames are produced by nurses, and they structure how nurses make sense of their work. Using thematic analysis, we identify four frames that inform nurses' decisions about WHS: (a) communicating builds knowledge, (b) experiencing situations guides decisions, (c) adapting procedures streamlines work, and (d) team working promotes safe working. Nurses' frames question current policy and practice by challenging how nurses' safety is positioned relative to patient safety. Recognizing these frames can assist the design and implementation of effective WHS management.

Vulnerability analysis of a PWR to an external event

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aruety, S.; Ilberg, D.; Hertz, Y.

1980-01-01

The Vulnerability of a Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) to external events is affected by several factors such as: the degree of redundancy of the reactor systems, subsystems and components; the separation of systems provided in the general layout; the extent of the vulnerable area, i.e., the area which upon being affected by an external event will result in system failure; and the time required to repair or replace the systems, when allowed. The present study offers a methodology, using Probabilistic Safety Analysis, to evaluate the relative importance of the above parameters in reducing the vulnerability of reactor safety systems. Several safety systems of typical PWR's are analyzed as examples. It was found that the degree of redundancy and physical separation of the systems has the most prominent effect on the vulnerability of the NPP

Communication Vulnerabilities in Working-age Australians with Musculoskeletal Conditions: A Cross-sectional Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Lowe, Dianne B; Taylor, Michael J; Hill, Sophie J

2015-08-01

To estimate the prevalence of communication vulnerability (CV) and its association with various health measures among working-age Australians with musculoskeletal conditions (MSK). The various vulnerability characteristics may lead to inadequate communication between consumers and healthcare professionals. Prevalence of CV among 18-64 year olds, with or without MSK, was analyzed using the Australian Bureau of Statistics' National Health Survey 2007-08 data. Associations between CV and measures of health complexity (accumulating multimorbidity and risk factors) and health burden (poorer self-rated health, psychological distress, and pain restricting work) in the MSK population were estimated using logistic regression. Further analyses were conducted for each vulnerability characteristic to determine the degree of association (crude and adjusted) with measures of interest. CV were more prevalent in working-age Australians with MSK (65%) than those without (51%). Adjusted for age and sex among working-age Australians with at least 1 MSK, those with 1 or more CV were more likely to have multimorbidity [adjusted OR (aOR) = 1.8, 95% CI 1.5-2.2], lifestyle risk factors (aOR = 2.1, 95% CI 1.5-2.8), poorer self-rated health (aOR = 3.4, 95% CI 2.7-4.2), greater psychological distress (aOR = 2.9, 95% CI 2.3-3.7), and pain restricting employment (aOR = 1.7, 95% CI 1.4-2.1) compared with those without CV. For working-age people, there is an association between MSK and CV. For those with MSK, CV were associated with increased likelihood of health complexity and burden. These findings have policy and clinical relevance. Research is needed to determine whether interventions that address these specific CV characteristics reduce the burden of disease within these populations.

Work and health among Latina mothers in farmworker families.

Science.gov (United States)

Arcury, Thomas A; Trejo, Grisel; Suerken, Cynthia K; Grzywacz, Joseph G; Ip, Edward H; Quandt, Sara A

2015-03-01

Work organization is important for the health of vulnerable workers, particularly women. This analysis describes work organization for Latinas in farmworker families and delineates the associations of work organization with health indicators. Up to 220 Latina women in farmworker families completed interviews from October 2012 to July 2013. Interviews addressed job structure, job demand, job control, and job support. Health measures included stress, depressive symptoms, physical activity, family conflict, and family economic security. Three fifths of the women were employed. Several work organization dimensions, including shift, psychological demand, work safety climate, and benefits, were associated with participant health as expected, on the basis of the work organization and job demands-control-support models. Research should address women's health and specific work responsibilities. Occupational safety policy must consider the importance of work organization in the health of vulnerable workers.

Climate change and safety at work with ionizing radiations.

Science.gov (United States)

Contessa, Gian Marco; Grandi, Carlo; Scognamiglio, Mario; Genovese, Elisabetta; Sandri, Sandro

2016-01-01

The accident at Tokyo Electric Power Company's (TEPCO's) Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (NPP) has been one of the dominant topic in nuclear safety and it has brought new attention on the matter of accidents in NPPs due to external events related to natural causes. Climate change has risen new risks and the growing probability of extreme external events has increased exposure and vulnerability of workers in the nuclear sector. However extreme natural events are a threat not only to NPPs but to all facilities dealing with radioactive material and in an emergency scenario they can affect the effectiveness and implementation of safety devices and procedures and also prevent communications, causing delays in the readiness of response. It is clear that adaptation strategies are necessary to cope with emerging changes in climate and a new nuclear safety culture is growing, that addresses accidents initiated not only by internal but also by external events.

Plutonium working group report on environmental, safety and health vulnerabilities associated with the department's plutonium storage. Volume II, Appendix B, Part 10: Sandia National Laboratories - New Mexico site assessment team report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-09-01

On March 15, 1994, Secretary O'Leary directed the Office of Environment, Safety and Health to conduct an environment, safety and health (ES ampersand H) vulnerability study of plutonium at DOE sites. This report presents Sandia National Laboratories'/New Mexico (SNL/NM) response to that request. Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) is a multi-program laboratory operated for United States Department of Energy(DOE) by Martin Marietta Corporation. The primary mission of Sandia is research and development of nuclear weapons systems for concept to retirement. The laboratory also has extensive programs in nuclear reactor safety, nuclear safeguards, energy research, and microelectronics. The facilities addressed in the SNL/NM Site Assessment include the Hot Cell Facility (HCF), the Annular Core Research Reactor (ACRR), and dedicated on-site nuclear material storage facilities. Also included in the assessment were sealed radiation sources that contain plutonium

Working memory and attention deficits in adolescent offspring of schizophrenia or bipolar patients: comparing vulnerability markers.

Science.gov (United States)

Diwadkar, Vaibhav A; Goradia, Dhruman; Hosanagar, Avinash; Mermon, Diana; Montrose, Debra M; Birmaher, Boris; Axelson, David; Rajarathinem, R; Haddad, Luay; Amirsadri, Ali; Zajac-Benitez, Caroline; Rajan, Usha; Keshavan, Matcheri S

2011-07-01

Working memory deficits abound in schizophrenia and attention deficits have been documented in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Adolescent offspring of patients may inherit vulnerabilities in brain circuits that subserve these cognitive domains. Here we assess impairments in offspring of schizophrenia (SCZ-Offspring) or bipolar (BP-Offspring) patients compared to controls (HC) with no family history of mood or psychotic disorders to the second degree. Three groups (n=100 subjects; range: 10-20 yrs) of HC, SCZ-Offspring and BP-Offspring gave informed consent. Working memory was assessed using a delayed spatial memory paradigm with two levels of delay (2s & 12s); sustained attention processing was assessed using the Continuous Performance Task-Identical Pairs version. SCZ-Offspring (but not BP-Offspring) showed impairments in working memory (relative to HC) at the longer memory delay indicating a unique deficit. Both groups showed reduced sensitivity during attention but only BP-Offspring significantly differed from controls. These results suggest unique (working memory/dorsal frontal cortex) and potentially overlapping (attention/fronto-striatal cortex) vulnerability pathways in adolescent offspring of patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Working memory and attention assessments in these offspring may assist in the clinical characterization of the adolescents vulnerable to SCZ or BP. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Models and methods for hot spot safety work

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vistisen, Dorte

2002-01-01

Despite the fact that millions DKK each year are spent on improving roadsafety in Denmark, funds for traffic safety are limited. It is therefore vital to spend the resources as effectively as possible. This thesis is concerned with the area of traffic safety denoted "hot spot safety work", which...... is the task of improving road safety through alterations of the geometrical and environmental characteristics of the existing road network. The presently applied models and methods in hot spot safety work on the Danish road network were developed about two decades ago, when data was more limited and software...... and statistical methods less developed. The purpose of this thesis is to contribute to improving "State of the art" in Denmark. Basis for the systematic hot spot safety work are the models describing the variation in accident counts on the road network. In the thesis hierarchical models disaggregated on time...

42 CFR 3.208 - Continued protection of patient safety work product.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Continued protection of patient safety work product... GENERAL PROVISIONS PATIENT SAFETY ORGANIZATIONS AND PATIENT SAFETY WORK PRODUCT Confidentiality and Privilege Protections of Patient Safety Work Product § 3.208 Continued protection of patient safety work...

Plutonium working group report on environmental, safety and health vulnerabilities associated with the department's plutonium storage. Volume II, part 4: Savannah River Site working group assessment team report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-09-01

The purpose of this report is to present the results of a plutonium ES ampersand H vulnerability assessment at the Savannah River Site (SRS). The assessment at SRS is part of a broader plutonium ES ampersand H vulnerability assessment being made by the DOE, encompassing all DOE sites with plutonium holdings. Vulnerabilities across all the sites will be identified and prioritized as a basis for determining the necessity and schedule for taking corrective action

Working group 5: Safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vinck, W.

1976-01-01

The technical aspects of safety for the LWR nuclear power plants, and a reprocessing plant are considered. The origin, the type and the extent of the risks for the civil populations are presented for normal working as well as accidental conditions. A general estimate of comparative risks is given for the nuclear industry with respect to other activities. The legal Belgian aspects and their applications, the kind and the quality of the technical testings, the back-fitting of plants are analysed. Considerations are given on the probabilistic analysis, the safety, and the off-shore power plants. (A.F.)

Influence of indoor work environments on health, safety, and human rights among migrant sex workers at the Guatemala-Mexico Border: a call for occupational health and safety interventions.

Science.gov (United States)

Goldenberg, Shira M; Rocha Jiménez, Teresita; Brouwer, Kimberly C; Morales Miranda, Sonia; Silverman, Jay G

2018-02-02

Migrant women are over-represented in the sex industry, and migrant sex workers experience disproportionate health inequities, including those related to health access, HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and violence. Despite calls for occupational sex work interventions situated in labour rights frameworks, there remains a paucity of evidence pertaining to migrant sex workers' needs and realities, particularly within Mexico and Central America. This study investigated migrant sex workers' narratives regarding the ways in which structural features of work environments shape vulnerability and agency related to HIV/STI prevention and violence at the Guatemala-Mexico border. Drawing on theoretical perspectives on risk environments and structural determinants of HIV in sex work, we analyzed in-depth interviews, focus groups, and ethnographic fieldwork conducted with 39 migrant sex workers in indoor work environments between 2012 and 2015 in Tecún Umán, Guatemala. Participant narratives revealed the following intersecting themes to be most closely linked to safety and agency to engage in HIV/STI prevention: physical features of indoor work environments (e.g., physical layout of venue, proximity to peers and third parties); social norms and practices for alcohol use within the workplace; the existence and nature of management practices and policies on health and safety practices; and economic influences relating to control over earnings and clients. Across work environments, health and safety were greatly shaped by human rights concerns stemming from workplace interactions with police, immigration authorities, and health authorities. Physical isolation, establishment norms promoting alcohol use, restricted economic agency, and human rights violations related to sex work policies and immigration enforcement were found to exacerbate risks. However, some establishment policies and practices promoted 'enabling environments' for health and safety, supporting

The safety net medical home initiative: transforming care for vulnerable populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Sugarman, Jonathan R; Phillips, Kathryn E; Wagner, Edward H; Coleman, Katie; Abrams, Melinda K

2014-11-01

Despite findings that medical homes may reduce or eliminate health care disparities among underserved and minority populations, most previous medical home pilot and demonstration projects have focused on health care delivery systems serving commercially insured patients and Medicare beneficiaries. To develop a replicable approach to support medical home transformation among diverse practices serving vulnerable and underserved populations. Facilitated by a national program team, convening organizations in 5 states provided coaching and learning community support to safety net practices over a 4-year period. To guide transformation, we developed a framework of change concepts aligned with supporting tools including implementation guides, activity checklists, and measurement instruments. Sixty-five health centers, homeless clinics, private practices, residency training centers, and other safety net practices in Colorado, Idaho, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Pennsylvania. We evaluated implementation of the change concepts using the Patient-Centered Medical Home-Assessment, and conducted a survey of participating practices to assess perceptions of the impact of the technical assistance. All practices implemented key features of the medical home model, and nearly half (47.6%) implemented the 33 identified key changes to a substantial degree as evidenced by level A Patient-Centered Medical Home-Assessment scores. Two thirds of practices that achieved substantial implementation did so only after participating in the initiative for >2 years. By the end of the initiative, 83.1% of sites achieved external recognition as medical homes. Despite resource constraints and high-need populations, safety net clinics made considerable progress toward medical home implementation when provided robust, multimodal support over a 4-year period.

Advanced methods for the risk, vulnerability and resilience assessment of safety-critical engineering components, systems and infrastructures, in the presence of uncertainties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pedroni, Nicolas

2016-01-01

Safety-critical industrial installations (e.g., nuclear plants) and infrastructures (e.g., power transmission networks) are complex systems composed by a multitude and variety of heterogeneous 'elements', which are highly interconnected and mutually dependent. In addition, such systems are affected by large uncertainties in the characterization of the failure and recovery behavior of their components, interconnections and interactions. Such characteristics raise concerns with respect to the system risk, vulnerability and resilience properties, which have to be accurately and precisely assessed for decision making purposes. In general, this entails the following main steps: (1) representation of the system to capture its main features; (2) construction of a mathematical model of the system; (3) simulation of the behavior of the system under various uncertain conditions to evaluate the relevant risk, vulnerability and resilience metrics by propagating the uncertainties through the mathematical model; (4) decision making to (optimally) determine the set of protective actions to effectively reduce (resp., increase) the system risk and vulnerability (resp., resilience). New methods to address these issues have been developed in this dissertation. Specifically, the research works have been carried out along two main axes: (1) the study of approaches for uncertainty modeling and quantification; (2) the development of advanced computational methods for the efficient system modeling, simulation and analysis in the presence of uncertainties. (author)

Mothers' Concerns for Personal Safety and Privacy While Breastfeeding: An Unexplored Phenomenon.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosen-Carole, Casey; Allen, Katherine; Fagnano, Maria; Dozier, Ann; Halterman, Jill

2018-04-01

Preliminary qualitative research in upstate NY shows new mothers are worried about safety while breastfeeding. Little is known regarding prevalence of these concerns and their effect on breastfeeding outcomes. (1) Determine frequency of breastfeeding safety and privacy concerns; (2) Explore their association with breastfeeding outcomes. Mothers were surveyed immediately and 1-month postpartum about breastfeeding goals; both surveys addressed privacy and safety concerns at home, work, and in public. Outcome data included breastfeeding intent, exclusivity, and duration. Breastfeeding/non-breastfeeding mothers were compared using Chi-square and multivariate analyses. A total of 279 women enrolled. Of these 82.8% initiated breastfeeding; at 1-month 72% provided any breast milk, and 44% were exclusively breastfeeding. About 99% felt safe breastfeeding at home; 25% reported privacy concerns; and 5% felt "vulnerable or unsafe" while breastfeeding. At 1-month, 49% agreed there was a safe place to breastfeed/express milk at work (20% unsure). Non-breastfeeding mothers expressed more safety concerns outside home/at work: 18% breastfeeding versus 28% non-breastfeeding outside home; 27% breastfeeding versus 40% non-breastfeeding at work. Nearly 54% who reported feeling vulnerable/unsafe with breastfeeding initiated breastfeeding, compared with 86% not reporting this concern (p = 0.008). Fewer women initiating breastfeeding reported vulnerability/safety (3% breastfeeding versus 14% non-breastfeeding, p = 0.008) or privacy (22% breastfeeding versus 40% non-breastfeeding, p = 0.19) concerns. Associations held after controlling for age, race, parity, insurance, geography, and marital-status. Significant associations between initiation, privacy, and safety concerns did not extend to duration or exclusivity. Many breastfeeding women reported safety and privacy concerns, especially outside the home and at work, which may influence breastfeeding initiation. Further study

Environmental tests of a digital safety channel: An investigation of stress-related vulnerabilities of computer-based safety system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Korsah, K.; Wilson, T.L.; Wood, R.; Tanaka, T.

1997-01-01

This article presents the results of environmental stress tests performed on an experimental digital safety channel (EDSC) assembled at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory as part of the Qualification of Advanced Instrumentation and Controls Systems Research program, which was sponsored by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The program is expected to provide recommendations for environmental qualification of digital safety systems. The purpose of the study was to investigate potential vulnerabilities of distributed computer systems used in safety applications when subjected to environmental stressors. The EDSC assembled for the tests employs technologies and digital subsystems representative of those proposed for use in advanced light-water reactors or as retrofits in existing plants. Subsystems include computers, electrical and optical serial communication links, fiber-optic network links, analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters, and multiplexers. The EDSC was subjected to selected stressors that are a potential risk to digital equipment in a mild environment. The selected stressors were electromagnetic and radiofrequency interferences (EMI-RFI), temperature, humidity, and smoke exposure. The stressors were applied at levels of intensity considerably higher than the safety channel is likely to experience in a normal nuclear power plant environment. Ranges of stress were selected at a sufficiently high level to induce errors so that failure modes that are characteristic of the technologies employed could be identified. On the basis of the incidence of functional errors observed during testing, EMI-RFI, smoke exposure, and high temperature coupled with high relative humidity, in that order, were found to have the greatest impact of the stressors investigated. The most prevalent stressor-induced upsets, as well as the most severe, were found to occur during the EMI-RFI tests

Nurse working conditions and patient safety outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Stone, Patricia W; Mooney-Kane, Cathy; Larson, Elaine L; Horan, Teresa; Glance, Laurent G; Zwanziger, Jack; Dick, Andrew W

2007-06-01

System approaches, such as improving working conditions, have been advocated to improve patient safety. However, the independent effect of many working condition variables on patient outcomes is unknown. To examine effects of a comprehensive set of working conditions on elderly patient safety outcomes in intensive care units. Observational study, with patient outcome data collected using the National Nosocomial Infection Surveillance system protocols and Medicare files. Several measures of health status and fixed setting characteristics were used to capture distinct dimensions of patient severity of illness and risk for disease. Working condition variables included organizational climate measured by nurse survey; objective measures of staffing, overtime, and wages (derived from payroll data); and hospital profitability and magnet accreditation. The sample comprised 15,846 patients in 51 adult intensive care units in 31 hospitals depending on the outcome analyzed; 1095 nurses were surveyed. Central line associated bloodstream infections (CLBSI), ventilator-associated pneumonia, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, 30-day mortality, and decubiti. Units with higher staffing had lower incidence of CLBSI, ventilator-associated pneumonia, 30-day mortality, and decubiti (P working conditions were associated with all outcomes measured. Improving working conditions will most likely promote patient safety. Future researchers and policymakers should consider a broad set of working condition variables.

42 CFR 3.206 - Confidentiality of patient safety work product.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Confidentiality of patient safety work product. 3... individually identifiable health information in such patient safety work product, the direct identifiers listed at 45 CFR 164.514(e)(2) have been removed. (5) Disclosure of nonidentifiable patient safety work...

Vulnerability of employees in businesses with fewer than five workers (micro-enterprises) to occupational safety and health problems.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Jungsun; Park, Jong-Shik; Han, Boyoung; Kim, Yangho

2017-12-01

We assessed the characteristics of micro-enterprises (businesses with fewer than five workers) focusing on occupational safety and health (OSH) issues. We performed a secondary analysis of data from the Economically Active Population Supplementary Survey and the fourth Korean Working Conditions Survey of 2014. Relative to larger businesses, micro-enterprises employ more women, temporary workers, and older workers (>55 years). In addition, more workers in micro-enterprises held "elementary occupations" (unskilled or under-skilled) or "sales and service jobs." Key sectors of such employment included the sectors of "wholesale and retail trade" and "hotel and restaurants." Furthermore, lower skilled workers in such micro-enterprises more frequently reported exposure to ergonomic risk factors and subsequent musculoskeletal disorders, and they also experienced a much higher fatality rate due to occupational injuries. Our results indicate that Korean workers in micro-enterprises are more vulnerable to OSH problems than workers in larger businesses. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

LANL Safety Conscious Work Environment (SCWE) Self-Assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hargis, Barbara C. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2014-01-29

On December 21, 2012 Secretary of Energy Chu transmitted to the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) revised commitments on the implementation plan for Safety Culture at the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant. Action 2-5 was revised to require contractors and federal organizations to complete Safety Conscious Work Environment (SCWE) selfassessments and provide reports to the appropriate U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) - Headquarters Program Office by September 2013. Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) planned and conducted a Safety Conscious Work Environment (SCWE) Self-Assessment over the time period July through August, 2013 in accordance with the SCWE Self-Assessment Guidance provided by DOE. Significant field work was conducted over the 2-week period August 5-16, 2013. The purpose of the self-assessment was to evaluate whether programs and processes associated with a SCWE are in place and whether they are effective in supporting and promoting a SCWE.

Community vulnerability and stratified risk: Hegemonic masculinity, socioeconomic status, and HIV/AIDS in a sex work community in Kampala, Uganda.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidt-Sane, Megan M

2018-01-29

This article examines the social patterning of health, economic uncertainty, hegemonic masculinity, and vulnerability among men who live and work in a low-income sex work community in Kampala, Uganda. This problematises the notion that vulnerable communities are homogenous, in demographics, economic status, and risk. This article draws on ethnographic data collected in 2016, including semi-structured interviews and participant observation. This article uses a stratified risk framework to describe the central finding of this study, which is that men's experience in Kataba is characterised by a struggle to fulfil the provider role that constitutes a core aspect of their socially ascribed gender role. In a context of economic scarcity, men's lives are fraught with strain and this intersects with other forms of risk. Finally, by focusing on community vulnerability rather than individual risk, this work contributes to theories of gender and sex work, and informs HIV/AIDS praxis.

Safety training for working youth: Methods used versus methods wanted.

Science.gov (United States)

Zierold, Kristina M

2016-04-07

Safety training is promoted as a tool to prevent workplace injury; however, little is known about the safety training experiences young workers get on-the-job. Furthermore, nothing is known about what methods they think would be the most helpful for learning about safe work practices. To compare safety training methods teens get on the job to those safety training methods teens think would be the best for learning workplace safety, focusing on age differences. A cross-sectional survey was administered to students in two large high schools in spring 2011. Seventy percent of working youth received safety training. The top training methods that youth reported getting at work were safety videos (42%), safety lectures (25%), and safety posters/signs (22%). In comparison to the safety training methods used, the top methods youth wanted included videos (54%), hands-on (47%), and on-the-job demonstrations (34%). This study demonstrated that there were differences in training methods that youth wanted by age; with older youth seemingly wanting more independent methods of training and younger teens wanting more involvement. Results indicate that youth want methods of safety training that are different from what they are getting on the job. The differences in methods wanted by age may aid in developing training programs appropriate for the developmental level of working youth.

The French fire protection concept. Vulnerability analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaercher, M.

1998-01-01

The French fire protection concept is based on a principle of three levels of defence in depth: fire prevention, fire containing and fire controlling. Fire prevention is based on arrangements which prevent the fire from starting or which make difficult for the fire to start. Fire containing is based on design measures so that the fire will have no impact on the safety of the installation. For fire controlling, equipment nad personnel are on duty in order to detect, to fight and to gain control over the fire as early as possible. The French fire protection concept gives priority to fire containing based on passive structural measures. All buildings containing safety equipment are divided into fire compartments (or fire areas) and fire cells (or fire zones). Basically, a compartment houses safety equipment belonging to one division (or train) so that the other division is always available to reach the plant safe shut down or to mitigate an accident. Because there is a large number of fire compartments and fire cells, deviations from the general principle can be observed. To this reason the RCC-I (Design and Construction Rules applicable for fire protection) requires to implement an assessment of the principle of division. This assessment is called vulnerability analysis. The vulnerability analysis is usually performed at the end of the project, before erection. It is also possible to perform a vulnerability analysis in an operating nuclear power plant in the scope of a fire safety upgrading programme. In the vulnerability analysis, the functional failure of all the equipment (except for those protected by a qualified fire barrier, designed or able to withstand the fire consequences) within the fire compartment or cell, where the fire breaks out, is postulated. The potential consequences for the plant safety are analysed

Some Subjects and Relations According to the Act about Safety at Work

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marino Đ. Učur

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Complex relations in the field of safety at work could not be present without the subjects which have a specific status and specific rights, obligations and responsibilities regulated by the Occupational Health and Safety Act. This paper deals with: employer’s designated employee for the implementation of occupational health and safety activities, employees’ elected representative for health and safety protection at work, occupational medicine specialist, occupational health and safety specialist and the committee for safety at work in the relations of safety at work.

What Does Vulnerability Mean?

Science.gov (United States)

Parley, Fiona F

2011-01-01

Protection of those deemed vulnerable has received increasing attention since 2000. This article reports on care staff views of vulnerability using original data from a research study (Parley. "Vulnerability and abuse: an exploration of views of care staff working with people who have learning disabilities," PhD Thesis, 2007) in which care staff…

Work, obesity, and occupational safety and health.

Science.gov (United States)

Schulte, Paul A; Wagner, Gregory R; Ostry, Aleck; Blanciforti, Laura A; Cutlip, Robert G; Krajnak, Kristine M; Luster, Michael; Munson, Albert E; O'Callaghan, James P; Parks, Christine G; Simeonova, Petia P; Miller, Diane B

2007-03-01

There is increasing evidence that obesity and overweight may be related, in part, to adverse work conditions. In particular, the risk of obesity may increase in high-demand, low-control work environments, and for those who work long hours. In addition, obesity may modify the risk for vibration-induced injury and certain occupational musculoskeletal disorders. We hypothesized that obesity may also be a co-risk factor for the development of occupational asthma and cardiovascular disease that and it may modify the worker's response to occupational stress, immune response to chemical exposures, and risk of disease from occupational neurotoxins. We developed 5 conceptual models of the interrelationship of work, obesity, and occupational safety and health and highlighted the ethical, legal, and social issues related to fuller consideration of obesity's role in occupational health and safety.

Cesium legacy safety project management work plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Durham, J.S.

1998-01-01

This Management Work Plan (MWP) describes the process flow, quality assurance controls, and the Environment, Safety, and Health requirements of the Cesium Legacy Safety Project. This MWP provides an overview of the project goals and methods for repackaging the non-conforming Type W overpacks and packaging the CsCl powder and pellets. This MWP is not intended to apply to other activities associated with the CsCl Legacy Safety Program (i.e., clean out of South Cell)

Working on Sundays–effects on safety, health, and work-life balance.

Science.gov (United States)

Wirtz, Anna; Nachreiner, Friedhelm; Rolfes, Katharina

2011-05-01

Several attributes of the work schedule can increase the risk of occupational injuries and accidents, health impairments, and reduced social participation. Although previous studies mainly focused on the effects of shiftwork and long working hours on employee health and safety, there is little evidence of a potential negative impact of working Sundays on the incidence of occupational accidents, health impairments, and work-life balance. A representative sample of employed workers in 31 member and associated states of the European Union (n = 23,934) served as the database for a cross-sectional analysis. The sample was collected via face-to-face interviews in the year 2005. The association of the risks of occupational accidents, health impairments, and decreases in work-life balance with working Sundays was calculated using logistic regression models, controlling for potential confounders, such as shiftwork, workload, and demographic characteristics. The results indicated that working one or more Sundays/month was associated with increase both in the risk of reporting one or more health impairments (odds ratio [OR]: 1.17, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.06-1.29) and poorer work-life balance (OR: 1.15, 95% CI: 1.02-1.28). These effects remained after controlling for potentially confounding factors, such as other work schedule attributes, intensity of physical and mental workload, and individual characteristics. Furthermore, working Sundays was also related to increased risk of occupational accidents within the last year (OR: 1.34, 95% CI: 1.03-1.73). Controlling again for individual, workload, and working-time characteristics, a significant association with accident risk, however, remained only in work sectors with low a priori risk of occupational accidents (OR: 1.40, 95% CI: 1.02-1.91), although the increased risk could be observed for both medium and high a priori risk sectors working Sundays (without controlling for additional confounders). The results thus

Work Health & Safety legislation; the fire engineer’s neglected duty?

OpenAIRE

P.A. (Tony) Enright

2014-01-01

Fire engineers are in general, aware of their duties under Building legislation. However, they are often unfamiliar of separate duties under Work Health and Safety legislation. This paper describes an Australian case-study, but one that is presented generally so as to have applicability in those other jurisdictions where similar Work Health and Safety obligations exist. As society becomes safer, Work Health and Safety has evolved from being solely about the employer–employee relationshi...

Defining energy vulnerability in mobility. Measuring energy vulnerability in mobility. Acting against energy vulnerability in mobility. Discussing energy vulnerability in mobility. Task no. 4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jouffe, Yves; Massot, Marie-Helene; Noble, Cyprien

2015-01-01

Extensive expansion of urban areas generates transportation needs and energy expenses for mobility. Households already impacted by fuel poverty also suffer from energy vulnerability in their mobility. This report was prepared in the framework of the study of fuel poverty in France in the light of several indicators from existing inquiries, databases and modeling tools. The report is organised in 4 parts dealing with: the definition of energy vulnerability in mobility, its measurement, the possible remedial actions, and the discussions about energy vulnerability in mobility through working group meetings, respectively

Report of the tunnel safety working group

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gannon, J.

1991-04-01

On 18 February 1991 the Project Manager formed a working group to address the safety guidelines and requirements for the underground facilities during the period of accelerator construction, installation, and commissioning. The following report summarizes the research and discussions conducted by the group and the recommended guidelines for safety during this phase of the project

Social Protection and Vulnerability to Climate Shocks: a Panel Data ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

' autonomous adaptation by reducing vulnerability to climatic shocks. This paper examines the role of the Productive Safety Net Program in reducing vulnerability to climate related shocks and its impacts on autonomous adaptation strategies ...

Fuzzy vulnerability matrix

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baron, Jorge H.; Rivera, S.S.

2000-01-01

The so-called vulnerability matrix is used in the evaluation part of the probabilistic safety assessment for a nuclear power plant, during the containment event trees calculations. This matrix is established from what is knows as Numerical Categories for Engineering Judgement. This matrix is usually established with numerical values obtained with traditional arithmetic using the set theory. The representation of this matrix with fuzzy numbers is much more adequate, due to the fact that the Numerical Categories for Engineering Judgement are better represented with linguistic variables, such as 'highly probable', 'probable', 'impossible', etc. In the present paper a methodology to obtain a Fuzzy Vulnerability Matrix is presented, starting from the recommendations on the Numerical Categories for Engineering Judgement. (author)

Safety in an international work environment: CERN

CERN Document Server

Potter, K.

1990-01-01

The European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN) has recently completed a new accelerator. The installation of this accelerator and its experimental areas represents an example of harmonization of safety rules in supranational areas, as CERN is an international organization and the machine is housed in a tunnel of 26.7 km circumference, of which 20 km is on French territory and 6.7 km on Swiss territory. The work was carried out by a large number of firms from all over Europe, CERN staff and physicists and technicians from all over the world, and represented almost 4 million working hours. The safety organization chosen and applied with the agreement of the two host-State safety authorities is described and the resulting application, including the results in terms of accident statistics, from the installation of the machine, experimental areas and detectors are presented.

Fuzzing and Vulnerabilities Search

OpenAIRE

Stanislav Evgenyevich Kirillov; Nikolai Petrovich Lavrentiev

2013-01-01

Fuzzing for vulnerabilities can be very effective if we know the input data format. This work contains description of network message format recovery algorithm and the usage of restored data model in fuzzing and vulnerabilities search.

An ergonomic approach to reorganize parking inspection agents' work productivity, health and safety in São Paulo, Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Gonçalves, R M A; Lancman, S; Trudel, L; Jardim, T A; Sznelwar, L I; Santos, M C; Freeman, Andrew

2010-01-01

The Traffic Engineering Company of the City of São Paulo (Brazil) observed a decrease in productivity, and an increase in sick leave, accidents and psychological distress among their parking inspection agents. To document this situation, qualitative research was undertaken to obtain an in-depth comprehension of work activity. Workers, managers and health and safety professionals contributed to the documentation of the problem and to the proposal of possible solutions. Ergonomic work analysis focusing on real work activity, as well as interviews with individual or groups of stakeholders, were conducted. This research revealed that political-economic factors gradually contributed to: 1) an increasing work load; 2) growing fatigue throughout the day, increasing the workers' vulnerability to incidents and accidents and their tendency to react inappropriately to violence experienced on the street; and 3) excessive individual responsibility to manage dangerous situations. Recommendations to ameliorate the situation are proposed. These suggestions are discussed in terms of feasibility given the impact of macro social factors upon micro work activity, and the associated potential expansion of the ergonomist's role.

Work stress and patient safety: observer-rated work stressors as predictors of characteristics of safety-related events reported by young nurses.

Science.gov (United States)

Elfering, A; Semmer, N K; Grebner, S

This study investigates the link between workplace stress and the 'non-singularity' of patient safety-related incidents in the hospital setting. Over a period of 2 working weeks 23 young nurses from 19 hospitals in Switzerland documented 314 daily stressful events using a self-observation method (pocket diaries); 62 events were related to patient safety. Familiarity of safety-related events and probability of recurrence, as indicators of non-singularity, were the dependent variables in multilevel regression analyses. Predictor variables were both situational (self-reported situational control, safety compliance) and chronic variables (job stressors such as time pressure, or concentration demands and job control). Chronic work characteristics were rated by trained observers. The most frequent safety-related stressful events included incomplete or incorrect documentation (40.3%), medication errors (near misses 21%), delays in delivery of patient care (9.7%), and violent patients (9.7%). Familiarity of events and probability of recurrence were significantly predicted by chronic job stressors and low job control in multilevel regression analyses. Job stressors and low job control were shown to be risk factors for patient safety. The results suggest that job redesign to enhance job control and decrease job stressors may be an important intervention to increase patient safety.

The views of experts and residents on social vulnerability to flash floods in an Alpine region of Italy.

Science.gov (United States)

De Marchi, Bruna; Scolobig, Anna

2012-04-01

This paper reports on research work performed for Floodsite a European Community-funded project on the social aspects of vulnerability in the Adige/Sarca river basin of the Trentino-Alto Adige region, Italy. It identifies some limitations to the use of a fixed set of indicators, which fail to account for either local peculiarities or the intangible aspects that contribute to the shaping of social vulnerability. The authors employed a number of methods to investigate the opinions of professionals and residents on risk and safety, distinguishing between the individual and the institutional components of social vulnerability. Adopting a systemic perspective, they explored the interactions between these two elements, showing how they may give rise to unexpected phenomena. The 'safety paradox' and the 'efficiency paradox' are discussed, emerging when increased protection provided by structural devices and dedicated institutions translates into a lack of awareness and agency on the part of residents. © 2012 The Author(s). Disasters © Overseas Development Institute, 2012.

Fuzzing and Vulnerabilities Search

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stanislav Evgenyevich Kirillov

2013-02-01

Full Text Available Fuzzing for vulnerabilities can be very effective if we know the input data format. This work contains description of network message format recovery algorithm and the usage of restored data model in fuzzing and vulnerabilities search.

Characteristics of safety critical organizations . work psychological perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oedewald, P.; Reiman, T.

2006-02-01

This book deals with organizations that operate in high hazard industries, such as the nuclear power, aviation, oil and chemical industry organisations. The society puts a great strain on these organisations to rigorously manage the risks inherent in the technology they use and the products they produce. In this book, an organisational psychology view is taken to analyse what are the typical challenges of daily work in these environments. The analysis is based on a literature review about human and organisational factors in safety critical industries, and on the interviews of Finnish safety experts and safety managers from four different companies. In addition to this, personnel interviews conducted in the Finnish nuclear power plants are utilised. The authors come up with eight themes that seem to be common organizational challenges cross the industries. These include e.g. how does the personnel understand the risks and what is the right level for rules and procedures to guide the work activities. The primary aim of this book is to contribute to the Finnish nuclear safety research and safety management discussion. However, the book is equally suitable for risk management, organizational development and human resources management specialists in different industries. The purpose is to encourage readers to consider how the human and organizational factors are seen in the field they work in. (orig.)

Special characteristics of safety organizations. Work psychological perspective

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oedewald, P.; Reiman, T.

2007-03-15

This book deals with organizations that operate in high hazard industries, such as the nuclear power, aviation, oil and chemical industry organizations. The society puts a great strain on these organizations to rigorously manage the risks inherent in the technology they use and the products they produce. In this book, an organizational psychology view is taken to analyse what are the typical challenges of daily work in these environments. The analysis is based on a literature review about human and organizational factors in safety critical industries, and on the interviews of Finnish safety experts and safety managers from four different companies. In addition to this, personnel interviews conducted in the Finnish nuclear power plants are utilised. The authors come up with eight themes that seem to be common organizational challenges cross the industries. These include e.g. how does the personnel understand the risks and what is the right level for rules and procedures to guide the work activities. The primary aim of this book is to contribute to the nuclear safety research and safety management discussion. However, the book is equally suitable for risk management, organizational development and human resources management specialists in different industries. The purpose is to encourage readers to consider how the human and organizational factors are seen in the field they work in. (orig.)

Special characteristics of safety organizations. Work psychological perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oedewald, P.; Reiman, T.

2007-03-01

This book deals with organizations that operate in high hazard industries, such as the nuclear power, aviation, oil and chemical industry organizations. The society puts a great strain on these organizations to rigorously manage the risks inherent in the technology they use and the products they produce. In this book, an organizational psychology view is taken to analyse what are the typical challenges of daily work in these environments. The analysis is based on a literature review about human and organizational factors in safety critical industries, and on the interviews of Finnish safety experts and safety managers from four different companies. In addition to this, personnel interviews conducted in the Finnish nuclear power plants are utilised. The authors come up with eight themes that seem to be common organizational challenges cross the industries. These include e.g. how does the personnel understand the risks and what is the right level for rules and procedures to guide the work activities. The primary aim of this book is to contribute to the nuclear safety research and safety management discussion. However, the book is equally suitable for risk management, organizational development and human resources management specialists in different industries. The purpose is to encourage readers to consider how the human and organizational factors are seen in the field they work in. (orig.)

Hospital nurses' working conditions in relation to motivation and patient safety.

Science.gov (United States)

Toode, Kristi; Routasalo, Pirkko; Helminen, Mika; Suominen, Tarja

2015-03-01

There is a lack of empirical knowledge about nurses' perceptions of their workplace characteristics and conditions, such as level of autonomy and decision authority, work climate, teamwork, skill exploitation and learning opportunities, and their work motivation in relation to practice outputs such as patient safety. Such knowledge is needed particularly in countries, such as Estonia, where hospital systems for preventing errors and improving patient safety are in the early stages of development. This article reports the findings from a cross-sectional survey of hospital nurses in Estonia that was aimed at determining their perceptions of workplace characteristics, working conditions, work motivation and patient safety, and at exploring the relationship between these. Results suggest that perceptions of personal control over their work can affect nurses' motivation, and that perceptions of work satisfaction might be relevant to patient safety improvement work.

Safety at work: radon in the workplace

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rimington, J.D.

1992-01-01

Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act, employers have a duty, so far as reasonably practicable, to maintain a safe working environment. To ensure that this occurs, the Health and Safety Commission defines standards and applies stimuli to make sure the standards are observed. The risk from radon ranks as one of the most severe industrial risks to be encountered in a hazardous industry. The Ionising Radiations Regulations specify a radon concentration above which the regulations apply, and various duties fall on the employer. Where an inspector finds radon concentrations above this level, he has the power to require remedial measures to be undertaken. (Author)

Geo-ethical dimension of community's safety: rural and urban population vulnerability analysis methodology

Science.gov (United States)

Kostyuchenko, Yuriy; Movchan, Dmytro; Kopachevsky, Ivan; Yuschenko, Maxim

2016-04-01

calculate a distribution of losses connected with decision making in land-use is demonstrated. Rural community's vulnerability determines by water availability, quality of soils, effectiveness of land use (including climate change adaptation), intensity of pollutions, crop productivity variations during the period of crop rotation, annual national distribution of crops output, and distance to city centres. It should noted here that "distance to city centres" is not comprehensive indicator of market accessibility in general case: quality and availability of transport infrastructure should be described more detailed on the next stages of analysis. Urban population vulnerability determines by distribution of urban fractures and quality urban environment: density, quality and availability of infrastructure, balance between industrial, residential and recreational zones, effectiveness of urban land use and landscape management, and social policy, particularly, employment. Population density is closely connected with social density, with communications and decision making. Social learning, as the function of social communications, is the way to increase sustainability. Also it possible to say that social sustainability is a function of intensity and efficiency of communications between interlinked and interacted networks in the heterogeneous environment. Therefore the results of study demonstrated that risk management study should includes issues of risk and threats perception, which should be described in framework of appropriate tools and approaches connected with ethical dimension of vulnerability. For instance, problems of accessibility and availability of safety resources in view of social fairness and socio-economic dynamics should be included into future studies in field of risk analysis.

Taking ownership of safety. What are the active ingredients of safety coaching and how do they impact safety outcomes in critical offshore working environments?

Science.gov (United States)

Krauesslar, Victoria; Avery, Rachel E; Passmore, Jonathan

2015-01-01

Safety coaching interventions have become a common feature in the safety critical offshore working environments of the North Sea. Whilst the beneficial impact of coaching as an organizational tool has been evidenced, there remains a question specifically over the use of safety coaching and its impact on behavioural change and producing safe working practices. A series of 24 semi-structured interviews were conducted with three groups of experts in the offshore industry: safety coaches, offshore managers and HSE directors. Using a thematic analysis approach, several significant themes were identified across the three expert groups including connecting with and creating safety ownership in the individual, personal significance and humanisation, ingraining safety and assessing and measuring a safety coach's competence. Results suggest clear utility of safety coaching when applied by safety coaches with appropriate coach training and understanding of safety issues in an offshore environment. The current work has found that the use of safety coaching in the safety critical offshore oil and gas industry is a powerful tool in managing and promoting a culture of safety and care.

Analysis of National Major Work Safety Accidents in China, 2003-2012.

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, Yunfeng; Zhang, Siheng; Rao, Jiaming; Wang, Haiqing; Li, Yang; Wang, Shengyong; Dong, Xiaomei

2016-01-01

This study provides a national profile of major work safety accidents in China, which cause more than 10 fatalities per accident, intended to provide scientific basis for prevention measures and strategies to reduce major work safety accidents and deaths. Data from 2003-2012 Census of major work safety accidents were collected from State Administration of Work Safety System (SAWS). Published literature and statistical yearbook were also included to implement information. We analyzed the frequency of accidents and deaths, trend, geographic distribution and injury types. Additionally, we discussed the severity and urgency of emergency rescue by types of accidents. A total of 877 major work safety accidents were reported, resulting in 16,795 deaths and 9,183 injuries. The numbers of accidents and deaths, mortality rate and incidence of major accidents have declined in recent years. The mortality rate and incidence was 0.71 and 1.20 per 10(6) populations in 2012, respectively. Transportation and mining contributed to the highest number of major accidents and deaths. Major aviation and railway accidents caused more casualties per incident, while collapse, machinery, electrical shock accidents and tailing dam accidents were the most severe situation that resulted in bigger proportion of death. Ten years' major work safety accident data indicate that the frequency of accidents and number of eaths was declined and several safety concerns persist in some segments.

Formal Vulnerability Assessment of a maritime transportation system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berle, Oyvind; Asbjornslett, Bjorn Egil; Rice, James B.

2011-01-01

World trade increasingly relies on longer, larger and more complex supply chains, where maritime transportation is a vital backbone of such operations. Long and complex supply chain systems are more prone to being vulnerable, though through reviews, no specific methods have been found to assess vulnerabilities of a maritime transportation system. Most existing supply chain risk assessment frameworks require risks to be foreseen to be mitigated, rather than giving transportation systems the ability to cope with unforeseen threats and hazards. In assessing cost-efficiency, societal vulnerability versus industrial cost of measures should be included. This conceptual paper presents a structured Formal Vulnerability Assessment (FVA) methodology, seeking to transfer the safety-oriented Formal Safety Assessment (FSA) framework into the domain of maritime supply chain vulnerability. To do so, the following two alterations are made: (1) The focus of the assessment is defined to ensure the ability of the transportation to serve as a throughput mechanism of goods, and to survive and recover from disruptive events. (2) To cope with low-frequency high-impact disruptive scenarios that were not necessarily foreseen, two parallel tracks of risk assessments need to be pursued-the cause-focused risk assessment as in the FSA, and a consequence-focused failure mode approach.

Work zone safety : physical and behavioral barriers in accident prevention.

Science.gov (United States)

2014-05-01

This report discusses the usefulness of creating a work zone traffic safety culture as a methodology to improve the overall : safety of both work zone personnel and the traveling public in Missouri. As part of this research, the existing MoDOT : w : ...

Improving fit to work assessments for rail safety workers by exploring work limitations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boschman, J. S.; Hulshof, C. T. J.; Frings-Dresen, M. H. W.; Sluiter, J. K.

2016-01-01

We aim to provide evidence for improving fit to work assessments for rail safety workers and raised the question whether adding an assessment of work limitations is useful. Therefore, we assessed differences in the proportions of perceived work limitations and reported health complaints and whether

HEPA Filter Vulnerability Assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

GUSTAVSON, R.D.

2000-01-01

This assessment of High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter vulnerability was requested by the USDOE Office of River Protection (ORP) to satisfy a DOE-HQ directive to evaluate the effect of filter degradation on the facility authorization basis assumptions. Within the scope of this assessment are ventilation system HEPA filters that are classified as Safety-Class (SC) or Safety-Significant (SS) components that perform an accident mitigation function. The objective of the assessment is to verify whether HEPA filters that perform a safety function during an accident are likely to perform as intended to limit release of hazardous or radioactive materials, considering factors that could degrade the filters. Filter degradation factors considered include aging, wetting of filters, exposure to high temperature, exposure to corrosive or reactive chemicals, and exposure to radiation. Screening and evaluation criteria were developed by a site-wide group of HVAC engineers and HEPA filter experts from published empirical data. For River Protection Project (RPP) filters, the only degradation factor that exceeded the screening threshold was for filter aging. Subsequent evaluation of the effect of filter aging on the filter strength was conducted, and the results were compared with required performance to meet the conditions assumed in the RPP Authorization Basis (AB). It was found that the reduction in filter strength due to aging does not affect the filter performance requirements as specified in the AB. A portion of the HEPA filter vulnerability assessment is being conducted by the ORP and is not part of the scope of this study. The ORP is conducting an assessment of the existing policies and programs relating to maintenance, testing, and change-out of HEPA filters used for SC/SS service. This document presents the results of a HEPA filter vulnerability assessment conducted for the River protection project as requested by the DOE Office of River Protection

Safety in urban environment and emergency notice boards

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Confortini, Claudia; Tira, Maurizio

2008-01-01

Reliable and safe urban system conditions have to be a crucial goal of ordinary planning activities. Among planning goals, priority must be given to indications relating to the safety levels to be achieved and to the amount of resources to be directed towards reducing the vulnerability of urban systems and therefore of the measures to be taken. Uban vulnerability cannot in fact be reduced to the sum of the vulnerability of single buildings or to the physical vulnerability of its various components. This research work consists of identifying those urban sub-areas that are important for safety in relation to natural risks, ambits that should be highlighted by means of permanent emergency notice boards/billboards. What are the hazard notices relating to all natural hazards and related risks? Where are they located? Are they clear and straightforward so that all residents and visitors are able to understand them, as it is already the case for road signs (or at least it should be)? What urban sub-areas are worth highlighting in relation to natural risks, acting for example as escape routes or meeting points? How is information for the public managed in order that people are immediately, easily and regularly notified? What is the relation of such signals to ordinary traffic signals? Research into the state of the art of permanent notice boards/billboards of this type, currently distinguished only by sporadic and local initiatives, aims at carrying out a census of and recognizing urban elements already considered as important for reducing the vulnerability of the urban system to different natural calamities and at providing new highlights as regards the identification of new ones. The next step is to work out a decision and common-language strategy for planning these elements and for their adequate signposting, so as to be able to live in the urban environment with awareness, safety and confidence, including with respect to more remote and therefore often neglected

Resistance and vulnerability to stigmatization in abortion work.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Donnell, Jenny; Weitz, Tracy A; Freedman, Lori R

2011-11-01

The stigma surrounding abortion in the United States commonly permeates the experience of both those seeking this health service as well as those engaged in its provision. Annually there are approximately 1.2 million abortions performed in the United States; despite that existing research shows that abortion services are highly utilized, women rarely disclose their use of these services. In 2005 only 1787 facilities that offer abortion services remained, a drop of almost 40 percent since 1982 (Jones, Zolna, Henshaw, & Finer, 2008). While it has been acknowledged that all professionals working in abortion are labeled to some degree as different, no published research has explored stigmatization as a process experienced by the range of individuals that comprise the abortion-providing workforce in the USA. Using qualitative data from a group of healthcare professionals doing abortion work in a Western state, this study begins to fill that gap, providing evidence of how the experience of stigma can vary and is managed within interactions in the workplace, in professional circles, among family and friends, and among strangers. The analysis shows that the experience of stigma for those providing abortion care is not a static or fixed loss of status. It is a dynamic situation in which those vulnerable to stigmatization can avoid, resist, or transform the stigma that would attach to them by varying degrees within selective contexts. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Impact Assessment of Its Applications for Vulnerable Road Users

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Scholliers, J.; Noort, M. van; Johansson, C.; Mans, D.; Silla, A.; Bell, D.; Hancox, G.; Leden, L.; Giannelos, I.; Bax, B.; Malone, K.

2016-01-01

The EU-sponsored VRUITS project has prioritized ITS applications which have a potential to improve the safety, mobility and comfort of vulnerable road users (VRUs) and performed a quantitative safety, mobility and comfort assessment for the 10 most promising systems. The assessment methodology

Impact assessment of ITS applications for vulnerable road users.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Scholliers, J. Noort, M. van Johansson, C. Mans, D. Silla, A. Bell, D. Hancox, G. Leden, L. Giannelos, I. Bax, B. & Malone, K.

2017-01-01

The EU-sponsored VRUITS project has prioritized ITS applications which have a potential to improve the safety, mobility and comfort of vulnerable road users (VRUs) and performed a quantitative safety, mobility and comfort assessment for the 10 most promising systems. The assessment methodology

Twenty sixth DAE safety and occupational health professionals meet: cryogenic safety, electrical safety and ergonomics at work place

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2009-01-01

This conference gathered knowledge in safety and occupational health hazards in various fields of nuclear science and technology like radiations, high voltages, ultra-low temperature, ultra-high magnetic fields, electrical breakdown, fire, ergonomics and cryogenic safety at work place. Papers relevant to INIS database are indexed separately

Some Subjects and Relations According to the Act about Safety at Work

OpenAIRE

Marino Đ. Učur

2015-01-01

Complex relations in the field of safety at work could not be present without the subjects which have a specific status and specific rights, obligations and responsibilities regulated by the Occupational Health and Safety Act. This paper deals with: employer’s designated employee for the implementation of occupational health and safety activities, employees’ elected representative for health and safety protection at work, occupational medicine specialist, occupational health and safety sp...

Generic Safety Issue (GSI) 171 -- Engineered Safety Feature (ESF) failure from a loop subsequent to LOCA: Assessment of plant vulnerability and CDF contributions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martinez-Guridi, G.; Samanta, P.; Chu, L.; Yang, J.

1998-01-01

Generic Safety Issue 171 (GSI-171), Engineered Safety Feature (ESF) from a Loss Of Offsite Power (LOOP) subsequent to a Loss Of Coolant Accident (LOCA), deals with an accident sequence in which a LOCA is followed by a LOOP. This issue was later broadened to include a LOOP followed by a LOCA. Plants are designed to handle a simultaneous LOCA and LOOP. In this paper, the authors address the unique issues that are involved i LOCA with delayed LOOP (LOCA/LOOP) and LOOP with delayed LOCA (LOOP/LOCA) accident sequences. LOCA/LOOP accidents are analyzed further by developing event-tree/fault-tree models to quantify their contributions to core-damage frequency (CDF) in a pressurized water reactor and a boiling water reactor (PWR and a BWR). Engineering evaluation and judgments are used during quantification to estimate the unique conditions that arise in a LOCA/LOOP accident. The results show that the CDF contribution of such an accident can be a dominant contributor to plant risk, although BWRs are less vulnerable than PWRs

Healh and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1974-01-01

The main purpose of this Act is to provide a single comprehensive and integrated system of law dealing with the health, safety and welfare of workpeople, and the health and safety of the public as affected by work activities. The Act establishes a Health and Safety Commission and a Health and Safety Executive to be generally responsible for administering health and safety legislation, including those provisions of the Nuclear Installations Act 1965 governing the licensing of nuclear installations, a function which was exercised by the Secretary of State for Energy and the Secretary of State for Scotland. The provisions of the Nuclear Installations Act 1965 and 1969 which give effect to the Paris Convention and the Brussels Supplementary Convention are not affected by the Act. (NEA) [fr

Vulnerable populations in terms of health care and their right to decent work

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stojković-Zlatanović Sanja

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Vulnerability may arise from individual characteristics of individuals or social groups, employment conditions or as a result of difficulties in exercising fundamental social human rights. Principle of equity in terms of labor and employment as well as equity in health are closely linked and represented in a concept of decent work for all, promoted by the International Labor Organization. The concept of decent work aims to improve work conditions for the marginalized and vulnerable workers, where the notions “vulnerable” and “marginalized” represent people on the periphery of formal, standard employment, people working in an environment where the risk of being denied employment rights is high and also those who do not have the capacity to protect themselves from the abuse. The labor status of social groups whose personal characteristics, i.e. health characteristics, make them vulnerable in terms of work conditions and labor rights has been analyzed. In international, comparative and Serbian law, workers with disabilities are already protected by the special law provisions of professional rehabilitation and employment of people with disabilities. On the contrary, the status of workers who are not considered as people with disabilities but who are faced with some health problems are not recognized in the labor legislation and protected by the law. People with health problems may be those who are chronically ill i.e. people in a remission of a disease. Considering the current demographic process of population aging, an increase of elderly in economically active population/labor force could be expected, which also means the increase of chronically ill workers. This fact, argue in favor of regulation the labor status of people with health problems. Furthermore, according to the World Health Organization, health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, where the third

Cybersecurity vulnerabilities in medical devices: a complex environment and multifaceted problem

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Williams PAH

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Patricia AH Williams, Andrew J Woodward eHealth Research Group and Security Research Institute, Edith Cowan University, Perth, WA, Australia Abstract: The increased connectivity to existing computer networks has exposed medical devices to cybersecurity vulnerabilities from which they were previously shielded. For the prevention of cybersecurity incidents, it is important to recognize the complexity of the operational environment as well as to catalog the technical vulnerabilities. Cybersecurity protection is not just a technical issue; it is a richer and more intricate problem to solve. A review of the factors that contribute to such a potentially insecure environment, together with the identification of the vulnerabilities, is important for understanding why these vulnerabilities persist and what the solution space should look like. This multifaceted problem must be viewed from a systemic perspective if adequate protection is to be put in place and patient safety concerns addressed. This requires technical controls, governance, resilience measures, consolidated reporting, context expertise, regulation, and standards. It is evident that a coordinated, proactive approach to address this complex challenge is essential. In the interim, patient safety is under threat. Keywords: cybersecurity, security, safety, wireless, risk, medical devices

Redistributing vulnerabilities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Seeberg, Jens; Padmawati, Retna Siwi

2015-01-01

It is widely accepted that the social distribution of vulnerability in a given society may turn hazardous events into disasters. This distributional approach draws attention to continuities that explain catastrophes by virtue of the workings of society prior to the event. In this paper, we draw...... attention to the social processes whereby vulnerability is modified and renegotiated during the post-disaster period where resources for disaster alleviation and reconstruction enter local communities. Specifically, we explore the social dynamics of house damage classification in the wake of the 2006...... Central Java earthquake, and we explore relations between citizens and the state during post-disaster house reconstruction. We argue that disastrous outcomes of catastrophic events do not follow pre-existing fault lines of vulnerability in a simple or predictable manner, and that the social process...

Vulnerabilities Classification for Safe Development on Android

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ricardo Luis D. M. Ferreira

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The global sales market is currently led by devices with the Android operating system. In 2015, more than 1 billion smartphones were sold, of which 81.5% were operated by the Android platform. In 2017, it is estimated that 267.78 billion applications will be downloaded from Google Play. According to Qian, 90% of applications are vulnerable, despite the recommendations of rules and standards for the safe software development. This study presents a classification of vulnerabilities, indicating the vulnerability, the safety aspect defined by the Brazilian Association of Technical Standards (Associação Brasileira de Normas Técnicas - ABNT norm NBR ISO/IEC 27002 which will be violated, which lines of code generate the vulnerability and what should be done to avoid it, and the threat agent used by each of them. This classification allows the identification of possible points of vulnerability, allowing the developer to correct the identified gaps.

Special characteristics of safety critical organizations. Work psychological perspective

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oedewald, P.; Reiman, T.

2007-03-15

This book deals with organizations that operate in high hazard industries, such as the nuclear power, aviation, oil and chemical industry organizations. The society puts a great strain on these organizations to rigorously manage the risks inherent in the technology they use and the products they produce. In this book, an organizational psychology view is taken to analyse what are the typical challenges of daily work in these environments. The analysis is based on a literature review about human and organizational factors in safety critical industries, and on the interviews of Finnish safety experts and safety managers from four different companies. In addition to this, personnel interviews conducted in the Finnish nuclear power plants are utilised. The authors come up with eight themes that seem to be common organizational challenges cross the industries. These include e.g. how does the personnel understand the risks and what is the right level for rules and procedures to guide the work activities. The primary aim of this book is to contribute to the nuclear safety research and safety management discussion. However, the book is equally suitable for risk management, organizational development and human resources management specialists in different industries. The purpose is to encourage readers to consider how the human and organizational factors are seen in the field they work in. (orig.)

U.S. Food System Working Conditions as an Issue of Food Safety.

Science.gov (United States)

Clayton, Megan L; Smith, Katherine C; Pollack, Keshia M; Neff, Roni A; Rutkow, Lainie

2017-02-01

Food workers' health and hygiene are common pathways to foodborne disease outbreaks. Improving food system jobs is important to food safety because working conditions impact workers' health, hygiene, and safe food handling. Stakeholders from key industries have advanced working conditions as an issue of public safety in the United States. Yet, for the food industry, stakeholder engagement with this topic is seemingly limited. To understand this lack of action, we interviewed key informants from organizations recognized for their agenda-setting role on food-worker issues. Findings suggest that participants recognize the work standards/food safety connection, yet perceived barriers limit adoption of a food safety frame, including more pressing priorities (e.g., occupational safety); poor fit with organizational strategies and mission; and questionable utility, including potential negative consequences. Using these findings, we consider how public health advocates may connect food working conditions to food and public safety and elevate it to the public policy agenda.

Activities of the PNC Nuclear Safety Working Group

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kato, W.Y.

1991-01-01

The Nuclear Safety Working Group of the Pacific Nuclear Council promotes nuclear safety cooperation among its members. Status of safety research, emergency planning, development of lists of technical experts, severe accident prevention and mitigation have been the topics of discussion in the NSWG. This paper reviews and compares the severe accident prevention and mitigation program activities in some of the areas of the Pacific Basin region based on papers presented at a special session organized by the NSWG at an ANS Topical Meeting as well as papers from other sources

Analysis of National Major Work Safety Accidents in China, 2003–2012

Science.gov (United States)

YE, Yunfeng; ZHANG, Siheng; RAO, Jiaming; WANG, Haiqing; LI, Yang; WANG, Shengyong; DONG, Xiaomei

2016-01-01

Background: This study provides a national profile of major work safety accidents in China, which cause more than 10 fatalities per accident, intended to provide scientific basis for prevention measures and strategies to reduce major work safety accidents and deaths. Methods: Data from 2003–2012 Census of major work safety accidents were collected from State Administration of Work Safety System (SAWS). Published literature and statistical yearbook were also included to implement information. We analyzed the frequency of accidents and deaths, trend, geographic distribution and injury types. Additionally, we discussed the severity and urgency of emergency rescue by types of accidents. Results: A total of 877 major work safety accidents were reported, resulting in 16,795 deaths and 9,183 injuries. The numbers of accidents and deaths, mortality rate and incidence of major accidents have declined in recent years. The mortality rate and incidence was 0.71 and 1.20 per 106 populations in 2012, respectively. Transportation and mining contributed to the highest number of major accidents and deaths. Major aviation and railway accidents caused more casualties per incident, while collapse, machinery, electrical shock accidents and tailing dam accidents were the most severe situation that resulted in bigger proportion of death. Conclusion: Ten years’ major work safety accident data indicate that the frequency of accidents and number of eaths was declined and several safety concerns persist in some segments. PMID:27057515

42 CFR 3.210 - Required disclosure of patient safety work product to the Secretary.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Required disclosure of patient safety work product... HUMAN SERVICES GENERAL PROVISIONS PATIENT SAFETY ORGANIZATIONS AND PATIENT SAFETY WORK PRODUCT Confidentiality and Privilege Protections of Patient Safety Work Product § 3.210 Required disclosure of patient...

Workplace support after breast cancer treatment: recognition of vulnerability.

Science.gov (United States)

Tiedtke, Corine; Dierckx de Casterlé, Bernadette; Donceel, Peter; de Rijk, Angelique

2015-01-01

Support from the workplace seems to be a key element in addressing the poor return-to-work (RTW) rate of employees with breast cancer. We aim to acquire an in-depth understanding of how Flemish employees experience their RTW after breast cancer and the support from the workplace. Fourteen in-depth interviews of women who experienced breast cancer and returned to work (high school graduates, age range 42-55 years, mean age 48 at time of surgery) were analysed using the Qualitative Analysis Guide of Leuven (QUAGOL), based on a Grounded Theory approach. The key experiences were feeling vulnerable, feeling able to work and need for support. Although little diversity in RTW experiences was found, the background of the vulnerability varied. Women experienced support (which could be emotional or practical) only as adequate if it addressed their specific vulnerability. Employees felt particularly vulnerable. Vulnerability is not the same as low-work ability and as such it should be added as theoretical concept in RTW research. Adequate workplace support addresses the specific vulnerability of an individual woman. Our study offers a nuanced insight into the RTW process of breast cancer survivors. Upon actual return-to-work (RTW) after breast cancer treatment, women feel vulnerable but able to work and, hence, have a high need for workplace support. Support from the workplace during RTW after breast cancer treatment is experienced as adequate when it expresses genuine recognition of the individual woman's vulnerability.

Stress Tests and Vulnerability Assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wallner, A. [Austrian Institute of Ecology, Vienna (Austria); Lorenz, P. [ed.; Becker, O. [eds.; Weber, U. [Austrian Institute of Ecology, Vienna (Austria)

2012-07-01

After the accident in Fukushima, nuclear safety as topic in anti-nuclear work has gained importance within the Joint Project countries. Therefore, nuclear safety and in particular the activities of the European stress tests were chosen to be the main focus of the Joint Project 2011/2012 as well as the common theme of the national projects. This brochure describes: A) Vulnerability Assessment A critical review of the EU Nuclear Stress Tests in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Ukraine is presented in chapter 1. The review details the main weaknesses identified within the stress tests. Important shortcomings not mentioned in the stress tests reports are also discussed. These evaluations do not claim to be exhaustive, but the findings contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of safety and risk of nuclear power plants in Europe. B) Transparency of the stress tests In chapter 2 the experience of the Joint Project NGOs concerning transparency of the stress tests is presented. The information is not meant to be an evaluation of the transparency of the stress tests in general – such an evaluation is not possible within the scope of this brochure. The evaluation aims to show activities concerning stress tests and how they were conceived by the JP NGOs. Some recommendations for improvement are given. C) Safety focus Within the main topic “nuclear safety” of the Joint Project 2011/2012 the NGOs of each JP country selected a special safety relevant topic, which is/was of particular interest in their country: Bulgaria: The short story of Belene NPP – The victory – Key points of the campaign against the nuclear power plant Romania: Risks of the CANDU reactor design Czech Republic: Results of the conference “Power Plant Load Testing: Safety Inspection or Propaganda?“ Slovakia: Safety deficits of the NPP Mochovce These safety relevant issues are discussed in separate sections within the brochure at hand. (author)

Stress Tests and Vulnerability Assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wallner, A.; Lorenz, P.

2012-01-01

After the accident in Fukushima, nuclear safety as topic in anti-nuclear work has gained importance within the Joint Project countries. Therefore, nuclear safety and in particular the activities of the European stress tests were chosen to be the main focus of the Joint Project 2011/2012 as well as the common theme of the national projects. This brochure describes: A) Vulnerability Assessment A critical review of the EU Nuclear Stress Tests in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Ukraine is presented in chapter 1. The review details the main weaknesses identified within the stress tests. Important shortcomings not mentioned in the stress tests reports are also discussed. These evaluations do not claim to be exhaustive, but the findings contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of safety and risk of nuclear power plants in Europe. B) Transparency of the stress tests In chapter 2 the experience of the Joint Project NGOs concerning transparency of the stress tests is presented. The information is not meant to be an evaluation of the transparency of the stress tests in general – such an evaluation is not possible within the scope of this brochure. The evaluation aims to show activities concerning stress tests and how they were conceived by the JP NGOs. Some recommendations for improvement are given. C) Safety focus Within the main topic “nuclear safety” of the Joint Project 2011/2012 the NGOs of each JP country selected a special safety relevant topic, which is/was of particular interest in their country: Bulgaria: The short story of Belene NPP – The victory – Key points of the campaign against the nuclear power plant Romania: Risks of the CANDU reactor design Czech Republic: Results of the conference “Power Plant Load Testing: Safety Inspection or Propaganda?“ Slovakia: Safety deficits of the NPP Mochovce These safety relevant issues are discussed in separate sections within the brochure at hand. (author)

Encyclopaedic complex of the safety and health protection at the work

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon

2006-01-01

This is the encyclopaedia of the safety and health protection at the work. The complex area of the safety and health protection at the work is for the aim of composition of the encyclopaedic composite book latticed into 27 thematic bounded units. The present division enables fast orientation with possibility to focus the attention on observed specific area of work safety. The structure of subject words in thematic units follows the goal totally to cover the actual file of knowledge in relevant area, at which come out form relevant terms, too. The Chapter XXIV deals with ionising and not-ionising radiation

Recommendations from the Health and Safety at Work Sub-Committee

Science.gov (United States)

Education in Science, 1976

1976-01-01

Provides additional recommendations as the Health and Safety at Work Act of 1974 applies to the storage of flammable liquids, provision of safety equipment, responsibility for technicians and faulty apparatus. (GS)

Nuclear safety policy working group recommendations on nuclear propulsion safety for the space exploration initiative

Science.gov (United States)

Marshall, Albert C.; Lee, James H.; Mcculloch, William H.; Sawyer, J. Charles, Jr.; Bari, Robert A.; Cullingford, Hatice S.; Hardy, Alva C.; Niederauer, George F.; Remp, Kerry; Rice, John W.

1993-01-01

An interagency Nuclear Safety Working Group (NSPWG) was chartered to recommend nuclear safety policy, requirements, and guidelines for the Space Exploration Initiative (SEI) nuclear propulsion program. These recommendations, which are contained in this report, should facilitate the implementation of mission planning and conceptual design studies. The NSPWG has recommended a top-level policy to provide the guiding principles for the development and implementation of the SEI nuclear propulsion safety program. In addition, the NSPWG has reviewed safety issues for nuclear propulsion and recommended top-level safety requirements and guidelines to address these issues. These recommendations should be useful for the development of the program's top-level requirements for safety functions (referred to as Safety Functional Requirements). The safety requirements and guidelines address the following topics: reactor start-up, inadvertent criticality, radiological release and exposure, disposal, entry, safeguards, risk/reliability, operational safety, ground testing, and other considerations.

Cybersecurity vulnerabilities in medical devices: a complex environment and multifaceted problem.

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Patricia Ah; Woodward, Andrew J

2015-01-01

The increased connectivity to existing computer networks has exposed medical devices to cybersecurity vulnerabilities from which they were previously shielded. For the prevention of cybersecurity incidents, it is important to recognize the complexity of the operational environment as well as to catalog the technical vulnerabilities. Cybersecurity protection is not just a technical issue; it is a richer and more intricate problem to solve. A review of the factors that contribute to such a potentially insecure environment, together with the identification of the vulnerabilities, is important for understanding why these vulnerabilities persist and what the solution space should look like. This multifaceted problem must be viewed from a systemic perspective if adequate protection is to be put in place and patient safety concerns addressed. This requires technical controls, governance, resilience measures, consolidated reporting, context expertise, regulation, and standards. It is evident that a coordinated, proactive approach to address this complex challenge is essential. In the interim, patient safety is under threat.

Cybersecurity vulnerabilities in medical devices: a complex environment and multifaceted problem

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Patricia AH; Woodward, Andrew J

2015-01-01

The increased connectivity to existing computer networks has exposed medical devices to cybersecurity vulnerabilities from which they were previously shielded. For the prevention of cybersecurity incidents, it is important to recognize the complexity of the operational environment as well as to catalog the technical vulnerabilities. Cybersecurity protection is not just a technical issue; it is a richer and more intricate problem to solve. A review of the factors that contribute to such a potentially insecure environment, together with the identification of the vulnerabilities, is important for understanding why these vulnerabilities persist and what the solution space should look like. This multifaceted problem must be viewed from a systemic perspective if adequate protection is to be put in place and patient safety concerns addressed. This requires technical controls, governance, resilience measures, consolidated reporting, context expertise, regulation, and standards. It is evident that a coordinated, proactive approach to address this complex challenge is essential. In the interim, patient safety is under threat. PMID:26229513

Rural nurses' safeguarding work: reembodying patient safety.

Science.gov (United States)

MacKinnon, Karen

2011-01-01

Practice-based evidence includes research that is grounded in the everyshift experiences of rural nurses. This study utilized institutional ethnography to reembody the work of rural nurses and to explore how nurses' work experiences are socially organized. Registered nurses who work in small acute care hospitals were observed and interviewed about their work with the focus on their experiences of providing maternity care. The safeguarding work of rural nurses included anticipating problems and emergencies and being prepared; careful watching, surveillance, and vigilance; negotiating safety; being able to act in emergency situations; and mobilizing emergency transport systems. Increased attention to inquiry about safeguarding as an embodied nursing practice and the textual organization of the work of rural nurses is warranted.

World Day for Safety and Health at Work

CERN Multimedia

2012-01-01

27 April is World Day for Safety and Health at Work.   CERN’s health and safety teams look forward to seeing you at their stands in each of the three restaurants. This year, we cast the spotlight on two topics: • ergonomics • electrical hazards. Come and get tips that will help you to ensure your safety and to stay healthy and, you never know, you might be lucky enough to win a nice prize. Don't forget, Friday, 27 April 2012 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in your nearest restaurant!

Shift and night work and long working hours--a systematic review of safety implications.

Science.gov (United States)

Wagstaff, Anthony Sverre; Sigstad Lie, Jenny-Anne

2011-05-01

In order to devise effective preventive strategies, it is important to study workplace stressors that might increase the risk of workplace accidents - both affecting workers themselves as well as causing harm to third-parties. The aim of this report is to provide a systematic, updated overview and scientific review of empirical research regarding accidents in relation to long work hours and shift work, primarily based on epidemiological studies. The search for articles was part of a large review study on the effects of work hours on various health outcomes, safety, and performance. The search strategy included 5 international scientific databases, and nearly 7000 articles were initially identified using our search string. Following the application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, 443 publications were found and evaluated using a pre-defined scoring system. Of these, 43 concerned safety and accidents but only 14 were considered to be of high quality (total score 2 or 3 on a scale from 0-3) and therefore used for this study. Both shift work and long working hours present a substantial and well-documented detrimental effect on safety - all the studies that are included in this review have one or more significant findings in this respect. The trends are quite coherent although the increases in accident rates are mostly from 50% to 100%. In epidemiological terms, this may be seen as rather small differences. The use of such data is therefore only of importance if the accident incidence is high or if accidents may have large effects. The findings are most relevant to safety-critical activities such as the transport and health sectors. Work periods >8 hours carry an increased risk of accidents that cumulates, so that the increased risk of accidents at around 12 hours is twice the risk at 8 hours. Shift work including nights carries a substantial increased risk of accidents, whereas "pure" night work may bring some protection against this effect due to

A Method to Analyze Threats and Vulnerabilities by Using a Cyber Security Test-bed of an Operating NPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Yong Sik; Son, Choul Woong; Lee, Soo Ill

2016-01-01

In order to implement cyber security controls for an Operating NPP, a security assessment should conduct in advance, and it is essential to analyze threats and vulnerabilities for a cyber security risk assessment phase. It might be impossible to perform a penetration test or scanning for a vulnerability analysis because the test may cause adverse effects on the inherent functions of ones. This is the reason why we develop and construct a cyber security test-bed instead of using real I and C systems in the operating NPP. In this paper, we propose a method to analyze threats and vulnerabilities of a specific target system by using a cyber security test-bed. The test-bed is being developed considering essential functions of the selected safety and non-safety system. This paper shows the method to analyze threats and vulnerabilities of a specific target system by using a cyber security test-bed. In order to develop the cyber security test-bed with both safety and non-safety functions, test-bed functions analysis and preliminary threats and vulnerabilities identification have been conducted. We will determine the attack scenarios and conduct the test-bed based vulnerability analysis

A Method to Analyze Threats and Vulnerabilities by Using a Cyber Security Test-bed of an Operating NPP

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Yong Sik; Son, Choul Woong; Lee, Soo Ill [KHNP CRI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-10-15

In order to implement cyber security controls for an Operating NPP, a security assessment should conduct in advance, and it is essential to analyze threats and vulnerabilities for a cyber security risk assessment phase. It might be impossible to perform a penetration test or scanning for a vulnerability analysis because the test may cause adverse effects on the inherent functions of ones. This is the reason why we develop and construct a cyber security test-bed instead of using real I and C systems in the operating NPP. In this paper, we propose a method to analyze threats and vulnerabilities of a specific target system by using a cyber security test-bed. The test-bed is being developed considering essential functions of the selected safety and non-safety system. This paper shows the method to analyze threats and vulnerabilities of a specific target system by using a cyber security test-bed. In order to develop the cyber security test-bed with both safety and non-safety functions, test-bed functions analysis and preliminary threats and vulnerabilities identification have been conducted. We will determine the attack scenarios and conduct the test-bed based vulnerability analysis.

Work Done For the Safety and Assurance Directorate

Science.gov (United States)

Struhar, Paul T., Jr.

2004-01-01

The Safety and Assurance Directorate (SAAD) has a vision. The vision is to be an essential part of NASA Glenn's journey to excellence. SAAD is in charge of leading safety, security, and quality and is important to our customers. When it comes to programmatic and technical decision making and implementation, SAAD provides clear safety, reliability, maintainable, quality assurance and security. I worked on a couple different things during my internship with Sandra Hardy. I did a lot of logistics for meeting and trips. I helped run the budget for the SAAD directorate. I also worked with Rich Miller for one week and we took water samples and ran tests. We also calibrated the different equipment. There is a lot more to meetings than people see. I did one for a retirement party. I had to get work orders and set up the facilities where the event is going to take place. I also set up a trip to Plum Brook Station. I had to order vans and talk with the people up there to see when a good time was. I also had to make invitations and coordinate everything. I also help Sandy run the numbers in the budget. We use excel to do this, which makes it a lot easier. things. He is in the environmental safety office. I learned how to collaborate the equipment using alpha and beta sources. I went out with him and we took water samples and tested them for conductivity and chlorine. I have learned a lot in the short time I've been here. It has been a great experience and I have has the pleasure of meeting and working with great people.

Evaluating safety-critical organizations - emphasis on the nuclear industry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reiman, Teemu; Oedewald, Pia (VTT, Technical Research Centre of Finland (Finland))

2009-04-15

An organizational evaluation plays a key role in the monitoring, as well as controlling and steering, of the organizational safety culture. If left unattended, organizations have a tendency to gradually drift into a condition where they have trouble identifying their vulnerabilities and mechanisms or practices that create or maintain these vulnerabilities. The aim of an organizational evaluation should be to promote increased understanding of the sociotechnical system and its changing vulnerabilities. Evaluation contributes to organizational development and management. Evaluations are used in various situations, but when the aim is to learn about possible new vulnerabilities, identify organizational reasons for problems, or prepare for future challenges, the organization is most open to genuine surprises and new findings. It is recommended that organizational evaluations should be conducted when - there are changes in the organizational structures - new tools are implemented - when the people report increased workplace stress or a decreased working climate - when incidents and near-misses increase - when work starts to become routine - when weak signals (such as employees voicing safety concerns or other worries, the organization 'feels' different, organizational climate has changed) are perceived. In organizations that already have a high safety level, safety managers work for their successors. This means that they seldom see the results of their successful efforts to improve safety. This is due to the fact that it takes time for the improvement to become noticeable in terms of increased measurable safety levels. The most challenging issue in an organizational evaluation is the definition of criteria for safety. We have adopted a system safety perspective and we state that an organization has a high potential for safety when - safety is genuinely valued and the members of the organization are motivated to put effort on achieving high levels of safety

Evaluating safety-critical organizations - emphasis on the nuclear industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reiman, Teemu; Oedewald, Pia

2009-04-01

An organizational evaluation plays a key role in the monitoring, as well as controlling and steering, of the organizational safety culture. If left unattended, organizations have a tendency to gradually drift into a condition where they have trouble identifying their vulnerabilities and mechanisms or practices that create or maintain these vulnerabilities. The aim of an organizational evaluation should be to promote increased understanding of the sociotechnical system and its changing vulnerabilities. Evaluation contributes to organizational development and management. Evaluations are used in various situations, but when the aim is to learn about possible new vulnerabilities, identify organizational reasons for problems, or prepare for future challenges, the organization is most open to genuine surprises and new findings. It is recommended that organizational evaluations should be conducted when - there are changes in the organizational structures - new tools are implemented - when the people report increased workplace stress or a decreased working climate - when incidents and near-misses increase - when work starts to become routine - when weak signals (such as employees voicing safety concerns or other worries, the organization 'feels' different, organizational climate has changed) are perceived. In organizations that already have a high safety level, safety managers work for their successors. This means that they seldom see the results of their successful efforts to improve safety. This is due to the fact that it takes time for the improvement to become noticeable in terms of increased measurable safety levels. The most challenging issue in an organizational evaluation is the definition of criteria for safety. We have adopted a system safety perspective and we state that an organization has a high potential for safety when - safety is genuinely valued and the members of the organization are motivated to put effort on achieving high levels of safety - it is

Personal vulnerability and work-home interaction: the effect of job performance-based self-esteem on work/home conflict and facilitation.

Science.gov (United States)

Innstrand, Siw Tone; Langballe, Ellen Melbye; Espnes, Geir Arild; Aasland, Olaf Gjerløw; Falkum, Erik

2010-12-01

The aim of the present study was to examine the longitudinal relationship between job performance-based self-esteem (JPB-SE) and work-home interaction (WHI) in terms of the direction of the interaction (work-to-home vs. home-to-work) and the effect (conflict vs. facilitation). A sample of 3,475 respondents from eight different occupational groups (lawyers, physicians, nurses, teachers, church ministers, bus drivers, and people working in advertising and information technology) supplied data at two points of time with a two-year time interval. The two-wave, cross-lagged structural equations modeling (SEM) analysis demonstrated reciprocal relationships between these variables, i.e., job performance-based self-esteem may act as a precursor as well as an outcome of work-home interaction. The strongest association was between job performance-based self-esteem and work-to-home conflict. Previous research on work-home interaction has mainly focused on situational factors. This longitudinal study expands the work-home literature by demonstrating how individual vulnerability (job performance-based self-esteem) contributes to the explanation of work-home interactions. © 2010 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology © 2010 The Scandinavian Psychological Associations.

45 CFR 2543.84 - Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act. 2543... OTHER NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS Statutory Compliance § 2543.84 Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act. Where applicable, all contracts awarded by recipients in excess of $2000 for construction...

Opportunities for health and safety professionals in environmental restoration work

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Norris, A.E.

1991-01-01

The safety of workers in waste management and in environmental restoration work is regulated in large part by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Many of the OSHA rules are given in Part 1910, Occupational Safety and Health Standards, of Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). Section 120 of 29 CFR 1910 specifically addresses hazardous waste operations and emergency response operations. The remainder of this discussion focuses on clean-up operations. The purpose of this paper is to review areas of employment opportunity in environmental restoration work for health and safety professionals. Safety and health risk analyses are mentioned as one area of opportunity, and these analyses are required by the standards. Site safety and health supervisors will be needed during field operations. Those who enjoy teaching might consider helping to meet the training needs that are mandated. Finally, engineering help both to separate workers from hazards and to improve personal protective equipment, when it must be worn, would benefit those actively involved in environmental restoration activities

Work-related driver safety: A multi-level investigation

OpenAIRE

AMANDA ROSE WARMERDAM

2017-01-01

This program of research explored the organisational determinants of work-related road traffic injury in light vehicle fleets. The landscape of risk management in workplace road safety in Australia and organisational practices that influence safe driver behaviour were investigated. Key findings included that safe driving is influenced by factors at multiple levels, including senior managers, supervisors and individual fleet drivers and workplace road safety is not well integrated within curre...

The promotion of work safety. A continuous task for the Swiss gas industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luescher, H.J.

1993-01-01

The modern Western European population values the work safety very highly because of ethical and economical reasons. In Switzerland too, safety at work is actively promoted. Based on national legislation and on the SGWA-Association Statutes, the Swiss Gas Industry, with great engagement, promotes the measures for accident prevention. Following a general introduction into the legislative basis, possible ways and means for the promotion of safety at work are described. Subsequently, the concrete activities of the Gas Supply Authorities and the SGWA are pointed out, followed by a description of the future work-safety programmes of the Swiss Gas Industry. (orig.) [de

Does safety climate moderate the influence of staffing adequacy and work conditions on nurse injuries?

Science.gov (United States)

Mark, Barbara A; Hughes, Linda C; Belyea, Michael; Chang, Yunkyung; Hofmann, David; Jones, Cheryl B; Bacon, Cynthia T

2007-01-01

Hospital nurses have one of the highest work-related injury rates in the United States. Yet, approaches to improving employee safety have generally focused on attempts to modify individual behavior through enforced compliance with safety rules and mandatory participation in safety training. We examined a theoretical model that investigated the impact on nurse injuries (back injuries and needlesticks) of critical structural variables (staffing adequacy, work engagement, and work conditions) and further tested whether safety climate moderated these effects. A longitudinal, non-experimental, organizational study, conducted in 281 medical-surgical units in 143 general acute care hospitals in the United States. Work engagement and work conditions were positively related to safety climate, but not directly to nurse back injuries or needlesticks. Safety climate moderated the relationship between work engagement and needlesticks, while safety climate moderated the effect of work conditions on both needlesticks and back injuries, although in unexpected ways. DISCUSSION AND IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: Our findings suggest that positive work engagement and work conditions contribute to enhanced safety climate and can reduce nurse injuries.

23 CFR 630.1106 - Policy and procedures for work zone safety management.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 23 Highways 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Policy and procedures for work zone safety management... Policy and procedures for work zone safety management. (a) Each agency's policy and processes, procedures, and/or guidance for the systematic consideration and management of work zone impacts, to be...

Daytime Sleepiness in Men During Early Fatherhood: Implications for Work Safety.

Science.gov (United States)

Mellor, Gary; Van Vorst, Stephen

2015-11-01

This study measured the daytime sleepiness (DS) and work safety of fathers during the first 12 weeks of their babies' lives (i.e., early fatherhood). A questionnaire was developed using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), the Safety Behaviour at Work Scale, a self-reported sleep history, and a work-related incident history. Of the 221 participants, the vast majority reported they experienced less than 6 hours of interrupted sleep per night during the 12 weeks of the study, and an increasing frequency and severity of DS. The study also revealed an inverse correlation between ESS and Safety Behaviour at Work scores; fathers were 14% more likely to report a near-miss accident at work at 12 weeks. This study posits that antenatal classes and assessment of fathers' sleepiness at work by occupational health practitioners could assist fathers in reducing daytime sleepiness and mitigating the risk of workplace incidents. © 2015 The Author(s).

Monitoring work zone safety and mobility impacts in Texas.

Science.gov (United States)

2009-05-01

In this report, Texas Transportation Institute researchers identify key work zone safety and mobility : performance measures that the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) should target as part of a work : zone monitoring program within a distri...

Relationships among Safety Climate, Safety Behavior, and Safety Outcomes for Ethnic Minority Construction Workers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sainan Lyu

2018-03-01

Full Text Available In many countries, it is common practice to attract and employ ethnic minority (EM or migrant workers in the construction industry. This primarily occurs in order to alleviate the labor shortage caused by an aging workforce with a lack of new entrants. Statistics show that EM construction workers are more likely to have occupational fatal and nonfatal injuries than their local counterparts; however, the mechanism underlying accidents and injuries in this vulnerable population has been rarely examined. This study aims to investigate relationships among safety climate, safety behavior, and safety outcomes for EM construction workers. To this end, a theoretical research model was developed based on a comprehensive review of the current literature. In total, 289 valid questionnaires were collected face-to-face from 223 Nepalese construction workers and 56 Pakistani construction workers working on 15 construction sites in Hong Kong. Structural equation modelling was employed to validate the constructs and test the hypothesized model. Results show that there were significant positive relationships between safety climate and safety behaviors, and significant negative relationships between safety behaviors and safety outcomes for EM construction workers. This research contributes to the literature regarding EM workers by providing empirical evidence of the mechanisms by which safety climate affects safety behaviors and outcomes. It also provides insights in order to help the key stakeholders formulate safety strategies for EM workers in many areas where numerous EM workers are employed, such as in the U.S., the UK, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Middle East.

Relationships among Safety Climate, Safety Behavior, and Safety Outcomes for Ethnic Minority Construction Workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Lyu, Sainan; Hon, Carol K H; Chan, Albert P C; Wong, Francis K W; Javed, Arshad Ali

2018-03-09

In many countries, it is common practice to attract and employ ethnic minority (EM) or migrant workers in the construction industry. This primarily occurs in order to alleviate the labor shortage caused by an aging workforce with a lack of new entrants. Statistics show that EM construction workers are more likely to have occupational fatal and nonfatal injuries than their local counterparts; however, the mechanism underlying accidents and injuries in this vulnerable population has been rarely examined. This study aims to investigate relationships among safety climate, safety behavior, and safety outcomes for EM construction workers. To this end, a theoretical research model was developed based on a comprehensive review of the current literature. In total, 289 valid questionnaires were collected face-to-face from 223 Nepalese construction workers and 56 Pakistani construction workers working on 15 construction sites in Hong Kong. Structural equation modelling was employed to validate the constructs and test the hypothesized model. Results show that there were significant positive relationships between safety climate and safety behaviors, and significant negative relationships between safety behaviors and safety outcomes for EM construction workers. This research contributes to the literature regarding EM workers by providing empirical evidence of the mechanisms by which safety climate affects safety behaviors and outcomes. It also provides insights in order to help the key stakeholders formulate safety strategies for EM workers in many areas where numerous EM workers are employed, such as in the U.S., the UK, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Middle East.

Organizational culture and a safety-conscious work environment: The mediating role of employee communication satisfaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Silla, Inmaculada; Navajas, Joaquin; Koves, G Kenneth

2017-06-01

A safety-conscious work environment allows high-reliability organizations to be proactive regarding safety and enables employees to feel free to report any concern without fear of retaliation. Currently, research on the antecedents to safety-conscious work environments is scarce. Structural equation modeling was applied to test the mediating role of employee communication satisfaction in the relationship between constructive culture and a safety-conscious work environment in several nuclear power plants. Employee communication satisfaction partially mediated the positive relationships between a constructive culture and a safety-conscious work environment. Constructive cultures in which cooperation, supportive relationships, individual growth and high performance are encouraged facilitate the establishment of a safety-conscious work environment. This influence is partially explained by increased employee communication satisfaction. Constructive cultures should be encouraged within organizations. In addition, managers should promote communication policies and practices that support a safety-conscious work environment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd and National Safety Council. All rights reserved.

Working Safety in Confined Spaces. Module SH-32. Safety and Health.

Science.gov (United States)

Center for Occupational Research and Development, Inc., Waco, TX.

This student module on working safely in confined spaces in one of 50 modules concerned with job safety and health. This module explains how to recognize potential hazards in confined spaces, how to deal with these hazards, and how planning can prevent accidents. Following the introduction, 17 objectives (each keyed to a page in the text) the…

Work support, psychological well-being and safety performance among nurses in Hong Kong.

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, Kenchi C K

2018-02-06

This study investigated the mediating role of psychological well-being between work support and safety performance of 314 Hong Kong nurses, using self-reported questionnaires. Results showed that psychological well-being mediated the effects of work support on safety performance. The findings illustrate that work support was an important element to improve psychological well-being. This could generate better safety performance of the nurses. Implications and limitations are discussed.

Vulnerability and agency: beyond an irreconcilable dichotomy for social service providers working with young refugees in the UK.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Higgins, Aoife

2012-01-01

Many young refugees face significant difficulties in securing support from social services providers. This study invited 21 young refugees aged 16 to 21 to take part in focus groups and follow-up interviews about their experiences of accessing this support. The findings reveal that young refugees may deliberately conform to expectations about their vulnerability in order to benefit from greater support from service providers. Social workers may fail to consider young refugees' abilities and understand the ways in which each individual is vulnerable. The study suggests that group work may be an effective way to engage young refugees to overcome this. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., A Wiley Company.

Methods to Secure Databases Against Vulnerabilities

Science.gov (United States)

2015-12-01

for several languages such as C, C++, PHP, Java and Python [16]. MySQL will work well with very large databases. The documentation references...using Eclipse and connected to each database management system using Python and Java drivers provided by MySQL , MongoDB, and Datastax (for Cassandra...tiers in Python and Java . Problem MySQL MongoDB Cassandra 1. Injection a. Tautologies Vulnerable Vulnerable Not Vulnerable b. Illegal query

Assessment of Chemical and Radiological Vulnerabilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

SETH, S.S.

2000-01-01

Following the May 14, 1997 chemical explosion at Hanford's Plutonium Reclamation Facility, the Department of Energy Richland Operations Office and its prime contractor, Fluor Hanford, Inc., completed an extensive assessment to identify and address chemical and radiological safety vulnerabilities at all facilities under the Project Hanford Management Contract. This was a challenging undertaking because of the immense size of the problem, unique technical issues, and competing priorities. This paper focuses on the assessment process, including the criteria and methodology for data collection, evaluation, and risk-based scoring. It does not provide details on the facility-specific results and corrective actions, but discusses the approach taken to address the identified vulnerabilities

Improving patient safety in radiology: a work in progress

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sze, Raymond W.

2008-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to share the experiences, including successes and failures, as well as the ongoing process of developing and implementing a safety program in a large pediatric radiology department. Building a multidisciplinary pediatric radiology safety team requires successful recruitment of team members, selection of a team leader, and proper and ongoing training and tools, and protected time. Challenges, including thorough examples, are presented on improving pediatric radiology safety intradepartmentally, interdepartmentally, and institutionally. Finally, some major challenges to improving safety in pediatric radiology, and healthcare in general, are presented along with strategies to overcome these challenges. Our safety program is a work in progress; this article is a personal account and the reader is asked for tolerance of its occasional subjective tone and contents. (orig.)

Food fraud vulnerability and its key factors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ruth, van Saskia M.; Huisman, Wim; Luning, Pieternel A.

2017-01-01

Background Food fraud prevention and fraud vulnerability reduction are the first steps to combat food fraud and require a recurrent effort throughout the food supply chain. Due to the intentional nature of fraud, it requires different tactics than the common food safety approaches. However,

Anthropology in Agricultural Health and Safety Research and Intervention.

Science.gov (United States)

Arcury, Thomas

2017-01-01

Agriculture remains a dangerous industry, even as agricultural science and technology continue to advance. Research that goes beyond technological changes to address safety culture and policy are needed to improve health and safety in agriculture. In this commentary, I consider the potential for anthropology to contribute to agricultural health and safety research by addressing three aims: (1) I briefly consider what the articles in this issue of the Journal of Agromedicine say about anthropologists in agricultural health and safety; (2) I discuss what anthropologists can add to agricultural health and safety research; and (3) I examine ways in which anthropologists can participate in agricultural health and safety research. In using their traditions of rigorous field research to understand how those working in agriculture perceive and interpret factors affecting occupational health and safety (their "emic" perspective), and translating this perspective to improve the understanding of occupational health professionals and policy makers (an "etic" perspective), anthropologists can expose myths that limit improvements in agricultural health and safety. Addressing significant questions, working with the most vulnerable agricultural communities, and being outside establishment agriculture provide anthropologists with the opportunity to improve health and safety policy and regulation in agriculture.

Perspectives on plant vulnerabilities ampersand other plant and containment improvements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

LaChance, J.; Kolaczkowski, A.; Kahn, J.

1996-01-01

The primary goal of the Individual Plant Examination (IPE) Program was for licensees to identify plant-unique vulnerabilities and actions to address these vulnerabilities. A review of these vulnerabilities and plant improvements that were identified in the IPEs was performed as part of the IPE Insights Program sponsored by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The purpose of this effort was to characterize the identified vulnerabilities and the impact of suggested plant improvements. No specific definition for open-quotes vulnerabilityclose quotes was provided in NRC Generic Letter 88-20 or in the subsequent NRC IPE submittal guidance documented in NUREG-1335. Thus licensees were left to use their own definitions. Only 20% of the plants explicitly stated that they had vulnerabilities. However, most licensees identified other plant improvements to address issues not explicitly classified as vulnerabilities, but pertaining to areas in which overall plant safety could potentially be increased. The various definitions of open-quotes vulnerabilityclose quotes used by the licensees, explicitly identified vulnerabilities, proposed plant improvements to address these vulnerabilities, and other plant improvements are summarized and discussed

The Vulnerability Formation Mechanism and Control Strategy of the Oil and Gas Pipeline City

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Y. L.; Han, L.

2017-12-01

Most of the pipelines of oil and gas pipelines in our country have been for more than 25 years. These pipes are buried underground and was difficult to daily test. In addition, it was vulnerable to environmental, corrosion and natural disasters, So there is a hidden nature of accidents. The rapid development of urbanization, population accumulation, dense building and insufficient safety range are all the reasons for the frequent accidents of oil and gas pipelines. Therefore, to appraise and know the safe condition of the city various regions oil and gas pipelines is vital significant. In order to ensure the safety of oil and gas pipeline city, this paper defines the connotation of oil and gas pipeline city vulnerability according to the previous research on vulnerability. Then from three perspectives of environment, structure and behavior, based on the analytical paradigm of “structure—vulnerability conduct—performance” about oil and gas, the influential indicators of vulnerable oil and gas pipelines were analysed, the vulnerability mechanism framework of Oil and gas pipeline city was also constructed. Finally, the paper proposed the regulating strategy of the vulnerability of the oil and gas pipeline city to decrease its vulnerability index, which can be realize the city’s vulnerability evaluation and provides new ideas for the sustainable development of the city.

Social Protection and Vulnerable Communities in East Africa ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Social protection mechanisms can reduce poverty and vulnerability, increase work and educational achievement, and promote economic growth. Formal social protection initiatives cover only a small proportion of the population in East Africa - those working in the formal sector. Vulnerable groups - such as the poor and ...

Vulnerable Genders, Vulnerable Loves

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schleicher, Marianne

2015-01-01

This chapter analyses religious reflections on vulnerable genders and vulnerable loves from the Hebrew Bible to early Rabbinic literature. It is based on theories by inter alia Donna Haraway on complex identities, Turner and Maryanski on love as a prerequisite for survival, Michel Foucault...... on gathering knowledge and its often unpremeditated effect of recognition and inclusion, and Judith Butler on cultural intelligibility and subversion from within. With these theories as a departing point for the analysis, the chapter links the vulnerability of complex identities with the vulnerability...... of cultures which leads to the overall understanding that culture can accommodate complex identities associated with individual and cultural vulnerability as long as the overall survival of the culture is not threatened. This understanding questions the feasibility of the ethical position of thinkers...

Thrill and adventure seeking in risky driving at work: The moderating role of safety climate.

Science.gov (United States)

Wishart, Darren; Somoray, Klaire; Evenhuis, Amanda

2017-12-01

Introduction Within many industrialized countries, the leading cause of worker fatalities and serious injuries can be attributed to road trauma. In non-occupational research, high levels of sensation seeking personality, and specifically thrill and adventure seeking, have been associated with risky driving behaviors. In work driving literature, high organizational safety climate has been associated with reduced risky driving in work drivers. However, the extent that factors such as safety climate and thrill seeking interact in regard to work driving safety remains unclear, and the current research examined this interaction. Methods A total of 1,011 work drivers from four organizations participated in the research. Surveys were distributed online and hardcopies were sent via mail. The survey included measures of thrill and adventure seeking, safety climate and work-related driving behaviors, as well as questions relating to participant demographics and information about their work driving. Results The results demonstrated that safety climate significantly moderated the effect of thrill and adventure seeking trait on driving errors, driving violations, and driving while fatigued. Conclusion These results suggest that the development of a strong safety climate has the potential to improve work driving safety outcomes by reducing the impact of particular personality traits such as thrill seeking within an organizational context. Practical application To improve work driving safety, organizations and management need to develop strategies to encourage and foster positive work driving safety climate, particularly within work settings that may attract thrill and adventure seeking employees. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

The function of specialized organization in work safety engineering for nuclear installations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salvatore, J.E.L.

1989-01-01

The attributions of Brazilian CNEN in the licensing procedures of any nuclear installation are discussed. It is shown that the work safety engineering and industrial safety constitute important functions for nuclear safety. (M.C.K.) [pt

Developing an OMERACT Core Outcome Set for Assessing Safety Components in Rheumatology Trials: The OMERACT Safety Working Group.

Science.gov (United States)

Klokker, Louise; Tugwell, Peter; Furst, Daniel E; Devoe, Dan; Williamson, Paula; Terwee, Caroline B; Suarez-Almazor, Maria E; Strand, Vibeke; Woodworth, Thasia; Leong, Amye L; Goel, Niti; Boers, Maarten; Brooks, Peter M; Simon, Lee S; Christensen, Robin

2017-12-01

Failure to report harmful outcomes in clinical research can introduce bias favoring a potentially harmful intervention. While core outcome sets (COS) are available for benefits in randomized controlled trials in many rheumatic conditions, less attention has been paid to safety in such COS. The Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) Filter 2.0 emphasizes the importance of measuring harms. The Safety Working Group was reestablished at the OMERACT 2016 with the objective to develop a COS for assessing safety components in trials across rheumatologic conditions. The safety issue has previously been discussed at OMERACT, but without a consistent approach to ensure harms were included in COS. Our methods include (1) identifying harmful outcomes in trials of interventions studied in patients with rheumatic diseases by a systematic literature review, (2) identifying components of safety that should be measured in such trials by use of a patient-driven approach including qualitative data collection and statistical organization of data, and (3) developing a COS through consensus processes including everyone involved. Members of OMERACT including patients, clinicians, researchers, methodologists, and industry representatives reached consensus on the need to continue the efforts on developing a COS for safety in rheumatology trials. There was a general agreement about the need to identify safety-related outcomes that are meaningful to patients, framed in terms that patients consider relevant so that they will be able to make informed decisions. The OMERACT Safety Working Group will advance the work previously done within OMERACT using a new patient-driven approach.

Vulnerable Family Meetings: A Way of Promoting Team Working in GPs’ Everyday Responses to Child Maltreatment?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jenny Woodman

2014-08-01

Full Text Available This study uses observations of team meetings and interviews with 17 primary care professionals in four GP practices in England to generate hypotheses about how “vulnerable family” team meetings might support responses by GPs to maltreatment-related concerns and joint working with other professionals. These meetings are also called “safeguarding meetings”. The study found that vulnerable family meetings were used as a way of monitoring children or young people and their families and supporting risk assessment by information gathering. Four factors facilitated the meetings: meaningful information flow into the meetings from other agencies, systematic ways of identifying cases for discussion, limiting attendance to core members of the primary care team and locating the meeting as part of routine clinical practice. Our results generate hypotheses about a model of care that can be tested for effectiveness in terms of service measures, child and family outcomes, and as a potential mechanism for other professionals to engage and support GPs in their everyday responses to vulnerable and maltreated children. The potential for adverse as well as beneficial effects should be considered from involving professionals outside the core primary care team (e.g., police, children’s social care, education and mental health services.

Risk and Work Configuration Management as a Function of Integrated Safety Management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lana Buehrer; Michele Kelly; Fran Lemieux; Fred Williams

2007-01-01

National Security Technologies, LLC (NSTec), has established a work management program and corresponding electronic Facilities and Operations Management Information System (e-FOM) to implement Integrated Safety Management (ISM). The management of work scopes, the identification of hazards, and the establishment of implementing controls are reviewed and approved through electronic signatures. Through the execution of the program and the implementation of the electronic system, NSTec staff work within controls and utilize feedback and improvement process. The Integrated Work Control Manual further implements the five functions of ISM at the Activity level. By adding the Risk and Work Configuration Management program, NSTec establishes risk acceptance (business and physical) for liabilities within the performance direction and work management processes. Requirements, roles, and responsibilities are specifically identified in the program while e-FOM provides the interface and establishes the flowdown from the Safety Chain to work and facilities management processes to company work-related directives, and finally to Subject Matter Expert concurrence. The Program establishes, within the defined management structure, management levels for risk identification, risk mitigation (controls), and risk acceptance (business and physical) within the Safety Chain of Responsibility. The Program also implements Integrated Safeguards and Security Management within the NSTec Safety Chain of Responsibility. Once all information has been entered into e-FOM, approved, and captured as data, the information becomes searchable and sortable by hazard, location, organization, mitigating controls, etc

Assessment of occupational health and safety hazard exposures among working college students.

Science.gov (United States)

Balanay, Jo Anne G; Adesina, Adepeju; Kearney, Gregory D; Richards, Stephanie L

2014-01-01

Adolescents and young adults have higher injury rates than their adult counterparts in similar jobs. This study used the working college student population to assess health and safety hazards in the workplace, characterize related occupational diseases and injuries, and describe worker health/safety activities provided by employers. College students (≥17 years old) were assessed via online surveys about work history, workplace exposure to hazards, occupational diseases/injuries, and workplace health/safety activities. Approximately half (51%) of participants (n = 1,147) were currently employed at the time of the survey or had been employed while enrolled in college. Restaurants (other than fast food) were the most frequently reported work setting. The most reported workplace hazards included noise exposure and contact with hot liquids/surfaces. Twenty percent of working students experienced injury at work; some injuries were severe enough to limit students' normal activities for >3 days (30%) or require medical attention (44%). Men had significantly higher prevalence of injuries (P = 0.05) and near-misses (P safety training and half were given personal protective equipment (PPE) by their employers. Risk reduction from workplace injuries and illnesses among working college students may be achieved by implementing occupational health and safety (OHS) strategies including incorporation of OHS in the college curriculum, promotion of OHS by university/college student health services, and improving awareness of OHS online resources among college students, employers, and educators. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

managing teachers work safety for quality service delivery

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Global Journal

The contributions of teachers work safety to learning in secondary schools were ... absence of threats of danger to a workers life, property .... therefore helps to balance the social needs of the ... proffer solutions to the challenges confronting the.

Head to toe: Safety gear for field work

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mowers, J.

2004-09-01

Safety equipment designed to protect oil industry workers from hazards on the work site are described. Equipment described include hard hats of various kinds, hard hat liners for winter wear, protective eyewear to prevent injuries to the eyes from straight on and from above and below, face shields to protect against sparks, scratches or chemical sprays or spills, gloves and mitts to minimize abrasions, cuts, cold, heat, and various chemicals, work boots to prevent crushing blows to feet and shock absorbing safety harnesses and self-retracting lifelines to reduce injuries resulting from falls. The emphasis is on the many different types of equipment available in each of these categories, each designed to meet the special hazards faced on different job sites. Wearing the equipment properly, and keeping them in top condition through periodic inspections are also emphasized. 1 photo.

Safe Spaces, Support, Social Capital: A Critical Analysis of Artists Working with Vulnerable Young People in Educational Contexts

Science.gov (United States)

Sellman, Edward

2015-01-01

This article provides a critical and thematic analysis of three research projects involving artists working with vulnerable young people in educational contexts. It argues that artists create safe spaces in contrast to traditional educational activities but it will also raise questions about what constitutes such a space for participants. It will…

Assessment of freeway work zone safety with improved cellular automata model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guohua Liang

2014-08-01

Full Text Available To accurately assess the safety of freeway work zones, this paper investigates the safety of vehicle lane change maneuvers with improved cellular automata model. Taking the traffic conflict and standard deviation of operating speed as the evaluation indexes, the study evaluates the freeway work zone safety. With improved deceleration probability in car-following raies and the addition of lanechanging rules under critical state, the lane-changing behavior under critical state is defined as a conflict count. Through 72 schemes of simulation runs, the possible states of the traffic flow are carefully studied. The results show that under the condition of constant saturation traffic conflict count and vehicle speed standard deviation reach their maximums when the mixed rate of heave vehicles is 40%. Meanwhile, in the case of constant heavy vehicles mix, traffic conflict count and vehicle speed standard deviation reach maximum values when saturation rate is 0. 75. Integrating ail simulation results, it is known the traffic safety in freeway work zones is classified into four levels : safe, relatively safe, relatively dangerous, and dangerous.

Associations of Organizational Safety Practices and Culture With Physical Workload, Perceptions About Work, and Work-Related Injury and Symptoms Among Hospital Nurses.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Soo-Jeong; Lee, Joung Hee

The study aim was to examine the relationships of organizational safety practices with nurses' perceptions about job and risk and experiences of work-related injury and symptoms. Nursing professions report high rates of work-related injuries. Organizational safety practices have been linked to workers' safety outcomes and perceptions about work. This study analyzed data from a random sample of 280 California RNs in a cross-sectional statewide survey. Data were collected by both postal and online surveys. Higher perceptions of organizational safety practices (safety climate, ergonomic practices, people-oriented culture) were significantly associated with lower physical workload, lower job strain, higher job satisfaction, lower risk perception, and lower work-related injury and symptom experiences. Ergonomic practices and people-oriented culture were associated with less intention of leaving job. Organizational safety practices may play a pivotal role in improving positive perceptions about jobs, reducing injury risks, and promoting nurse retention.

Preventive Effects of Safety Helmets on Traumatic Brain Injury after Work-Related Falls

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sang Chul Kim

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Work-related traumatic brain injury (TBI caused by falls is a catastrophic event that leads to disabilities and high socio-medical costs. This study aimed to measure the magnitude of the preventive effect of safety helmets on clinical outcomes and to compare the effect across different heights of fall. Methods: We collected a nationwide, prospective database of work-related injury patients who visited the 10 emergency departments between July 2010 and October 2012. All of the adult patients who experienced work-related fall injuries were eligible, excluding cases with unknown safety helmet use and height of fall. Primary and secondary endpoints were intracranial injury and in-hospital mortality. We calculated adjusted odds ratios (AORs of safety helmet use and height of fall for study outcomes, and adjusted for any potential confounders. Results: A total of 1298 patients who suffered from work-related fall injuries were enrolled. The industrial or construction area was the most common place of fall injury occurrence, and 45.0% were wearing safety helmets at the time of fall injuries. The safety helmet group was less likely to have intracranial injury comparing with the no safety helmet group (the adjusted odds ratios (ORs (95% confidence interval (CI: 0.42 (0.24–0.73, however, there was no statistical difference of in-hospital mortality between two groups (the adjusted ORs (95% CI: 0.83 (0.34–2.03. In the interaction analysis, preventive effects of safety helmet on intracranial injury were significant within 4 m height of fall. Conclusions: A safety helmet is associated with prevention of intracranial injury resulting from work-related fall and the effect is preserved within 4 m height of fall. Therefore, wearing a safety helmet can be an intervention for protecting fall-related intracranial injury in the workplace.

Working time, health and safety a research synthesis paper

OpenAIRE

Tucker, Philip; Folkard, Simon

2012-01-01

Outlines contemporary trends, developments and effects with regard to different aspects of working time, such as hours of work and work schedules. Examines the impact of modern working time arrangements on workers' health, well-being and workplace safety. Argues that while long daily hours tend to be associated with acute effects of fatigue, long weekly hours tend to be associated both with acute effects of fatigue as well as chronic fatigue, generating long-term negative health effects. Look...

Adaptation to Climate Change in Risk and Vulnerability Analysis on a Municipal Level, a basis for further work

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mossberg Sonnek, Karin; Lindberg, Anna; Lindgren, Johan

2007-12-01

The aim of Risk and Vulnerability Analysis (RVA) at local authority level in Sweden is to increase the capacity of local authorities to handle crises and to reduce vulnerability in the community. RVA processes could be an appropriate starting-point for discussions on how the community is influenced by climate change and how its effects could be reduced using various adjustment measures. In the report we present four methods: ROSA, MVA, IBERO and the Car Dun AB method. These have all been developed to support Swedish local authority RVA processes. We also present five international frameworks that have been developed by the organisations UNDP, USAID, UKCIP, C-CIARN and CSIRO to help decision-makers and stakeholders to adapt to climate change. Together, these descriptions form a foundation for continuing the work being done within the project Climatools, in which tools are being produced to be used by local authorities in adapting to climate change. In the report, we also discuss the concepts 'risk', 'vulnerability' and 'adaptation' and how analysis of adaptation to climate change has changed in recent years

Indicators to monitor NPP safety performance. Working material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-01-01

Numerical indicators to monitor safety status and overall safety performance of nuclear power plants (NPPs) are used by operators and some regulators worldwide. During the last few years, the IAEA, through Technical Committee Meetings and Consultants' Meetings has worked on this area. This report presents a framework for nuclear power plant safety performance indicators that was developed during two consultant meetings held at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna in December 1995 and November 1996. Annex 2 on risk based indicators was prepared during a consultants' meeting held in Vienna in July 1996. An additional outcome from these activities, was the recommendation that the IAEA conduce pilot exercises at several nuclear power plants that might be interested to participate, in order to test the validity of the concept and its usefulness. 6 figs

Proceedings of the Nuclear Criticality Technology Safety Workshop

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rene G. Sanchez

1998-04-01

This document contains summaries of most of the papers presented at the 1995 Nuclear Criticality Technology Safety Project (NCTSP) meeting, which was held May 16 and 17 at San Diego, Ca. The meeting was broken up into seven sessions, which covered the following topics: (1) Criticality Safety of Project Sapphire; (2) Relevant Experiments For Criticality Safety; (3) Interactions with the Former Soviet Union; (4) Misapplications and Limitations of Monte Carlo Methods Directed Toward Criticality Safety Analyses; (5) Monte Carlo Vulnerabilities of Execution and Interpretation; (6) Monte Carlo Vulnerabilities of Representation; and (7) Benchmark Comparisons.

23 CFR 630.1006 - Work zone safety and mobility policy.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 23 Highways 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Work zone safety and mobility policy. 630.1006 Section... policy. Each State shall implement a policy for the systematic consideration and management of work zone impacts on all Federal-aid highway projects. This policy shall address work zone impacts throughout the...

Exploring the Influence of Nurse Work Environment and Patient Safety Culture on Attitudes Toward Incident Reporting.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoo, Moon Sook; Kim, Kyoung Ja

2017-09-01

The aim of this study was to explore the influence of nurse work environments and patient safety culture on attitudes toward incident reporting. Patient safety culture had been known as a factor of incident reporting by nurses. Positive work environment could be an important influencing factor for the safety behavior of nurses. A cross-sectional survey design was used. The structured questionnaire was administered to 191 nurses working at a tertiary university hospital in South Korea. Nurses' perception of work environment and patient safety culture were positively correlated with attitudes toward incident reporting. A regression model with clinical career, work area and nurse work environment, and patient safety culture against attitudes toward incident reporting was statistically significant. The model explained approximately 50.7% of attitudes toward incident reporting. Improving nurses' attitudes toward incident reporting can be achieved with a broad approach that includes improvements in work environment and patient safety culture.

Security warning method and system for worker safety during live-line working

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Chilong; Zou, Dehua; Long, Chenhai; Yang, Miao; Zhang, Zhanlong; Mei, Daojun

2017-09-01

Live-line working is an essential part in the operations in an electric power system. Live-line workers are required to wear shielding clothing. Shielding clothing, however, acts as a closed environment for the human body. Working in a closed environment for a long time can change the physiological responses of the body and even endanger personal safety. According to the typical conditions of live-line working, this study synthesizes environmental factors related to shielding clothing and the physiological factors of the body to establish the heart rate variability index RMSSD and the comprehensive security warning index SWI. On the basis of both indices, this paper proposes a security warning method and system for the safety live-line workers. The system can monitor the real-time status of workers during live-line working to provide security warning and facilitate the effective safety supervision by the live operation center during actual live-line working.

A unified framework for risk and vulnerability analysis covering both safety and security

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aven, Terje

2007-01-01

Recently, we have seen several attempts to establish adequate risk and vulnerability analyses tools and related management frameworks dealing not only with accidental events but also security problems. These attempts have been based on different analysis approaches and using alternative building blocks. In this paper, we discuss some of these and show how a unified framework for such analyses and management tasks can be developed. The framework is based on the use of probability as a measure of uncertainty, as seen through the eyes of the assessor, and define risk as the combination of possible consequences and related uncertainties. Risk and vulnerability characterizations are introduced incorporating ideas both from vulnerability analyses literature as well as from the risk classification scheme introduced by Renn and Klinke

Factors impacting perceived safety among staff working on mental health wards.

Science.gov (United States)

Haines, Alina; Brown, Andrew; McCabe, Rhiannah; Rogerson, Michelle; Whittington, Richard

2017-09-01

Safety at work is a core issue for mental health staff working on in-patient units. At present, there is a limited theoretical base regarding which factors may affect staff perceptions of safety. This study attempted to identify which factors affect perceived staff safety working on in-patient mental health wards. A cross-sectional design was employed across 101 forensic and non-forensic mental health wards, over seven National Health Service trusts nationally. Measures included an online staff survey, Ward Features Checklist and recorded incident data. Data were analysed using categorical principal components analysis and ordinal regression. Perceptions of staff safety were increased by ward brightness, higher number of patient beds, lower staff to patient ratios, less dayroom space and more urban views. The findings from this study do not represent common-sense assumptions. Results are discussed in the context of the literature and may have implications for current initiatives aimed at managing in-patient violence and aggression. None. © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2017. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.

Poor safety climate, long work hours, and musculoskeletal discomfort among Latino horse farm workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Swanberg, Jennifer; Clouser, Jessica Miller; Gan, Wenqi; Flunker, John C; Westneat, Susan; Browning, Steven R

2017-09-03

This study investigated the prevalence of self-reported musculoskeletal discomfort (MSD) and work-related factors associated with elevated MSD among Latino thoroughbred farm workers. Participants (N = 225) were recruited using a community-based purposive sampling approach to participate in in-person interviews. Of these workers, 85% experienced MSD. MSD was divided into tertiles; the upper tertile was defined as elevated. Multivariable Poisson regression revealed associations between any elevated MSD and longer tenure on horse farms, longer work hours, and poor safety climate. Elevated neck/back MSD was associated with longer tenure, longer work hours, and poor safety climate. Elevated upper extremity MSD was associated with age and poor safety climate. Elevated lower extremity MSD was associated with longer tenure, longer work hours, and being female. Musculoskeletal discomfort is common among these workers. Improving safety climate and minimizing long work hours is recommended.

Mining Bug Databases for Unidentified Software Vulnerabilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dumidu Wijayasekara; Milos Manic; Jason Wright; Miles McQueen

2012-06-01

Identifying software vulnerabilities is becoming more important as critical and sensitive systems increasingly rely on complex software systems. It has been suggested in previous work that some bugs are only identified as vulnerabilities long after the bug has been made public. These vulnerabilities are known as hidden impact vulnerabilities. This paper discusses the feasibility and necessity to mine common publicly available bug databases for vulnerabilities that are yet to be identified. We present bug database analysis of two well known and frequently used software packages, namely Linux kernel and MySQL. It is shown that for both Linux and MySQL, a significant portion of vulnerabilities that were discovered for the time period from January 2006 to April 2011 were hidden impact vulnerabilities. It is also shown that the percentage of hidden impact vulnerabilities has increased in the last two years, for both software packages. We then propose an improved hidden impact vulnerability identification methodology based on text mining bug databases, and conclude by discussing a few potential problems faced by such a classifier.

75 FR 21602 - Online Safety and Technology Working Group Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-26

... OSTWG is tasked with evaluating industry efforts to promote a safe online environment for children. The... and Technology Working Group Meeting AGENCY: National Telecommunications and Information... public meeting of the Online Safety and Technology Working Group (OSTWG). DATES: The meeting will be held...

Fatigue in seafarers working in the offshore oil and gas re-supply industry: effects of safety climate, psychosocial work environment and shift arrangement.

Science.gov (United States)

Hystad, Sigurd W; Saus, Evelyn-Rose; Sætrevik, Bjørn; Eid, Jarle

2013-01-01

This study examined the influence of safety climate and psychosocial work environment on the reported fatigue of seafarers working in the offshore oil and gas re-supply industry (n = 402). We found that seafarers who reported high psychological demands and perceived the organisational-level safety climate negatively,reported significantly more mental fatigue, physical fatigue, and lack of energy. In addition, seafarers who reported having high levels of job control reported being significantly less mentally fatigued. We also found some combined effects of safety climate and shift arrangement. Organisational-level safety climate did not influence the levels of physical fatigue in seafarers working on the night shift. On the contrary, seafarers working during the days reported to be more physically fatigued when they perceived the organisational-level climate to be negative compared with the positive. The opposite effect was found for group-level safety climate: seafarers working during the nights reported to be more physically fatigued when they perceived the group-level climate to be negative compared with the positive. The results from this study point to the importance of taking into consideration aspects of the psychosocial work environment and safety climate,and their potential impact on fatigue and safety in the maritime organisations.

VULNERABILITY OF PART TIME EMPLOYEES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raluca Dimitriu

2015-11-01

Full Text Available The employee who concluded a part-time contract is the employee whose normal working hours, calculated weekly or as monthly average, is lower than the number of normal working hours of a comparable full-time employee. Part-time workers generally have the same legal status as full time workers. In fact, the vulnerability of this category of workers is not necessarily legal but rather economic: income - in proportion to the work performed, may be insufficient to cover the needs of living. However, such vulnerability may also have a certain cultural component: in some societies, professional identity is determined by the length of working hours. Also, part time work may hide many types of indirect discrimination.As a result, the part-time contract requires more than a protective legislation: it requires a strategy. This paper proposes a number of milestones of such a strategy, as well as some concrete de lege ferenda proposals.

The drought risk of maize in the farming-pastoral ecotone in Northern China based on physical vulnerability assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zhiqiang; Jiang, Jingyi; Ma, Qing

2016-12-01

Climate change is affecting every aspect of human activities, especially the agriculture. In China, extreme drought events caused by climate change have posed a great threat to food safety. In this work we aimed to study the drought risk of maize in the farming-pastoral ecotone in Northern China based on physical vulnerability assessment. The physical vulnerability curve was constructed from the relationship between drought hazard intensity index and yield loss rate. The risk assessment of agricultural drought was conducted from the drought hazard intensity index and physical vulnerability curve. The probability distribution of drought hazard intensity index decreased from south-west to north-east and increased from south-east to north-west along the rainfall isoline. The physical vulnerability curve had a reduction effect in three parts of the farming-pastoral ecotone in Northern China, which helped to reduce drought hazard vulnerability on spring maize. The risk of yield loss ratio calculated based on physical vulnerability curve was lower compared with the drought hazard intensity index, which suggested that the capacity of spring maize to resist and adapt to drought is increasing. In conclusion, the farming-pastoral ecotone in Northern China is greatly sensitive to climate change and has a high probability of severe drought hazard. Risk assessment of physical vulnerability can help better understand the physical vulnerability to agricultural drought and can also promote measurements to adapt to climate change.

Work Plans 2011 – Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food Safety

OpenAIRE

Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food Safety

2011-01-01

The annual work plan for 2011 summaries activities for the Scientific Steering Committee and the 9 panels of the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food Safety (VKM). VKM carries out independent risk assessments for the Norwegian Food Safety Authority across the Authority’s field of responsibility as well as environmental risk assessments of genetically modified organisms for the Directorate for Nature Management.

75 FR 1338 - Online Safety and Technology Working Group Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-11

... promote a safe online environment for children. The Act requires the OSTWG to report its findings and... and Technology Working Group Meeting AGENCY: National Telecommunications and Information... public meeting of the Online Safety and Technology Working Group (OSTWG). DATES: The meeting will be held...

DIFFICULTIES IN WORK SAFETY MANAGEMENT IN A COMPANY PRODUCING STEEL FLAT BARS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marta Niciejewska

2018-01-01

Full Text Available According to research, metal processing industry has the highest risk of accidents at work, due to the necessity for personal protective equipment use and strict execution of safety rules and procedures. The paper presents the individual characteristics of health and safety management in the company producing steel flat bars. Special attention has been paid to the safety aspect of the use of automated logistical equipment (gantries, automatics that increase the risk of work-related accidents. The results of research on the difficulties resulting from the specifics of production (metallurgical industry has been presented.

Effects of extended work shifts on employee fatigue, health, satisfaction, work/family balance, and patient safety.

Science.gov (United States)

Estryn-Béhar, Madeleine; Van der Heijden, Beatrice I J M

2012-01-01

12-hour shifts are quickly spreading in Europe. From our multivariate analysis concerning 25,924 European nurses, including twenty explanatory variables simultaneously, we found that work schedule itself is not a major determinant factor. Nurses aim to choose or accept night shifts or 12-hour shift in order to reduce their work/home conflicts, however, at the expense of the patient's safety, as well as their own health and safety. Therefore, it is important to develop measures, such as extended child care, association of nurses to the elaboration of their rota, 9- or 10-hour shifts in the afternoon, allowing naps during night shifts, and reduction of changing shifts with short notice. Work schedules must be organized in order to allow time for shift handover, social support and team building.

Social vulnerability assessment: a growing practice in Europe?

Science.gov (United States)

Tapsell, S.; McC arthy, S.

2012-04-01

This paper builds upon work on social vulnerability from the CapHaz-Net consortium, an ongoing research project funded by the European Commission in its 7th Framework Programme. The project focuses on the social dimensions of natural hazards, as well as on regional practices of risk prevention and management, and aims at improving the resilience of European societies to natural hazards, paying particular attention to social capacity building. The topic of social vulnerability is one of seven themes being addressed in the project. There are various rationales for examining the relevance of social vulnerability to natural hazards. Vulnerability assessment has now been accepted as a requirement for the effective development of emergency management capability, and assessment of social vulnerability has been recognised as being integral to understanding the risk to natural hazards. The aim of our research was to examine social vulnerability, how it might be understood in the context of natural hazards in Europe, and how social vulnerability can be addressed to increase social capacity. The work comprised a review of research on social vulnerability to different natural hazards within Europe and included concepts and definitions of social vulnerability (and related concepts), the purpose of vulnerability assessment and who decides who is vulnerable, different approaches to assessing or measuring social vulnerability (such as the use of 'classical' quantitative vulnerability indicators and qualitative community-based approaches, along with the advantages and disadvantages of both), conceptual frameworks for assessing social vulnerability and three case studies of social vulnerability studies within Europe: flash floods in the Italian Alps, fluvial flooding in Germany and heat waves in Spain. The review reveals variable application of social vulnerability analysis across Europe and there are indications why this might be the case. Reasons could range from the scale of

48 CFR 952.223-71 - Integration of environment, safety, and health into work planning and execution.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

..., safety, and health into work planning and execution. 952.223-71 Section 952.223-71 Federal Acquisition... Provisions and Clauses 952.223-71 Integration of environment, safety, and health into work planning and... safety and health standards applicable to the work conditions of contractor and subcontractor employees...

Work organization and health among immigrant women: Latina manual workers in North Carolina.

Science.gov (United States)

Arcury, Thomas A; Grzywacz, Joseph G; Chen, Haiying; Mora, Dana C; Quandt, Sara A

2014-12-01

We sought to describe work organization attributes for employed immigrant Latinas and determine associations of work organization with physical health, mental health, and health-related quality of life. We conducted a cross-sectional survey with 319 employed Latinas in western North Carolina (2009-2011). Measures included job demands (heavy load, awkward posture, psychological demand), decision latitude (skill variety, job control), support (supervisor control, safety climate), musculoskeletal symptoms, mental health (depressive symptoms), and mental (MCS) and physical component score (PCS) health-related quality of life. Three fifths reported musculoskeletal symptoms. Mean scores for depression, MCS, and PCS were 6.2 (SE = 0.2), 38.3 (SE = 0.5), and 42.8 (SE = 0.3), respectively. Greater job demands (heavy load, awkward posture, greater psychological demand) were associated with more musculoskeletal and depressive symptoms and worse MCS. Less decision latitude (lower skill variety, job control) was associated with more musculoskeletal and depressive symptoms. Greater support (supervisor's power and safety climate) was associated with fewer depressive symptoms and better MCS. Work organization should be considered to improve occupational health of vulnerable women workers. Additional research should delineate the links between work organization and health among vulnerable workers.

OECD/NEA working party on nuclear criticality safety: Challenge of new realities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nomura, Y.; Brady, M.C.; Briggs, J.B.; Sartori, E.

1998-01-01

New issues in criticality safety continue to emerge as spent fuel storage facilities reach the saturation point, fuel enrichments and burn-ups increase and new types of plutonium-carrying fuels are being developed. The new challenges related to the manipulation, transportation and storage of fuel demand further work to improve models predicting behavior through new experiments, especially where there is a lack of data in the present databases. This article summarizes the activities of the OECD/NEA working groups that coordinate and carry out work in the domain of criticality safety. Particular attention is devoted to establishing sound databases required in this area and to addressing issues of high relevance such as burn-up credit. This is aimed toward improving safety and identifying economic solutions to issues concerning the back end of the fuel cycle

48 CFR 970.5223-1 - Integration of environment, safety, and health into work planning and execution.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

..., safety, and health into work planning and execution. 970.5223-1 Section 970.5223-1 Federal Acquisition... Integration of environment, safety, and health into work planning and execution. As prescribed in 970.2303-3(b), insert the following clause: Integration of Environment, Safety, and Health Into Work Planning and...

Gender issues in safety and health at work : a review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Houtman, I.L.D.; Kauppinen, K.; Kumpulainen, R.; Goudswaard, A.

2003-01-01

This report explores the gender differences in occupational safety and health. There is strong segregation of women and men into different jobs and tasks at work. Both men and women face significant risks. In general, men suffer more accidents and injuries at work than women do, whereas women report

The work environment and empowerment as predictors of patient safety culture in Turkey.

Science.gov (United States)

Dirik, Hasan Fehmi; Intepeler, Seyda Seren

2017-05-01

As scant research based information is available regarding the work environment, empowerment and patient safety culture, this study from a developing country (Turkey) in which health care institutions are in a state of transition, aimed to investigate further the relationships between these three variables. A cross-sectional descriptive design was employed. The sample comprised 274 nurse participants working in a university hospital located in Izmir (Turkey). In data evaluation, descriptive statistics and hierarchical regression analyses were applied. The work environment and structural empowerment were related to the patient safety culture and explained 55% of the variance in patient safety culture perceptions. 'Support for optimal patient care', 'nurse/physician relationships' and 'staff involvement in organisational affairs' were the significant predictors. An enhancement of the work environment and providing access to empowerment structures may help health care organisations improve the patient safety culture. In light of the findings, the following actions can be recommended to inform health care leaders: providing necessary resources for nursing practise, encouraging nurses' participation in decision-making, strengthening communication within the team and giving nurses the opportunities to cope with challenging work problems to learn and grow. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

General re-evaluation of the safety on the nuclear ship 'Mutsu' and its repair work

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-01-01

According to the proposition by the Committee for Investigation Radiation Leak on Mutsu, the works of the general re-evaluation of safety were started after the approval by the Committee for Investigating General Re-evaluation and Repair Techniques for Mutsu. The contents of the general re-evaluation of safety are the inspection of the machines and equipments in the nuclear reactor plant, the review of the design of the nuclear reactor plant, the analysis of the nuclear reactor plant behavior in accidents, and the related experimental researches. These works have been carried out for five years, and problem did not arise at all regarding the nuclear reactor so far, but from the viewpoint of improving the safety and reliability further, it was decided to carry out the repair work based on the general re-evaluation of safety. The contents of the repair work are the improvement of the emergency core-cooling system, the improvement of the safety protection system, the improvement of the radiation monitoring equipments, the improvement of the containment vessel boundary, the improvement of the actuators for technological safety facilities, the improvement of the method controlling secondary water quality, and other repair works. The progress of the general re-evaluation of safety is reported. (Kako, I.)

Work Pressure and Safety Behaviors among Health Workers in Ghana: The Moderating Role of Management Commitment to Safety

OpenAIRE

Amponsah-Tawaih, Kwesi; Adu, Michael Appiah

2016-01-01

Background: safety and healthy working environment has received numerous research attention over the years. Majority of these researches seem to have been conducted in the construction industry, with little attention in the health sector. Nonetheless, there are couple of studies conducted in Africa that suggest pressure in hospitals. Therefore the aim of the study was to examine how pressure influence safety behavior in the hospitals. With reference to the relevance of safety behavior in prim...

INSAG's ongoing work on nuclear, radiation and waste safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baer, A.J.

1999-01-01

The International Nuclear Safety Advisory Group (INSAG) is an advisory group to the Director General of the IAEA. It identifies current nuclear safety issues, draws conclusions from its analyses and gives advice on those issues. INSAG is currently working on four documents: a complete revision of INSAG-3, the classical paper on safety principles for nuclear plants, published in 1988; 'Safety Management', the effective system for the management of operational strategy; 'Safe Management of the Life Cycle of Nuclear Power Plants'; and the fourth document in preparation entitled 'The Safe Management of Sources of Radiation: Principles and Strategies'. The fourth document is aimed primarily at political decision makers who have no knowledge of radiation safety or of nuclear matters generally but are called upon to make important decisions in this field. INSAG has attempted to present them with a 'unified doctrine' of the management of all radiation sources, even though, for historical reasons radiation protection and nuclear safety have evolved largely independently of each other. The major conclusion to be drawn from the paper is that a systematic application of protection and safety principles, and of appropriate strategies, goes a long way towards ensuring the safe management of technologies involving radiation. Furthermore, the management of sources of radiation could benefit from the experience accumulated in other industries facing comparable challenges

Employment and work safety among 12 to 14 year olds: listening to parents.

Science.gov (United States)

Usher, Amelia M; Breslin, Curtis; MacEachen, Ellen; Koehoorn, Mieke; Laberge, Marie; Laberge, Luc; Ledoux, Élise; Wong, Imelda

2014-10-01

Survey research indicates that a surprising number of 12 to 14 year olds in North America engage in some form of paid work, and work-related injuries for this age group are reported at rates similar to older teens. Parents exhibit significant involvement in many aspects of their teens' work and may influence perceptions of work safety, yet few studies have explored this phenomenon from a qualitative perspective with parents of working 12 to 14 year olds. This paper focuses on parental perceptions and understandings of work safety based on focus groups conducted with urban Canadian parents of young teens who work for pay. Parents discussed the types of job held by their 12 to 14 year olds, the perceived costs and benefits to working at this age, and their understanding of risk and supervision on the job. A grounded theory approach was used to thematically analyze the focus group transcripts. Parents in this study held favourable attitudes towards their 12 to 14 year olds' working. Parents linked pro-social moral values and skills such as responsibility, work ethic, time management, and financial literacy with their young teen's employment experience. Risks and drawbacks were generally downplayed or discounted. Perceptions of workplace safety were mitigated by themes of trust, familiarity, sense of being in control and having discretion over their 12 to 14 year olds' work situation. Further, parental supervision and monitoring fell along a continuum, from full parental responsibility for monitoring to complete trust and delegation of supervision to the workplace. The findings suggest that positive parental attitudes towards working overshadow occupational health and safety concerns. Parents may discount potential hazards based on the presence of certain mitigating factors.

Defining the patient safety attitudes and influencing factors of health professionals working at maternity hospitals.

Science.gov (United States)

Tunçer Ünver, Gamze; Harmanci Seren, Arzu Kader

2018-02-27

To determine patient safety attitudes of midwives, nurses and physicians and to examine the difference or correlation in patient safety attitudes of midwives, nurses and physicians working in maternity hospitals. It has been suggested that it is necessary to define the factors affecting patient safety attitudes of health professionals working in maternity hospitals. A descriptive and correlational design was employed.The sample comprised 58 midwives, 134 nurses and 63 physicians (255) in two maternity hospitals in Istanbul, Turkey. The data were collected using an 'information form' and a 'Patient Safety Attitude Questionnaire'. The safety attitudes of participants were generally found to be negative. However, midwives had more positive patient safety attitudes and the age, unit, adequacy of patient safety training and the importance of patient safety were the most effective variables. As health professionals working in maternity hospitals generally have negative patient safety attitudes and because patient safety training provided better attitudes among the participants, these training programmes should be developed and implemented considering the differences among age groups and units. Health professionals have different views on the patient safety culture; therefore, training needs to involve everyone to create a shared vision for patient safety. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

OECD/NEA working party on nuclear criticality safety: challenge of new realities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nomura, Y.; Brady, M.C.; Briggs, J.B.; Sartori, E.

1998-01-01

New issues in critically safety continue to emerge as spent fuel storage facilities reach the saturation point, fuel enrichments and burn-ups increase and new types of plutonium-carrying fuels are being developed. The new challenges related to the manipulation, transportation and storage of fuel demand further work to improve models predicting behaviour through new experiments, especially where there is a lack of data the present databases. This article summarizes the activities of the OECD/NEA working groups that co-ordinate and carry out work in the domain of criticality safety. Particular attention is devoted to establishing sound databases required in this area and to addressing issues of high relevance such as burn-up credit. This is aimed toward improving safety and identifying economic solutions to issues concerning the back end of the fuel cycle. (authors)

75 FR 4904 - Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC); Working Group Activity Update

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-29

... amend regulations protecting persons who work on, under, or between rolling equipment; and persons...-7257] Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC); Working Group Activity Update AGENCY: Federal Railroad... Committee (RSAC) Working Group Activities. SUMMARY: The FRA is updating its announcement of RSAC's Working...

New risks and trends in the safety and health of women at work

OpenAIRE

Flaspöler, E; Hauke, A; Koppisch, D; Reinert, D; Koukoulaki, T; Vilkevicius, G; Žemės, L; Águila Martínez-Casariego, M; Baquero Martínez, M; González Lozar, L; Vega Martínez, S; López Riera, S; Carter, L; Leah, C; Gervais, R

2013-01-01

In 2009 and 2010, the Agency commissioned an update to its previous research on gender issues at\\ud work (EU-OSHA, 2003), which found that inequality both within and outside the workplace can have\\ud an effect on the health and safety of women at work. This report provides that update and the first\\ud figures on the effects of the recent economic downturn on women at work. It aims to fulfil the task\\ud outlined by the European strategy on health and safety at work (EC, 2002) for EU-OSHA’s Eur...

Engaging Employees: The Importance of High-Performance Work Systems for Patient Safety.

Science.gov (United States)

Etchegaray, Jason M; Thomas, Eric J

2015-12-01

To develop and test survey items that measure high-performance work systems (HPWSs), report psychometric characteristics of the survey, and examine associations between HPWSs and teamwork culture, safety culture, and overall patient safety grade. We reviewed literature to determine dimensions of HPWSs and then asked executives to tell us which dimensions they viewed as most important for safety and quality. We then created a HPWSs survey to measure the most important HPWSs dimensions. We administered an anonymous, electronic survey to employees with direct patient care working at a large hospital system in the Southern United States and looked for linkages between HPWSs, culture, and outcomes. Similarities existed for the HPWS practices viewed as most important by previous researchers and health-care executives. The HPWSs survey was found to be reliable, distinct from safety culture and teamwork culture based on a confirmatory factor analysis, and was the strongest predictor of the extent to which employees felt comfortable speaking up about patient safety problems as well as patient safety grade. We used information from a literature review and executive input to create a reliable and valid HPWSs survey. Future research needs to examine whether HPWSs is associated with additional safety and quality outcomes.

Promoting safety in the work environment: the role of internal marketing

OpenAIRE

2009-01-01

M.Comm. The process of creating a safe working environment for all has proved to be one of the most complex facets within an organisation. This may be attributed to the fact that there are so many elements involved in ensuring occupational safety. Not only has the individual employee a responsibility towards safety, including his or her attitude and risk-taking behaviour, but also does the organisation contribute towards this hazard-free environment in providing a culture where safety is r...

Key aspects in managing safety when working with multiple contractors: A case study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Drupsteen, L.; Rasmussen, H.B.; Ustailieva, E.; Kampen, J. van

2015-01-01

Working with multiple contractors in a shared workplace can introduce and increase safety risks due to complexity. The aim of this study was to explore how safety issues are recognized in a specific case and to identify whether clients and contractors perceive problems similarly. The safety issues

Work-family conflict and safety participation of high-speed railway drivers: Job satisfaction as a mediator.

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Wei; Guo, Ming; Ye, Long; Liao, Ganli; Yang, Zhehan

2016-10-01

Despite the large body of work on the work-family interface, hardly any literature has addressed the work-family interface in safety-critical settings. This study draws from social exchange theory to examine the effect of employees' strain-based work-to-family conflict on their supervisors' rating of their safety participation through job satisfaction. The sample consisted of 494 drivers from a major railway company in China. The results of a structural equation model revealed that drivers' strain-based work-to-family conflict negatively influences safety participation, and the relationship was partially mediated by job satisfaction. These findings highlight the importance of reducing employees' work-to-family conflict in safety-critical organizations. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Relationships between organizational and individual support, nurses' ethical competence, ethical safety, and work satisfaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Poikkeus, Tarja; Suhonen, Riitta; Katajisto, Jouko; Leino-Kilpi, Helena

2018-03-12

Organizations and nurse leaders do not always effectively support nurses' ethical competence. More information is needed about nurses' perceptions of this support and relevant factors to improve it. The aim of the study was to examine relationships between nurses' perceived organizational and individual support, ethical competence, ethical safety, and work satisfaction. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted. Questionnaires were distributed to nurses (n = 298) working in specialized, primary, or private health care in Finland. Descriptive statistics, multifactor analysis of variance, and linear regression analysis were used to test the relationships. The nurses reported low organizational and individual support for their ethical competence, whereas perceptions of their ethical competence, ethical safety, and work satisfaction were moderate. There were statistically significant positive correlations between both perceived individual and organizational support, and ethical competence, nurses' work satisfaction, and nurses' ethical safety. Organizational and individual support for nurses' ethical competence should be strengthened, at least in Finland, by providing more ethics education and addressing ethical problems in multiprofessional discussions. Findings confirm that organizational level support for ethical competence improves nurses' work satisfaction. They also show that individual level support improves nurses' sense of ethical safety, and both organizational and individual support strengthen nurses' ethical competence. These findings should assist nurse leaders to implement effective support practices to strengthen nurses' ethical competence, ethical safety, and work satisfaction.

75 FR 76070 - Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC); Working Group Activity Update

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-07

... the Passenger Equipment Safety Standards. The Working Group met on September 16, 2010; currently there... ``after arrival mandatory directives,'' among other issues. The Working Group continues to work on after... protecting persons who work on, under, or between rolling equipment and persons applying, removing, or...

Organisation of work safety in the mining industry; Sicherheitsorganisation im Bergbau

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Didier, V. [Bergbau-Berufsgenossenschaft, Bochum (Germany). Referat Unfallverhuetung

1999-10-07

The paper summarizes the main findings of a scientific study. Accident figures for the German mining industry indicate that, in comparison with other industries, there is still plenty of scope for increased prevention. However, the rapid development of safety technology alone is still yielding diminishing returns. The main route to increased safety in the mining industry is by way of improved safety management. Various methods are available for analyzing the efficiency of work-safety structures and procedures. Models for the classification of safety-relevant tasks are based on the legally appropriate and organisationally expedient allocation of responsibilities between management and safety experts. An important management tool in this respect is the hazard analysis procedure laid down in the European Union's Health and Safety at Work Act. Practical studies are used to illustrate that safety results can be improved through reorganisation without increasing prime costs. (orig.) [German] Der Beitrag fasst die wesentlichen Ergebnisse einer wissenschaftlichen Studie zusammen: Die Unfallentwicklung im deutschen Bergbau zeigt im Vergleich zu anderen Industriezweigen noch deutliche Reserven fuer die Praevention. Die Fortentwicklung der Sicherheitstechnik fuer sich allein liefert aber nur noch abnehmende Grenzertraege. Eine Strategie technischer und organisatorischer Einzeldirektiven reicht ebenfalls nicht aus. Der Weg zu besseren Sicherheitsresultaten im Bergbau fuehrt vor allem ueber optimierte Ablaeufe des Sicherheitsmanagements. Mit verschiedenen Methoden lassen sich Aufbau- und Ablauforganisation der Arbeitssicherheit auf ihre Effizienz untersuchen. Aus der juristisch implizierten und organisatorisch zweckmaessigen Aufgabenteilung zwischen Fuehrungskraeften und Sicherheitsexperten ergeben sich Zurodnungsmuster fuer sicherheitsrelevante Aufgaben. Ein wichtiges Fuehrungsinstrument sind Gefaehrdungsanalysen nach dem Arbeitsschutzrecht der Europaeischen Union. Anhand

Investigation of status of safety management in radiation handle works

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amauchi, Hiroshi; Nishimura, Kenji; Izumi, Kokichi

2007-01-01

This report describes the investigation in the title concerning the system for safety management and for accident prevention, which was done by a questionnaire in a period of 1.5 months in 2005. The questionnaire including 55 questions for safety management system, 33 for instruments and safety utilization of radiation and 57 for present status of safety management in high-risk radiation works, was performed in 780 hospitals, of which 313 answered. The first 55 questions concerned with the facility, patient identification, information exchange, management of private information, safety management activities, measures to prevent accident, manual preparation, personnel education and safety awareness; the second, with management of instruments, package insert, system for reporting the safety information, management of implants, re-imaging and radiation protection; and the third, with the systems for patients' emergency, in departments of CT/MR, of IVR, of nuclear diagnosis and of radiation therapy. Based on the results obtained, many problems, tasks and advices are presented to various items and further continuation of efforts to improve the present status is mentioned to be necessary. Details are given in the homepage of the Japanese Society of Radiological Technology. (T.I.)

Study on real working performance and overload safety factor of high arch dam

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

2008-01-01

Considering the fact that high arch dams have problems such as complicated stress,high cost,and hazards after being damaged,this paper intends to study the effects of load,material strength,and safety analysis method on dam safety and working performance of arch dams.In this article,the effects of temperature,self weight exaction way and water loading on structure response are first discussed,and a more reasonable way of considering is then put forward.By taking into consideration the mechanical property of materials and comparing the effects of different yield criteria on overloading safety of high arch dams,this paper concludes that brittle characteristics of concrete should be fully considered when conducting safety assessment for high arch dams to avoid overestimating the bearing capacity of the dams.By comparing several typical projects,this paper works out a safety assessment system of multiple safety and relevant engineering analogical analysis methods,which is closer to the actual situation,and thus is able to assess the response of high arch dam structure in a more comprehensive way,elicit the safety coefficients in different situations,and provide a new way of considering the safety assessment of high arch dams.

Work Practice, Safety and Heedfulness. Studies of Organizational Reliability in Hospitals and Nuclear Power Plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gauthereau, Vincent

2003-01-01

The study of safety in complex systems has focused on different issues over the past decades. This focus was often linked to the conclusions of previous accidents'/incidents' analyses. When accidents were attributed to technical causes, safety research focused on technical developments. When they were later attributed to 'human errors', safety research focused on this 'component'. And when, since the mid-eighties accidents have been attributed to 'organizational factors', safety research has focused on these very same 'organizational factors'. The present thesis argues for a 'practice view' over safety to be taken. This view is mainly drawn from the field of research on High Reliability Organizations (HRO). HRO theorists' point of view on safety is that we can operate complex systems safely despite the fact that we have made them so complex that they are prone to 'normal accidents'. Humans involved in the operation of our systems actually create safety. Safety is formed through the adaptation of work practice to local conditions, and this adaptation is part of safe operation. Safety is not only a substantial quality of our socio-technical systems: the discursive dimension of safety actually seems to be a central component of safety creation. However, the adaptive ability of HRO can sometimes become their downfall. Adaptation, which is the backbone of safety, can sometimes be a drawback as well. Consequently, the practice view of safety, proposed in the present work, argues that we need to further comprehend how work practice evolves over time, and more specifically what are the inherent characteristics of work practice that create this evolution. Empirical studies from health-care and nuclear power generation highlight different details about organizational reliability. For instance, one study of planning at a nuclear power plant draws our attention to the different roles of planning in the organization. Another study, within heath-care, underlines the evolution of

Assessment of chemical vulnerabilities in the Hanford high-level waste tanks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meacham, J.E.

1996-01-01

The purpose of this report is to summarize results of relevant data (tank farm and laboratory) and analysis related to potential chemical vulnerabilities of the Hanford Site waste tanks. Potential chemical safety vulnerabilities examined include spontaneous runaway reactions, condensed phase waste combustibility, and tank headspace flammability. The major conclusions of the report are the following: Spontaneous runaway reactions are not credible; condensed phase combustion is not likely; and periodic releases of flammable gas can be mitigated by interim stabilization

Structural empowerment and patient safety culture among registered nurses working in adult critical care units.

Science.gov (United States)

Armellino, Donna; Quinn Griffin, Mary T; Fitzpatrick, Joyce J

2010-10-01

The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between structural empowerment and patient safety culture among staff level Registered Nurses (RNs) within adult critical care units (ACCU). There is literature to support the value of RNs' structurally empowered work environments and emerging literature towards patient safety culture; the link between empowerment and patient safety culture is being discovered. A sample of 257 RNs, working within adult critical care of a tertiary hospital in the United States, was surveyed. Instruments included a background data sheet, the Conditions of Workplace Effectiveness and the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture. Structural empowerment and patient safety culture were significantly correlated. As structural empowerment increased so did the RNs' perception of patient safety culture. To foster patient safety culture, nurse leaders should consider providing structurally empowering work environments for RNs. This study contributes to the body of knowledge linking structural empowerment and patient safety culture. Results link structurally empowered RNs and increased patient safety culture, essential elements in delivering efficient, competent, quality care. They inform nursing management of key factors in the nurses' environment that promote safe patient care environments. © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Motivation, working memory, and decision making: a cognitive-motivational theory of personality vulnerability to alcoholism.

Science.gov (United States)

Finn, Peter R

2002-09-01

This article presents a cognitive-motivational theory (CMT) of the mechanisms associated with three basic dimensions of personality vulnerability to alcoholism, impulsivity/novelty seeking, harm avoidance, and excitement seeking. CMT describes the interrelationships between activity in basic motivational systems and attentional, decision-making and working memory processes as the mechanisms associated with variation in each personality trait. Impulsivity/novelty seeking reflects activity in both appetitive and inhibitory motivational systems, greater attention to reward cues, and increased emotional reactivity to reward and frustration. Harm avoidance reflects individual differences in fearfulness and activity in specific inhibitory systems. Excitement seeking reflects the need to engage in appetitive behaviors in less predictable environments to experience positive affect. CMT also describes the impact of working memory and the specific motivational processes underlying each trait dimension on the dynamics of decision making from the perspective of decision field theory.

Characteristics of safety critical organizations . work psychological perspective; Turvallisuuskriittisten organisaatioiden toiminnan erityispiirteet

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oedewald, P.; Reiman, T. [VTT, Espoo (Finland)

2006-02-15

This book deals with organizations that operate in high hazard industries, such as the nuclear power, aviation, oil and chemical industry organisations. The society puts a great strain on these organisations to rigorously manage the risks inherent in the technology they use and the products they produce. In this book, an organisational psychology view is taken to analyse what are the typical challenges of daily work in these environments. The analysis is based on a literature review about human and organisational factors in safety critical industries, and on the interviews of Finnish safety experts and safety managers from four different companies. In addition to this, personnel interviews conducted in the Finnish nuclear power plants are utilised. The authors come up with eight themes that seem to be common organizational challenges cross the industries. These include e.g. how does the personnel understand the risks and what is the right level for rules and procedures to guide the work activities. The primary aim of this book is to contribute to the Finnish nuclear safety research and safety management discussion. However, the book is equally suitable for risk management, organizational development and human resources management specialists in different industries. The purpose is to encourage readers to consider how the human and organizational factors are seen in the field they work in. (orig.)

75 FR 51525 - Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC); Working Group Activity Update

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-20

.... The Working Group continues to work on after arrival orders, and at the September 25-26, 2008, meeting... protecting persons who work on, under, or between rolling equipment and persons applying, removing or.... 63] Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC); Working Group Activity Update AGENCY: Federal Railroad...

Safety in traffic for vulnerable military road users

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aleksandar J. Bulajić

2012-04-01

Full Text Available The Army of Serbia, as a relatively closed system, regulates the field of traffic safety; however, during peacetime, general rules apply to all participants in traffic circulation. The Republic of Serbia is in the group of countries with a high number of road fatalities. The level of traffic safety in the Serbian Army has been on constant increase since 2000, although the relevant transport authorities in the military are not yet satisfied with the achieved level (even one lost life is too much. The increase can be deceptive, since if we take into account the substantial reduction in vehicle use due to various factors in the last few years (poor financial situation in the country as well as in the military, under-investment in the purchase of new vehicles, purchase of transportation services, fewer drivers drafted and more vehicles driven by trained officers, etc., it is not surprising that there are fewer accidents and fewer road deaths and injuries among military personnel. This paper aims at approaching the problem of pedestrian safety as a segment of road safety and at making an educational impact on all members of the military, because they all participate in traffic daily, if not as drivers or passengers, then certainly in large numbers as pedestrians. The basis of this paper is aimed at shedding light on the causes of pedestrian road fatalities due to their mistakes, i. e. 'negligence' of the participants in car accidents with the participation of pedestrians, as well as at proposing measures to reduce and prevent traffic accidents with pedestrians.

Corporate social responsibility and safety and health at work

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zwetsloot, G.I.J.M.

2004-01-01

This paper about European situation and perspectives on corporate social responsibility and safety and health at work was presented at Jornada Tecnica: Conditiones de Trabajo y Responsabilidad Social. This congress was organised by the Instituto Nacional de Seguridad e Higiene en el Trabajo (INHST)

Managing a network vulnerability assessment

CERN Document Server

Peltier, Thomas R; Blackley, John A

2003-01-01

Managing a Network Vulnerability Assessment provides a formal framework for finding and eliminating network security threats, ensuring that no vulnerabilities are overlooked. This thorough overview focuses on the steps necessary to successfully manage an assessment, including the development of a scope statement, the understanding and proper use of assessment methodology, the creation of an expert assessment team, and the production of a valuable response report. The book also details what commercial, freeware, and shareware tools are available, how they work, and how to use them.

Discussing the notion of decent work: Senses of working for a group of Brazilian workers without college education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcelo Afonso Ribeiro

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Despite recent stability and socioeconomic development, Brazil’s history is marked by social inequality, informality, precarious work and psychosocial vulnerability, with little opportunity for decent and meaningful work, as recommended by the International Labour Office (ILO, for people in the country. Nevertheless, based on a social constructionist view, the hypothesis can be raised that there is no substantive definition of decent work, but rather a psychosocial one, constructed based on the discourse, narratives and practices produced through the relational processes which grant sense and meaning to work. Therefore, the examination of narratives and discourses is an important methodological strategy to understand the socio-occupational reality of Brazil. Thus, this study aims to understand the senses attributed to working through content analysis of the narratives produced by a set of 20 urban workers and contrast them with the ILO definition of decent work, in an effort to analyze the relationships, similarities and differences between an established collective social discourse and the interviewees’ singular narratives. The main results point out that the participants look for working with fair wages, social protection, safety, and personal development opportunities, as the ILO recommends. The main difference is that these characteristics do not derive from the State’s actions, as in the employment and formal qualification model, but come from informal sources, such as family and community relationship networks. The informal relationship networks produce job opportunities as well as social protection; qualification takes place through practical learning from more experienced colleagues; the opportunity to be able to keep working (employed or working informally leads to success and safety; and the possibility to make choices and have control over one’s life translates into personal and occupational development. In conclusion, the

Discussing the Notion of Decent Work: Senses of Working for a Group of Brazilian Workers without College Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Ribeiro, Marcelo A; Silva, Fabiano F; Figueiredo, Paula M

2016-01-01

Despite recent stability and socioeconomic development, Brazil's history is marked by social inequality, informality, precarious work, and psychosocial vulnerability, with little opportunity for decent and meaningful work, as recommended by the International Labour Office (ILO), for people in the country. Nevertheless, based on a social constructionist view, the hypothesis can be raised that there is no substantive definition of decent work, but rather a psychosocial one, constructed based on the discourse, narratives, and practices produced through the relational processes which grant sense and meaning to work. Therefore, the examination of narratives and discourses is an important methodological strategy to understand the socio-occupational reality of Brazil. Thus, this study aims to understand the senses attributed to working through content analysis of the narratives produced by a set of 20 urban workers and contrast them with the ILO definition of decent work, in an effort to analyze the relationships, similarities, and differences between an established collective social discourse and the interviewees' singular narratives. The main results point out that the participants look for working with fair wages, social protection, safety, and personal development opportunities, as the ILO recommends. The main difference is that these characteristics do not derive from the State's actions, as in the employment and formal qualification model, but come from informal sources, such as family and community relationship networks. The informal relationship networks produce job opportunities as well as social protection; qualification takes place through practical learning from more experienced colleagues; the opportunity to be able to keep working (employed or working informally) leads to success and safety; and the possibility to make choices and have control over one's life translates into personal and occupational development. In conclusion, the participants searched for

Studies of safety and critical work situations in nuclear power plants: A human factors perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacobsson Kecklund, L.

1998-05-01

The purpose of this thesis was to develop and apply different approaches for analyzing safety in critical work situations in real work settings in nuclear power plants, and also to identify safety enhancing measures by using the framework of interaction between human, organizational and technical subsystems. A Cognitive Psychology as well as a Stress Psychology framework was used. All studies were related to the annual outage operational state where the need for coping with many infrequent tasks, often carried out under high time pressure, puts great strain on the staff and organisation of the plant. In three studies the natural variations in the plant state, normal operation and annual outage operation, were used to explore human performance, work-related factors as well as coping and the operators' own resources and the relationship between them. In the annual outage condition high work demands, decreased sleepiness at night shift, more errors and less satisfaction with work performance quality was reported by maintenance as well as by control room operators. A relationship between high work demands and more organizational problems and reports of more frequent human errors and lower satisfactions with work performance quality was also identified in the annual outage condition. Moreover, a relationship between increased sleepiness during night shift, more frequent use of coping strategies and a higher frequency of human errors was reported. In two studies the Event and Barrier Function Model was applied to analyze the safety of barrier function systems inserted into work process sequences to protect the systems from the negative consequences of failures and errors. The model was also used to assess safety in relation to a technical and organizational change. The last study addressed changes in work performance and work-related factors in relation to a technical and organizational change of a safety significant work process involving increased automation and new

Disaster Governance and Vulnerability: The Case of Chile

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vicente Sandoval

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This exploratory work seeks to shed light on disaster governance by looking into potential linkages between the production of vulnerability and disaster governance in Chile. Our point of investigation is the case of post-disaster Chaitén and the Chilean model of Disaster Risk Management. The work begins by situating disaster governance and the production of vulnerability in a broader context of existing governance system that includes a multiplicity of actors and socio-economic, socio-ecological, and political processes. Coming from a multi-scalar perspective, we use the disaster Pressure and Release (PAR model to enable a differentiated analysis of the multiplicity of actors, rules, and processes related to DRM that participate in the production of disaster vulnerability in the current Chaitén. With this we address the questions as to ‘why’ the Chilean model of DRM is prominently centralised and ‘what’ are the effects on the production of disaster vulnerability for the case of post-disaster Chaitén.

National and international forums to discuss the approach and the results of PROMISING : Discussion in the framework of the European research project PROMISING (Promotion of Measures for Vulnerable Road Users), Workpackage 7.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wittink, R. (ed.)

2001-01-01

The European PROMISING research project is aimed at the development and promotion of measures to improve both safety and mobility of vulnerable road users. Consideration was given to differences between European countries in the share of different transport modes. During the research work, an

Intervention Effects on Safety Compliance and Citizenship Behaviors: Evidence from the Work, Family, and Health Study

Science.gov (United States)

Hammer, Leslie B.; Johnson, Ryan C.; Crain, Tori L.; Bodner, Todd; Kossek, Ellen Ernst; Davis, Kelly; Kelly, Erin L.; Buxton, Orfeu M.; Karuntzos, Georgia; Chosewood, L. Casey; Berkman, Lisa

2015-01-01

We tested the effects of a work-family intervention on employee reports of safety compliance and organizational citizenship behaviors in 30 healthcare facilities using a group-randomized trial. Based on Conservation of Resources theory and the Work-Home Resources Model, we hypothesized that implementing a work-family intervention aimed at increasing contextual resources via supervisor support for work and family and employee control over work time would lead to improved personal resources and increased employee performance on the job in the form of self-reported safety compliance and organizational citizenship behaviors. Multilevel analyses used survey data from 1,524 employees at baseline, 6-month and 12-month post-intervention follow-ups. Significant intervention effects were observed for safety compliance at the 6-month and organizational citizenship behaviors at the 12-month follow-ups. More specifically, results demonstrate that the intervention protected against declines in employee self-reported safety compliance and organizational citizenship behaviors, compared to employees in the control facilities. The hypothesized mediators of perceptions of family supportive supervisor behaviors, control over work time, and work-family conflict (work-to-family conflict, family-to-work conflict) were not significantly improved by the intervention. However, baseline perceptions of family supportive supervisor behaviors, control over work time, and work-family climate were significant moderators of the intervention effect on the self-reported safety compliance and organizational citizenship behavior outcomes. PMID:26348479

Importance of biometrics to addressing vulnerabilities of the U.S. infrastructure

Science.gov (United States)

Arndt, Craig M.; Hall, Nathaniel A.

2004-08-01

Human identification technologies are important threat countermeasures in minimizing select infrastructure vulnerabilities. Properly targeted countermeasures should be selected and integrated into an overall security solution based on disciplined analysis and modeling. Available data on infrastructure value, threat intelligence, and system vulnerabilities are carefully organized, analyzed and modeled. Prior to design and deployment of an effective countermeasure; the proper role and appropriateness of technology in addressing the overall set of vulnerabilities is established. Deployment of biometrics systems, as with other countermeasures, introduces potentially heightened vulnerabilities into the system. Heightened vulnerabilities may arise from both the newly introduced system complexities and an unfocused understanding of the set of vulnerabilities impacted by the new countermeasure. The countermeasure's own inherent vulnerabilities and those introduced by the system's integration with the existing system are analyzed and modeled to determine the overall vulnerability impact. The United States infrastructure is composed of government and private assets. The infrastructure is valued by their potential impact on several components: human physical safety, physical/information replacement/repair cost, potential contribution to future loss (criticality in weapons production), direct productivity output, national macro-economic output/productivity, and information integrity. These components must be considered in determining the overall impact of an infrastructure security breach. Cost/benefit analysis is then incorporated in the security technology deployment decision process. Overall security risks based on system vulnerabilities and threat intelligence determines areas of potential benefit. Biometric countermeasures are often considered when additional security at intended points of entry would minimize vulnerabilities.

Work health and safety in cotton ginning industry: a survey of practices in australia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soomro, N.

2015-01-01

This survey focuses on the WH and S (Work Health and Safety) practices in Australia and relates them with those in Pakistan. It also highlights the planned areas of work required on WH and S in cotton ginning industry of Pakistan. This article is one a series of research studies that will inform a broader approach development. The aim of the survey was to design a standardized health and safety Act for cotton ginning industry of Pakistan and to help ginners meet their due industry obligations under the model WH and S Act. The first component of the research study survey was to review the relevant Australian work and safety model as this provides a framework to protect the health, safety and welfare of all employees at work and of other people who might be affected by the job. The second aspect of the research study survey concerned site visits to cotton gins with the support of Australian Centre for Agricultural Health and Safety, Moree, NSW. During these visits the existing ginning process in terms of WH and S were reviewed. Informal interviews were also conducted with Gin Managers and Ginning Experts regarding WH and S in the Australian cotton ginning industry. (author)

Nuclear criticality safety basics for personnel working with nuclear fissionable materials. Phase I

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vausher, A.L.

1984-10-01

DOE order 5480.1A, Chapter V, ''Safety of Nuclear Facilities,'' establishes safety procedures and requirements for DOE nuclear facilities. The ''Nuclear Criticality Safety Basic Program - Phase I'' is documented in this report. The revised program has been developed to clearly illustrate the concept of nuclear safety and to help the individual employee incorporate safe behavior in his daily work performance. Because of this, the subject of safety has been approached through its three fundamentals: scientific basis, engineering criteria, and administrative controls. Only basics of these three elements were presented. 5 refs

Non-reporting of work injuries and aspects of jobsite safety climate and behavioral-based safety elements among carpenters in Washington State.

Science.gov (United States)

Lipscomb, Hester J; Schoenfisch, Ashley L; Cameron, Wilfrid

2015-04-01

Declining work injury rates may reflect safer work conditions as well as under-reporting. Union carpenters were invited to participate in a mailed, cross-sectional survey designed to capture information about injury reporting practices. Prevalence of non-reporting and fear of repercussions for reporting were compared across exposure to behavioral-based safety elements and three domains of the Nordic Safety Climate Questionnaire (NOSACQ-50). The majority (>75%) of the 1,155 participants felt they could report work-related injuries to their supervisor without fear of retribution, and most felt that the majority of injuries on their jobsites got reported. However, nearly half indicated it was best not to report minor injuries, and felt pressures to use their private insurance for work injury care. The prevalence of non-reporting and fear of reporting increased markedly with poorer measures of management safety justice (NOSACQ-50). Formal and informal policies and practices on jobsites likely influence injury reporting. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A pragmatic analysis of vulnerability in clinical research.

Science.gov (United States)

Wendler, David

2017-09-01

Identifying which subjects are vulnerable, and implementing safeguards to protect them, is widely regarded as essential to clinical research. Commentators have endorsed a number of responses to these challenges and have thereby made significant progress in understanding vulnerability in clinical research. At the same time, this literature points to a central contradiction which calls into question its potential to protect vulnerable subjects in practice. Specifically, analysis suggests that all human subjects are vulnerable and vulnerability in clinical research is comparative and context dependent, in the sense that individuals are vulnerable relative to others and in some contexts only. Yet, if everyone is vulnerable, there seems to be no point in citing the vulnerability of some individuals. Moreover, the conclusion that everyone is vulnerable seems inconsistent with the claims that vulnerability is comparative and context dependent, raising concern over whether it will be possible to develop a comprehensive account of vulnerability that is internally consistent. The solution to this dilemma lies in recognition of the fact that the practical significance of claims regarding vulnerability depends on the context in which they are used. The claims that appear to lead to the central contradiction are in fact accurate conclusions that follow from different uses of the term 'vulnerability'. The present manuscript describes this 'pragmatic' approach to vulnerability in clinical research and considers its implications for ensuring that subjects receive appropriate protection. Published 2017. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Intervention effects on safety compliance and citizenship behaviors: Evidence from the Work, Family, and Health Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Hammer, Leslie B; Johnson, Ryan C; Crain, Tori L; Bodner, Todd; Kossek, Ellen Ernst; Davis, Kelly D; Kelly, Erin L; Buxton, Orfeu M; Karuntzos, Georgia; Chosewood, L Casey; Berkman, Lisa

2016-02-01

We tested the effects of a work-family intervention on employee reports of safety compliance and organizational citizenship behaviors in 30 health care facilities using a group-randomized trial. Based on conservation of resources theory and the work-home resources model, we hypothesized that implementing a work-family intervention aimed at increasing contextual resources via supervisor support for work and family, and employee control over work time, would lead to improved personal resources and increased employee performance on the job in the form of self-reported safety compliance and organizational citizenship behaviors. Multilevel analyses used survey data from 1,524 employees at baseline and at 6-month and 12-month postintervention follow-ups. Significant intervention effects were observed for safety compliance at the 6-month, and organizational citizenship behaviors at the 12-month, follow-ups. More specifically, results demonstrate that the intervention protected against declines in employee self-reported safety compliance and organizational citizenship behaviors compared with employees in the control facilities. The hypothesized mediators of perceptions of family-supportive supervisor behaviors, control over work time, and work-family conflict (work-to-family conflict, family-to-work conflict) were not significantly improved by the intervention. However, baseline perceptions of family-supportive supervisor behaviors, control over work time, and work-family climate were significant moderators of the intervention effect on the self-reported safety compliance and organizational citizenship behavior outcomes. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

76 FR 72997 - Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC); Working Group Activity Update

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-28

... two additional Task Groups to work in the areas of track worthiness and brakes. The Track worthiness... Group includes experts and key stakeholders such as international operators of high-speed equipment, car... regulatory language to the Passenger Safety Working Group at the September 16, 2010, meeting. More work...

Acquisition and extinction of human avoidance behavior: Attenuating effect of safety signals and associations with anxiety vulnerabilities

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Jony eSheynin

2014-09-01

Full Text Available While avoidance behavior is often an adaptive strategy, exaggerated avoidance can be detrimental and result in the development of psychopathologies, such as anxiety disorders. A large animal literature shows that the acquisition and extinction of avoidance behavior in rodents depends on individual differences (e.g., sex, strain and might be modulated by the presence of environmental cues. However, there is a dearth of such reports in human literature, mainly due to the lack of adequate experimental paradigms. In the current study, we employed a computer-based task, where participants control a spaceship and attempt to gain points by shooting an enemy spaceship that appears on the screen. Warning signals predict on-screen aversive events; the participants can learn a protective response to escape or avoid these events. This task has been recently used to reveal facilitated acquisition of avoidance behavior in individuals with anxiety vulnerability, due to female sex or inhibited personality. Here, we extended the task to include an extinction phase, and tested the effect of signals that appeared during safe periods. Healthy young adults (n=122 were randomly assigned to a testing condition with or without such signals. Results showed that the addition of safety signals during the acquisition phase impaired acquisition (in females and facilitated extinction of the avoidance behavior. We also replicated our recent finding of an association between female sex and longer avoidance duration and further showed that females continued to demonstrate more avoidance behavior even on extinction trials when the aversive events no longer occurred. This study is the first to show sex differences on the acquisition and extinction of human avoidance behavior and to demonstrate the role of safety signals in such behavior, highlighting the potential relevance of safety signals for cognitive therapies that focus on extinction learning to treat anxiety symptoms.

Living probabilistic safety assessment (LPSA)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-08-01

Over the past few years many nuclear power plant organizations have performed probabilistic safety assessments (PSAs) to identify and understand key plant vulnerabilities. As a result of the availability of these PSA studies, there is a desire to use them to enhance plant safety and to operate the nuclear stations in the most efficient manner. PSA is an effective tool for this purpose as it assists plant management to target resources where the largest benefit to plant safety can be obtained. However, any PSA which is to be used in this way must have a credible and defensible basis. Thus, it is very important to have a high quality 'living PSA' accepted by the plant and the regulator. With this background in mind, the IAEA has prepared this report on Living Probabilistic Safety Assessment (LPSA) which addresses the updating, documentation, quality assurance, and management and organizational requirements for LPSA. Deficiencies in the areas addressed in this report would seriously reduce the adequacy of the LPSA as a tool to support decision making at NPPs. This report was reviewed by a working group during a Technical Committee Meeting on PSA Applications to Improve NPP Safety held in Madrid, Spain, from 23 to 27 February 1998

INNOVATIVE FORMS SUPPORTING SAFE METHODS OF WORK IN SAFETY ENGINEERING FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF INTELLIGENT SPECIALIZATIONS

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Anna GEMBALSKA-KWIECIEŃ

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The article discusses innovative forms of participation of employees in the work safety system. It also presents the advantages of these forms of employees’ involvement. The aim of empirical studies was the analysis of their behavior and attitude towards health and safety at work. The issues considered in the article have a significant impact on the improvement of methods of prevention related to work safety and aided the creation of a healthy society.

Mobility Network and Safety

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Adriana Galderisi

2010-04-01

Full Text Available Mobility network is crucial for ensuring territorial safety with respect to natural and technological hazards. They represent a basic support to community’s everyday life although being exposed elements often characterized by high vulnerability to different hazards and, in the meanwhile, strategic equipments for emergency management. Physical damages or the lack in functioning of those networks may greatly increase the loss of human lives caused by hazardous events as well as produce relevant economic damages at medium and long term. Although the relevance of the mobility networks in assuring territorial safety is at present largely recognized, risk analyses have been long focused on buildings’ vulnerability or, even where they have paid attention to mobility network, they have been mainly focused on the physical damages that a given hazard could may induce on individual elements of such network. It is recent the awareness that mobility network represents a system, characterized by relevant interdependences both among its elements and among network infrastructures and urban systems. Based on these assumptions, this paper points out the heterogeneous aspects of the mobility network vulnerability and their relevance in increasing the overall territorial or urban vulnerability to hazardous events. Therefore, an in-depth investigation of the concept of mobility network vulnerability is provided, in order to highlight the aspects mostly investigated and more recent research perspectives. Finally, a case study in the Campania Region is presented in order to point out how traditional risk analyses, generally referred to individual hazards, can sometimes led to invest in the mobility network improvement or development which, targeted to increase the security of a territory result, on the opposite, in an increase of the territorial vulnerability.

Cognitive decision errors and organization vulnerabilities in nuclear power plant safety management: Modeling using the TOGA meta-theory framework

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cappelli, M.; Gadomski, A. M.; Sepiellis, M.; Wronikowska, M. W.

2012-01-01

In the field of nuclear power plant (NPP) safety modeling, the perception of the role of socio-cognitive engineering (SCE) is continuously increasing. Today, the focus is especially on the identification of human and organization decisional errors caused by operators and managers under high-risk conditions, as evident by analyzing reports on nuclear incidents occurred in the past. At present, the engineering and social safety requirements need to enlarge their domain of interest in such a way to include all possible losses generating events that could be the consequences of an abnormal state of a NPP. Socio-cognitive modeling of Integrated Nuclear Safety Management (INSM) using the TOGA meta-theory has been discussed during the ICCAP 2011 Conference. In this paper, more detailed aspects of the cognitive decision-making and its possible human errors and organizational vulnerability are presented. The formal TOGA-based network model for cognitive decision-making enables to indicate and analyze nodes and arcs in which plant operators and managers errors may appear. The TOGA's multi-level IPK (Information, Preferences, Knowledge) model of abstract intelligent agents (AIAs) is applied. In the NPP context, super-safety approach is also discussed, by taking under consideration unexpected events and managing them from a systemic perspective. As the nature of human errors depends on the specific properties of the decision-maker and the decisional context of operation, a classification of decision-making using IPK is suggested. Several types of initial situations of decision-making useful for the diagnosis of NPP operators and managers errors are considered. The developed models can be used as a basis for applications to NPP educational or engineering simulators to be used for training the NPP executive staff. (authors)

Cognitive decision errors and organization vulnerabilities in nuclear power plant safety management: Modeling using the TOGA meta-theory framework

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cappelli, M. [UTFISST, ENEA Casaccia, via Anguillarese 301, Rome (Italy); Gadomski, A. M. [ECONA, Centro Interuniversitario Elaborazione Cognitiva Sistemi Naturali e Artificiali, via dei Marsi 47, Rome (Italy); Sepiellis, M. [UTFISST, ENEA Casaccia, via Anguillarese 301, Rome (Italy); Wronikowska, M. W. [UTFISST, ENEA Casaccia, via Anguillarese 301, Rome (Italy); Poznan School of Social Sciences (Poland)

2012-07-01

In the field of nuclear power plant (NPP) safety modeling, the perception of the role of socio-cognitive engineering (SCE) is continuously increasing. Today, the focus is especially on the identification of human and organization decisional errors caused by operators and managers under high-risk conditions, as evident by analyzing reports on nuclear incidents occurred in the past. At present, the engineering and social safety requirements need to enlarge their domain of interest in such a way to include all possible losses generating events that could be the consequences of an abnormal state of a NPP. Socio-cognitive modeling of Integrated Nuclear Safety Management (INSM) using the TOGA meta-theory has been discussed during the ICCAP 2011 Conference. In this paper, more detailed aspects of the cognitive decision-making and its possible human errors and organizational vulnerability are presented. The formal TOGA-based network model for cognitive decision-making enables to indicate and analyze nodes and arcs in which plant operators and managers errors may appear. The TOGA's multi-level IPK (Information, Preferences, Knowledge) model of abstract intelligent agents (AIAs) is applied. In the NPP context, super-safety approach is also discussed, by taking under consideration unexpected events and managing them from a systemic perspective. As the nature of human errors depends on the specific properties of the decision-maker and the decisional context of operation, a classification of decision-making using IPK is suggested. Several types of initial situations of decision-making useful for the diagnosis of NPP operators and managers errors are considered. The developed models can be used as a basis for applications to NPP educational or engineering simulators to be used for training the NPP executive staff. (authors)

Working group on VVER safety analysis - report of the 2010 meeting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kliem, S.

2010-01-01

The AER Working Group D on WWER reactor safety analysis held its nineteenth meeting in Pisa, Italy, during the period 15-16 April, 2010. The meeting was hosted by the San Piero a Grado Nuclear Research Group of the University of Pisa and was held in conjunction with the second workshop on the OECD/NEA Benchmark for the Kalinin-3 WWER-1000 NPP and the fourth workshop on the OECD Benchmark for Uncertainty Analysis in Best-Estimate Modelling (UAM) for Design, Operation and Safety Analysis of LWRs. Altogether 12 participants attended the meeting of the working group D, 8 from AER member organizations and 4 guests from non-member organization. The co-ordinator of the working group, Mr. S. Kliem, served as chairman of the meeting. The meeting started with a general information exchange about the recent activities in the participating organizations. The given presentations and the discussions can be attributed to the following topics:-Code validation and benchmarking including the calculation of the OECD/NEA Benchmark for the Kalinin-3 WWER-1000 NPP;-Safety analyses and code developments;-Future activities A list of the participants and a list of the handouts distributed at the meeting are attached to the report. The corresponding PDF-files can be obtained from the chairman. (Author)

Áreas vulnerables en el centro de Madrid

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Agustín Hernández Aja

2007-07-01

This document shows an vulnerability analysis of the central area of Madrid taken it as the field of APE-00.01. Its objective is to delimit “vulnerable areas” so there can be evaluated the opportunities for interve trough them and then define the best tools in detriment of their vulnerability reasons. To determinate those areas we have developed a sociodemographic analysis where we have found those units of population with vulnerable values. Once determinated, we have synthetize them to define them as easy drafts that makes understandable the work area for later on establish a vulnerable areas catalogue with spatial homogeneity and significant size. The basic nucleus of the análisis has been the sociodemographic fact, based on homogeneus data sources for all the area so they could be referenced to specific spacial areas. In each case has been advised other possible indicators of vulnerability including a signifier selection of thrm on the fifth chapter.

Towards understanding work-as-done in air traffic management safety assessment and design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Woltjer, Rogier; Pinska-Chauvin, Ella; Laursen, Tom; Josefsson, Billy

2015-01-01

This paper describes the approach taken and the results to develop guidance, to include Resilience Engineering principles in methodology for safety assessment of functional changes, in Air Traffic Management (ATM). It summarizes the process of deriving resilience principles for ATM, originating from Resilience Engineering concepts and transposed into ATM operations. These principles are the foundation for guidance material incorporating Resilience Engineering (RE) concepts into safety assessment methodology. The guidance material provides a method using workshops generating qualitative descriptions of RE principles applied to ATM services of everyday work, as done currently and as envisioned after introduction of a new technology or way of working. The guidance material has been proposed as part of the safety assessment methodology of SESAR (Single European Sky ATM Research), and as stand-alone guidance for ATM design processes. The methodology was validated via a test case on the i4D/CTA (Controlled Time of Arrival) concept. Operational examples from the application of the developed guidance to the i4D/CTA concept are provided. Initial evaluation of the guidance suggests that the methodology (1) provides a narrative, vocabulary and documentation means of project discussions on resilience; (2) brings the discussions of safety and resilience closer to operational practice; (3) facilitates a broader systemic and integrative perspective on operational, management, business, safety, environmental, and human performance aspects; and (4) can extend the vocabulary of safety assessment to include the description of emergent properties, to better support functional changes in ATM. - Highlights: • Guidance material for safety assessment based on systemic thinking is proposed. • It operationalizes Resilience Engineering principles in Air Traffic Management, including a case study. • It enables description of expected changes in work-as-done when introducing a new

The relationships between safety climate, teamwork, and intent to stay at work among Jordanian hospital nurses.

Science.gov (United States)

Abualrub, Raeda F; Gharaibeh, Huda F; Bashayreh, Alaa Eddin I

2012-01-01

The purpose of the present study is to examine the relationships among safety climate, teamwork, and intent to stay at work as perceived by Jordanian hospital nurses. A descriptive correlational design was used to investigate these relationships among a convenience sample of 381 hospital nurses. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire that included the Safety Climate and Teamwork Scale and the McCain's Intent to Stay Scale. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, analysis of variance, and hierarchical regression analysis were used to analyze the data. The findings showed (a) a strong positive correlation between safety climate and teamwork; and (b) moderate positive correlations between safety climate and intent to stay at work, and between teamwork and intent to stay at work. Moreover, the overall model of hierarchical regression showed that 45% of the variation in the level of intent to stay at work was explained by background variables, leadership styles, decision-making styles, and safety climate. The findings emphasized the positive effect of safety climate and teamwork on the level of nurses' intent to stay. Nurse administrators should design and implement strategies that create a culture of safety climate and teamwork in their organizations. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Buildings vs. ballistics: Quantifying the vulnerability of buildings to volcanic ballistic impacts using field studies and pneumatic cannon experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, G. T.; Kennedy, B. M.; Wilson, T. M.; Fitzgerald, R. H.; Tsunematsu, K.; Teissier, A.

2017-09-01

Recent casualties in volcanic eruptions due to trauma from blocks and bombs necessitate more rigorous, ballistic specific risk assessment. Quantitative assessments are limited by a lack of experimental and field data on the vulnerability of buildings to ballistic hazards. An improved, quantitative understanding of building vulnerability to ballistic impacts is required for informing appropriate life safety actions and other risk reduction strategies. We assessed ballistic impacts to buildings from eruptions at Usu Volcano and Mt. Ontake in Japan and compiled available impact data from eruptions elsewhere to identify common damage patterns from ballistic impacts to buildings. We additionally completed a series of cannon experiments which simulate ballistic block impacts to building claddings to investigate their performance over a range of ballistic projectile velocities, masses and energies. Our experiments provide new insights by quantifying (1) the hazard associated with post-impact shrapnel from building and rock fragments; (2) the effect of impact obliquity on damage; and (3) the additional impact resistance buildings possess when claddings are struck in areas directly supported by framing components. This was not well identified in previous work which may have underestimated building vulnerability to ballistic hazards. To improve assessment of building vulnerability to ballistics, we use our experimental and field data to develop quantitative vulnerability models known as fragility functions. Our fragility functions and field studies show that although unreinforced buildings are highly vulnerable to large ballistics (> 20 cm diameter), they can still provide shelter, preventing death during eruptions.

Potential Safety Benefit of the Blind Spot Detection System for Large Trucks on the Vulnerable Road Users in Taiwan

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Wang Ming-Hang

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Considering motorcyclists, pedestrians and bicyclists as vulnerable road users (VRUs, more than 75 percent of the victims of fatal crashes involving large trucks in Taiwan are VRUs. Most crashes occurred at or were due to the blind spots of large trucks because of the size and traveling locations of the VRUs. This study applies typology and statistical methods to estimate the potential safety benefit of blind spot detection (BSD systems for large trucks on VRUs. The pre-crash scenarios associated with the blind spots of large trucks were derived by counting the maneuvers of large trucks and VRUs, prior to crashes, the truck drivers’ improper behaviors (cause of crashes, and the crash types. The number of crashes and fatalities were counted for the pre-crash scenario relevant to the BSD systems. A value of 0.8 of human machine interface factor (HMIF based on a previous study was applied to estimate the potential safety benefits of the BSD system. The results show that the implementation of BSD systems on all large trucks could help avoid about 24, 10, and 11 percent of large truck-involved crashes with pedestrians, bicycles, and motorcycles, respectively. The BSD systems could also save 5 pedestrians, 3 bicyclists, and 15 motorcyclists per year from crashes involving large trucks.

Update on the Department of Energy's 1994 plutonium vulnerability assessment for the plutonium finishing plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

HERZOG, K.R.

1999-01-01

A review of the environmental, safety, and health vulnerabilities associated with the continued storage of PFP's inventory of plutonium bearing materials and other SNM. This report re-evaluates the five vulnerabilities identified in 1994 at the PFP that are associated with SNM storage. This new evaluation took a more detailed look and applied a risk ranking process to help focus remediation efforts

Making work safer: testing a model of social exchange and safety management.

Science.gov (United States)

DeJoy, David M; Della, Lindsay J; Vandenberg, Robert J; Wilson, Mark G

2010-04-01

This study tests a conceptual model that focuses on social exchange in the context of safety management. The model hypothesizes that supportive safety policies and programs should impact both safety climate and organizational commitment. Further, perceived organizational support is predicted to partially mediate both of these relationships. Study outcomes included traditional outcomes for both organizational commitment (e.g., withdrawal behaviors) as well as safety climate (e.g., self-reported work accidents). Questionnaire responses were obtained from 1,723 employees of a large national retailer. Using structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques, all of the model's hypothesized relationships were statistically significant and in the expected directions. The results are discussed in terms of social exchange in organizations and research on safety climate. Maximizing safety is a social-technical enterprise. Expectations related to social exchange and reciprocity figure prominently in creating a positive climate for safety within the organization. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Climate change: are we all vulnerable?: Reconsidering inequalities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Magnan, Alexandre

2013-01-01

This bibliographical note presents a book in which the author reviews two generally accepted ideas: first, the poorest communities would be the most vulnerable to climate change due to their weak adaptation capacities, and second, such an adaptation would only be an issue of projection on a long term. Based on his works on coastal areas and on his experience on issues of vulnerability and adaptation to climate change he shows that all societies are potentially vulnerable. He uses the notion of 'impact chains', introduces three global parameters for these chains (temperatures, sea level, and precipitation regime), and outlines the always increasing complexity of causes-consequences relationships. He discusses two key concepts: vulnerability as the degree at which a system might be affected by climate changes, and the adaptation capacity which is developed by societies to reduce their vulnerability to environmental changes

Occupational Safety and Health Conditions Aboard Small- and Medium-Size Fishing Vessels: Differences among Age Groups.

Science.gov (United States)

Zytoon, Mohamed A; Basahel, Abdulrahman M

2017-02-24

Although marine fishing is one of the most hazardous occupations, research on the occupational safety and health (OSH) conditions aboard marine fishing vessels is scarce. For instance, little is known about the working conditions of vulnerable groups such as young and aging fishermen. The objective of the current paper is to study the OSH conditions of young and aging fishermen compared to middle-aged fishermen in the small- and medium-size (SM) marine fishing sector. A cross-sectional study was designed, and 686 fishermen working aboard SM fishing vessels were interviewed to collect information about their safety and health. The associations of physical and psychosocial work conditions with safety and health outcomes, e.g., injuries, illnesses and job satisfaction, are presented. The results of the current study can be utilized in the design of effective accident prevention and OSH training programs for the three age groups and in the regulation of working conditions aboard fishing vessels.

The impact of nursing work environments on patient safety outcomes: the mediating role of burnout/engagement.

Science.gov (United States)

Spence Laschinger, Heather K; Leiter, Michael P

2006-05-01

To test a theoretical model of professional nurse work environments linking conditions for professional nursing practice to burnout and, subsequently, patient safety outcomes. The 2004 Institute of Medicine report raised serious concerns about the impact of hospital restructuring on nursing work environments and patient safety outcomes. Few studies have used a theoretical framework to study the nature of the relationships between nursing work environments and patient safety outcomes. Hospital-based nurses in Canada (N = 8,597) completed measures of worklife (Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index), burnout (Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Service Scale), and their report of frequency of adverse patient events. Structural equation modeling analysis supported an extension of Leiter and Laschinger's Nursing Worklife Model. Nursing leadership played a fundamental role in the quality of worklife regarding policy involvement, staffing levels, support for a nursing model of care (vs medical), and nurse/physician relationships. Staffing adequacy directly affected emotional exhaustion, and use of a nursing model of care had a direct effect on nurses' personal accomplishment. Both directly affected patient safety outcomes. The results suggest that patient safety outcomes are related to the quality of the nursing practice work environment and nursing leadership's role in changing the work environment to decrease nurse burnout.

Assessing environmental vulnerability in EIA-The content and context of the vulnerability concept in an alternative approach to standard EIA procedure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kvaerner, Jens; Swensen, Grete; Erikstad, Lars

2006-01-01

In the traditional EIA procedure environmental vulnerability is only considered to a minor extent in the early stages when project alternatives are worked out. In Norway, an alternative approach to EIA, an integrated vulnerability model (IVM), emphasising environmental vulnerability and alternatives development in the early stages of EIA, has been tried out in a few pilot cases. This paper examines the content and use of the vulnerability concept in the IVM approach, and discusses the concept in an EIA context. The vulnerability concept is best suited to overview analyses and large scale spatial considerations. The concept is particularly useful in the early stages of EIA when alternatives are designed and screened. By introducing analyses of environmental vulnerability at the start of the EIA process, the environment can be a more decisive issue for the creation of project alternatives as well as improving the basis for scoping. Vulnerability and value aspects should be considered as separate dimensions. There is a need to operate with a specification between general and specific vulnerability. The concept of environmental vulnerability has proven useful in a wide range of disciplines. Different disciplines have different lengths of experience regarding vulnerability. In disciplines such as landscape planning and hydrogeology we find elements suitable as cornerstones in the further development of an interdisciplinary methodology. Further development of vulnerability criteria in different disciplines and increased public involvement in the early stages of EIA are recommended

Recent and current activities of the OECD/NEA Working Group on Fuel Safety (NEA/CSNI). Recent and Current Activities of the Working Group on Fuel Safety (NEA/CSNI)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petit, Marc

2013-01-01

The Working Group on Fuel Safety (WGFS) is part of the Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI) of the Nuclear Energy Agency and has the main mission of advancing the current understanding and addressing fuel safety issues. Recent and current activities of the working group have addressed mainly the loss of coolant accident (LOCA), the reactivity initiated accident (RIA), the fuel safety criteria and leaking fuel issues, as well as Fukushima-related fuel topics. In the area of LOCA, the group issued different documents, the most notable being a very comprehensive state of the art report [NEA/CSNI/R (2009)15]. Regarding RIA, some documents were finalised and issued in the recent years, as well as a state of the art report [NEA/CSNI/R (2010)1]. The question of leaking fuel and how it is handled in the reactors is an activity that is just starting. Of particular interest to people developing new fuel concepts is the Nuclear Fuel Safety Criteria Technical Review - Second Edition [NEA/CSNI/R (2012)3]. This document provides a broad overview of the numerous criteria used in the NEA member countries to demonstrate to safe use of fuel in light water reactors. The WGFS has started discussions about fuel related issues raised by the Fukushima accident, in particular, hydrogen production. New concepts have been proposed to solve these issues but it appears that these concepts will need to go through a long qualification process to assess their adequacy for the different situations considered in the evaluation of fuel safety, from normal operation to accident conditions

Study of the development of a safety culture by describing routine work

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takagi, Miho; Maeda, Noriyuki; Iida, Hiroyasu

2017-01-01

In this study, we considered safety culture as how an organization and its employees pay attention to risks, and how it reduces them. Our study is based on Schein's model of organizational culture. The theory of organizational culture maintains that if we change level 1 (behavior), then level 3 (assumption) changes. We considered a method to foster a safety culture based on this theory. To begin, we described the routine work of an organization by using the functional resonance analysis method (FRAM). Then, we confirmed the risk reduction behaviors being done there. We found that it is necessary for the organization to be involved in a positive fashion to reduce risks, and we offered some behaviors that the organization can encourage during routine work. We thought that when these new behaviors become habits of organization members, the safety culture of the organization will be fostered. (author)

Assessing flash flood vulnerability using a multi-vulnerability approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karagiorgos Konstantinos

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In the framework of flood risk assessment, while the understanding of hazard and exposure has significantly improved over the last years, knowledge on vulnerability remains one of the challenges. Current approaches in vulnerability research are characterised by a division between social scientists and natural scientists. In order to close this gap, we present an approach that combines information on physical and social vulnerability in order to merge information on the susceptibility of elements at risk and society. With respect to physical vulnerability, the study is based on local-scale vulnerability models using nonlinear regression approaches. Modified Weibull distributions were fit to the data in order to represent the relationship between process magnitude and degree of loss. With respect to social vulnerability we conducted a door-to-door survey which resulted in particular insights on flood risk awareness and resilience strategies of exposed communities. In general, both physical and social vulnerability were low in comparison with other European studies, which may result from (a specific building regulations in the four Mediterranean test sites as well as general design principles leading to low structural susceptibility of elements at risk, and (b relatively low social vulnerability of citizens exposed. As a result it is shown that a combination of different perspectives of vulnerability will lead to a better understanding of exposure and capacities in flood risk management.

Secure Coding for Safety I and C Systems on Nuclear Power Plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Y. M.; Park, H. S.; Kim, T. H.

2015-01-01

This paper addresses secure coding technologies which can reduce the software vulnerabilities and provides secure coding application guidelines for nuclear safety I and C systems. The use of digital equipment may improve their reliability and reduce maintenance costs. But, the design characteristics of nuclear I and C systems are becoming more complex and the possibility of cyber-attacks using software vulnerabilities has been increased. Software defects, bugs and logic flaws have been consistently the primary causes of software vulnerabilities which can introduce security vulnerabilities. In this study, we described a applying methods for secure coding which can reduce the software vulnerabilities. Software defects lists, countermeasures for each defect and coding rules can be applied properly depending on target system's condition. We expect that the results of this study can help developing the secure coding guidelines and significantly reducing or eliminating vulnerabilities in nuclear safety I and C software

Secure Coding for Safety I and C Systems on Nuclear Power Plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Y. M.; Park, H. S. [Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Kim, T. H. [Formal Works Inc., Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2015-10-15

This paper addresses secure coding technologies which can reduce the software vulnerabilities and provides secure coding application guidelines for nuclear safety I and C systems. The use of digital equipment may improve their reliability and reduce maintenance costs. But, the design characteristics of nuclear I and C systems are becoming more complex and the possibility of cyber-attacks using software vulnerabilities has been increased. Software defects, bugs and logic flaws have been consistently the primary causes of software vulnerabilities which can introduce security vulnerabilities. In this study, we described a applying methods for secure coding which can reduce the software vulnerabilities. Software defects lists, countermeasures for each defect and coding rules can be applied properly depending on target system's condition. We expect that the results of this study can help developing the secure coding guidelines and significantly reducing or eliminating vulnerabilities in nuclear safety I and C software.

Application of visualization and simulation program to improve work zone safety and mobility.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

"A previous study sponsored by the Smart Work Zone Deployment Initiative, Feasibility of Visualization and Simulation Applications to Improve Work Zone Safety and Mobility, demonstrated the feasibility of combining readily available, inexpensiv...

Risk assessment by the occupational safety and health at work in the process of geological exploration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Staletović Novica M.

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a model of risk assessment in terms of safety and health at work in the process of geological work/ drilling. Optimization model estimates OH & S risk for work place qualified driller, is in line with the provisions of the Mining and Geological exploration, the Law on Safety and Health at Work, the application of the requirements of ISO 31000 and criteria Kinny methods. Model estimates OH & S risks is the basis for the development and implementation of the management system of protection of health and safety at work according to BS OHSAS 18001: 2008 model is applied, checked and verified the approved exploration areas during execution and supervision applied geological exploration (of metals on the territory of the Republic of Serbia.

Modelling farm vulnerability to flooding: A step toward vulnerability mitigation policies appraisal

Science.gov (United States)

Brémond, P.; Abrami, G.; Blanc, C.; Grelot, F.

2009-04-01

Recent catastrophic flood events such as Elbe in 2002 or Rhône in 2003 have shown limits of flood management policies relying on dykes protection: worsening of flood impacts downstream, increased damage by dykes rupture. Those events, among others, contributes to radical changes on the philosophy of flood prevention, with the promotion of new orientations for mitigating flood exposition. Two new trends may have a significant impact on rural areas: floodplain restoration and vulnerability mitigation. The Rhône River program, which is an contract of objectives signed between French Government and local collectivites, is highly illustrative of these new trends and their impact on agricultural sector. In this program, it appears that areas to be concerned by floodplain restoration are agricultural ones, because their supposed vulnerability to flood is expected to be less important to urban areas. As a consequence, agricultural sector is particularly concerned by planned actions on mitigation of assets vulnerability, an important part of the program (financial support of European Union of 7.5 Million euros). Mitigation of agricultural assets vulnerability reveals particularly interesting for two following reasons. Firstly, it is a way to maintain agricultural activities in floodplains yet existing, without promoting flood protection. Secondly, in case of floodplain restoration, vulnerability mitigation is a way for local authorities to compensate over-flooding impacts. In practice, local authorities may financially support farmers for implementing measures to mitigate their farm vulnerability. On the Rhône River, an important work has already been done to identify farm vulnerability to flooding, and propose measures to mitigate it. More than 3 000 farms exposed to flood risk have been identified representing 88 690 ha of agricultural areas which is estimated to generate damage between 400 and 800 Million euros depending on the season of occurrence for a catastrophic

The working of RVNRL pilot plant of Rubber Board and it's safety devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Britto, I.J.; Thomas, E.V.

1996-01-01

A pilot plant for producing radiation vulcanized natural rubber latex (RVNRL) was established at Rubber Board, India in 1992. Irradiation is done by a batch process in the plant. The plant has a versatile safety system for safety of operators and people working in and around the plant

Principles of Security Vulnerability Analysis of stationary industrial installations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borysiewicz, M.

2006-01-01

Security and safety have been key priorities at facilities that manufacture, store, use, or handle hazardous chemicals, after the terrorist attacks on the United States of September 11, 2001. Security improvements may be needed, especially at sites that pose a more attractive target to terrorists due to their economic importance, perceived level of consequences, and other factors. The first step in the process of managing security risks is to identify and analyze the threats and the vulnerabilities facing a facility by conducting a Security Vulnerability Analysis (SVA). The SVA is a systematic process that evaluates the likelihood that a threat against a facility will be successful. It considers the potential severity of consequences to the facility itself, to the surrounding community and on the energy supply chain. The objective of conducting a SVA is to identify security hazards, threats, and vulnerabilities facing a facility, and to evaluate the countermeasures to provide for the protection of the public, workers, national interests, the environment, and the company. With this information security risks can be assessed and strategies can be formed to reduce vulnerabilities as required. SVA is a tool to assist management in making decisions on the need for countermeasures to address the threats and vulnerabilities. The paper provides an overview of fundamental steps of SVA for stationary industrial installations. (author)

Psychosocial safety climate, emotional exhaustion, and work injuries in healthcare workplaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Zadow, Amy Jane; Dollard, Maureen Frances; Mclinton, Sarven Savia; Lawrence, Peter; Tuckey, Michelle Rae

2017-12-01

Preventing work injuries requires a clear understanding of how they occur, how they are recorded, and the accuracy of injury surveillance. Our innovation was to examine how psychosocial safety climate (PSC) influences the development of reported and unreported physical and psychological workplace injuries beyond (physical) safety climate, via the erosion of psychological health (emotional exhaustion). Self-report data (T2, 2013) from 214 hospital employees (18 teams) were linked at the team level to the hospital workplace injury register (T1, 2012; T2, 2013; and T3, 2014). Concordance between survey-reported and registered injury rates was low (36%), indicating that many injuries go unreported. Safety climate was the strongest predictor of T2 registered injury rates (controlling for T1); PSC and emotional exhaustion also played a role. Emotional exhaustion was the strongest predictor of survey-reported total injuries and underreporting. Multilevel analysis showed that low PSC, emanating from senior managers and transmitted through teams, was the origin of psychological health erosion (i.e., low emotional exhaustion), which culminated in greater self-reported work injuries and injury underreporting (both physical and psychological). These results underscore the need to consider, in theory and practice, a dual physical-psychosocial safety explanation of injury events and a psychosocial explanation of injury underreporting. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Committed to work but vulnerable: Self-perceptions and mental health in NEET 18-year-olds from a contemporary British cohort

Science.gov (United States)

Goldman-Mellor, Sidra; Caspi, Avshalom; Arseneault, Louise; Ajala, Nifemi; Ambler, Antony; Danese, Andrea; Fisher, Helen; Hucker, Abigail; Odgers, Candice; Williams, Teresa; Wong, Chloe; Moffitt, Terrie E.

2016-01-01

Background Labour market disengagement among youths has lasting negative economic and social consequences, yet is poorly understood. We compared four types of work-related self-perceptions, as well as vulnerability to mental health and substance abuse problems, among youths not in education, employment, or training (NEET) and among their peers. Methods Participants were from the Environmental Risk (E-Risk) longitudinal study, a nationally representative U.K. cohort of 2,232 twins born in 1994–95. We measured commitment to work, job-search effort, professional/technical skills, “soft” skills (e.g., teamwork, decision-making, communication), optimism about getting ahead, and mental health and substance-use disorders at age 18. We also examined childhood mental health. Results At age 18, 11.6% of participants were NEET. NEET participants reported themselves as committed to work and searching for jobs with greater diligence than their non-NEET peers. However, they reported fewer “soft” skills (B = −0.98, p life (B = −2.41, p < .001). NEET youths also had higher rates of concurrent mental health and substance-abuse problems, but these did not explain the relationship with work-related self-perceptions. Nearly 60% of NEET (vs. 35% of non-NEET) youths had already experienced ≥1 mental health problem in childhood/adolescence. Associations of NEET status with concurrent mental health problems were independent of pre-existing mental health vulnerability. Conclusions Our findings indicate that while NEET is clearly an economic and mental health issue, it does not appear to be a motivation issue. Alongside skills, work-related self-perceptions and mental-health problems may be targets for intervention and service provision among this high-risk population. PMID:26791344

Summary of ORNL work on NRC-sponsored HTGR safety research, July 1974-September 1980

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ball, S.J.; Cleveland, J.C.; Conklin, J.C.; Delene, J.G.; Harrington, R.M.; Hatta, M.; Hedrick, R.A.; Johnson, L.G.; Sanders, J.P.

1982-03-01

A summary is presented of the major accomplishments of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) research program on High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR) safety. This report is intended to help the nuclear Regulatory Commission establish goals for future research by comparing the status of the work here (as well as at other laboratories) with the perceived safety needs of the large HTGR. The ORNL program includes extensive work on dynamics-related safety code development, use of codes for studying postulated accident sequences, and use of experimental data for code verification. Cooperative efforts with other programs are also described. Suggestions for near-term and long-term research are presented

Coastal vulnerability: climate change and natural hazards perspectives

Science.gov (United States)

Romieu, E.; Vinchon, C.

2009-04-01

Introduction Studying coastal zones as a territorial concept (Integrated coastal zone management) is an essential issue for managers, as they have to consider many different topics (natural hazards, resources management, tourism, climate change…). The recent approach in terms of "coastal vulnerability" studies (since the 90's) is the main tool used nowadays to help them in evaluating impacts of natural hazards on coastal zones, specially considering climate change. This present communication aims to highlight the difficulties in integrating this concept in risk analysis as it is usually practiced in natural hazards sciences. 1) Coastal vulnerability as a recent issue The concept of coastal vulnerability mainly appears in the International panel on climate change works of 1992 (IPCC. 2001), where it is presented as essential for climate change adaptation. The concept has been defined by a common methodology which proposes the assessment of seven indicators, in regards to a sea level rise of 1m in 2100: people affected, people at risk, capital value at loss, land at loss, wetland at loss, potential adaptation costs, people at risk assuming this adaptation. Many national assessments have been implemented (Nicholls, et al. 1995) and a global assessment was proposed for three indicators (Nicholls, et al. 1999). The DINAS-Coast project reuses this methodology to produce the DIVA-tool for coastal managers (Vafeidis, et al. 2004). Besides, many other methodologies for national or regional coastal vulnerability assessments have been developed (review by (UNFCCC. 2008). The use of aggregated vulnerability indicators (including geomorphology, hydrodynamics, climate change…) is widespread: the USGS coastal vulnerability index is used worldwide and was completed by a social vulnerability index (Boruff, et al. 2005). Those index-based methods propose a vulnerability mapping which visualise indicators of erosion, submersion and/or socio economic sensibility in coastal zones

Vulnerability, Health Agency and Capability to Health.

Science.gov (United States)

Straehle, Christine

2016-01-01

One of the defining features of the capability approach (CA) to health, as developed in Venkatapuram's book Health Justice, is its aim to enable individual health agency. Furthermore, the CA to health hopes to provide a strong guideline for assessing the health-enabling content of social and political conditions. In this article, I employ the recent literature on the liberal concept of vulnerability to assess the CA. I distinguish two kinds of vulnerability. Considering circumstantial vulnerability, I argue that liberal accounts of vulnerability concerned with individual autonomy, align with the CA to health. Individuals should, as far as possible, be able to make health-enabling decisions about their lives, and their capability to do so should certainly not be hindered by public policy. The CA to health and a vulnerability-based analysis then work alongside to define moral responsibilities and designate those who hold them. Both approaches demand social policy to address circumstances that hinder individuals from taking health-enabling decisions. A background condition of vulnerability, on the other hand, even though it hampers the capability for health, does not warrant the strong moral claim proposed by the CA to health to define health as a meta-capability that should guide social policy. Nothing in our designing social policy could change the challenge to health agency when we deal with background conditions of vulnerability. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Compliance as process: Work safety in the Chinese construction industry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Li, Na

2016-01-01

China is facing a key challenge of achieving compliance in many regulatory areas. Responding to such issue, this research reports on an exploratory empirical study of how the regulated construction businesses comply with work safety rules in China. Building on the existing literature, it develops a

Advancement of Tools Supporting Improvement of Work Safety in Selected Industrial Company

Science.gov (United States)

Gembalska-Kwiecień, Anna

2018-03-01

In the presented article, the advancement of tools to improve the safety of work in the researched industrial company was taken into consideration. Attention was paid to the skillful analysis of the working environment, which includes the available technologies, work organization and human capital. These factors determine the development of the best prevention activities to minimize the number of accidents.

Feedback from incident reporting: information and action to improve patient safety.

Science.gov (United States)

Benn, J; Koutantji, M; Wallace, L; Spurgeon, P; Rejman, M; Healey, A; Vincent, C

2009-02-01

investigation result in timely corrective actions that effectively address vulnerabilities in existing work systems. Limited research evidence exists concerning the issue of effective forms of safety feedback within healthcare. Much valuable operational knowledge resides in safety management communities within high-risk industries. Multiple means of feeding back recommended actions and safety information may be usefully employed to promote safety awareness, improve clinical processes and promote future reporting. Further work is needed to establish best practices for feedback systems in healthcare that effectively close the safety loop.

Work stressors, job insecurity, union support, job satisfaction and safety outcomes within the iron ore mining environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicolaas W.H. Smit

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Orientation: The study of work stressors, job insecurity and union support creates opportunity for iron ore mining organisations to manage job satisfaction and safety motivation and behaviour more effectively. Research purpose: The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between work stressors, job insecurity, union support, job satisfaction and safety motivation and behaviour of a sample of iron ore mine workers in South Africa. Motivation for the study: The mining industry in general is often faced with hazardous and physically demanding working environments, where employees work under constant pressure. Work stressors, job insecurity, union support and job satisfaction are considered key variables when investigating effective means of managing safety. Research design, approach and method: A cross-sectional survey design was utilised to collect the data. A convenience sample of employees in the iron ore mining industry of South Africa (N = 260 were included. Structural equation modelling and bootstrapping resampling analysis were used to analyse the data. Main findings: Work stressors and job insecurity were found to be negatively associated with job satisfaction. Conversely, perceived union support was positively associated with job satisfaction and safety motivation and behaviour. Furthermore, job satisfaction mediated the relationship between union support and safety motivation and behaviour. Practical/managerial implications: Mining organisations can, by placing the focus on reducing work stressors, and promoting job security and union support, achieve higher levels of safety motivation and behaviour through job satisfaction. Contribution/value-add: A great deal of independent research on work stressors, job insecurity, union support, job satisfaction as well as safety motivation and behaviour has already been done. To date, very little empirical research exists that simultaneously considers all these constructs. This

[Managment system in safety and health at work organization. An Italian example in public sector: Inps].

Science.gov (United States)

Di Loreto, G; Felicioli, G

2010-01-01

The Istituto Nazionale della Previdenza Sociale (Inps) is one of the biggest Public Sector organizations in Italy; about 30.000 people work in his structures. Fifteen years ago, Inps launched a long term project with the objective to create a complex and efficient safety and health at work organization. Italian law contemplates a specific kind of physician working on safety and health at work, called "Medico competente", and 85 Inps's physicians work also as "Medico competente". This work describes how IT improved coordination and efficiency in this occupational health's management system.

Developing a smartphone based warning system application to enhance the safety at work zones : final report.

Science.gov (United States)

2016-05-01

Collisions in the work zone have always been a contributing factor to compromising safety on urban roadways. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the State Transportation Authorities have implemented many safety countermeasu...

Individual vulnerability to insomnia, excessive sleepiness and shift work disorder amongst healthcare shift workers. A systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Booker, Lauren A; Magee, Michelle; Rajaratnam, Shantha M W; Sletten, Tracey L; Howard, Mark E

2018-03-27

Shift workers often experience reduced sleep quality, duration and/or excessive sleepiness due to the imposed conflict between work and their circadian system. About 20-30% of shift workers experience prominent insomnia symptoms and excessive daytime sleepiness consistent with the circadian rhythm sleep disorder known as shift work disorder. Individual factors may influence this vulnerability to shift work disorder or sleep-related impairment associated with shift work. This paper was registered with Prospero and was conducted using recommended standards for systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Published literature that measured sleep-related impairment associated with shift work including reduced sleep quality and duration and increased daytime sleepiness amongst healthcare shift workers and explored characteristics associated with individual variability were reviewed. Fifty-eight studies were included. Older age, morning-type, circadian flexibility, being married or having children, increased caffeine intake, higher scores on neuroticism and lower on hardiness were related to a higher risk of sleep-related impairment in response to shift work, whereas physical activity was a protective factor. The review highlights the diverse range of measurement tools used to evaluate the impact of shift work on sleep. Use of standardised and validated tools would enable cross-study comparisons. Longitudinal studies are required to establish causal relationships between individual factors and the development of shift work disorder. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analysis of existing work-zone devices with MASH safety performance criteria.

Science.gov (United States)

2009-02-01

Crashworthy, work-zone, portable sign support systems accepted under NCHRP Report No. 350 were analyzed to : predict their safety peformance according to the TL-3 MASH evaluation criteria. An analysis was conducted to determine : which hardware param...

Effect of Practice Ownership on Work Environment, Learning Culture, Psychological Safety, and Burnout.

Science.gov (United States)

Cuellar, Alison; Krist, Alex H; Nichols, Len M; Kuzel, Anton J

2018-04-01

Physicians have joined larger groups and hospital systems in the face of multiple environmental challenges. We examine whether there are differences across practice ownership in self-reported work environment, a practice culture of learning, psychological safety, and burnout. Using cross-sectional data from staff surveys of small and medium-size practices that participated in EvidenceNOW in Virginia, we tested for differences in work environment, culture of learning, psychological safety, and burnout by practice type. We conducted weighted multivariate linear regression of outcomes on ownership, controlling for practice size, specialty mix, payer mix, and whether the practice was located in a medically underserved area. We further analyzed clinician and staff responses separately. Participating were 104 hospital-owned and 61 independent practices and 24 federally qualified health centers (FQHCs). We analyzed 2,005 responses from practice clinicians and staff, a response rate of 49%. Working in a hospital-owned practice was associated with favorable ratings of work environment, psychological safety, and burnout compared with independent practices. When we examined separately the responses of clinicians vs staff, however, the association appears to be largely driven by staff. Hospital ownership was associated with positive perceptions of practice work environment and lower burnout for staff relative to independent ownership, whereas clinicians in FQHCs perceive a more negative, less joyful work environment and burnout. Our findings are suggestive that clinician and nonclinician staff perceive practice adaptive reserve differently, which may have implications for creating the energy for ongoing quality improvement work. © 2018 Annals of Family Medicine, Inc.

Quantifying the effectiveness of ITS in improving safety of VRUs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Silla, A.; Rämä, P.; Leden, L.; Noort, M. van; Kruijff, J. de; Bell, D.; Morris, A.; Hancox, G.; Scholliers, J.

2017-01-01

This paper presents the results of a safety impact assessment, providing quantitative estimates of the safety impacts of ten intelligent transport systems (ITS) which were designed to improve safety, mobility and comfort of vulnerable road users (VRUs). The evaluation method originally developed to

Vulnerability

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Issa, Sahar; van der Molen, Irna; Stel, Nora

2015-01-01

This chapter reviews the literature on vulnerability. Together with Chapter 3, that offers a literature review specifically focused on resilience, it lays the conceptual foundations for the empirical chapters in this edited volume. Vulnerability symbolizes the susceptibility of a certain system to

Exploring the Influence of Nursing Work Environment and Patient Safety Culture on Missed Nursing Care in Korea.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Kyoung-Ja; Yoo, Moon Sook; Seo, Eun Ji

2018-04-20

This study aimed to explore the influence of nurse work environment and patient safety culture in hospital on instances of missed nursing care in South Korea. A cross-sectional design was used, in which a structured questionnaire was administered to 186 nurses working at a tertiary university hospital. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test or ANOVA, Pearson correlation and multiple regression analysis. Missed nursing care was found to be correlated with clinical career, nursing work environment and patient safety culture. The regression model explained approximately 30.3 % of missed nursing care. Meanwhile, staffing and resource adequacy (β = -.31, p = .001), nurse manager ability, leadership and support of nurses (β = -.26, p = .004), clinical career (β = -.21, p = .004), and perception on patient safety culture within unit (β = -.19, p = .041) were determined to be influencing factors on missed nursing care. This study has significance as it suggested that missed nursing care is affected by work environment factors within unit. This means that missed nursing care is a unit outcome affected by nurse work environment factors and patient safety culture. Therefore, missed nursing care can be managed through the implementation of interventions that promote a positive nursing work environment and patient safety culture. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Time to call it quits? The safety and health of older workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Bohle, Philip; Pitts, Claudia; Quinlan, Michael

2010-01-01

The workforces of many countries are aging, creating pressure for older workers to retire later despite greater vulnerability to various occupational safety and health (OSH) risks. Some specific risks to older workers arise from age-related physical or psychological changes, while others reflect exposures to poor work organization or employment conditions. This article reviews evidence on the nature of the OSH risks faced by older workers, focusing on work ability, contingent work, and working hours. Work ability, the capacity to meet the physical, mental, and social demands of a job, has been linked to positive health outcomes for older workers. However, work characteristics seem to be more critical than workers' individual capacities. Contingent work is generally associated with poorer OSH outcomes, and older workers are more likely to be contingent, with special implications for their safety and health. There has been limited research on age and working hours, but risks for many physical and mental health problems are known to increase with shift work experience, and physiological and psychosocial changes associated with age may also increase injury risks. The authors discuss organizational practices and regulatory policies to protect and enhance the OSH of older workers.

Type A behavior pattern, accident optimism and fatalism: an investigation into non-compliance with safety work behaviors among hospital nurses.

Science.gov (United States)

Ugwu, Fabian O; Onyishi, Ike E; Ugwu, Chidi; Onyishi, Charity N

2015-01-01

Safety work behavior has continued to attract the interest of organizational researchers and practitioners especially in the health sector. The goal of the study was to investigate whether personality type A, accident optimism and fatalism could predict non-compliance with safety work behaviors among hospital nurses. One hundred and fifty-nine nursing staff sampled from three government-owned hospitals in a state in southeast Nigeria, participated in the study. Data were collected through Type A Behavior Scale (TABS), Accident Optimism, Fatalism and Compliance with Safety Behavior (CSB) Scales. Our results showed that personality type A, accident optimism and fatalism were all related to non-compliance with safety work behaviors. Personality type A individuals tend to comply less with safety work behaviors than personality type B individuals. In addition, optimistic and fatalistic views about accidents and existing safety rules also have implications for compliance with safety work behaviors.

Plutonium working group report on environmental, safety and health vulnerabilities associated with the Department's plutonium storage. Volume I: Summary

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-11-01

At the conclusion of the Cold War, the Department of Energy (DOE) stopped plutonium processing for nuclear weapons production. Facilities used for that purpose now hold significant quantities of plutonium in various forms. Unless properly stored and handled, plutonium can present environment, safety and health (ES ampersand H) hazards. Improperly stored plutonium poses a variety of hazards. When containers or packaging fail to fully protect plutonium metal from exposure to air, oxidation can occur and cause packaging failures and personnel contamination. Contamination can also result when plutonium solutions leak from bottles, tanks or piping. Plutonium in the form of scrap or residues generated by weapons production are often very corrosive, chemically reactive and difficult to contain. Buildings and equipment that are aging, poorly maintained or of obsolete design contribute to the overall problem. Inadvertent accumulations of plutonium of any form in sufficient quantities within facilities can result in nuclear criticality events that could emit large amounts of radiation locally. Contamination events and precursors of criticality events are causing safety and health concerns for workers at the Department's plutonium facilities. Contamination events also potentially threaten the public and the surrounding environment

Overview of the activities of the OECD/NEA/NSC working party on nuclear criticality safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nouri, A.; Blomquist, R.; Bradyraap, M.; Briggs, B.; Cousinou, P.; Nomura, Y.; Weber, W.

2003-01-01

The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) started dealing with criticality-safety related subjects back in the seventies. In the mid-nineties, several activities related to criticality-safety were grouped together into the Working Party on Nuclear Criticality Safety. This working party has since been operating and reporting to the Nuclear Science Committee. Six expert groups co-ordinate various activities ranging from experimental evaluations to code and data inter-comparisons for the study of static and transient criticality behaviours. The paper describes current activities performed in this framework and the achievements of the various expert groups. (author)

Committed to work but vulnerable: self-perceptions and mental health in NEET 18-year olds from a contemporary British cohort.

Science.gov (United States)

Goldman-Mellor, Sidra; Caspi, Avshalom; Arseneault, Louise; Ajala, Nifemi; Ambler, Antony; Danese, Andrea; Fisher, Helen; Hucker, Abigail; Odgers, Candice; Williams, Teresa; Wong, Chloe; Moffitt, Terrie E

2016-02-01

Labour market disengagement among youths has lasting negative economic and social consequences, yet is poorly understood. We compared four types of work-related self-perceptions, as well as vulnerability to mental health and substance abuse problems, among youths not in education, employment or training (NEET) and among their peers. Participants were from the Environmental Risk (E-Risk) longitudinal study, a nationally representative UK cohort of 2,232 twins born in 1994-1995. We measured commitment to work, job-search effort, professional/technical skills, 'soft' skills (e.g. teamwork, decision-making, communication), optimism about getting ahead, and mental health and substance use disorders at age 18. We also examined childhood mental health. At age 18, 11.6% of participants were NEET. NEET participants reported themselves as committed to work and searching for jobs with greater diligence than their non-NEET peers. However, they reported fewer 'soft' skills (B = -0.98, p life (B = -2.41, p < .001). NEET youths also had higher rates of concurrent mental health and substance abuse problems, but these did not explain the relationship with work-related self-perceptions. Nearly 60% of NEET (vs. 35% of non-NEET) youths had already experienced ≥1 mental health problem in childhood/adolescence. Associations of NEET status with concurrent mental health problems were independent of pre-existing mental health vulnerability. Our findings indicate that while NEET is clearly an economic and mental health issue, it does not appear to be a motivation issue. Alongside skills, work-related self-perceptions and mental health problems may be targets for intervention and service provision among this high-risk population. © 2015 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Assessing social vulnerability to drought in South Africa: Policy implication for drought risk reduction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fumiso Muyambo

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this article was to assess and identify social vulnerability of communal farmers to drought in the O.R. Tambo district in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa using a survey data and social vulnerability index (SoVI. Eleven social vulnerability indicators were identified using Bogardi, Birkman and Cardona conceptual framework. The result found that an SoVI estimated for O.R. Tambo district was very high with a Likert scale of 5 for cultural values and practices, security or safety, social networks, social dependence, preparedness strategies and psychological stress attributed for the high value of social vulnerability to drought. Indigenous knowledge and education had an SoVI value of 2, which was of low vulnerability, contributing positively to resilience to drought. The study also found that government involvement in drought risk reduction is limited; as a result, the study recommends that a national, provincial and district municipalities policy on drought risk reduction and mitigation should be developed.

Situating Hazard Vulnerability: People's Negotiations with Wildfire Environments in the U.S. Southwest

Science.gov (United States)

Collins, Timothy W.; Bolin, Bob

2009-09-01

This article is based on a multimethod study designed to clarify influences on wildfire hazard vulnerability in Arizona’s White Mountains, USA. Findings reveal that multiple factors operating across scales generate socially unequal wildfire risks. At the household scale, conflicting environmental values, reliance on fire insurance and firefighting institutions, a lack of place dependency, and social vulnerability (e.g., a lack of financial, physical, and/or legal capacity to reduce risks) were found to be important influences on wildfire risk. At the regional-scale, the shift from a resource extraction to environmental amenity-based economy has transformed ecological communities, produced unequal social distributions of risks and resources, and shaped people’s social and environmental interactions in everyday life. While working-class locals are more socially vulnerable than amenity migrants to wildfire hazards, they have also been more active in attempting to reduce risks in the aftermath of the disastrous 2002 Rodeo-Chediski fire. Social tensions between locals and amenity migrants temporarily dissolved immediately following the disaster, only to be exacerbated by the heightened perception of risk and the differential commitment to hazard mitigation displayed by these groups over a 2-year study period. Findings suggest that to enhance wildfire safety, environmental managers should acknowledge the environmental benefits associated with hazardous landscapes, the incentives created by risk management programs, and the specific constraints to action for relevant social groups in changing human-environmental context.

How do the work environment and work safety differ between the dry and wet kitchen foodservice facilities?

OpenAIRE

Chang, Hye-Ja; Kim, Jeong-Won; Ju, Se-Young; Go, Eun-Sun

2012-01-01

In order to create a worker-friendly environment for institutional foodservice, facilities operating with a dry kitchen system have been recommended. This study was designed to compare the work safety and work environment of foodservice between wet and dry kitchen systems. Data were obtained using questionnaires with a target group of 303 staff at 57 foodservice operations. Dry kitchen facilities were constructed after 2006, which had a higher construction cost and more finishing floors with ...

Perspectives on social vulnerability and ways to improve community resilience

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chicoș Alina

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Scientific recognition of the resilience concept is becoming compelling in extending the way contemporary spatial systems are analysed as well as in defining a new approach in establishing spatial planning principles and policies. In this view, our study emphasises the issue of spatial development in areas prone to earthquakes, floods and landslides. Therefore, resilience requires the assessment of vulnerable spatial components. Local governance interventions are more or less focused on risk management measures. Moreover, building safer communities through risk governance relies on different variables. Making a distinction between risk components and the predictors of increased resilience could shed light on the local decision-making process. In this paper, vulnerability addresses the lack of safety in terms of individual, household and community wellbeing when the issue of environmental restrictions emerge. In order to reduce the vulnerability of communities living in natural risk prone areas, spatial planning often turns to interdisciplinary analysis methods that allow an in-depth perspective on the interplay between social and natural elements. As such, spatial planning stands as the first step in reducing social vulnerability and should approach the less explored advantages of participatory mapping and local knowledge systems.

77 FR 24257 - Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC); Working Group Activity Update

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-23

... publication. Contact: Steve Clay, (202) 493-6259. Task 06-03--Medical Standards for Safety-Critical Personnel... 97-2--(Completed) Evaluating the extent to which environmental, sanitary, and other working...

Applicability of vulnerability maps

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andersen, L.J.; Gosk, E.

1989-01-01

A number of aspects to vulnerability maps are discussed: the vulnerability concept, mapping purposes, possible users, and applicability of vulnerability maps. Problems associated with general-type vulnerability mapping, including large-scale maps, universal pollutant, and universal pollution scenario are also discussed. An alternative approach to vulnerability assessment - specific vulnerability mapping for limited areas, specific pollutant, and predefined pollution scenario - is suggested. A simplification of the vulnerability concept is proposed in order to make vulnerability mapping more objective and by this means more comparable. An extension of the vulnerability concept to the rest of the hydrogeological cycle (lakes, rivers, and the sea) is proposed. Some recommendations regarding future activities are given

Unravelling safety compliance in the mining industry: examining the role of work stress, job insecurity, satisfaction and commitment as antecedents

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Uanda Masia

2011-11-01

Research purpose: The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship of work stress, job insecurity, satisfaction and commitment to safety compliance in a mine. Motivation for the study: The study aims to predict safety compliance through work-related variables in order to manage safety better. Research design, approach and method: The researchers used a cross-sectional survey design with a convenience sample (n = 158. They distributed a survey booklet. It included a biographical questionnaire, scales for job insecurity, satisfaction, affective organisational commitment, workplace accidents and safety compliance as well as a work stress measure that comprised dimensions of role clarity, conflict and overload. Main findings: The results showed that work stress and job insecurity had a negative relationship with safety compliance. The researchers found that only job satisfaction was a significant predictor of safety. Practical/managerial implications: Although exploratory, this study suggests that promoting job satisfaction may improve safety compliance whilst job stress and job insecurity also relate negatively to safety compliance. Contribution/value-add: This study shows that job satisfaction is more important than organisational commitment, job security and work stress for predicting safety compliance.

Safety aspects in life extension of NPPs. Working material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2002-01-01

to become an IAEA TECDOC. However, due to the large debate in progress on such issues and to the intention to incorporate in the document as much experience as possible from the MS, it was decided to issue the draft first as a Working Material document. This two-step publishing process should encourage further discussion and allow a feedback collection on the crucial safety issues which are involved. In IAEA background presentation is also added for reference, with an explanation of the basic framework for Ageing Management Program (AMP) and PSR. The effort put in place by the experts for the development of this first draft was greatly appreciated as the task required high competence and some challenge in the identification of the key safety issues despite the differences in the national approaches

Strategies to reduce safety violations for working from heights in construction companies: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Molen, Henk F.; Frings-Dresen, Monique H. W.

2014-01-01

Safety measures should be applied to reduce work-related fatal and non-fatal fall injuries. However, according to the labor inspectorate, more than 80% of Dutch construction sites violate safety regulations for working from heights. To increase compliance with safety regulations, employers and

Security Vulnerability Profiles of Mission Critical Software: Empirical Analysis of Security Related Bug Reports

Science.gov (United States)

Goseva-Popstojanova, Katerina; Tyo, Jacob

2017-01-01

While some prior research work exists on characteristics of software faults (i.e., bugs) and failures, very little work has been published on analysis of software applications vulnerabilities. This paper aims to contribute towards filling that gap by presenting an empirical investigation of application vulnerabilities. The results are based on data extracted from issue tracking systems of two NASA missions. These data were organized in three datasets: Ground mission IVV issues, Flight mission IVV issues, and Flight mission Developers issues. In each dataset, we identified security related software bugs and classified them in specific vulnerability classes. Then, we created the security vulnerability profiles, i.e., determined where and when the security vulnerabilities were introduced and what were the dominating vulnerabilities classes. Our main findings include: (1) In IVV issues datasets the majority of vulnerabilities were code related and were introduced in the Implementation phase. (2) For all datasets, around 90 of the vulnerabilities were located in two to four subsystems. (3) Out of 21 primary classes, five dominated: Exception Management, Memory Access, Other, Risky Values, and Unused Entities. Together, they contributed from 80 to 90 of vulnerabilities in each dataset.

New data on health and safety at work in the EU27

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Venema, A.; Geuskens, G.; Heuvel, S. van den

2011-01-01

To study the occurrence of accidents resulting in injury and work-related health problems in the past 12 months in workers aged 15 to 64 years in the EU27 the Labour Force Survey (LFS) in Europe included in 2007 an ad hoc module on health and safety at work. The module consisted of four variables on

Preliminary regulatory assessment of nuclear power plants vulnerabilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kostadinov, V.; Petelin, S.

2004-01-01

Preliminary attempts to develop models for nuclear regulatory vulnerability assessment of nuclear power plants are presented. Development of the philosophy and computer tools could be new and important insight for management of nuclear operators and nuclear regulatory bodies who face difficult questions about how to assess the vulnerability of nuclear power plants and other nuclear facilities to external and internal threats. In the situation where different and hidden threat sources are dispersed throughout the world, the assessment of security and safe operation of nuclear power plants is very important. Capability to evaluate plant vulnerability to different kinds of threats, like human and natural occurrences and terrorist attacks and preparation of emergency response plans and estimation of costs are of vital importance for assurance of national security. On the basis of such vital insights, nuclear operators and nuclear regulatory bodies could plan and optimise changes in oversight procedures, organisations, equipment, hardware and software to reduce risks taking into account security and safety of nuclear power plants operation, budget, manpower, and other limitations. Initial qualitative estimations of adapted assessments for nuclear applications are shortly presented. (author)

Safety work organization in nuclear power plant. A9. Volume 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1985-01-01

The second volume provides the laws, directives, major standards, principles, lists of selected workplaces where woman work is prohibited, instructions for new personnel, general principles of workplace safety, reports and provisions by commissions for reporting accidents and injuries, recourses, etc. (J.P.)

Investigative Operations: Use of Covert Testing to Identify Security Vulnerabilities and Fraud, Waste, and Abuse

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

2007-01-01

... and internal control weaknesses at executive branch agencies. These vulnerabilities and internal control weaknesses include those that could compromise homeland security, affect public safety, or have a financial impact on taxpayer's dollars...

The 1994 list of limiting values. Safety and hygiene at work

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pflaumbaum, W.; Kleine, H.; Barig, A.; Nies, E.; Blome, H.; Deiniger, C.; Christ, E.; Siekmann, H.; Fischer, S.; Kupfer, J.; Kaulbars, U.; Pfeiffer, W.; Kreutzkampf, F.; Zilligen, H.; Zinken, E.; Boerner, F.; Kloss, G.; Pfeiffer, B.

1994-09-01

This book contains the most important limiting values for chemical, biological and physical effects on persons relevant to safety and hygiene at work. The section on chemical effects falls into two chapters: maximum working site concentrations of hazardous substances (MAK and TRK values), and limiting and recommended values for hazardous substances in indoor and external air. Regarding biological effects, limiting values for exposure at work do not exist. Therefore, this section looks mainly at the basic demands on work places. The section on physical effects contains limiting values and explanations regarding the following areas: noise, vibration, thermal stress, radiation and biomechanical stress (lifting and carrying of heavy weights). (orig./MG) [de

A Technique of Software Safety Analysis in the Design Phase for PLC Based Safety-Critical Systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koo, Seo-Ryong; Kim, Chang-Hwoi

2017-01-01

The purpose of safety analysis, which is a method of identifying portions of a system that have the potential for unacceptable hazards, is firstly to encourage design changes that will reduce or eliminate hazards and, secondly, to conduct special analyses and tests that can provide increased confidence in especially vulnerable portions of the system. For the design and implementation phase of the PLC based systems, we proposed a technique for software design specification and analysis, and this technique enables us to generate software design specifications (SDSs) in nuclear fields. For the safety analysis in the design phase, we used architecture design blocks of NuFDS to represent the architecture of the software. On the basis of the architecture design specification, we can directly generate the fault tree and then use the fault tree for qualitative analysis. Therefore, we proposed a technique of fault tree synthesis, along with a universal fault tree template for the architecture modules of nuclear software. Through our proposed fault tree synthesis in this work, users can use the architecture specification of the NuFDS approach to intuitively compose fault trees that help analyze the safety design features of software.

Parents' perceived vulnerability and perceived control in preventing Meningococcal C infection: a large-scale interview study about vaccination

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

van der Wal Gerrit

2008-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Parents' reported ambivalence toward large-scale vaccination programs for childhood diseases may be related to their perception of the risks of side-effects or safety of vaccination and the risk of contracting the disease. The aim of this study is to evaluate parents' perceptions of their child's risk contracting a Meningococcal C infection and parents' perceived control in preventing infection in relation to their evaluation of the safety, effectiveness and usefulness of vaccination. Methods In a large-scale interview study, a random sample of parents was interviewed after their children had received vaccination against Meningococcal C in a catch-up campaign. Questions were asked about the perceived relative vulnerability of their child contracting an infection, perceived control in preventing an infection, and parents' evaluation of the safety, usefulness and effectiveness of vaccination. Results 61% of 2910 (N = 1763 parents who were approached participated. A higher perceived relative vulnerability of their own child contracting the disease was related to a more positive evaluation of the vaccination campaign, while a lower perceived vulnerability did not result in a more negative evaluation. A higher perceived control in being able to prevent an infection was, however, related to a more critical attitude toward the safety, usefulness and effectiveness of vaccination. Conclusion Perceived relative vulnerability contracting an infection and parents' perceived control in preventing an infection seem to influence parents' evaluation of the vaccination programme. Future studies should determine if, and under which circumstances, these perceptions also affect parents' vaccination behaviour and would be relevant to be taken into account when educating parents about vaccination.

On the Importance of Safety and Security at Work for the Organizational Management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeanina Ciurea

2017-12-01

Full Text Available One of the most important aspects regarding human resource management in any organization should be the one concerning the safety and security at work of the employees. Unfortunately, this remains an insufficiently discussed issue, not only in literature, but also in practice. Articles in this field are not so numerous, while official reports indicate a high number of incidents that occur every year, in every country. The enterprises should focus much more on this aspect, but in many cases, the management lacks from this point of view, the policy regarding the safety and health of employees being kept at the lowest positions on the list of aspects that need immediate attention. The present paper tries to highlight the importance of the issue of safety and security at work, the first part consisting in a brief review of the literature in this field, while the second part presents statistical data available for the past years, both in Romania and Europe, regarding this problem.

The occupational safety of health professionals working at community and family health centers.

Science.gov (United States)

Ozturk, Havva; Babacan, Elif

2014-10-01

Healthcare professionals encounter many medical risks while providing healthcare services to individuals and the community. Thus, occupational safety studies are very important in health care organizations. They involve studies performed to establish legal, technical, and medical measures that must be taken to prevent employees from sustaining physical or mental damage because of work hazards. This study was conducted to determine if the occupational safety of health personnel at community and family health centers (CHC and FHC) has been achieved. The population of this cross-sectional study comprised 507 nurses, 199 physicians, and 237 other medical personnel working at a total of 18 family health centers (FHC) and community health centers (CHC) in Trabzon, Turkey. The sample consisted of a total of 418 nurses, 156 physicians, and 123 other medical personnel. Sampling method was not used, and the researchers tried to reach the whole population. Data were gathered with the Occupational Safety Scale (OSS) and a questionnaire regarding demographic characteristics and occupational safety. According to the evaluations of all the medical personnel, the mean ± SD of total score of the OSS was 3.57 ± 0.98; of the OSS's subscales, the mean ± SD of the health screening and registry systems was 2.76 ± 1.44, of occupational diseases and problems was 3.04 ± 1.3 and critical fields control was 3.12 ± 1.62. In addition, occupational safety was found more insufficient by nurses (F = 14.18; P occupational safety to be insufficient as related to protective and supportive activities.

Safety studies on Korean fusion DEMO plant using integrated safety assessment methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oh, Kyemin; Kang, Myoung-suk; Heo, Gyunyoung; Kim, Hyoung-chan

2014-01-01

Highlights: •The purpose of this paper is to suggest methodology that can investigate safety issues and provides a case study for Korean fusion DEMO plant. •The concepts of integrated safety assessment methodology (ISAM) that can be applied in addressing regulatory requirements and recognizing safety issues for K-DEMO were emphasized. •Phenomena identification and ranking table (PIRT) was proposed. It can recognize vulnerabilities of systems and identify the gaps in technical areas requiring additional researches. •This work is expected to contribute on the conceptual design of safety features for K-DEMO to design engineers and the guidance for regulatory requirements to licensers. -- Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to suggest methodology that can investigate safety issues and provides a case study for Korean fusion DEMO plant (K-DEMO) as a part of R and D program through the National Fusion Research Institute of Korea. Even though nuclear regulation and licensing framework is well setup due to the operating and design experience of Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs) since 1970s, the regulatory authority of South Korea has concerns on the challenge of facing new nuclear facilities including K-DEMO due to the differences in systems, materials, and inherent safety feature from conventional PWRs. Even though the follow-up of the ITER license process facilitates to deal with significant safety issues of fusion facilities, a licensee as well as a licenser should identify the gaps between ITER and DEMO in terms of safety issues. First we reviewed the methods of conducting safety analysis for unprecedented nuclear facilities such as Generation IV reactors, particularly very high temperature reactor (VHTR), which is called as integrated safety assessment methodology (ISAM). Second, the analysis for the conceptual design of K-DEMO on the basis of ISAM was conducted. The ISAM consists of five analytical tools to develop the safety requirements from licensee

Safety studies on Korean fusion DEMO plant using integrated safety assessment methodology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oh, Kyemin; Kang, Myoung-suk [Kyung Hee University, Youngin-si, Gyeonggi-do 446-701 (Korea, Republic of); Heo, Gyunyoung, E-mail: gheo@khu.ac.kr [Kyung Hee University, Youngin-si, Gyeonggi-do 446-701 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Hyoung-chan [National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon-si 305-333 (Korea, Republic of)

2014-10-15

Highlights: •The purpose of this paper is to suggest methodology that can investigate safety issues and provides a case study for Korean fusion DEMO plant. •The concepts of integrated safety assessment methodology (ISAM) that can be applied in addressing regulatory requirements and recognizing safety issues for K-DEMO were emphasized. •Phenomena identification and ranking table (PIRT) was proposed. It can recognize vulnerabilities of systems and identify the gaps in technical areas requiring additional researches. •This work is expected to contribute on the conceptual design of safety features for K-DEMO to design engineers and the guidance for regulatory requirements to licensers. -- Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to suggest methodology that can investigate safety issues and provides a case study for Korean fusion DEMO plant (K-DEMO) as a part of R and D program through the National Fusion Research Institute of Korea. Even though nuclear regulation and licensing framework is well setup due to the operating and design experience of Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs) since 1970s, the regulatory authority of South Korea has concerns on the challenge of facing new nuclear facilities including K-DEMO due to the differences in systems, materials, and inherent safety feature from conventional PWRs. Even though the follow-up of the ITER license process facilitates to deal with significant safety issues of fusion facilities, a licensee as well as a licenser should identify the gaps between ITER and DEMO in terms of safety issues. First we reviewed the methods of conducting safety analysis for unprecedented nuclear facilities such as Generation IV reactors, particularly very high temperature reactor (VHTR), which is called as integrated safety assessment methodology (ISAM). Second, the analysis for the conceptual design of K-DEMO on the basis of ISAM was conducted. The ISAM consists of five analytical tools to develop the safety requirements from licensee

Report on administrative work for radiation safety from April 2006 to March 2007

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Komori, Akio; Kaneko, Osamu; Nishimura, Kiyohiko; Uda, Tatsuhiko; Asakura, Yamato; Kawano, Takao; Yamanishi, Hirokuni; Miyake, Hitoshi

2007-10-15

The National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS) is proceeding with the research on magnetic confining nuclear fusion both experimentally and theoretically. During the experiment with deals with very hot plasma, X ray is generated. Therefore the experimental devices with their surroundings are administrated in conformity with the Industrial Safety and Health Law to keep workplace safety. The Radiation Control Safety Office of Safety Hygiene Protection Bureau carries out measuring the radiation dose level regularly, registering the employees who are engaged in plasma experiments, and training them. Non-regulated small sealed sources are used in some detectors. The treating of these sources is controlled by the Safety and Environmental Research Center. This report is on administrative works for radiation safety in the last fiscal year 2006. It includes (1) report on the establishment of radiation safety management system, (2) report on the establishment of training and registration system for radiation workers, and (3) results of radiation dose measurement and monitoring in the radiation controlled area and on the site by using Radiation Monitoring System Applicable to Fusion Experiment (RMSAFE). The report has been published annually. We hope that these reports would be helpful for future safety management in NIFS. (author)

Report on administrative work for radiation safety from April 2006 to March 2007

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Komori, Akio; Kaneko, Osamu; Nishimura, Kiyohiko; Uda, Tatsuhiko; Asakura, Yamato; Kawano, Takao; Yamanishi, Hirokuni; Miyake, Hitoshi

2007-10-01

The National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS) is proceeding with the research on magnetic confining nuclear fusion both experimentally and theoretically. During the experiment with deals with very hot plasma, X ray is generated. Therefore the experimental devices with their surroundings are administrated in conformity with the Industrial Safety and Health Law to keep workplace safety. The Radiation Control Safety Office of Safety Hygiene Protection Bureau carries out measuring the radiation dose level regularly, registering the employees who are engaged in plasma experiments, and training them. Non-regulated small sealed sources are used in some detectors. The treating of these sources is controlled by the Safety and Environmental Research Center. This report is on administrative works for radiation safety in the last fiscal year 2006. It includes (1) report on the establishment of radiation safety management system, (2) report on the establishment of training and registration system for radiation workers, and (3) results of radiation dose measurement and monitoring in the radiation controlled area and on the site by using Radiation Monitoring System Applicable to Fusion Experiment (RMSAFE). The report has been published annually. We hope that these reports would be helpful for future safety management in NIFS. (author)

Considerations on Applying the Method for Assessing the Level of Safety at Work

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Costica Bejinariu

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The application of the method for assessing the level of safety at work starts with a document that contains the cover page, the description of the company (name, location, core business, organizational chart etc., description of the work system, a detailed list of its components, and a brief description of the assessment method. It continues with a Microsoft Excel document, which represents the actual application of the method and, finally, there is another document presenting conclusions, proposals, and prioritizations, which leads to the execution of the Prevention and Protection Plan. The present paper approaches the issue of developing the Microsoft Excel document, an essential part of the method for assessing the level of safety at work. The document is divided into a variable number of worksheets, showing the risk categories of general, specific, and management.

AER Working Group D on VVER safety analysis - report of the 2009 meeting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kliem, S.

2009-01-01

The AER Working Group D on VVER reactor safety analysis held its 18-th meeting in Rez, Czech Republic, during the period 18-19 May, 2009. The meeting was hosted by the Nuclear Research Institute Rez. Altogether 17 participants attended the meeting of the working group D, 16 from AER member organizations and 1 guest from a non-member organization. The co-ordinator of the working group, S. Kliem, served as chairman of the meeting. The meeting started with a general information exchange about the recent activities in the participating organizations. The given presentations and the discussions can be attributed to the following topics: 1) Code validation and benchmarking; 2) Safety analysis and code developments; 3) Reactor pressure vessel thermal hydraulics; 4) Future activities including discussion on the participation in the OECD/NEA Benchmark for the Kalinin-3 NPP

Sociocultural contexts and worker safety and health: findings of a study with Chinese immigrant restaurant workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsai, Jenny; Bruck, Annie

2009-02-01

More immigrants are seeking employment in restaurants. Drawing data from an ethnographic study, this article discusses what and how sociocultural contexts shape the safety and health of immigrant restaurant workers. Eighteen Chinese immigrants from China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan participated in the study. Data generation methods included a questionnaire, individual and focus group interviews, and participant observations. Ethnographic analysis revealed that immigration mechanisms, demands of English proficiency for employment, and existence of networks and ethnic communities shaped the participants' employment choices. Working hours and schedules, interpersonal relationships at work, job design and training, occupational safety and health training, and national events and economy further influenced the participants' occupational experiences and well-being. Issues were noted with job security, mental health, family relationships, and risks for occupational injuries and illnesses. Implications for occupational health nursing research and practice to reduce immigrant workers' vulnerability to poor safety and health outcomes conclude this article.

20 CFR 645.260 - What health and safety provisions apply to participants in Welfare-to-Work programs?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... Administrative Requirements § 645.260 What health and safety provisions apply to participants in Welfare-to-Work... 20 Employees' Benefits 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false What health and safety provisions apply to participants in Welfare-to-Work programs? 645.260 Section 645.260 Employees' Benefits EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING...

VULNERABILITY OF COMPANIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ARMEAN ANDREEA

2013-06-01

Full Text Available In present, the study of vulnerability of companies is increasing in every field due to the unstable economic environment influences. The object of this research is to define and identify vulnerabilities of companies and the establishment of evaluation methods at their level. This article emphasizes the importance and usefulness of one of the best known model in this way, from our point of view, namely Băileşteanu, Negrila Pattern. This pattern covers both external factors and internal ones, that increase vulnerabilities of companies, and fit the companies in which the state of vulnerability are (vitality, viability, vulnerability, high vulnerability, difficulty and high difficulty, with a matrix. The result of the research is that any company belonging to any field, can be analyzed using this model, and assigned to one of the conditions defined within.

Do nurse and patient injuries share common antecedents? An analysis of associations with safety climate and working conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, Jennifer A; Dominici, Francesca; Agnew, Jacqueline; Gerwin, Daniel; Morlock, Laura; Miller, Marlene R

2012-02-01

Safety climate and nurses' working conditions may have an impact on both patient outcomes and nurse occupational health, but these outcomes have rarely been examined concurrently. To examine the association of unit-level safety climate and specific nurse working conditions with injury outcomes for both nurses and patients in a single hospital. A cross-sectional study was conducted using nursing-unit level and individual-level data at an urban, level-one trauma centre in the USA. Multilevel logistic regressions were used to examine associations among injury outcomes, safety climate and working conditions on 29 nursing units, including a total of 723 nurses and 28 876 discharges. Safety climate was measured in 2004 using the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ). Working conditions included registered nursing hours per patient day (RNHPPD) and unit turnover. Patient injuries included 290 falls, 167 pulmonary embolism/deep vein thrombosis (PE/DVT), and 105 decubitus ulcers. Nurse injury was defined as a reported needle-stick, splash, slip, trip, or fall (n=78). Working conditions and outcomes were measured in 2005. The study found a negative association between two SAQ domains, Safety and Teamwork, with the odds of both decubitus ulcers and nurse injury. RNHPPD showed a negative association with patient falls and decubitus ulcers. Unit turnover was positively associated with nurse injury and PE/DVT, but negatively associated with falls and decubitus ulcers. Safety climate was associated with both patient and nurse injuries, suggesting that patient and nurse safety may actually be linked outcomes. The findings also indicate that increased unit turnover should be considered a risk factor for nurse and patient injuries.

The space of vulnerability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claudio Sgarbi

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Archi-tecture has lost the reference to its prop “Archi” to develop mostly its “Tecture”: a deceitful form of nihilism, which has given full credit to a hurricane of instruments for which we know no purpose. Any distinction between city and architecture is purely contingent. Contingency is relevant but only in so far as it makes one lose any sense of scale. Many of our cities do not work because our style of life eradicates the sense of hospitality. The city becomes the place where we un-learn how to live together. Hospitality is vulnerability – the construction of vulnerability is the true beauty, the only deterrent against stupidity. Learn to live with the others, to approximate the alterity and its unpredictability. The basic tools of conviviality are the common goods of inter-disciplinarity. Learn to cultivate and educate yourself to phenomenal incompleteness.

Perceived Safety at Work in the Wake of Terror: The Importance of Security Measures and Emergency Preparedness.

Science.gov (United States)

Nissen, Alexander; Heir, Trond

2016-12-01

We aimed to explore how perceived safety after terrorism is connected to views on security measures and emergency preparedness in a workplace setting. Using a questionnaire-based, cross-sectional study of ministerial employees in Norway who were targeted in a terrorist attack in 2011 (n=3344), we investigated how employees' perceived safety at work 9 to 10 months after the attack was associated with their perceptions of whether security measures were sufficiently prioritized at work, whether there had been sufficient escape and evacuation training, and whether they were confident with evacuation procedures. We found strong evidence of increasing perceived safety at work the more employees believed security measures were sufficiently prioritized at work (partially confounded by post-traumatic stress disorder), and the better their knowledge of evacuation procedures (modified by gender and education). The present study suggests that employers may enhance perceived safety at work for terror-exposed employees by showing a commitment to security measures and by ensuring employees know evacuation procedures well. More research is needed to investigate causality patterns behind the associations found in this cross-sectional study. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;10:805-811).

Impact of Long Farm Working Hours on Child Safety Practices in Agricultural Settings

Science.gov (United States)

Marlenga, Barbara; Pahwa, Punam; Hagel, Louise; Dosman, James; Pickett, William

2010-01-01

Objectives: To characterize working hours of adult farm owner-operators and their spouses by season, and to examine associations between working hours and farm safety practices affecting children. Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of cross-sectional survey data collected as part of an existing study of injury and its determinants.…

How to bring issues of health and safety closer to young workers during their work training

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Helena Mesarič

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The data collected by the European Community indicates that the young, economically active population, aged from 18 to 24 years, is more likely to suffer from occupational injuries and occupational diseases in comparison with the rest of the working population, due to the lack of experience and knowledge about health and safety in the workplace, and insufficient training for safe and healthy work practices. Employers must establish an adequate system to ensure workplace health and safety, with an emphasis on providing safety training for pupils and students undergoing apprenticeship and the newly-employed young people. The Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities runs a series of projects aiming to promote health and safety culture among young people in Slovenia. The goal of the national programme for introducing occupational health and safety into the education process is offering a variety of tools and devices for educators and teachers, which can be employed to introduce the issues of occupational health and safety to young people in an exciting and engaging manner.

Malware Sandbox Analysis for Secure Observation of Vulnerability Exploitation

Science.gov (United States)

Yoshioka, Katsunari; Inoue, Daisuke; Eto, Masashi; Hoshizawa, Yuji; Nogawa, Hiroki; Nakao, Koji

Exploiting vulnerabilities of remote systems is one of the fundamental behaviors of malware that determines their potential hazards. Understanding what kind of propagation tactics each malware uses is essential in incident response because such information directly links with countermeasures such as writing a signature for IDS. Although recently malware sandbox analysis has been studied intensively, little work is done on securely observing the vulnerability exploitation by malware. In this paper, we propose a novel sandbox analysis method for securely observing malware's vulnerability exploitation in a totally isolated environment. In our sandbox, we prepare two victim hosts. We first execute the sample malware on one of these hosts and then let it attack the other host which is running multiple vulnerable services. As a simple realization of the proposed method, we have implemented a sandbox using Nepenthes, a low-interaction honeypot, as the second victim. Because Nepenthes can emulate a variety of vulnerable services, we can efficiently observe the propagation of sample malware. In the experiments, among 382 samples whose scan capabilities are confirmed, 381 samples successfully started exploiting vulnerabilities of the second victim. This indicates the certain level of feasibility of the proposed method.

Safety margin evaluation concepts for plant Up rates and life extension. Results of the OECD/NEA/CSNI working group on Safety Margin Action Plan (SMAP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Belac, J

2006-01-01

This presentation summarizes results of the OECD/NEA/CSNI working group on Safety Margin Action Plan (SMAP) aimed to develop generalized safety margin concept and means of its quantification for the process of evaluating plant safety in the frame of plant life extension and power up rating activities to be used by OECD member countries. (author)

Work life and patient safety culture in Canadian healthcare: connecting the quality dots using national accreditation results.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitchell, Jonathan I

2012-01-01

Fostering quality work life is paramount to building a strong patient safety culture in healthcare organizations. Data from two patient safety culture and work-life questionnaires used for Accreditation Canada's national program were analyzed. Strong team leadership was reported in that units were doing a good job of identifying, assessing and managing risks to patients. Seventy-one percent of respondents gave their unit a positive overall grade on patient safety, and 79% of respondents felt that they could often do their best-quality work in their job. However, healthcare workers felt that they did not have enough time to do their jobs adequately and indicated that co-workers were cutting corners in patient care in order to save time. This article discusses engaging both senior leadership and the entire organization in the change process, ensuring supervisory support, and using performance measures to focus organizational efforts on key priorities all as improvement strategies relevant to these findings. These strategies can be used by organizations across sectors and jurisdictions and by healthcare leaders to positively affect work life and patient safety.

Socially Vulnerable Young People in Flemish Sports Clubs: Investigating Youth Experiences

Science.gov (United States)

Haudenhuyse, Reinhard; Theeboom, Marc; Nols, Zeno; Coussée, Filip

2014-01-01

Sport appears to present a powerful tool for engaging socially vulnerable youth in an organised context, which offers an opportunity to work with them. However, we have little understanding regarding participation of socially vulnerable young people in the "traditional" sport sector (i.e. sports clubs). Nor do we have sufficient insights…

Safety reloaded: lean operations and high involvement work practices for sustainable workplaces

OpenAIRE

Camuffo, Arnaldo; De Stefano, Federica; Paolino, Chiara

2017-01-01

Starting from the recent quest to investigate the human side of organizational sustainability, this study applies a variety of regression analyses to investigate the effects of Lean Operations, High Involvement Work Practices, and management behaviors on occupational safety. It tests and finds support for the hypotheses that Lean Production systems, High Involvement Work Practices, and two specific management behaviors—workers’ capability development (coaching and teaching of workers) and emp...

77 FR 20700 - Examinations of Work Areas in Underground Coal Mines for Violations of Mandatory Health or Safety...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-06

... DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Mine Safety and Health Administration 30 CFR Part 75 RIN 1219-AB75 Examinations of Work Areas in Underground Coal Mines for Violations of Mandatory Health or Safety Standards AGENCY: Mine Safety and Health Administration, Labor. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: The Mine Safety and...

Laboratory safety and the WHO World Alliance for Patient Safety.

Science.gov (United States)

McCay, Layla; Lemer, Claire; Wu, Albert W

2009-06-01

Laboratory medicine has been a pioneer in the field of patient safety; indeed, the College of American Pathology first called attention to the issue in 1946. Delivering reliable laboratory results has long been considered a priority, as the data produced in laboratory medicine have the potential to critically influence individual patients' diagnosis and management. Until recently, most attention on laboratory safety has focused on the analytic stage of laboratory medicine. Addressing this stage has led to significant and impressive improvements in the areas over which laboratories have direct control. However, recent data demonstrate that pre- and post-analytical phases are at least as vulnerable to errors; to further improve patient safety in laboratory medicine, attention must now be focused on the pre- and post-analytic phases, and the concept of patient safety as a multi-disciplinary, multi-stage and multi-system concept better understood. The World Alliance for Patient Safety (WAPS) supports improvement of patient safety globally and provides a potential framework for considering the total testing process.

Subjective perception of safety in healthy individuals working with 7 T MRI scanners: a retrospective multicenter survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Fatahi, Mahsa; Demenescu, Liliana Ramona; Speck, Oliver

2016-06-01

To retrospectively assess perception of safety of healthy individuals working with human 7 Tesla (T) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners. A total of 66 healthy individuals with a mean age of 31 ± 7 years participated in this retrospective multicentre survey study. Nonparametric correlation analysis was conducted to evaluate the relation between self-reported perception of safety and prevalence of sensory effects while working with 7 T MRI scanners for an average 47 months. The results indicated that 98.5 % of the study participants had a neutral or positive feeling about safety aspects at 7 T MRI scanners. 45.5 % reported that they feel very safe and none of the participants stated that they feel moderately or very unsafe while working with 7 T MRI scanners. Perception of safety was not affected by the number of hours per week spent in the vicinity of the 7 T MRI scanner or the duration of experience with 7 T MRI. More than 50 % of individuals experienced vertigo and metallic taste while working with 7 T MRI scanners. However, participants' perceptions of safety were not affected by the prevalence of MR-related symptoms. The overall data indicated an average perception of a moderately safe work environment. To our knowledge, this study delineates the first attempt to assess the subjective safety perception among 7 T MRI workers and suggests further investigations are indicated.

Landslide Vulnerability Assessment (LVAs: A Case Study from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rodeano Roslee

2016-12-01

Full Text Available DOI: 10.17014/ijog.4.1.49-59The topic on Landslide Vulnerability Assessment (LVAs in Malaysia is relatively new and received little attention from geoscientists and engineers. This research paper tries to formulate the concept of LVAs by taking into account the science and socio-economic aspects. A new approach in vulnerability concept is also introduced herein. To achieve this goal, a framework was designed for assessing the LVAs. The framework was formulated semiquantitatively through the development of database for the risk elements (human and properties based on information from secondary data (technical reports, extensive review of literature, and field observations. The vulnerability parameters included in assessing LVAs are 1 physical implication (building structures, internal materials, property damage, infrastructural facilities, and stabilization actions, 2 social status (injury, fatalities, safety, loss of accommodation, and public awareness, and 3 interference on environment (affected period, daily operation, and diversity. Each considered parameter in the vulnerability assessment is allocated with a certain index value ranges from 0 (0 % damage/victims/period, 0.25 (1 - 25% damage/victims/period, 0.50 (26 - 50% damage/victims/period, 0.75 (51 - 75% damage/victims/period, and 1.00 (75 - 100% damage/victims/period. All of these parameters are compiled and analyzed with “Landslide Distribution Map” (LDM to generate a “Landslide Vulnerability Degree map (LVD”. The LDM was produced based on field studies and satellite image interpretations in order to locate the landslide locations in the studied area. Finally, three types of physical, human, and environment vulnerabilities were then classified into five classes of vulnerabilities, namely: Class 1 (< 0.20: Very Low Vulnerability; Class 2 (0.21 - 0.40: Low Vulnerability; Class 3 (0.41 - 0.60: Medium Vulnerability; Class 4 (0.61 - 0.80: High Vulnerability; and Class 5 (> 0.81: Very

76 FR 11187 - Examinations of Work Areas in Underground Coal Mines for Violations of Mandatory Health or Safety...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-01

... DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Mine Safety and Health Administration 30 CFR Part 75 RIN 1219-AB75 Examinations of Work Areas in Underground Coal Mines for Violations of Mandatory Health or Safety Standards... rule addressing Examinations of Work Areas in Underground Coal Mines for Violations of Mandatory Health...

76 FR 58049 - Atomic Safety and Licensing Board; Honeywell International, Inc.; Metropolis Works Uranium...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-19

... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [Docket No. 40-3392-MLA; ASLBP No. 11-910-01-MLA-BD01] Atomic Safety and Licensing Board; Honeywell International, Inc.; Metropolis Works Uranium Conversion Facility... assurance for its Metropolis Works uranium conversion facility in Metropolis, Illinois. \\1\\ LBP-11-19, 74...

[Alcohol and work: the role of the company physician in the occupational health and safety management systems].

Science.gov (United States)

Patussi, V; Muran, A

2010-01-01

The organization of safety in the working places and the increasing attention to behaviours and life styles of workers that may lead to increasing occupational risks are the pick innovative aspects of the recent changes in our country's legislation about occupational safety. In this organization, the role of the company physician is becoming more and more important and his work of evaluation beginning with the knowledge both of the working places and of the workers's lifestyles, is irreplaceable. His role in organizing the managing standards of occupational safety and health cannot be limited to health supervision but must be an essential element in risk assessment in the prevision of workplaces and of safe working conditions, in workers training and information, in organizing the control system of each business. The present paper examines--referring to the current regulation--the duties and functions of a company physician when facing the problems concerning the working risks tied to alcohol assumption.

Divergent Hydraulic Safety Strategies in Three Co-occurring Anacardiaceae Tree Species in a Chinese Savanna.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Shu-Bin; Zhang, Jiao-Lin; Cao, Kun-Fang

2016-01-01

Vulnerability segmentation, the condition under which plant leaves are more vulnerable to drought-induced cavitation than stems, may act as a "safety valve" to protect stems from hydraulic failure. Evergreen, winter-deciduous, and drought-deciduous tree species co-occur in tropical savannas, but there have been no direct studies on the role of vulnerability segmentation and stomatal regulation in maintaining hydraulic safety in trees with these three leaf phenologies. To this end, we selected three Anacardiaceae tree species co-occurring in a Chinese savanna, evergreen Pistacia weinmanniifolia , drought-deciduous Terminthia paniculata , and winter-deciduous Lannea coromandelica , to study inter-species differentiation in leaf and stem hydraulic safety. We found that the two deciduous species had significantly higher sapwood-specific hydraulic conductivity and leaf-specific hydraulic conductance than the evergreen species. Moreover, two deciduous species were more vulnerable to stem cavitation than the evergreen species, although both drought-deciduous species and evergreen species had drought-resistance leaves. The evergreen species maintained a wide hydraulic safety margin (HSM) in stems and leaves; which was achieved by embolism resistance of both stems and leaves and isohydric stomatal control. Both deciduous species had limited HSMs in stems and leaves, being isohydric in the winter-deciduous species and anisohydric in drought-deciduous species. The difference in water potential at 50% loss of hydraulic conductivity between the leaves and the terminal stems (P50 leaf-stem ) was positive in P. weinmanniifolia and L. coromandelica , whereas, T. paniculata exhibited a lack of vulnerability segmentation. In addition, differences in hydraulic architecture were found to be closely related to other structural traits, i.e., leaf mass per area, wood density, and sapwood anatomy. Overall, the winter-deciduous species exhibits a drought-avoidance strategy that maintains

Optimized work control process to improve safety and reliability in a risk-based and deregulated environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderson, Jon G.; Jeffries, Jeffrey D. E.; Mairs, Todd P.; Rahn, Frank J.

1999-01-01

This paper provides an overview of strategic models to assist power generating plants to improve their work control processes. These models include mechanisms to continually keep the process up to date. Included in the work control process are elements for system cost/performance analysis, life-cycle maintenance planning, on-line scheduling and look-ahead techniques, and schedule implementation to conduct work on the asset. The paper also discusses how risk management associated with work control issues that effect the safety and reliability, as well as O and M costs, is integrated into this strategy. The work control process is a pervasive and critical element in the successful implementation of operations and work management programs. While providing a method to implement maintenance activities in a cost-effective manner, the work control process improves plant safety and system reliability

The experience of nuclear objects of the national nuclear center of the republic of Kazakhstan vulnerability analysis conducting with the help of assess analytic system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bogomolov, D.V.; Kozlov, N.I.

2002-01-01

ASSESS which was developed in Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, USA, was used as a mean of modeling and analyzing. All the input data of the program and the finding of the analysis passed expert estimation by the NNC RK scientists. Vulnerability analysis resulted in getting the optimal schemes of the movement routes of eventual violators and the value of probability of their detection in the sites, buildings and IGR, 'Baikal-1' and VVR-K reactor complexes premises. Especially important result of the modeling was rather a demonstrable idea of the eventual violators route sectors where additional measures and means of their most possible detecting, safety provision and protection of the IAE nuclear objects protection must be taken. The experience of ASSESS application acquired by NNC RK scientists gives way to state confidently that at adaptation the ASSESS program can be successfully used in estimating of any protected nuclear objects vulnerability from any unauthorized acts. It also includes working out of measures aimed at these objects protection improvement both in the countries of the European Union and in the countries of the CIS. In this case adaptation is a specific database accumulation where all the used protecting systems and database integration with ASSESS system have been taken into account. The creation of specified database of the ASSESS program would give opportunity to increase considerably the effectiveness of vulnerability and nuclear objects risk analysis at low financial expenditure. Adapted ASSESS program would also make it possible to conduct qualified working out of measures on guarded objects protection at short terms. So, the adaptation and the application of the analytical ASSESS system can be of great benefit in solution of problems concerning nuclear objects protection improvement which are exclusively important in the present situation. (author)

Structural Safety Analysis of Openable Working Table in ACP Hot Cell for Spent Fuel Treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kwon, Ki Chan; Ku, Jeong Hoe; Lee, Eun Pyo; Choung, Won Myung; You, Gil Sung; Lee, Won Kyung; Cho, IL Je; Kuk, Dong Hak

2006-01-01

A demonstration facility for advanced spent fuel conditioning process (ACP) is under construction in KAERI. In this hot cell facility, all process equipment and materials are taken in and out only through the rear door. The working table in front of the process rear door is specially designed to be openable for the efficient use of the space. This paper presents the structural safety analysis of the openable working table, for the normal operational load condition and accidental drop condition of heavy object. Both cases are investigated through static and dynamic finite element analyses. The analysis results show that structural safety of the working table is sufficiently assured and the working table is not collapsed even when an object of 500 kg is dropped from the height of 50 cm.

An assessment of fire vulnerability for aged electrical relays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vigil, R.A.; Nowlen, S.P.

1995-03-01

There has been some concern that, as nuclear power plants age, protective measures taken to control and minimize the impact of fire may become ineffective, or significantly less effective, and hence result in an increased fire risk. One objective of the Fire Vulnerability of Aged Electrical Components Program is to assess the effects of aging and service wear on the fire vulnerability of electrical equipment. An increased fire vulnerability of components may lead to an overall increase in fire risk to the plant. Because of their widespread use in various electrical safety systems, electromechanical relays were chosen to be the initial components for evaluation. This test program assessed the impact of operational and thermal aging on the vulnerability of these relays to fire-induced damage. Only thermal effects of a fire were examined in this test program. The impact of smoke, corrosive materials, or fire suppression effects on relay performance were not addressed in this test program. The purpose of this test program was to assess whether the fire vulnerability of electrical relays increased with aging. The sequence followed for the test program was to: identify specific relay types, develop three fire scenarios, artificially age several relays, test the unaged and aged relays in the fire exposure scenarios, and compare the results. The relays tested were Agastat GPI, General Electric (GE) HMA, HGA, and HFA. At least two relays of each type were artificially aged and at least two relays of each type were new. Relays were operationally aged by cycling the relay under rated load for 2,000 operations. These relays were then thermally aged for 60 days with their coil energized

Application of the SEIPS Model to Analyze Medication Safety in a Crisis Residential Center.

Science.gov (United States)

Steele, Maria L; Talley, Brenda; Frith, Karen H

2018-02-01

Medication safety and error reduction has been studied in acute and long-term care settings, but little research is found in the literature regarding mental health settings. Because mental health settings are complex, medication administration is vulnerable to a variety of errors from transcription to administration. The purpose of this study was to analyze critical factors related to a mental health work system structure and processes that threaten safe medication administration practices. The Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety (SEIPS) model provides a framework to analyze factors affecting medication safety. The model approach analyzes the work system concepts of technology, tasks, persons, environment, and organization to guide the collection of data. In the study, the Lean methodology tools were used to identify vulnerabilities in the system that could be targeted later for improvement activities. The project director completed face-to-face interviews, asked nurses to record disruptions in a log, and administered a questionnaire to nursing staff. The project director also conducted medication chart reviews and recorded medication errors using a standardized taxonomy for errors that allowed categorization of the prevalent types of medication errors. Results of the study revealed disruptions during the medication process, pharmacology training needs, and documentation processes as the primary opportunities for improvement. The project engaged nurses to identify sustainable quality improvement strategies to improve patient safety. The mental health setting carries challenges for safe medication administration practices. Through analysis of the structure, process, and outcomes of medication administration, opportunities for quality improvement and sustainable interventions were identified, including minimizing the number of distractions during medication administration, training nurses on psychotropic medications, and improving the documentation

Catalogue of systems for the monitoring of working conditions relating to health and safety

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Prins, R.; Verboon, F.

1991-01-01

In this Catalogue a number of systems or instruments for Monitoring Working Conditions and workers Health and Safety have been described. The general aim of the project was three-fold: - to obtain an overall assessment of the existing instruments for identifying risk factors and working conditions

The impact of nurse working hours on patient safety culture: a cross-national survey including Japan, the United States and Chinese Taiwan using the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Yinghui; Fujita, Shigeru; Seto, Kanako; Ito, Shinya; Matsumoto, Kunichika; Huang, Chiu-Chin; Hasegawa, Tomonori

2013-10-07

A positive patient safety culture (PSC) is one of the most critical components to improve healthcare quality and safety. The Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPS), developed by the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, has been used to assess PSC in 31 countries. However, little is known about the impact of nurse working hours on PSC. We hypothesized that long nurse working hours would deteriorate PSC, and that the deterioration patterns would vary between countries. Moreover, the common trends observed in Japan, the US and Chinese Taiwan may be useful to improve PSC in other countries. The purpose of this study was to clarify the impact of long nurse working hours on PSC in Japan, the US, and Chinese Taiwan using HSOPS. The HSOPS questionnaire measures 12 sub-dimensions of PSC, with higher scores indicating a more positive PSC. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated using a generalized linear mixed model to evaluate the impact of working hours on PSC outcome measures (patient safety grade and number of events reported). Tukey's test and Cohen's d values were used to verify the relationships between nurse working hours and the 12 sub-dimensions of PSC. Nurses working ≥60 h/week in Japan and the US had a significantly lower OR for patient safety grade than those working working ≥40 h/week had a significantly higher OR for the number of events reported. The mean score on 'staffing' was significantly lower in the ≥60-h group than in the Japan and Chinese Taiwan. Patient safety grade deteriorated and the number of events reported increased with long working hours. Among the 12 sub-dimensions of PSC, long working hours had an impact on 'staffing' and 'teamwork within units' in Japan, the US and Chinese Taiwan.

Safety goals and safety culture opening plenary. 1. WANO's Role in Maintaining and Improving Safety Culture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsutsumi, Ryosuke

2001-01-01

focus on reactor safety and reliability. WANO provides an excellent program for members to always improve their safety performance. Continuous improvement of safety performance is important to maintaining the safety culture. The basic improvement cycle includes identifying issues, setting objectives, designing solutions, implementing solutions, evaluating solutions, and tracking success. WANO members have a common aim: to improve the operational safety in their NPPs. Without exception, plant managers hope that the safety culture takes root deeply in the minds of plant staffs in their daily work and that all members of NPP staffs make every effort to carry out their jobs with the safety culture in mind. However, safety culture is very vulnerable. No matter how hard plant people work, once they think their plant is safe, the safety of the plant starts decaying at that instant. Let me remind you that safety culture is a daily thing and can never be completed. Humility is essential for the people at a plant because complacency immediately destroys the safety culture. Participation in WANO programs and communicating with various fellow plant staff all over the world can keep plant people alert and encourage unfailing efforts for safety. This is what WANO can be proud of

A RULE-BASED SYSTEM APPROACH FOR SAFETY MANAGEMENT IN HAZARDOUS WORK SYSTEMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ercüment N. DİZDAR

1998-03-01

Full Text Available Developments in technology increased the importance of safety management in work life. These improvements also resulted in a requirement of more investment and assignment on human in work systems. Here we face this problem: Can we make it possible to forecast the possible accidents that workers can face, and prevent these accidents by taking necessary precautions? In this study made, we aimed at developing an rule-based system to forecast the occupational accidents in coming periods at the departments of the facilities in hazardous work systems. The validity of the developed system was proved by implementing it into practice in hazardous work systems in manufacturing industry.

A synthesized biophysical and social vulnerability assessment for Taiwan

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Yung-Jaan

2017-11-01

Taiwan, located in the Western Pacific, is a country that is one of the most vulnerable to disasters that are associated with the changing climate; it is located within the Ring of Fire, which is the most geologically active region in the world. The environmental and geological conditions in Taiwan are sensitive and vulnerable to such disasters. Owing to increasing urbanization in Taiwan, floods and climate-related disasters have taken an increasing toll on human lives. As global warming accelerates the rising of sea levels and increasing of the frequency of extreme weather events, disasters will continue to affect socioeconomic development and human conditions. Under such circumstances, researchers and policymakers alike must recognize the importance of providing useful knowledge concerning vulnerability, disaster recovery and resilience. Strategies for reducing vulnerability and climate-related disaster risks and for increasing resilience involve preparedness, mitigation and adaptation. In the last two decades, extreme climate events have caused severe flash floods, debris flows, landslides, and other disasters and have had negative effects of many sectors, including agriculture, infrastructure and health. Since climate change is expected to have a continued impact on socio-economic development, this work develops a vulnerability assessment framework that integrates both biophysical and social vulnerability and supports synthesized vulnerability analyses to identify vulnerable areas in Taiwan. Owing to its geographical, geological and climatic features, Taiwan is susceptible to earthquakes, typhoons, droughts and various induced disasters. Therefore, Taiwan has the urgent task of establishing a framework for assessing vulnerability as a planning and policy tool that can be used to identify not only the regions that require special attention but also hotspots in which efforts should be made to reduce vulnerability and the risk of climate-related disaster. To

Criminalisation of clients: reproducing vulnerabilities for violence and poor health among street-based sex workers in Canada—a qualitative study

Science.gov (United States)

Krüsi, A; Pacey, K; Bird, L; Taylor, C; Chettiar, J; Allan, S; Bennett, D; Montaner, J S; Kerr, T; Shannon, K

2014-01-01

particular, vulnerability to violence and HIV/STIs. The current findings support decriminalisation of sex work to ensure work conditions that support the health and safety of sex workers in Canada and globally. PMID:24889853

Safety Review related to Commercial Grade Digital Equipment in Safety System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, Yeongjin; Park, Hyunshin; Yu, Yeongjin; Lee, Jaeheung

2013-01-01

The upgrades or replacement of I and C systems on safety system typically involve digital equipment developed in accordance with non-nuclear standards. However, the use of commercial grade digital equipment could include the vulnerability for software common-mode failure, electromagnetic interference and unanticipated problems. Although guidelines and standards for dedication methods of commercial grade digital equipment are provided, there are some difficulties to apply the methods to commercial grade digital equipment for safety system. This paper focuses on regulatory guidelines and relevant documents for commercial grade digital equipment and presents safety review experiences related to commercial grade digital equipment in safety system. This paper focuses on KINS regulatory guides and relevant documents for dedication of commercial grade digital equipment and presents safety review experiences related to commercial grade digital equipment in safety system. Dedication including critical characteristics is required to use the commercial grade digital equipment on safety system in accordance with KEPIC ENB 6370 and EPRI TR-106439. The dedication process should be controlled in a configuration management process. Appropriate methods, criteria and evaluation result should be provided to verify acceptability of the commercial digital equipment used for safety function

Work safety of farmers and heating entrepreneurs in 2008; Tyoeturvallisuus bioenergian tuotannossa maatiloilla

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lauhanen, R.; Suojaranta, J.; Raety, H.; Petaeinen, J.

2009-07-01

There were at least 327 heating entrepreneurs responsible for fuel procurement and heating production in Finland at the end of 2007 according to TTS Research. Recently, the expansion of bio energy business has become a large one. This new business, however, may contain many risks, too. There have been discussions on the well-being and work safety of heating entrepreneurs and farmers in the South Ostrobothnia. In order to avoid the occupational risks and accidents of farmers and heating entrepreneurs, this study aimed at finding out the occupational risks and work safety of this target group. The study was funded by the Work safety funds of the Finnish Mela organization (http://www.mela.fi) and by Seinaejoki University of Applied Sciences /http://seamk.fi). A questionnaire for 328 farmers and heating entrepreneurs was carried out in the spring 2008. In addition, study visits to ten sampled heating plants in South Ostrobothnia were carried out. The farmers and heating entrepreneurs were interviewed and the work conditions were measured and determined on the heating plants with the maximal effectiveness of 1 MW. Domestic renewable forest energy is a possibility in the rural areas of Finland. The heating entrepreneurs and farmers used to be in a hurry according to questionnaires. The weak profitability and the changing bio energy policies were problems in the heating entrepreneurship. The occupational accidents had occured, especially, in energy-wood logging operations and when fuel wood was prepared mechanically. Occupational accidents had also occured in the repairing of forest machines, chippers and trucks, and in the repairing of the heating plant facilities. The passageways of the heating plants should be planned more carefully according to the interviews. The loud of 64-81 dB, the mean temperature of 28,3 Celsius degrees and mean air humidity of 26% were measured in the investigated heating plants. Especially, advice and training in safe energy wood logging will

Local to global: Working together to meet the needs of vulnerable communities.

Science.gov (United States)

Dressel, Anne; Mkandawire-Valhmu, Lucy; Dietrich, Ann; Chirwa, Ellen; Mgawadere, Florence; Kambalametore, Sylvia; Kako, Peninnah

2017-09-01

Since 2012, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) faculty from nursing and physical therapy (PT) have been working together towards a common goal: to meet the healthcare needs of vulnerable populations in Malawi and Milwaukee. Sharing valuable knowledge and understanding one another's professions have allowed us to develop interprofessional education (IPE) learning experiences for students to help identify how quality of life could be improved or enhanced for children and their families across two different geographic spaces, one in rural Malawi and the other in urban Milwaukee. IPE learning modules were implemented in UWM's community health-focused short-term study abroad programmes to Malawi. IPE learning modules were also piloted at one of UWM's nurse-managed community health centres, located in a low-income, African American community in the inner city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Based on survey data collected from 10 participating IPE students in Milwaukee, from nursing, occupational therapy, PT, and speech and language pathology, a pilot study yielded a statistically significant change in a positive direction for increased understanding of three interprofessional collaborative practice core competencies: values and ethics, roles and responsibilities, and teams and teamwork. In this article, we discuss the processes used to develop, implement, and evaluate IPE experiences for UWM students, which may enable other professionals to envision the various projects they can embark upon from an interprofessional perspective.

Spent Fuel Working Group report on inventory and storage of the Department's spent nuclear fuel and other reactor irradiated nuclear materials and their environmental, safety and health vulnerabilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-11-01

A self assessment was conducted of those Hanford facilities that are utilized to store Reactor Irradiated Nuclear Material, (RINM). The objective of the assessment is to identify the Hanford inventories of RINM and the ES ampersand H concerns associated with such storage. The assessment was performed as proscribed by the Project Plan issued by the DOE Spent Fuel Working Group. The Project Plan is the plan of execution intended to complete the Secretary's request for information relevant to the inventories and vulnerabilities of DOE storage of spent nuclear fuel. The Hanford RINM inventory, the facilities involved and the nature of the fuel stored are summarized. This table succinctly reveals the variety of the Hanford facilities involved, the variety of the types of RINM involved, and the wide range of the quantities of material involved in Hanford's RINM storage circumstances. ES ampersand H concerns are defined as those circumstances that have the potential, now or in the future, to lead to a criticality event, to a worker radiation exposure event, to an environmental release event, or to public announcements of such circumstances and the sensationalized reporting of the inherent risks

Organizational Culture and Safety

Science.gov (United States)

Adams, Catherine A.

2003-01-01

'..only a fool perseveres in error.' Cicero. Humans will break the most advanced technological devices and override safety and security systems if they are given the latitude. Within the workplace, the operator may be just one of several factors in causing accidents or making risky decisions. Other variables considered for their involvement in the negative and often catastrophic outcomes include the organizational context and culture. Many organizations have constructed and implemented safety programs to be assimilated into their culture to assure employee commitment and understanding of the importance of everyday safety. The purpose of this paper is to examine literature on organizational safety cultures and programs that attempt to combat vulnerability, risk taking behavior and decisions and identify the role of training in attempting to mitigate unsafe acts.

Experience in the development and practical use of working control levels for radiation safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Epishin, A.V.

1981-01-01

The experience of development and practical use of working control levels (WCL) of radiation safety in the Gorky region, is discussed. WCL are introduced by ''Radiation Safety Guides'' (RSG-76) and have great practical importance. Regional control levels of radiation safety are determined for certain types of operations implying radioactive hazard and differentiated according to the types of sources applied and types of operation. Dose rates, radioactive contamination of operating surfaces, skin, air and waste water are subject to normalization. Limits of individual radiation doses specified according to operation categories are included. 10 tables of regional WCL indices are developed [ru

Participatory flood vulnerability assessment: a multi-criteria approach

Science.gov (United States)

Madruga de Brito, Mariana; Evers, Mariele; Delos Santos Almoradie, Adrian

2018-01-01

This paper presents a participatory multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approach for flood vulnerability assessment while considering the relationships between vulnerability criteria. The applicability of the proposed framework is demonstrated in the municipalities of Lajeado and Estrela, Brazil. The model was co-constructed by 101 experts from governmental organizations, universities, research institutes, NGOs, and private companies. Participatory methods such as the Delphi survey, focus groups, and workshops were applied. A participatory problem structuration, in which the modellers work closely with end users, was used to establish the structure of the vulnerability index. The preferences of each participant regarding the criteria importance were spatially modelled through the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and analytical network process (ANP) multi-criteria methods. Experts were also involved at the end of the modelling exercise for validation. The final product is a set of individual and group flood vulnerability maps. Both AHP and ANP proved to be effective for flood vulnerability assessment; however, ANP is preferred as it considers the dependences among criteria. The participatory approach enabled experts to learn from each other and acknowledge different perspectives towards social learning. The findings highlight that to enhance the credibility and deployment of model results, multiple viewpoints should be integrated without forcing consensus.

An holistic view on aquifer vulnerability based on a distinction of different types of vulnerability

Science.gov (United States)

De Luca, Domenico Antonio; Lasagna, Manuela; Franchino, Elisa

2016-04-01

AN HOLISTIC VIEW ON AQUIFER VULNERABILITY BASED ON A DISTINCTION OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF VULNERABILITY D.A. De Luca1 , M. Lasagna1, E. Franchino1 1Department of Earth Sciences, University of Turin The concept of vulnerability is certainly useful in the field of groundwater protection. Nevertheless, within the scientific community, the definition of groundwater vulnerability is still debatable and not clear and conclusive. This is probably due to the fact that researchers often have very different experiences and education. A positive effect of it is a constant exchange of ideas, but there are also negative consequences and difficulties in deepening the issue. The different approaches are very important but they are usable only if the concept of vulnerability is standardized: thus, for the sake of clarity, a number of definitions should be laid down, based on the different types of vulnerability. These definitions can then provide the necessary holistic view for the aquifer vulnerability assessment. Nowadays vulnerability methods focus on the degree of vulnerability and the parameters needed for its evaluation, often neglecting to clarify what is the type of vulnerability the proposed methods are referred. The type of vulnerability, indeed, is both logically and hierarchically superior to the degree of vulnerability. More specifically the type of vulnerability represents the evaluation of the hydrogeological conditions considered in the vulnerability assessment and able to influence the way in which the contamination can take place. Currently the only distinction, based on of the type of vulnerability, is referred to intrinsic and specific vulnerability. Intrinsic vulnerability assesses the susceptibility of the receptor based on the natural properties of the land and subsurface; specific vulnerability also includes properties of the analyzed contaminant. This distinction is useful but not exhaustive. In addition to this, e.g., a distinction of vertical vulnerability

Reactor sabotage vulnerability and vital-equipment identification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boudreau, J.M.; Haarman, R.A.

1982-01-01

Two ongoing programs at Los Alamos, the Vital Area Analysis Program and the Reactor Sabotage Vulnerability Program, are discussed. The Laboratory has been providing the Nuclear Regulatory Commission with technical support in identifying the vital areas at nuclear power plants through the use of sabotage fault trees. This procedure is being expanded to provide support for the Reactor Sabotage Vulnerability Assessment Program. A re-examination of some of the original system modeling assumptions, including a survey of the applicable research, is underway. A description of the survey work and the computerized data bases being used is provided. This program is expected to result in refinements in the existing procedures

Vulnerability curves vs. vulnerability indicators: application of an indicator-based methodology for debris-flow hazards

Science.gov (United States)

Papathoma-Köhle, Maria

2016-08-01

The assessment of the physical vulnerability of elements at risk as part of the risk analysis is an essential aspect for the development of strategies and structural measures for risk reduction. Understanding, analysing and, if possible, quantifying physical vulnerability is a prerequisite for designing strategies and adopting tools for its reduction. The most common methods for assessing physical vulnerability are vulnerability matrices, vulnerability curves and vulnerability indicators; however, in most of the cases, these methods are used in a conflicting way rather than in combination. The article focuses on two of these methods: vulnerability curves and vulnerability indicators. Vulnerability curves express physical vulnerability as a function of the intensity of the process and the degree of loss, considering, in individual cases only, some structural characteristics of the affected buildings. However, a considerable amount of studies argue that vulnerability assessment should focus on the identification of these variables that influence the vulnerability of an element at risk (vulnerability indicators). In this study, an indicator-based methodology (IBM) for mountain hazards including debris flow (Kappes et al., 2012) is applied to a case study for debris flows in South Tyrol, where in the past a vulnerability curve has been developed. The relatively "new" indicator-based method is being scrutinised and recommendations for its improvement are outlined. The comparison of the two methodological approaches and their results is challenging since both methodological approaches deal with vulnerability in a different way. However, it is still possible to highlight their weaknesses and strengths, show clearly that both methodologies are necessary for the assessment of physical vulnerability and provide a preliminary "holistic methodological framework" for physical vulnerability assessment showing how the two approaches may be used in combination in the future.

Rights, responsibilities and (re)presentation: Using drawings to convey health and safety messages among immigrant workers.

Science.gov (United States)

McKillop, Chris; Parsons, Janet A; Brown, Janet; Scott, Susan; Holness, D Linn

2016-09-27

Immigrant workers who are new to Canada are considered a vulnerable population under the Ontario Ministry of Labour Prevention Strategy for workplace safety. Posters outlining workplace safety rights and responsibilities may not be understandable to new immigrants. To explore visual approaches to making health and safety messages more understandable to new immigrants. This pilot study used arts-based qualitative research methods. Key messages from the Ministry of Labour Health & Safety at Work poster were (re)represented as images by an artist. Recent immigrants engaged in individual interviews and then took part in a focus group, in order to elicit their experiences of health and safety practices, their understanding and feedback concerning the Ministry poster, and the images created. An image-rich version of the poster was developed. The combination of drawings and minimal text was preferred and considered helpful by participants. Barriers to health and safety and work challenges for new immigrants were highlighted. Visual analysis yielded new versions of the poster, as well as a pictorial representation of the research process and study findings. The study demonstrates the value of using image-rich posters with immigrant workers, and the effectiveness of using arts-based methods within the research process.

Safety Justification and Safety Case for Safety-critical Software in Digital Reactor Protection System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kwon, Kee-Choon; Lee, Jang-Soo; Jee, Eunkyoung

2016-01-01

Nuclear safety-critical software is under strict regulatory requirements and these regulatory requirements are essential for ensuring the safety of nuclear power plants. The verification & validation (V and V) and hazard analysis of the safety-critical software are required to follow regulatory requirements through the entire software life cycle. In order to obtain a license from the regulatory body through the development and validation of safety-critical software, it is essential to meet the standards which are required by the regulatory body throughout the software development process. Generally, large amounts of documents, which demonstrate safety justification including standard compliance, V and V, hazard analysis, and vulnerability assessment activities, are submitted to the regulatory body during the licensing process. It is not easy to accurately read and evaluate the whole documentation for the development activities, implementation technology, and validation activities. The safety case methodology has been kwon a promising approach to evaluate the level and depth of the development and validation results. A safety case is a structured argument, supported by a body of evidence that provides a compelling, comprehensible, and valid case that a system is safe for a given application in a given operating environment. It is suggested to evaluate the level and depth of the results of development and validation by applying safety case methodology to achieve software safety demonstration. A lot of documents provided as evidence are connected to claim that corresponds to the topic for safety demonstration. We demonstrated a case study in which more systematic safety demonstration for the target system software is performed via safety case construction than simply listing the documents

Safety Justification and Safety Case for Safety-critical Software in Digital Reactor Protection System

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kwon, Kee-Choon; Lee, Jang-Soo [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Jee, Eunkyoung [KAIST, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-10-15

Nuclear safety-critical software is under strict regulatory requirements and these regulatory requirements are essential for ensuring the safety of nuclear power plants. The verification & validation (V and V) and hazard analysis of the safety-critical software are required to follow regulatory requirements through the entire software life cycle. In order to obtain a license from the regulatory body through the development and validation of safety-critical software, it is essential to meet the standards which are required by the regulatory body throughout the software development process. Generally, large amounts of documents, which demonstrate safety justification including standard compliance, V and V, hazard analysis, and vulnerability assessment activities, are submitted to the regulatory body during the licensing process. It is not easy to accurately read and evaluate the whole documentation for the development activities, implementation technology, and validation activities. The safety case methodology has been kwon a promising approach to evaluate the level and depth of the development and validation results. A safety case is a structured argument, supported by a body of evidence that provides a compelling, comprehensible, and valid case that a system is safe for a given application in a given operating environment. It is suggested to evaluate the level and depth of the results of development and validation by applying safety case methodology to achieve software safety demonstration. A lot of documents provided as evidence are connected to claim that corresponds to the topic for safety demonstration. We demonstrated a case study in which more systematic safety demonstration for the target system software is performed via safety case construction than simply listing the documents.

[Hegemonic masculinity, vulnerability and the prevention of HIV/AIDS].

Science.gov (United States)

Marques, Joilson Santana; Gomes, Romeu; do Nascimento, Elaine Ferreira

2012-02-01

The study aims to examine the relationship between masculinity, vulnerability and the prevention of HIV/AIDS, based on reports from young men from the so-called urban working classes, taking into account not only the meanings attributed to prevention by these subjects, but also considering the dialectical relationship between the individual and society. The conceptual framework encompasses the three main aspects of hegemonic masculinity, prevention and vulnerability. This involves qualitative research based on the perspective of dialectical hermeneutics that uses the method of interpretation of meanings. The analysis yielded two main results, namely hegemonic masculinity as a vulnerability factor, and myths and prejudices as factors of vulnerability to HIV/AIDS. By way of conclusion, it reinforces the need for discussion of prevention encompassing the need to put on the agenda the construction of the sex/gender system around which to articulate the social meanings of masculinity and femininity that influence the structural plan of affective sexual relations in general and HIV/AIDS in particular.

[Precarity, vulnerability, anticipating end-of-life care at home].

Science.gov (United States)

Bonneval, Camille

2016-02-01

Many patients want to end their life at home. Care teams adapt to these wishes and organise a form of treatment which blends safety of care and the respect of the expectations of the patients and family members. When factors of precarity increase the vulnerability inherent to the end of life, caregivers anticipate and support as best as they can the difficulties encountered as testified by a hospital at home team in Dax. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

The core values that support health, safety, and well-being at work

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zwetsloot, G.I.J.M.; Scheppingen, A.R. van; Bos, E.H.; Dijkman, A.; Starren, A.

2013-01-01

Health, safety, and well-being (HSW) at work represent important values in themselves. It seems, however, that other values can contribute to HSW. This is to some extent reflected in the scientific literature in the attention paid to values like trust or justice. However, an overview of what values

METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH TO ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION OF INFORMATION PROTECTION IN INFORMATION SYSTEMS BASED ON VULNERABILITY DANGER

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y. M. Krotiuk

2008-01-01

Full Text Available The paper considers a methodological approach to an analysis and estimation of information security in the information systems which is based on the analysis of vulnerabilities and an extent of their hazard. By vulnerability hazard it is meant a complexity of its operation as a part of an information system. The required and sufficient vulnerability operational conditions  have  been  determined in the paper. The paper proposes a generalized model for attack realization which is used as a basis for construction of an attack realization model for an operation of a particular vulnerability. A criterion for estimation of information protection in the information systems which is based on the estimation of vulnerability hazard is formulated in the paper. The proposed approach allows to obtain a quantitative estimation of the information system security on the basis of the proposed schemes on realization of typical attacks for the distinguished classes of vulnerabilities.The methodical approach is used for choosing variants to be applied for realization of protection mechanisms in the information systems as well as for estimation of information safety in the operating information systems.

Reducing vulnerability among pastoralists in northern Kenya | IDRC ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

2011-04-21

Apr 21, 2011 ... Research on climate-related vulnerability among pastoralist ... decisions that affect the use of resources that families depend on in times of stress, while ... these skills and approaches are useful to other areas of NEMA's work.

Safety at work: a meta-analytic investigation of the link between job demands, job resources, burnout, engagement, and safety outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Nahrgang, Jennifer D; Morgeson, Frederick P; Hofmann, David A

2011-01-01

In this article, we develop and meta-analytically test the relationship between job demands and resources and burnout, engagement, and safety outcomes in the workplace. In a meta-analysis of 203 independent samples (N = 186,440), we found support for a health impairment process and for a motivational process as mechanisms through which job demands and resources relate to safety outcomes. In particular, we found that job demands such as risks and hazards and complexity impair employees' health and positively relate to burnout. Likewise, we found support for job resources such as knowledge, autonomy, and a supportive environment motivating employees and positively relating to engagement. Job demands were found to hinder an employee with a negative relationship to engagement, whereas job resources were found to negatively relate to burnout. Finally, we found that burnout was negatively related to working safely but that engagement motivated employees and was positively related to working safely. Across industries, risks and hazards was the most consistent job demand and a supportive environment was the most consistent job resource in terms of explaining variance in burnout, engagement, and safety outcomes. The type of job demand that explained the most variance differed by industry, whereas a supportive environment remained consistent in explaining the most variance in all industries.

77 FR 43721 - Examinations of Work Areas in Underground Coal Mines for Violations of Mandatory Health or Safety...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-26

... DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Mine Safety and Health Administration 30 CFR Part 75 RIN 1219-AB75 Examinations of Work Areas in Underground Coal Mines for Violations of Mandatory Health or Safety Standards AGENCY: Mine Safety and Health Administration, Labor. ACTION: Notice of OMB approval of information...

Intersectoral Action to Enhance the Social Inclusion of Socially Vulnerable Youth through Sport: An Exploration of the Elements of Successful Partnerships between Youth Work Organisations and Local Sports Clubs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Niels Hermens

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Research shows that participation in sport is positively related to self-esteem, self-regulation skills, and social inclusion. As socially vulnerable youngsters participate less frequently in sports activities than their average peers, youth work organisations try to guide their clients (i.e., socially vulnerable youngsters to local sports clubs and inclusive sports activities. Inclusive sports activities, however, cannot be provided by youth work organisations alone. Therefore, in the Netherlands, intersectoral action involving both youth work organisations and local sports clubs has emerged. Because youth workers and stakeholders in local sports clubs are not used to collaborating with each other, we explored the factors that contribute to the quality and performance of such intersectoral actions. On the basis of five open interviews with youth workers and three focus groups with stakeholders in local sports clubs, we described factors relating to the organisation of intersectoral action among youth workers and local sports clubs that are preconditions for the success of this specific type of intersectoral action.

Livelihoods, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change in Morogoro, Tanzania

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paavola, Jouni

2008-01-01

This article examines farmers' livelihood responses and vulnerability to climate variability and other stressors in Morogoro, Tanzania, to understand their implications for adaptation to climate change by agricultural households in developing world more generally. In Morogoro, agricultural households have extended cultivation, intensified agriculture, diversified livelihoods and migrated to gain access to land, markets and employment as a response to climatic and other stressors. Some of these responses have depleted and degraded natural resources such as forest, soil and water resources, which will complicate their living with climate change in the future. This will be particularly problematic to vulnerable groups such as women, children and pastoralists who have limited access to employment, markets and public services. In this light, fair adaptation to climate change by agricultural households in Morogoro and elsewhere in developing countries requires several complementary responses. Adaptation efforts should involve effective governance of natural resources because they function as safety nets to vulnerable groups. In addition, strengthening of national markets by infrastructure investments and institutional reforms is needed to give incentives to intensification and diversification in agriculture. Market participation also demands enhancement of human capital by public programs on health, education and wellbeing

Mobile Phones and Psychosocial Therapies with Vulnerable People: a First State of the Art.

Science.gov (United States)

Vázquez, Maria Yolanda García; Sexto, Carlos Ferrás; Rocha, Álvaro; Aguilera, Adrián

2016-06-01

Mobile phones are becoming a communication tool commonly used by people all over the world; and they are started to be adopted in psychosocial therapies involving vulnerable people. We are herein presenting the results of an academic literature review. We identified scientific papers published between 2006 and 2015 resorting to academic databases available on the Internet, applying a systematic selection method based on quality criteria. Secondly, we analysed contents, highlighting the scarcity of research involving vulnerable people. The available literature specialized in psychosocial therapies offers investigation results which involve mobile phones and patients in general, focusing particularly on the clinical psychology field and, to a lesser extent, on the social work field. Particularly significant are the investigation works developed in the United States. In the present paper we introduce a first "state of the art", identifying opportunities and also the limitations surrounding the use of mobile phones in psychosocial therapies targeting the vulnerable. Issues concerning privacy and data confidentiality, and the access of vulnerable people to mobile phones and how they use them, pose significant challenges; but they offer the opportunity to reach isolated or impoverished populations, or even to facilitate access to social and healthcare services. We close this paper formulating possible orientations, hypotheses and goals to design new investigation works involving vulnerable populations.

Safety Work with an Ethnic Slant

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Wästerfors

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Ethnic discrimination in the criminal justice system is a well-researched topic, but the significance of ethnicity in policing activities at more mundane levels has attracted less attention. This article analyzes ethnographic data on municipal ‘safety work’ in a Swedish city troubled with robberies, vandalism, and violence. It shows how the efforts of different safety workers, operating to curb crime and promote security, came to focus on the ‘soft’ policing of young men with various immigrant backgrounds. A set of street-level safety practices, performed within spatial demarcations, was found to represent a more-or-less silent orientation towards local minorities; a focus on non-Swedish ethnicities was embedded in the policing activity. This article points out the importance of implied ethnicities in the contemporary landscape of plural policing.

Vulnerability of the nuclear power plant in war conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stritar, A.; Mavko, B.

1992-01-01

In the summer 1991 the Nuclear Power Plant Krsko in Slovenia found itself in the area of military operations. This way probably the first commercial nuclear power plant, to which it was threatened with the air jet attack. A number of never before asked questions had to be answered by the operating staff and supporting organizations. In this paper some aspects of the nuclear power plant safety in war condition are described: the selection of the best plant operating state before the attack and the determination of plant system vulnerability. It was concluded, that the best operating mode, into which the plant should be brought before the attack, is the cold shutdown mode. The problem of Nuclear Power Plant safety in war conditions should be addressed in more detail in the future. (author) [sl

Dependence and Vulnerability in the moral philosophy of Alasdair MacIntyre

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Javier de la Torre Díaz

2017-10-01

Full Text Available We are all dependent persons and from this limitation and human condition we can find some deep insights to better understand vulnerability as a principle of bioethics. This article introduces the concept of dependence as outlined by the Scottish philosopher, settled in the United States since 1971, Alasdair MacIntyre in his work Dependent Rational Animals. From this work, we want to rehabilitate the importance of dependency in the life of every living being and we want to propose some basic ideas so as to gain a better understanding of the principle of vulnerability.

Work stressors, job insecurity, union support, job satisfaction and safety outcomes within the iron ore mining environment

OpenAIRE

Nicolaas W.H. Smit; Leon T. de Beer; Jaco Pienaar

2016-01-01

Orientation: The study of work stressors, job insecurity and union support creates opportunity for iron ore mining organisations to manage job satisfaction and safety motivation and behaviour more effectively. Research purpose: The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between work stressors, job insecurity, union support, job satisfaction and safety motivation and behaviour of a sample of iron ore mine workers in South Africa. Motivation for the study: The minin...

Developing an integrated dam safety program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nielsen, N. M.; Lampa, J.

1996-01-01

An effort has been made to demonstrate that dam safety is an integral part of asset management which, when properly done, ensures that all objectives relating to safety and compliance, profitability, stakeholders' expectations and customer satisfaction, are achieved. The means to achieving this integration of the dam safety program and the level of effort required for each core function have been identified using the risk management approach to pinpoint vulnerabilities, and subsequently to focus priorities. The process is considered appropriate for any combination of numbers, sizes and uses of dams, and is designed to prevent exposure to unacceptable risks. 5 refs., 1 tab

Construction of road network vulnerability evaluation index based on general travel cost

Science.gov (United States)

Leng, Jun-qiang; Zhai, Jing; Li, Qian-wen; Zhao, Lin

2018-03-01

With the development of China's economy and the continuous improvement of her urban road network, the vulnerability of the urban road network has attracted increasing attention. Based on general travel cost, this work constructs the vulnerability evaluation index for the urban road network, and evaluates the vulnerability of the urban road network from the perspective of user generalised travel cost. Firstly, the generalised travel cost model is constructed based on vehicle cost, travel time, and traveller comfort. Then, the network efficiency index is selected as an evaluation index of vulnerability: the network efficiency index is composed of the traffic volume and the generalised travel cost, which are obtained from the equilibrium state of the network. In addition, the research analyses the influence of traffic capacity decrease, road section attribute value, and location of road section, on vulnerability. Finally, the vulnerability index is used to analyse the local area network of Harbin and verify its applicability.

Susceptibility to mountain hazards in Austria - paradigms of vulnerability revisited

Science.gov (United States)

Fuchs, Sven

2010-05-01

mechanisms and coping strategies being developed within social sciences. If vulnerability and its counterpart, resilience, is analysed and evaluated by using a comprehensive approach, a better understanding of the vulnerability-influencing parameters could be achieved, taking into account the interdependencies and interactions between the disciplinary foci. Thereby the overall aim of this work is not to develop another integrative approach for vulnerability assessment, different approaches are rather applied by using a vulnerability-of-place criterion, and key issues of vulnerability are reconsidered aiming at a general illustration of the situation in a densely populated mountain region of Europe.

Vulnerability assessment at a national level in Georgia

Science.gov (United States)

Tsereteli, N.; Arabidze, V.; Varazanashvili, O.; Gugeshashvili, T.

2012-04-01

Vulnerability assessment at a national level in Georgia Nino Tsereteli, Vakhtang Arabidze, Otar Varazanashvili, Tengiz Gugeshashvili The risk always exists when cities are built on. Population growth in cities and urbanization in natural hazard-prone zones leads to infrastructure expansion. The goal of the society is to construct natural hazards resistant infrastructure and minimize the expected losses. This is a complicated task as there is always knowledge deficiency on real seismic hazard and vulnerability. Assessment of vulnerability is vital in risk analysis, as vulnerability is defined in many different ways. Work presented here mostly deals with assessment of infrastructure's and population vulnerability at national level in Georgia. This work was initiated by NATO SFP project "seismic Hazard and Risk Assessment for Southern Caucasus - Eastern Turkey Energy Corridors" and the two work packages WP4 (seismic risk) and WP5 (city scenarios) of risk module of EMME (Earthquake Model of the Middle East Region) project. First step was creation databases (inventory) of elements at risk in GIS. Element at risk were the buildings, population, pipelines. The inventories was studied and Created in GIS for the following categories: Building material, number of stories, number of entrances, condition of building, building period. For pipelines pipe tipe (continous or segmented), material, pipe diameter. Very important is to estimate the initial cost of building for assessment of economic losses. From this purpose the attempt was done and the algorithm of this estimation were prepared taking into account obtained the inventory. Build quality, reliability and durability are of special importance to corresponding state agencies and include different aesthetic, engineering, practical, social, technological and economical aspects. The necessity that all of these aspects satisfy existing normative requirements becomes evident as the building and structures come into exploitation

EU DEMO blanket concepts safety assessment. Final report of Working Group 6a of the Blanket Concept Selection Exercise

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kleefeldt, K.; Porfiri, T.

1996-06-01

The European Union has been engaged since 1989 in a programme to develop tritium breeding blankets for application in a fusion power reactor. There are four blanket concepts under development. Two of them use lithium ceramics, the other two concepts employ an eutectic lead-lithium alloy (Pb-17Li) as breeder material. The two most promising concepts were to select in 1995 for further development. In order to prepare the selection, a Blanket Concept Selection Exercise (BCSE) has been inititated by the participating associations under the auspices of the European Commission. This BCSE has been performed in 14 working groups which, in a comparative evaluation of the four blanket concepts, addressed specific fields. The working group safety addressed the safety implications. This report describes the methodology adopted, the safety issues identified, their comparative evaluation for the four concepts, and the results and conclusions of the working group to be entered into the overall evaluation. There, the results from all 14 working groups have been combined to yield a final ranking as a basis for the selection. In summary, the safety assessment showed that the four European blanket concepts can be considered as equivalent in terms of the safety rating adopted, each concept, however, rendering safety concerns of different quality in different areas which are substantiated in this report. (orig.) [de

Are older people a vulnerable group? Philosophical and bioethical perspectives on ageing and vulnerability.

Science.gov (United States)

Bozzaro, Claudia; Boldt, Joachim; Schweda, Mark

2018-05-01

The elderly are often considered a vulnerable group in public and academic bioethical debates and regulations. In this paper, we examine and challenge this assumption and its ethical implications. We begin by systematically delineating the different concepts of vulnerability commonly used in bioethics, before then examining whether these concepts can be applied to old age. We argue that old age should not, in and of itself, be used as a marker of vulnerability, since ageing is a process that can develop in a variety of different ways and is not always associated with particular experiences of vulnerability. We, therefore, turn to more fundamental phenomenological considerations in order to reconstruct from a first person perspective the intricate interconnections between the experiences of ageing and vulnerability. According to this account, ageing and old age are phenomena in which the basic anthropological vulnerability of human beings can manifest itself in an increased likelihood of harm and exploitation. Thus, we plead for a combined model of vulnerability that helps to avoid problems related to the current concepts of vulnerability. We conclude first that old age as such is not a sufficient criterion for being categorized as vulnerable in applied ethics, and second that reflections on ageing can help to develop a better understanding of the central role of vulnerability in human existence and in applied ethics. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Work environment and safety climate in the Swedish merchant fleet.

Science.gov (United States)

Forsell, Karl; Eriksson, Helena; Järvholm, Bengt; Lundh, Monica; Andersson, Eva; Nilsson, Ralph

2017-02-01

To get knowledge of the work environment for seafarers sailing under the Swedish flag, in terms of safety climate, ergonomical, chemical and psychosocial exposures, and the seafarers self-rated health and work ability. A Web-based questionnaire was sent to all seafarers with a personal e-mail address in the Swedish Maritime Registry (N = 5608). Comparisons were made mainly within the study population, using Student's t test, prevalence odds ratios and logistic regressions with 95% confidence intervals. The response rate was 35% (N = 1972; 10% women, 90% men), with 61% of the respondents working on deck, 31% in the engine room and 7% in the catering/service department (1% not classifiable). Strain on neck, arm or back and heavy lifting were associated with female gender (p = 0.0001) and younger age (below or above 30 years of age, p harassment or bullying during last year of service. Noise, risk of accidents, hand/arm and whole-body vibrations and psychosocial factors such as harassment were commonly reported work environment problems among seafarers within the Swedish merchant fleet.

Health and Safety Work Plan for Sampling Colloids in Waste Area Grouping 5 at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marsh, J.D.; McCarthy, J.F.

1994-01-01

This Work Plan/Site Safety and Health Plan (SSHP) and the attached work plan are for the performance of the colloid project at WAG 5. The work will be conducted by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Environmental Sciences Division (ESD) and associated ORNL environmental, safety, and health support groups. The purpose of this document is to establish health and safety guidelines to be followed by all personnel involved in conducting work for this project. The levels of protection and the procedures specified in this plan are based on the best information available from historical data and preliminary evaluations of the area. Therefore, these recommendations represent the minimum health and safety requirements to be observed by all personnel engaged in this project

Health and Safety Work Plan for Sampling Colloids in Waste Area Grouping 5 at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marsh, J.D.; McCarthy, J.F.

1994-01-01

This Work Plan/Site Safety and Health Plan (SSHP) and the attached work plan are for the performance of the colloid project at WAG 5. The work will be conducted by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Environmental Sciences Division (ESD) and associated ORNL environmental, safety, and health support groups. The purpose of this document is to establish health and safety guidelines to be followed by all personnel involved in conducting work for this project. The levels of protection and the procedures specified in this plan are based on the best information available from historical data and preliminary evaluations of the area. Therefore, these recommendations represent the minimum health and safety requirements to be observed by all personnel engaged in this project.

Securing Public Safety Vehicles: Reducing Vulnerabilities by Leveraging Smart Technology and Design Strategies

Science.gov (United States)

2013-12-01

there are technologies available today that would reduce the risk of vehicle theft and misuse by fortifying vulnerabilities. They offer several levels...confirm identity by identify “what I am (what I do)” in the electronic context of “who am I?”80 Furthermore, biometrics is a digital representation of...can build a comprehensive and effective biometric identification system, improve overall performance, improve system robustness, and reduce the

Safety upgrades to the NRU research reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DeAbreu, B.; Mark, J.M.; Mutterback, E.J.

1998-01-01

The NRU (National Research Universal) Reactor is a 135 MW thermal research facility located at Chalk River Laboratories, and is owned and operated by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited. One of the largest and most versatile research reactors in the world, it serves as the R and D workhorse for Canada's CANDU business while at the same time filling the role as one of the world's major producers of medical radioisotopes. AECL plans to extend operation of the NRU reactor to approximately the year 2005 when a new replacement, the Irradiation Research Facility (IRF) will be available. To achieve this, AECL has undertaken a program of safety reassessment and upgrades to enhance the level of safety consistent with modem requirements. An engineering assessment/inspection of critical systems, equipment and components was completed and seven major safety upgrades are being designed and installed. These upgrades will significantly reduce the reactor's vulnerability to common mode failures and external hazards, with particular emphasis on seismic protection. The scheduled completion date for the project is 1999 December at a cost approximately twice the annual operating cost. All work on the NRU upgrade project is planned and integrated into the regular operating cycles of the reactor; no major outages are anticipated. This paper describes the safety upgrades and discusses the technical and managerial challenges involved in extending the operating life of the NRU reactor. (author)

Vulnerability and Risk Analysis Program: Overview of Assessment Methodology

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

2001-01-01

.... Over the last three years, a team of national laboratory experts, working in partnership with the energy industry, has successfully applied the methodology as part of OCIP's Vulnerability and Risk Analysis Program (VRAP...