Calculating the benefit to workers of averting a radiation exposure lasting longer than the working lifetime

The J-value method enables health and safety schemes aimed at preserving or extending life to be assessed on a common, objective basis for the first time, irrespective of industrial sector. For this it requires an estimate of the improvement in life expectancy that the health and safety scheme will bring about. This paper extends the range of nuclear-safety-system lifetimes for which it is possible to calculate the increased life expectancy amongst nuclear-plant workers whose radiation exposure the safety system has reduced. Whereas the previous mathematical technique was able to cater for a nuclear-safety-system lifetime up to the working lifetime of the nuclear-plant workers (typically between 45 and 50 years), the new method extends without limit the range of tractable, safety-system lifetimes. This is important now that the design lifetime of nuclear power stations can be up to 60 years. The development will also facilitate the assessment of safety systems and procedures to protect workers on long-term nuclear decommissioning and waste sites; in the latter case, the service life-time could be hundreds of years. The case when the safety-system lifetime is greater than the working lifetime is addressed by splitting the workforce into a set of three cohorts, one for existing workers and two for new recruits. The discounted life expectancy is found for each cohort, and then a weighted average is used to give the overall value. An additional mathematical device is then used to reduce the number of cohorts required from three to two, namely existing workers and new recruits. A similar mathematical device is applied (in Appendix A) to reduce from three to two the number of workforce cohorts needed when the length of the safety system's service lifetime is less than the working lifetime. Finally, a further mathematical instrument is incorporated in the model equations, which allows a unified treatment to be applied to each of the cohorts, existing workers and new recruits, across all possible service lifetimes of a nuclear safety system. Since new results on gain in life expectancy may be fed into a J-value analysis, this development extends significantly the range of nuclear-safety systems for which the J-value technique may be used to measure cost-effectiveness.     

Numerical Techniques for Speeding up the Calculation of the Life Extension Brought About by Removing a Prolonged Radiation Exposure

The judgement- or J-value, which enables the worth of any health or safety scheme to be measured on a common, objective scale, may be applied to a scheme to reduce or eliminate a prolonged radiation exposure provided the life extension achieved can be calculated. The calculation is necessarily complex because of the long and stochastic incubation periods associated with radiation-induced cancers. However, numerical techniques are presented here that speed up the calculation of the improved life expectancy by a factor of about one hundred. The J-value assessment of new safety systems on nuclear plant is thus made much quicker and easier.     

Calculating the life extension achieved by reducing nuclear accident frequency

Improvements in nuclear safety are often achieved through introducing a new safety measure that reduces the frequency of a hazardous accident rather than its consequences. To carry out a J-value analysis, it is necessary to calculate how a reduction in accident frequency extends the life expectancy of the potentially exposed group of people. The paper presents two methods for calculating the loss of life expectancy associated with accidents of a certain severity occurring with a defined frequency. The first begins by using an equivalent, prolonged radiation exposure to represent the effects of the accident occurring once per year over the given period of operation. The resultant loss of life expectancy is then scaled by multiplying by the frequency of occurrence. The second method calculates the loss of life expectancy brought about by a single accident occurring during the given period of operation and scales this by multiplying by both the length of the operational period and the frequency of occurrence. Results derived using the first method show that there is a relatively small effect on loss of life expectancy per accident if several accidents are assumed to occur during a typical period of operation. This conclusion permits a simple assessment of the effect of possible, multiple accidents. The accuracy of the second method is found not to be compromised materially by ignoring the possibility of multiple accidents. The second method is shown to be slightly more conservative than the first, and also somewhat more accurate. Calculations of the loss of life expectancy may be carried out before and after the new safety improvement has been implemented, and the difference between the two results will be the life extension brought about by the new safety measure.     

Analytical Techniques for Faster Calculation of the Life Extension Achieved by Eliminating a Prolonged Radiation Exposure

The life extension achieved by a safety scheme that reduces or eliminates a prolonged radiation exposure is a necessary parameter for calculating the Judgment-or J-value, which enables the scheme's worth to be measured on a common, objective scale against which health and safety spend across all economic sectors can be assessed. The life-expectancy calculation for radiation exposure is necessarily complex because of the long and stochastic incubation periods associated with radiation-induced cancers. Analytical methods are presented to reduce the size of this calculation approximately a hundredfold. This renders the J-value assessment much quicker and easier for new safety systems that may be considered for nuclear plant.     

医务人员职业健康危害及其关键控制环节

通过查阅、分析大量文献,结合实际工作经验,系统阐述了医务人员面临的主要职业危害因素,并针对我国医务人员职业危害现状和防治工作中存在的主要问题,提出防治关键环节和措施。分析表明:我国医务人员职业暴露危害严重;医务人员的生命质量和平均寿命低于普通人群;医院职业卫生立法和技术标准滞后;防治措施不力,医务人员职业健康权益得不到有效保护。同时指出对医务人员职业危害防治的关键措施:必须通过加强科学研究、制定法规标准、建设医院安全文化、加强宣传教育和培训、推广免疫接种和防护技术、科学设计工作流程、加强心理疏导等关键措施,有效防治医务人员职业健康危害。     

The trade-offs embodied in J-value safety analysis

The paper presents a new derivation of the J-value method for assessing health and safety expenditure that highlights the fact that two trade-offs are involved. The trade-off between safety spend and the resulting improvement in life expectancy rests on a prior trade between free-time fraction and income, made at a societal level. It is suggested that each trade is a specific instance of a more general exchange between expected free-time and income, and that the terms of the trade-off are similar, so that the percentage increase in life expectancy has the same value as a similar percentage increase in total expected free-time. The theoretical framework suggests that the average person values all his time equally, but perceives that he has sold his expected working time to an employer, so that, while he will still place a value on it, he does not see that value as coming to him, but rather going to his employer in exchange for the compensation he is being paid. Thus he values the extra years of life expectancy he obtains from a health and safety measure solely in terms of the extra years of free-time he expects to gain. The value of the exponent in the life-quality index has been shown to be equal to both the modulus of the elasticity of expected future free-time with respect to income and the modulus of the elasticity of life expectancy with respect to income. The indifference curves on the planes of income versus life expectancy and income versus discounted life expectancy have been shown to be the loci of J = 1. The actuarial basis for the calculation of working time fraction to the end of life has been explained, and data on the share of wages in Gross Domestic Product have been discussed. Based on recent statistics from the UK economy, the average person would be prepared to forego about 5½% of his income to the end of life in order to increase his life expectancy or discounted life expectancy by 1%, and would require his lifetime income to be increased by 5½% to compensate him for a loss of 1% in his life expectancy, discounted or otherwise. A small degree of asymmetry will, however, occur for larger percentage changes in life expectancy, with the average person requiring somewhat more compensation for a loss of life expectancy than he is prepared to pay for a gain.     

中国职业安全的现实问题

中国职业安全现实引起社会关注,特别是务工农民伤亡事故的数字背后,隐含着对职业安全的认识,职业人群的安全健康理念,职业安全健康的法规基础等深层次问题。笔者指出了现代职业安全存在的现实状况;提出需要关注的难点;强调人的安全健康是职业安全的实质;给出了职业安全与安全生产的差异,分析了务工农民的安全意识与安全文化冲突,呼吁职业安全需要法律保障,建立一体化的职业安全健康法律法规体系,以《宪法》为基础,以人为本,保护从业人员的安全健康。     

J-value analysis of different regulatory limits for workers and the public

The J-value technique allows an objective determination to be made of the resources that should be applied cost effectively to improve heath and safety. This is essential if capabilities are to be employed optimally and risks reduced in a way that reflects their severity. Although other considerations such as good practice and socio-political influences may affect a final decision on the resources to be sanctioned, the incorporation of these additional factors should be made transparent if the decision is no longer to be based on cost effectiveness. The J-value provides an objective criterion by which to judge when “reasonable practicability” has been achieved in committing resources for safety improvement, which is the legal requirement under health and safety law in the UK.Moreover, the J-value methodology also allows other related issues to be addressed objectively. Regulatory bodies apply different limits for workers and the general public, with higher risks being permitted for workers. Although a factor of about 10 has been used in several contexts, no objective rationale has been developed for this particular figure until now. However, it is shown that application of the J-value analysis can provide a justification for a ratio of workers’ risk to public risk of approximately this size if certain reasonable assumptions are made. Thus the paper provides the first quantitative explanation for the different levels of protection demanded by regulators nationally and internationally for workers and public.     

From input to outcome: Changes in OHS-education and training

Work organization, technology and working population characteristics change rapidly in many countries, although not always in the same direction. In many industrialized countries new trends are a growing services sector, an aging working population, and an increased work pressure.The participation rate of women is growing in the Netherlands, in contrast with the rate of handicapped workers. In the working population, work-related musculoskeletal diseases and psychic problems like mental break-down and burn-out prevail. Sickness absence and disability are important issues. Risk assessment and health and safety information are new duties of the employer.Nowadays Occupational Health and Safety Services are more multidisciplinary organized and have to prove their quality and utility. Therefore, occupational health and safety professionals have to learn skills like risk assessment, health and safety promotion, consultation, rehabilitation, and interdisciplinary cooperation.Experiential learning connects the practical experience of the participants with reflection and new insights during the course.     

Impact of safety attitude,safety knowledge and safety leadership on chemical industry workers’ risk perception based on Structural Equation Modelling and System Dynamics

In chemical industry, major accidents occur occasionally. Past research has demonstrated that risk perception was relevant to safety as it might affect the behavior, which could exert influence on the probability of accidents. It is important to adjust workers' risk perception to reduce accidents in chemical industry. To achieve this goal, some key influencing factors of workers’ risk perception of were identified from 3 aspects including safety attitude, safety knowledge and safety leadership. This was accomplished by gathering empirical data from 287 workers employed in 6 Chemical plants in Jiangsu, China. The model of influencing factors of risk perception for workers was established based on Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), and the path coefficients and weights were analyzed by the SEM. On that basis, the System Dynamics (SD) model of risk perception for workers was established. The study findings revealed safety attitude and safety leadership have a direct positive impact on perception of risk probability and perception of risk severity, safety knowledge has a direct positive impact on perception of risk severity, while safety knowledge has no direct positive impact on perception of risk probability. The findings of the study can provide theoretical supports and method guidance for adjusting the risk perception of workers in chemical industry.     

新形势下的核安全与辐射安全对策

随着核资源广泛利用,核安全也越来越受到人们的关注。笔者在新的安全形势下,从实际情况出发,分析了我国核和辐射安全现状,特别是近年来,世界范围内核恐怖事件的潜在危险在不断增加,核设施和辐射设施在运行过程中,由于失误等原因引起事故的可能性是客观存在的,在现代战争条件下,核设施极有可能成为敌人精确打击的战略目标,因此,核安全和辐射安全面临着新的挑战。针对核安全和辐射安全存在的隐患,应从应急组织体系建设、监测系统开发、人员培训、基本信息数据库的建立、应急决策支持系统开发、完善法规、加强国际合作等方面,提出了改善我国核安全与辐射安全现状的相关对策,以不断提高我国核安全和辐射安全的水平。     

组织因素对民航维修人员安全行为的影响

为了减少民航维修人员不安全行为,探讨组织因素对民航维修人员安全行为的影响机理。基于组织行为学理论并结合民航维修人员的访谈分析,确定了影响民航维修人员安全行为的4个组织因素——安全氛围、工作压力、风险感知和安全管理,在此基础上,构建了组织因素与民航维修人员安全行为关系的假设模型。选取国内航空公司维修基地的一线机务维修人员进行问卷调查,采用结构方程模型对假设模型进行验证。结果表明,安全氛围、工作压力、风险感知和安全管理4个维度与安全参与行为、安全服从行为显著相关,其中,安全氛围对安全参与行为的影响最大。风险感知对安全服从行为的影响最小。     

The Relationship Between Workers’ Safety Culture and Accidents,Near Accidents and Health Problems

One of the dimensions treated as part of a company’s safety culture or climate is workers’ attitudes towards risk and safety. In the present study these personal aspects are defined as workers’ safety culture, which is understood as a way of acting focused on life and taking care of one’s health. A questionnaire on safety culture was filled out by 200 employees of a metallurgical enterprise. Factor analysis was used to determine empirical scales of the questionnaire, whereas variance analysis was used to test hypotheses. The results confirmed the hypotheses that people who experienced accidents, dangerous situations, and—to a lesser extent—health problems had a lower level of safety culture. Nevertheless not all of the scales determined during factor analysis turned out to be significant as far as all kinds of those undesirable situations are concerned. Proposals for future studies are formulated in the conclusion.     

Occupational Safety and Health Status of Sanitation Workers in Urban Areas: A Pilot Study From Wuhan,China

Sanitation workers ‘ workload increases quickly with rapid urbanization, but there is almost no evidence or policy recommendations for their management in developing countries. This study describes the health status and occupational protection of sanitation workers; it also explores risk factors related to their health status in Wuhan City, China. Three hundred and eighty-five sanitation workers from 54 streets of Wuhan were surveyed. Their prevalence of 2-week illness and arthritis was relatively higher than in the general population in China. Findings related to occupational protection showed that both sanitation workers (users) and their managers (providers) neglected the role of low-cost protection measures, especially masks, soap/hand sani-tizer and prejob training (use rate of 7.27%, 26.75% and 43.64%, respectively). High-intensity workload was an important risk factor for 2-week illness, and prejob training was an important protective factor against arthritis.     

基于风险评价的核应急分区疏散规划*

为保障核事故应急疏散的时效性和安全性,降低核事故损失,基于核辐射时空分布特征,对疏散集中点和疏散路网进行风险评价,提出分区疏散组织策略,结合行政区划法,完成核电站场外疏散区域划分;将总暴露风险作为优化目标,构建基于元胞传输的分区疏散规划模型,并以我国某沿海核电站为研究对象,验证分区疏散方案可行性。研究结果表明:考虑核辐射风险后的分区疏散方案,能够有效提高疏散效率,保障公众安全,降低疏散时间和暴露风险,优化疏散期间交通状况。研究结果可为核应急疏散组织工作提供参考。     

安全氛围三“心”模型的构建与检验

把安全氛围定义为一种知觉特性;在勒温的场理论基础上,通过对影响员工安全绩效的环境因素中的行为进行分析,构建安全氛围的通用模型,其包括3个因素:安全管理承诺、员工安全卷入和组织安全沟通;通过问卷调查的方法收集某石油化工公司两个生产厂一线职工的353份有效数据,探索性因素分析和验证性因素分析以及相关分析的结果分别说明,"三因素"模型具有较好的结构效度和预测效度。通过对3个因素的进一步分析,结合实践,提出安全氛围的三"心"模型:领导关心、员工上心、上下一心。要获得安全水平的持续提高,需要3个方面的共同努力。     

Safety climate differences among job positions in a nuclear decommissioning and demolition industry: Employees’ self-reported safety attitudes and perceptions

This study examined group differences in safety climate among job positions in a nuclear decommissioning and demolition industry in the United States. Safety climate surveys were conducted at 10 locations. Survey responses totaled 1587 out of an available population of 3296 workers for an overall response rate of 48.1%. Significant differences (p < 0.05) in mean safety climate scores, factor scores, and item scores among job positions were observed. Most notably, foremen’s self-reported safety attitudes and perceptions indicate a lower safety climate and suggest the need to target safety improvements at this key organizational level.     

Fatal injuries among Hispanic workers in the U.S. construction industry: Findings from FACE investigation reports

IntroductionIdentifying and understanding the characteristics of workplace accidents can provide vital information required to clarify their causes and prevent similar accidents from happening in the future. The Hispanic workforce represents a significant segment of the U.S. construction labor force that is projected to continue increasing in population. The government statistical data show higher rates of fatalities among Hispanic workers when compared to other ethnic groups.MethodThis study aims to provide details about the trends of fatal injuries among Hispanic workers. The study examined 92 government investigation reports to reveal the general trends, then an examination of fatal fall injuries within the study sample was conducted since falling is the predominant cause of fatal injuries.ResultsThe findings suggest differences in accident characteristics between Hispanic workers and all workers, which could indicate a need for different interventions to improve the overall site safety. The study also revealed the dire need to propose revised investigation procedures that would help identify the root causes of accidents, which in turn leads to better recommendations and interventions.     

Factors influencing the implementation of a safety management system for construction sites

The objective of the study was to determine the influential safety factors that governed the success of a safety management system for construction sites. The number of incidences among construction workers and the level of awareness on matters concerning safety were also determined. The study involved a self-administered three-part questionnaire among the workers and interviews with industry experts involved in brick-laying, concreting and in related assorted trades. Part A of the questionnaire concerned personal particulars, Part B involved training and experience and Part C was based on 28 industry-accepted safety factor elements. The construction sites ranged from high rise buildings, landed houses and infrastructure renovation. The sample size was 275. From the survey it was found that the most influential safety factor was personal awareness followed closely by communication. Suggestions and recommendations on equipment design and improved work practices and procedures to improve the efficiency and productivity of construction workers were proposed. Management was urged to get their workers better informed about safety matters.     

我国核与辐射安全监督执法能力建设初探

核与辐射安全监管现代化是国家治理体系和治理能力现代化建设的重要组成部分,而实现我国核与辐射安全监管现代化就是要不断推进我国核与辐射安全监管体系和监管能力现代化进程。当前,作为我国核与辐射安全监管能力之一的监督执法能力,其重要性愈来愈突出,如何促进监督执法能力建设这一现实问题已经引起了社会的普遍关注。从我国核与辐射安全监督执法能力的理论基础出发,总结了近年来我国核与辐射安全监督执法能力建设的主要做法以及取得的成效,最后指出存在的不足。