Risk characterisation indicators for risk comparison in the energy sector

The paper presents and discusses steps in the development of a set of risk characterisation indicators (RCIs) to be applied for the comparison of risk expressions from different energy systems across their fuel/life cycle to obtain a fair risk evaluation. The Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (EC-DG JRC), and specifically its Institute for Energy in Petten/Netherlands (JRC-IE), initiated a PhD study activity entitled European Energy Risks Monitor (ERMON), to assess and compare different energy technologies. The comparison is based, among others, on a set of risk indicators, developed on the backbone of a causal structure for energy technologies. The development of the RCIs is a process which aims at the identification of the input for the development, starting with the recognition of possible stakeholders for ERMON, the detection of possible risk scenarios available from different energy systems, and concluding with the development of the indicators. This paper mainly focuses on the latter. The main characteristics of the resulting set of indicators are presented and discussed, together with their application, and limits.     

The role of policy for the management of psychosocial risks at the workplace in the European Union

A number of significant developments towards the management of psychosocial risks have been achieved at the policy level in the European Union (EU) since the introduction of the 1989 European Commission Council Framework Directive 89/391/EEC on Safety and Health of Workers at Work on which a new EU risk prevention culture has since been established, combining legislation, social dialogue, best practices and building partnerships. However, it has been widely acknowledged that initiatives aiming to promote workers’ health have not had the impact anticipated both by experts and policy makers and the main reason for this has been the gap that exists between policy and practice. This paper discusses the findings from the PRIMA-EF project, a policy-orientated project, which focussed on the development of a European framework for psychosocial risk management at the workplace. In particular, the paper presents the results of an EU stakeholder survey and interviews with EU policy level experts to assess their awareness, understanding and evaluation of the impact of policy initiatives for psychosocial risk management.     

Addressing emerging risks using carbon capture and storage as an example

The European iNTeg-Risk project is a large-scale integrated project aimed at improving the management of emerging risks related to new technologies in European industry. The project aims to build a new management paradigm for emerging risks as a set of principles supported by a common language, agreed tools and methods, and key performance indicators, all integrated into a single framework. It is using a number of Emerging Risk Representative Applications (ERRAs), or case studies, to inform the development of the framework; one of which concerns the carbon capture and storage (CCS) process.This paper describes the iNTeg-Risk CCS ERRA. Relevant hazards and properties of carbon dioxide are described and the emerging risks from CCS are discussed. Three new tools have been developed or trialled within the ERRA. These are: the DyPASI methodology for taking account of atypical (not usually identified) events during hazard identification; a methodology for including the time dimension in a risk assessment; and life-cycle approaches for risk management and communication. For CCS, the risk assessment needs to include both short-term potential accidents from capture, transport or injection, as well as very long-term risks from storage. Knowledge gaps which are generic to emerging risks are also identified.     

The typology for allocations of societal risk and safety management tasks at the local governmental level – Framing the current directions in Sweden

The starting point for this article is the need to develop empirical insights about contemporary societal risk and safety management practice and executive structures. In order to facilitate insights about societal risk and safety management in a Scandinavian welfare context we use Sweden and its local governmental level (municipal) as an empirical frame in this paper. The aim for this article is to analyse how a variety of risk and safety management tasks are divided within the Swedish municipalities. The objectives are to frame the current directions for internal allocations of risk and safety issues by providing an empirically based executive typology and to contemplate the implications and future research needs that arise from that management pattern.The analysis is based on statistical analysis of information from a web-survey with chief officials (n = 1283) with responsibilities for different municipal functions and sectors. In this study the responses to one of the survey questions are used for statistical analysis. The analyzed question focused on the degree that the respondents estimated that their administrative sector or function handled a selection of risk and safety management assignments (n = 45). A factor analysis was applied to identify patterns in the dataset. The analysis resulted in an eight factor solution with a high degree of explained variance (74.3%). The results provide an elementary contribution to the understanding of the current societal risks and safety management directions.     

The management of the new and emerging musculoskeletal and psychosocial risks by EU-28 enterprises

Introduction: Although the strategic framework of the European Union in the field of Health and Safety at Work 2014-2020 considers as one of its main challenges to improve the prevention of diseases related to NERs (New and Emerging Risks) (European Commission, 2014) there are still not many studies in the literature related to them. Method: An exploratory study was carried out in order to get a picture of the NERs management in the UE-28 countries. The sample was extracted from the ESENER-2 datasets. ESENER-1 was carried out in 2009 and ESENER- 2 in 2014. This survey explores managers’ and workers representatives’ opinions on health and safety management. It surveyed over 49,000 enterprises in 36 countries. Results: The results obtained confirm that there are significant differences between the EU-28 countries in terms of the identification and the management of NERs. Conclusions NERs are becoming an increasingly studied phenomenon due to the changes that are taking place in the labour market: the percentage of temporary workers is increasing, the demands to the workers due to the globalization of the market are more complex and all this with an aging working force. Pratical A pplications It would be necessary to rethink the management of OHS, so that managers are aware that the combination of musculoskeletal and psychosocial risks should have a global approach in order to reduce accident and disability rates.     

Developing a standard for psychosocial risk management: PAS 1010

The nature of work has changed dramatically due to globalisation, migration, technological advances and the emergence of the knowledge-based economy. These changes have been accompanied by the increased prevalence of new and emerging types of risk to workers’ health and safety, such as psychosocial risks. This paper reviews the key regulatory and voluntary standards on occupational health and safety of relevance to the management of psychosocial risks in the workplace that are applicable to the European Union member states. The review indicates that regulatory standards set the minimum level of protection for workers and voluntary standards may further enable organisations to go beyond their legal obligations. However, the review also highlights that the terms ‘stress’ and ‘psychosocial risks’ are not mentioned explicitly in most pieces of legislation leading to lack of clarity on the terminology used. While voluntary standards seek to address this, very few provide specific guidance on the process of psychosocial risk management to enable organisations to manage psychosocial risks successfully. On the basis of the review, the case for the development of a voluntary standard for psychosocial risk management is presented. The paper further discusses the recent development of such a standard and its implications at the European level.     

职业健康安全管理体系运行中若干问题的探讨

通过解读OHSMS标准相关术语,分析OHSMS运行中对危险源的管控机制与常规安全管理强调的事故隐患排查治理机制的关系。基于企业现有风险评价方法的缺陷建议,宜采取定性和定量相结合的评价手段,提出针对不同风险性质的危险源策划控制措施应依据的原则和思路。从运行控制、绩效监控机制等方面分析职业健康安全管理体系与企业常规安全生产管理活动的对应关系。在OHSMS运行中应强调对危险源的管控,合理策划控制措施,通过实施管理方案和引入绩效监控机制实现持续改进。     

Mitigating construction safety risks using prevention through design

Introduction

Research and practice have demonstrated that decisions made prior to work at construction sites can influence construction worker safety. However, it has also been argued that most architects and design engineers possess neither the knowledge of construction safety nor the knowledge of construction processes necessary to effectively perform Construction Hazards Prevention through Design (CHPtD).

Method

This paper introduces a quantitative methodology that supports designers by providing a way to evaluate the safety-related performance of residential construction designs using a risk analysis-based approach. The methodology compares the overall safety risk level of various construction designs and ranks the significance of the various safety risks of each of these designs. The methodology also compares the absolute importance of a particular safety risk in various construction designs.

Results

Because the methodology identifies the relevance of each safety risk at a particular site prior to the construction stage, significant risks are highlighted in advance. Thus, a range of measures for mitigating safety risks can then be implemented during on-site construction.

Impact on industry

The methodology is specially worthwhile for designers, who can compare construction techniques and systems during the design phase and determine the corresponding level of safety risk without their creative talents being restricted. By using this methodology, construction companies can improve their on-site safety performance.     

中国省际水风险评价

选取中国31个省(市、自治区)为研究对象,建立了以行政区域为研究尺度的水风险评价指标体系。运用决策分析模型,通过层次分析法与熵值法确定满足主客观条件的综合权重,在此基础上构建模糊识别模型,对2000—2013年中国31个省(市、自治区)水风险水平进行了评估,并从时间和空间两个维度进行分析。结果表明:1)在研究期间,中国水风险水平不断下降,大部分地区从高值、中高值向中值及中低值靠拢;2)3个子系统中,胁迫性风险一直处于上升状态,中国水资源压力较大并有极大可能继续上升,在现有技术条件下,水风险形势严峻;敏感性风险在3个子系统中贡献较低,各地区抵抗风险能力逐步提高;适应性风险稳步下降,适应风险能力提高,但下降速度减缓,表明治理水问题的难度增大;3)各地区风险来源从单一性演变成复合型,风险来源不同且空间分布不均,治理中国水风险需针对各省(市、自治区)风险来源制定针对性政策。     

A semi-quantitative assessment of occupational risks using bow-tie representation

This work proposes a semi-quantitative risk assessment methodology, which was applied and tested in the Ship Building Industry. It covers a wide range of risks related to occupational accidents in a shipbuilding yard environment, more specifically at Arsenal do Alfeite, a large shipyard in Portugal. The initial qualitative analysis focuses on the bow-tie diagram technique but it also integrates concepts and classifications schemes defined by the Eurostat within the European Statistics on Accidents at Work (ESAW) Project. The structure of the diagram enables the identification of the relevant accident’s causal pathways and their consequences at the same time as it identifies the existing or needed safety barriers. In what concerns the semi-quantitative assessment, the accident risk level and acceptance criteria were established through a scoring system, using national data on accident statistics for the sub-sector: Ship Building & Repairing (code NACE 35.1). The statistical data was supplied by GEP (the Office of Strategy & Planning of the Portuguese Ministry of Labour & Social Solidarity). The authors present and discuss a specific case study, in the shipyard’s technological area of surface treatment and protection, to demonstrate the method’s applicability and usefulness.     

An assessment of health and safety management within working groups in the UK manufacturing sector

Problem: In response to the demands of competitiveness, there has been a proliferation of management delayering in order to move responsibility to those people carrying out the operations and to focus on working as a team. Teams can be managed in different ways: using supervisors, team leaders, or self-managed. The management of health and safety and other business risks is dependent on the way in which the team is managed. Method: This study has assessed, through the use of semistructured interviews, how UK manufacturing companies have addressed a range of health and safety management issues (i.e., the setting, communication, and measurement of company objectives, employee participation and empowerment, and risk assessment) in relation to different styles of group working (i.e., supervised groups, groups with team leaders, and self-managed groups). Discussion: Although the differences are not always significant, it is noticeable that within organizations using supervised work environments, there is a lack of communication of specific health and safety information, little involvement and participation in safety activities, and a greater reliance on the safety function. However, in organizations using team leaders and self-managed groups, there is evidence of greater management involvement, more open communication, and greater employee involvement in health and safety, although empowerment in its true sense was still limited in these organizations. Impact on industry: The results obtained illustrate the impact of different working groups on the management of health and safety in the UK manufacturing sector.     

消费品风险评价的伤害情景与三维矩阵集成方法

通过对比分析美国、欧盟及中国的消费品质量安全风险监管和评估现状,得出我国在消费品法律及标准、伤害监测与事故信息平台及公开、消费品风险辨识及评价程序等方面有待深化研究;基于2012年欧美等国家、地区对我国出口消费品的通报数据的统计分析,识别了主要消费品的隐患及危害类型,给出了伤害情景与三维矩阵集成的消费品风险评价方法,为消费品安全评价提供了新方法、新途径,并以婴儿车为例,进行了应用分析,检验了该方法的可行性。     

风电行业安全生产风险特征与对策

系统检索了2000至2012年年底风电行业事故情况,从事故总数、死亡人数及事故类型展开分析。结果表明,风电行业风险具有自身特征,事故一直呈现上升趋势,其中叶片损坏、火灾、结构毁损、抛冰、交通运输、环境破坏等事故比较突出,对从业人员和公众构成威胁。我国风电行业正处于快速扩张期,内在风险较高,需引起行业主管部门和企业的高度重视,开展全产业链系统安全研究和管理手段创建,开发本质安全型工艺和设备,强化施工及运营安全管理。分析结果对指导风电行业安全管理决策和提升企业安全管理水平具有现实意义。     

Working Life Across Cultures: “Work Life 2000: Quality in Work” and Occupational Health Education in Developing Countries

The article reflects on the changing world of work, and the challenges presented to both occupational health and occupational health education. We draw on the 63 preparatory workshops and the international conference in the “Work Life 2000: Quality in Work” program, an initiative of the Swedish Presidency of the European Union. The International Commission on Occupational Health is introduced, with particular concentration on a current practical project initiated by the Department of Health in South Africa, intended to lead to a set of projects, networking for occupational health education in developing countries. The practical initiatives cast light on a new set of issues that arise when occupational health and safety crosses cultural barriers, and previously separate comparative cases are linked.     

Towards system for the management of safety on board artisanal fishing vessels: Proposal for check-lists and their application

The safety management systems applied at the international level in merchant vessels do not have their equivalent in the vessels dedicated to fishing, and much less to the most numerous sub-sector, artisanal fishing. The article presented here is based on the results of a research project conducted to assess the degree of safety existing in the artisanal fishing fleet of Andalusia, in SW Spain. It offers a set of proposals aimed at improving safety by the production and application of check-lists, as stated in the initial objectives of the project. We therefore present a series of specific working instruments for the detection and correction of the various risks that are frequently faced in the artisanal fisheries sector; these instruments have, in fact, already been applied by the Regional Authorities in the form of risk assessment models, which we present here.     

System safety principles: A multidisciplinary engineering perspective

System safety is of particular importance for many industries. Broadly speaking, it refers to the state or objective of striving to sustainably ensure accident prevention through actions on multiple safety levers (technical, organizational, and regulatory). While complementary to risk analysis, it is distinct in one important way: risk analysis is anticipatory rationality examining the possibility of adverse events (or accident scenarios), and the tools of risk analysis support and in some cases quantify various aspects of this analysis effort. The end-objective of risk analysis is to help identify and prioritize risks, inform risk management, and support risk communication. These tools however do not provide design or operational guidelines and principles for eliminating or mitigating risks. Such considerations fall within the purview of system safety.In this work, we propose a set of five safety principles, which are domain-independent, technologically agnostic, and broadly applicable across industries. While there is a proliferation of detailed safety measures (tactics) in specific areas and industries, a synthesis of high-level safety principles or strategies that are independent of any particular instantiation, and from which specific safety measures can be derived or related to, has pedagogical value and fulfills an important role in safety training and education. Such synthesis effort also supports creativity and technical ingenuity in the workforce for deriving specific safety measures, and for implementing these principles and handling specific local or new risks. Our set of safety principles includes: (1) the fail-safe principle; (2) the safety margins principle; (3) the un-graduated response principle (under which we subsume the traditional “inherently safe design” principle); (4) the defense-in-depth principle; and (5) the observability-in-depth principle. We carefully examine each principle and provide examples that illustrate their use and implementation. We relate these principles to the notions of hazard level, accident sequence, and conditional probabilities of further hazard escalation or advancement of an accident sequence. These principles are a useful addition to the intellectual toolkit of engineers, decision-makers, and anyone interested in safety issues, and they provide helpful guidelines during system design and risk management efforts.     

The use of current risk analysis tools evaluated towards preventing external domino accidents

Risk analysis is an essential tool for company safety policy. Risk analysis consists of identifying and evaluating all possible risks. The efficiency of risk analysis tools depends on the rigueur of identifying and evaluating all possible risks. The diversity in risk analysis procedures is such that there are many appropriate techniques for any circumstance and the choice has become more a matter of taste. In this paper, we examine the risk analysis tools used by 24 chemical plants in Belgium, mainly located in the port of Antwerp, the second largest chemical cluster in the world after Houston, TX, USA. The aim of this paper is to identify the current practice in the chemical industry subject to European Seveso legislation and to examine how the present methods can be integrated to improve safety policy, especially towards preventing major accidents. Moreover, conclusions on the prevention of catastrophic external domino accidents involving several companies are formulated. This paper also gives impulse to investigating cross-company management implementations concerning external domino accident prevention.     

Understanding risks in socially vulnerable contexts: The case of waste burning in cement kilns in Brazil

This article proposes a qualitative approach for understanding occupational and environmental risks in countries with high-social vulnerabilities. We use waste burning in cement kilns as a qualitative case study in order to illustrate how social (population and institutional) vulnerabilities influence the context of risk situations and events in a developing country such as Brazil. The vulnerability analysis was based on the reconstitution of the trajectory of this risk problem in a Brazilian State and its impacts, which mobilised several social and institutional actors. The methodology used interviews with different actors and an analysis of the documents, including mostly technical reports from various participating institutions. One objective of contextualising risk problems and vulnerabilities is to encourage professionals, decision-makers, and other social actors to discuss safety and health promotion in their different dimensions and to develop new strategies for intersectorial and participatory public policies. This point is important not only for developing countries even in more developed countries where legislation, social protection, and labour relations are more organised. We suggest that the need for knowledge integration, participation by all stakeholders, and empowerment of vulnerable groups exposed to risks are important principles to promote safety and health through the reduction of vulnerabilities.