Fire risk reduction through a community‐based risk assessment: reflections from Makola Market,Accra, Ghana

This paper explores the level of vulnerability to the hazard of fire that exists in Makola Market in Accra, Ghana, and assesses how this threat can be reduced through a community‐based risk assessment. It examines the perceptions of both market‐stall occupants and primary stakeholders regarding the hazard of fire, and analyses the availability of local assets (coping strategies) with which to address the challenge. Through an evaluation of past instances of fire, as well as in‐depth key stakeholder interviews, field visits, and observations, the study produces a detailed hazard map of the market. It goes on to recommend that policymakers consider short‐to‐long‐term interventions to reduce the degree of risk. By foregrounding the essence of holistic and integrated planning, the paper calls for the incorporation of disaster mitigation measures in the overall urban planning process and for the strict enforcement of relevant building and fire safety codes by responsible public agencies.     

Effects of release pressure on the transportation characteristics in pipeline and the diffusion behaviors in enclosure space of typical gas extinguishing agent

Reducing the release pressure of fire extinguishing systems can decrease potential safety hazards in large transport airplanes. To explore whether reducing the release pressure can achieve the release effect required by the airworthiness standards or not, the transportation characteristics in the pipeline and diffusion behaviors in the enclosure space of a typical fire extinguishing agent (Halon 1301) were investigated under five release pressures in the present study. The effects of the release pressure on the degree of superheat, injection duration, jet structure, and concentration distribution of Halon 1301 were analyzed. The results show that both of the degree of superheat and the injection duration decrease with an increase in the release pressure. The supplement of bubble expansion in the fire extinguishing agent can slow down the pressure decrease in the vessel. Both of the maximum and mean values of the pipeline differential pressure increase with an increase in release pressure. The maximum value of the jet angle decreases linearly with the increase in release pressure, and the jet deflects upward owing to the effects of buoyancy. The maximum concentration value decreases with an increase in the distance from the nozzle. The maximum concentration values in the near field from the nozzle increase with an increase in the release pressure. Under five release pressures, the concentration and holding time (duration above 6% volume concentration) of Halon 1301 on the centerline of the jet meet the requirements of airworthiness provisions.     

The social impact of natural hazards: a multi‐level analysis of disasters and forms of trust in mainland China

This study aimed to assess the multi‐level effects of natural hazards on trust in Chinese society. Drawing on the Chinese General Social Survey conducted in 2012 and provincial disaster damage records, it examined the association between individuals’ past experiences of disasters and province‐level damage (measured by the number of affected people, deaths, and economic loss) and various forms of trust: in‐group; out‐group; generalised; and political. The findings indicate that Chinese individuals with experience of disasters have higher levels of out‐group trust but lower levels of political trust. Similarly, at the province level, damage owing to disasters over the past three years (2009–11) positively impacted on residents’ out‐group trust while negatively affecting their political trust. However, when provincial damage was aggregated for disasters over the past five years (2007–11), which included the devastating Sichuan earthquake on 12 May 2008, only total deaths had a positive effect on generalised trust.     

火炬系统安全隐患分析与整改措施

对近年火炬系统安全事故作了分析,结合石化企业火炬系统运行的现状,提出完善火炬管网、分液罐、气柜联锁和自动点火及长明灯等安全设施的建议。     

沿海城市多灾种耦合危险性评估的初步研究——以福建泉州为例

如何处理区域内多灾种之间的相互作用关系是当前多灾种综合风险评估研究的热点和难点之一。在梳理沿海城市多灾种之间相互作用关系的基础上,提出一种基于触发关系的多灾种耦合危险性评估方法。首先选取多指标建立单灾种分级方案,计算单灾种初始危险性指数;然后构建基于触发关系的多灾种耦合规则,结合GIS技术进行空间耦合,计算耦合后的危险性指数;最后对耦合后的多灾种危险性的综合进行了探讨。以福建省泉州市为例进行了案例研究,结果表明:该方法在多灾种耦合危险性评估中具有可行性,为后续多脆弱性和多灾种综合风险的研究提供支持,为决策者进行科学风险管理提供依据。     

石英砂加工企业职业病危害防护措施与管理对策研究

通过对安徽省石英砂加工企业生产工艺流程和现场进行调查分析,得出矽尘和噪声是两种最主要的职业病危害因素,发现石英砂生产企业矽尘和噪声危害十分严重,生产作业现场未配备任何防护装备和个人防护用品,作业人员接触职业病危害的比率非常高。分析了石英砂加工企业在职业病危害防护与管理方面的欠缺与不足,提出了针对矽尘和噪声危害因素的具体工程防护措施与管理对策,从源头控制和消除职业病危害,保护劳动者的生命安全与健康。     

兰州地区人群对六六六的暴露及健康风险评价

为研究兰州地区六六六(HCH)对人群的健康风险,应用改进的美国环境保护署(US EPA)多介质暴露模型,结合兰州地区人群状况,计算了各年龄人群通过11种暴露途径对六六六的暴露量.结果表明,兰州地区居民对环境中六六六的终身日平均暴露量为2.01×10-5 mg/(k·d)(儿童)和2.53×10-5 mg/(kg·d)(成人).暴露途径中以食物暴露为主导,其次是呼吸暴露,皮肤暴露作用很小.食物中贡献较大的为谷物和蔬菜.相应的健康风险度分别为5.40×10-9 a-1(男性)和6.30× 10-9a-1(女性).兰州地区六六六居民人体健康风险度低于可接受健康风险度标准,兰州地区六六六人群暴露水平与天津、太原、太湖地区相比存在一定的差异,女性对六六六的暴露量高于男性.兰州人群成人的六六六暴露量大于儿童,成人是六六六暴露风险最高的群体.各项参数中,谷物和蔬菜摄食量和相应的六六六残留浓度是影响暴露的重要因素.通过蒙特卡罗模拟得到各年龄段人群对HCH的日均暴露量的分布特征,各输出变量均服从对数正态分布.     

基于SA-ELM的爆破震动速度预测

针对爆破震动速度与其影响因素之间的复杂非线性,结合模拟退火算法(SA)的全局寻优性,提出了一种新的SA-ELM算法.以矿山周边建筑物爆破震动实测数据作为训练样本,选取总药量、最大段药量、测点与爆破点距离、地面震动特性、建筑物震动特性等8个影响因素作为输入变量,建立了爆破震动速度预测的SA-ELM模型.模型训练值和预测值与实测值的均方误差(MSE)分别为0.20和3.26,平均相对误差控制在5％以内,显示出该模型具有良好的训练精度和泛化能力.对比传统ELM模型,SA-ELM模型不但提高了精度和泛化能力,而且降低了隐层节点数变化对训练结果的影响,提高了模型的稳定性.     

通用电气风险评估模式在我国中小企业干预中的应用及效果评估

为提高对职业危害的识别和控制能力,采用跨国企业风险评估模式帮助我国中小企业改善职业健康与安全管理。选用通用电气环境健康安全管理体系中的11个相关元素作为评估工具,对企业开展干预,并评估效果。结果表明,干预效果较好,工人接触有害物质的水平明显降低,个体防护用品使用率和正确使用率有较大提高,职业危害风险评估符合率有明显提高。应用风险评估模式干预的示范企业,职业卫生现状得到有效改善,为企业管理提供了借鉴。     

The water vulnerability of metro and megacities: An investigation of structural determinants

Urban areas are becoming increasingly subject to and vulnerable to water‐related natural disasters. Urban areas are a kind of socio‐ecological system wherein the human development dynamics co‐evolve with the natural dynamics. Most of the literature is focused on the impact of natural disasters on human development; we evaluate the impacts of human development on natural disasters and present an analysis of this phenomenon in the context of megacities. The approach is exploratory and begins with the construction of a database on the 595 existing megacities in the world. Multifactor analysis is then used to determine the main characteristics of these megacities. Finally, three structural components (maturity, anthropization and centrality) are identified and then correlated with data on water‐related hazards, distinguishing groups of cities according to their structure and factors of vulnerability to water‐related risks.