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.     

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.     

煤矿安全监管工作的创新机制探讨

我国严峻的安全生产形势主要原因之一是缺乏对企业强有力的安全监管,安全生产监管是一项复杂的系统工程。本文基于作者在武安市煤炭工业局的工作实际,全面论述创新煤矿安全监管工作的有效途径和体会。研究了面对煤矿企业生产经营的新特点、新变化,武安市煤炭工业局采取的创新管理理念,论述了各级安全生产监管机制的创新成果。本文认为只有在安全生产监管工作中坚持创新的原则,才能实现对企业强有力的安全监管,进一步改善我国的安全生产形势。     

天然气管道工程风险对策研究

风险管理对策包括风险规避、风险控制与消减、风险自留和风险转移四个方面,风险管理的目标即是通过科学的风险管理策略使风险降到可以接受的水平。企业对风险的容忍程度除与风险控制的期望成本相关外,还与企业的风险偏好,以及政治、经济等外部环境因素相关。管道建设工程面临的风险因素复杂,可以从人的因素、物的因素、环境的因素和管理的因素四个方面进行识别和归类。各风险事件发生的町能性以及后果严重性各不相同,在管道建设工程风险管理中过程中要综合采用各种风险对策,使每一风险因素降低到企业所能够承受的水平,甚至可以采用改线绕过特定风险地域或保险转移的策略,使项日业主不再承担特定的风险责任。     

化工项目施工作业风险分析

化工项目施工过程中存在动态变化的、相互叠加的、集成化的作业风险。以往的研究缺乏对动态、叠加风险的全面考虑和定量分析,难以满足化工项目施工中特定风险管理的现实要求。为有效地管理和控制化工项目施工作业风险,分析施工作业在时间、空间上的变化和叠加现象,以作业风险模型为基础,建立兼顾动态风险和叠加风险的系统性作业风险模型。运用该模型计算某个实例化工项目施工期典型时段各建设单元前后期风险变化值及其相互叠加的风险值,绘制其施工区域风险分布图。结果表明,当前主生产车间、辅助车间、喷塔楼、2号仓库区域设备集中、人员密集、作业交叉、事故发生风险较高,是安全管理的重点部位。就此,提出具体风险控制措施。     

基于AHP的大庆海外石油钻探项目风险评价指标体系研究

我国石油企业在承揽海外石油钻探项目的过程中,为确保工程能顺利进行,需要进行风险预警管理。基于150份完整有效的调查问卷数据,以大庆海外石油钻探项目风险管理为研究对象,采用文献查阅法、问卷调查法、德尔菲法专家法、AHP层次分析法等研究方法,对大庆海外石油钻探项目的风险预警管理进行了研究,构建了海外石油钻探项目的风险评价指标体系。研究表明:政治经济风险对海外石油钻探项目影响最大,社会文化风险影响最小;政治经济风险中,经济风险的影响远大于政治风险的影响;财务风险中,与获利相关的直接风险大于间接风险;地质条件工程与技术风险中,地质条件风险大于技术风险;社会文化风险中,与东道国语言差异造成的风险影响最大。最后,提出了相应地对策建议。     

城中村改造中的村自主项目风险管理研究

以东五里村为例,对城中村改造中村自主项目风险管理进行研究,在项目风险识别的基础上,运用层次分析法对项目中可能出现的风险因素进行量化分析。研究表明:政策风险、融资风险、文化风险和拆迁风险是影响城中村改造中村自主项目的主要因素,其中拆迁风险和融资风险在四者中所占的比重较大,在制定风险管理政策时要给予重点关注。     

北京市危险化学品企业安全生产风险评估分级研究

为对北京市危化品企业基本情况的全面掌握,开展了危险化学品企业安全生产风险评估分级研究,借鉴国外经验和国内有关科研成果,提出了固有风险和动态风险相结合的危化品安全生产风险评估方法。固有风险为企业的基本风险水平,主要由危险化学品物质量、工艺水平、安全监控和周边环境决定,为共性指标;动态风险,反映企业安全生产管理绩效的水平,主要包括安全基础管理和现场管理,为个性指标,不同企业类型,评估动态风险指标有差异。从大量数据中抽取了最能反应企业安全生产状态的指标因素,通过专家组打分法和层次分析法确定评价因素的权重,该评估方法具有较强的实用性和可操作性,是本质安全和安全绩效的创新结合,为企业安全生产评估分级提供了新思路。通过分级,按照"风险优先"原则,政府部门实行差别监管,降低安全监管成本,促进危险化学品安全生产工作向规范化、科学化转变。同时,研制了危化品企业安全生产风险分级系统,为建立北京市危化品企业风险分级数据库奠定了基础。     

A hybrid decision-making approach based on FCM and MOORA for occupational health and safety risk analysis

IntroductionWith the development of industries and increased diversity of their associated hazards, the importance of identifying these hazards and controlling the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) risks has also dramatically augmented. Currently, there is a serious need for a risk management system to identify and prioritize risks with the aim of providing corrective/preventive measures to minimize the negative consequences of OHS risks. In fact, this system can help the protection of employees’ health and reduction of organizational costs. Method: The present study proposes a hybrid decision-making approach based on the Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA), Fuzzy Cognitive Map (FCM), and Multi-Objective Optimization on the basis of Ratio Analysis (MOORA) for assessing and prioritizing OHS risks. After identifying the risks and determining the values of the risk assessment criteria via the FMEA technique, the attempt is made to determine the weights of criteria based on their causal relationships through FCM and the hybrid learning algorithm. Then, the risk prioritization is carried out using the MOORA method based on the decision matrix (the output of the FMEA) and the weights of the criteria (the output of the FCM). Results: The results from the implementation of the proposed approach in a manufacturing company reveal that the score at issue can overcome some of the drawbacks of the traditional Risk Priority Number (RPN) in the conventional FMEA, including lack of assignment the different relative importance to the assessment criteria, inability to take into account other important management criteria, lack of consideration of causal relationships among criteria, and high dependence of the prioritization on the experts’ opinions, which finally provides a full and distinct risk prioritization.     

风险因子模糊评价法在钻机安全评价中的应用

钻机是石油与天然气钻井作业的重要设备,在使用过程中存在着极大风险,如果对其中的风险因素管理不善,风险转化为事故,将造成极大的损失,严重影响企业的形象与生产。为了预防石油与天然气钻井作业过程的事故发生,提高钻井队安全管理水平,论文采用通过对系统技术风险概率Pf和事故后果的严重程度Cf的估计和模糊评判的方法得到系统的风险状况Rf,为采取科学合理的风险消减措施提供了决策依据。论文以某型号电动钻机的电气控制系统为例进行风险分析,分析结果表明与实际情况比较符合。     

OHS inspectors and psychosocial risk factors: Evidence from Australia

Legislation giving prominence to psychosocial risk factors at work has changed the role of government occupational health and safety (OHS) inspectors in many countries. Yet little is known about how inspectorates have responded to these changes. Between 2003 and 2007 an Australian study was undertaken on OHS standards, entailing detailed documentary analysis, interviews with 36 inspectorate managers and 89 inspectors, and observations made when researchers accompanied inspectors on 120 typical workplace visits. Our study found that general duty provisions in OHS legislation clearly incorporated psychosocial hazards and inspectorates had introduced guidance material, pursued campaigns and increased interventions in this area. However, the regulatory framework remained narrow (focused on bullying/harassment, occupational violence and work stress) and workplace visits revealed psychosocial hazards as a marginal area of inspectorate activity. These findings were reinforced in interviews. While aware of psychosocial hazards inspectors often saw the issue as problematic due to limited training, resourcing constraints, deficiencies in regulation and fears of victimisation amongst workers. In order to address these problems a number of changes are required that recognize the distinctiveness of psychosocial hazards including their ‘invisibility’. Notable here are revisions to regulation (both general duty provisions and specific codes), the development of comprehensive guidance and assessment tools to be used by inspectors, greater use of procedural enforcement, and enhanced inspectorate resourcing and training. There is also a need to recognize complex inter-linkages between psychosocial hazards and the industrial relations context.     

机务维修风险管理研究

机务维修是影响飞行安全的重要环节,随着我国民航业的不断发展,机务维修能力不足的问题日益严重,急需进行风险管理研究。首先选择SHELL模型进行风险因素识别,从人员(L)、人员与人员(L-L)、人员与软件(L-S)、人员与硬件(L-H)、人员与环境(L-E)方面系统的识别出机务维修风险因素;在此基础上,针对机务维修风险因素相互影响的特点,选择模糊网络分析法进行风险评价,得出权重排序;针对评价结果,提出相应的风险控制措施:加强维修资源管理、建立良好的安全文化、强化维修队伍建设、改善维修工作条件。最终结果表明,此研究有助于系统全面的进行机务维修风险因素识别,科学的评价风险因素,合理的制定风险控制措施,对机务维修风险管理提供了一定的借鉴意义。     

Stock market responses to chemical accidents in Japan: An event study

Despite recent major chemical process accidents in Japan, the top management teams of firms still avoid taking costly risk reduction measures because of their low perceived impact on firm performance. The disclosure of information on accident risks might motivate managers to enhance workplace safety because of the subsequent evaluation of firms by investors in stock markets. If the disclosed risk information is newly available for investors, firms with a high risk of accidents would receive a poor evaluation by stock markets and thus managers would take risk reduction measures to prevent stock prices from declining. In this study, we conduct an event study analysis to examine whether accident risk information is already reflected in stock prices, using data on the Japanese chemical industry. The results of our event study show that the estimated cumulative average abnormal returns of firms' stocks are significantly negative after severe accidents actually occurred. This finding implies that risk information is not already reflected in the stock prices of Japanese chemical firms and that the disclosure of accident risk information has the potential to motivate the top management teams of firms to reduce their firms’ accident risk.     

风险管理在城市地铁工程中的应用初探

地铁工程作为一项大型工程项目,存在着大量的不确定性风险因素。这些不确定性风险因素加大了地铁施工技术的难度,严重地影响着地铁工程建设目标的实现。笔者从风险因素辨识、风险分析和评估、风险响应3个方面详细分析了一般大型工程项目风险管理的研究现状;探讨了地铁工程风险的定义、风险管理的定义及其内涵;指出城市地铁建设进行风险评估和管理是非常必要的。     

石油工程技术服务企业海外项目风险评价研究

石油工程技术服务企业海外项目是企业寻求自身发展,保持和提高经济效益的重要组成。综合采用专家咨询法和因果分析图方法识别出石油工程技术服务企业海外项目存在的市场风险、经济风险、政治风险、技术风险、自然风险、管理风险等6种风险。构建包含上述6个准则21个指标的风险评价指标体系,应用层次分析(AHP)法确定指标权重,应用模糊综合评价方法构建石油工程技术服务企业海外项目风险评价模型。运用构建的指标体系与评价模型对某石油钻探公司格鲁吉亚共和国第12区块风险进行评价实证。     

Integrating lean principles and fuzzy bow-tie analysis for risk assessment in chemical industry

In this research, a framework combining lean manufacturing principles and fuzzy bow-tie analyses is used to assess process risks in chemical industry. Lean manufacturing tools and techniques are widely used for eliminating wastes in manufacturing environments. The five principles of lean (identify value, map the value stream, create flow, establish pull, and seek perfection) are utilized in the risk assessment process. Lean tools such as Fishbone Diagram, and Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) are used for risk analysis and mitigation. Lean principles and tools are combined with bow-tie analysis for effective risk assessment process. The uncertainty inherent with the risks is handled using fuzzy logic principles. A case study from a chemical process industry is provided. Main risks and risk factors are identified and analyzed by the risk management team. Fuzzy estimates are obtained for the risk factors and bow-tie analysis is used to calculate the aggregated risk probability and impact. The risks are prioritized using risk priority matrix and mitigation strategies are selected based on FMEA. Results showed that the proposed framework can effectively improve the risk management process in the chemical industry.     

Identifying elements of poor construction safety management in China

Construction is one of the most hazardous industries due to its unique nature. Measured by international standards, construction site safety records in China are poor. This paper aims to examine the status of safety management in the Chinese construction industry, explore the risk-prone activities on construction sites, and identify factors affecting construction site safety. The findings reveal that the behavior of contractors on safety management are of grave concern, including the lack of provision of personal protection equipment, regular safety meetings, and safety training. The main factors affecting safety performance include ‘poor safety awareness of top management’, ‘lack of training’, ‘poor safety awareness of project managers’, ‘reluctance to input resources to safety’ and ‘reckless operations’. The study also proposes that the government should play a more critical role in stricter legal enforcement and organizing safety training programs.     

特种设备的风险评估技术

为了提高对我国特种没备风险的管理能力，建立一套完善的特种设备风险评估系统，笔者借鉴国外相关的风险评估技术，并根据我国特种设备风险的特点，建立了定量加权平均分析法，从定量的角度出发，逐步计算出特种设备的风险值。利用这种风险评估法，可以加强我国对特种设备所带来的各种风险的掌控，从而降低各种风险所造成的损失。