Occupational exposure to electric and magnetic fields during tasks at ground or floor level at 110 kV substations in Finland

The aim was to investigate occupational exposure to electric and magnetic fields during tasks at ground or floor level at 110?kV substations in Finland and to compare the measured values to Directive 2013/35/EU. Altogether, 347 electric field measurements and 100 magnetic field measurements were performed. The average value of all electric fields was 2.3?kV/m (maximum 6.4?kV/m) and that of magnetic fields was 5.8?µT (maximum 51.0?µT). It can be concluded that the electric and magnetic field exposure at ground or floor level is typically below the low action levels of Directive 2013/35/EU. The transposition of the directive will not create new needs to modify the work practice of the evaluated tasks, which can continue to be performed as before. However, for workers with medical implants, the exposure may be high enough to cause interference.     

Paperwork at the service of safety? Workers’ reluctance against written procedures exemplified by the concept of ‘seamanship’

Efforts to reduce accidents in seafaring have led to a proliferation of procedures such as workplace assessments and checklists. Unfortunately, the demand for written procedures is perceived by many seafarers as counteracting the use of common sense, experience, and professional knowledge epitomized in the concept of seamanship. Their objections suits well in Dreyfus and Dreyfus’ model of skill acquisition: while novices steadily follow context-independent rules, the expert’s behaviour goes beyond analytical rationality, and is situational, experience-based, and intuitive. The Aristotelian concept of phronesis brings us further by adding a reflexive, social and ethical dimension to the expert’s knowledge. Phronesis is, like expertise, contextual, experience-based knowledge; but it is also value- and action-oriented. While phronesis rests on value rationality, ‘techne’ (know how’), another Aristotelian concept, is based on instrumental rationality and is production-oriented. Phronesis is, inter alia, choosing the proper techne for the circumstances. However, the seamen fear a development where techne predominates at the expanse of phronesis. The case raises issues on which conditions are enabling or hindering written procedures to be perceived as a tool at the service of safety.