A study on the impact of management system certification on safety management

This study presents an empirical investigation of the influence of management system certification on the relationship between safety management and safety performance in major accident hazard chemical industry. The perceptions of employees about six important safety management practices and self-reported safety behaviour are measured with the help of a questionnaire survey administered in eight chemical companies in the state of Kerala in India. One thousand five hundred and sixty six workers participated in the survey with a response rate of 72%. The validity and reliability of the scales are found acceptable. Analysis of the data revealed that employees in companies with OHSAS 18001, ISO 9001 and no certification at all perceive different levels of the above safety variables in them and those in OHSAS 18001 organizations are significantly higher compared with the others. Step-wise regression analysis revealed that four out of six safety management practices predicted safety behaviour in OHSAS 18001 certified organization and three safety management practices were found to predict safety behaviour in the other two groups. But, safety rules and procedures (SR) emerged as a common predictor of safety behaviour in all the three models. This study emphasizes the need for OHSAS 18001 certification to reduce the accidents and thereby to reduce liability and improve productivity and safety and health of employees.     

Safety climate,safety management practice and safety performance in offshore environments

Safety climate surveys were conducted on 13 offshore oil and gas installations in separate years (N=682 and 806, respectively), with nine installations common to both years. In addition, data on safety management practices were collected by questionnaire from senior management on eight installations in each year. The associations between management practices and climate scores with official accident statistics and self-reported accident involvement were tested via a series of hypotheses. Associations were found between certain safety climate scales and official accident statistics and also the proportion of respondents reporting an accident in the previous 12 months. Proficiency in some safety management practices was associated with lower official accident rates and fewer respondents reporting accidents.     

化工园区安全监控系统研究

化工园区内重大危险源数量多、密度大,存在着发生重特大事故的现实性和可能性。因此,亟需建立化工园区安全监控系统对化工园区内的固定危险源、危险工艺过程、危化品车辆和公共区域重要部位进行动态监控和安全监管,预防和消除事故风险,并为化工园区安全监控与事故应急提供技术支持。提出了化工园区安全监控系统系统硬件架构,介绍了化工园区安全参数设置方法、安全监控流程和事故预警机制,提出了系统软件的总体架构和功能。     

From safety culture to safety orientation: Validation and simplification of a safety orientation scale using a sample of seafarers working for Norwegian ship owners

Measuring safety performance is becoming increasingly important in many high-risk industries such as atomic power, the chemical industry, offshore oil production, air traffic control and construction. Much has been done to study the antecedents/factors that shape the safety culture and safety climate in these types of industries, but almost no research has been conducted into another high-risk industry – shipping. Based on the safety orientation model (SOM) and a review of items and scales used in surveys of safety climate and safety culture, a safety orientation scale (SOS) was developed and refined through the use of multivariate statistics. This study was conducted with a sample of seafarers sailing on Norwegian-owned vessels. A total of 2558 questionnaires were returned from 141 vessels and 16 shipping companies, giving a calculated response rate of 70%.The study showed that replicating previous studies on the sample of seafarers demonstrated a large degree of stability in scales and items across both industries and nations.Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) is the most commonly adopted approach to the development of scales of safety climate and culture scale reported in the literature, and factor retention seems to be the most important decision in EFA. In the present study several rules to determine the number of factors and items retained are applied, and a comparison is made of a short form of latent root criterion (SFLRC) and parallel criterion (PC). SFLRC is found to be the superior method for the present data set.Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) did not support the preliminary SOM of 12 dimensions (13 dimensions, since one of the 12 dimensions was split during the CFA procedure); however, a re-specification of the model on the basis of the CFA for four different behavioural measures gave a simplified and well-defined model with seven factors and 22 items.     

Trends in chemical hazards in Japan

In the past, the chemical industry in Japan has been the cause of a number of major industrial accidents. Subsequent to each accident, specific lessons have been learned. These lessons learned have been implemented in terms of safety education of the employees and/or safety measures of the equipment and facilities resulting in a rapid decrease of corresponding accident frequencies. In this paper, we summarized both recent and past major accidents caused by chemical substances in fixed installations in Japan. Case studies show that runaway reactions are among the main causes of major accident occurrences in the chemical process industry in Japan. A recent fatal poisoning accident caused by H₂S gas generated during maintenance work again highlights the necessity of adequate safety management in a chemical factory. Therefore, even if hazard evaluation of chemical substances and chemical processes is necessary to prevent runaway reactions, human error is also an important factor contributing to reaction hazards [Wakakura, M. (1997) Human factor in chemical accidents, J. Safety Eng. High Press. Gas. Safety Inst. Japan, 34, 846].     

The Bhopal tragedy: its influence on process and community safety as practiced in the United States

The chemical accident at 12:45 AM on December 3, 1984 in Bhopal India had a profound effect on the practice of chemical process safety in the United States. Fearing the possibility of similar events occurring in the United States, the United States Congress convened several hearings and investigations into the causes of the disaster. The inquiries focused both on the state of process safety within the US chemical industry and on the readiness of communities located near chemical operations to respond to sudden and dangerous toxic discharges. Of equal significance were concerns over the safety of workers in chemical plants. This paper reviews the major legislative, academic, and industrial changes initiated in the area of process safety after the event, their influence on saving lives, and on improving living conditions surrounding chemical complexes in the United States.     

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.     

重大危险源事故风险排序研究

本文将风险管理领域中风险排序的概念引入重大危险源安全管理中，提出了基于事故情景发生概率和造成死亡人数的风险评估和排序模型，并给出了基于统计分析的事故发生概率、基于死亡半径的死亡人数的确定方法。对某开发区的20个重大危险源进行了风险评估和排序，结果表明提出的方法对重大危险源的事故风险产生了明显的细分作用。研究成果对有关政府部门或企业确定重大危险源重点监察和管理的优先序，优化资源配置，提高管理效率具有一定的指导意义。     

Developing a Questionnaire for Measuring Safety Climate in the Workplace in Serbia

This study was conducted because a real method for measuring safety climate had never been developed and assessed in Serbian industry. The aim of this paper was to start the process of developing a safety climate questionnaire that could be used in Serbia. As a starting point a 21-item questionnaire was adopted after an extensive literature review. The questionnaire was distributed at several Serbian factories; 1098 workers responded. After a statistical analysis of the data obtained with the questionnaire and a critical comparison with the available reference results, a final questionnaire with 21 questions, divided into 7 groups, was developed. The 7 groups of questions (factors) were safety awareness and competence, safety communication, organizational environment, management support, risk judgment and management reaction, safety precautions and accident prevention, and safety training.     

基于DEA对抗交叉评价模型的化工园区脆弱性评价

化工园区的脆弱性是评估园区安全现状的重要指标,采用DEA对抗交叉评价方法对某省5个化工园区的脆弱性进行了评价研究。首先从园区固有危险性、园区承灾体脆弱性以及事故后果损失程度3个方面构建了化工园区脆弱性评估指标体系,通过DEA对抗交叉评价模型得出的效率值对园区事故成灾效率进行了评估,成灾效率越大说明脆弱性越大,反之,脆弱性越小;最后,探讨了5个化工园区脆弱性等级,对其进行了优劣排序,分析了园区脆弱性的影响因素;可为化工园区的管理者提供理论支持。     

A cross-validation of safety climate scale using confirmatory factor analytic approach

PROBLEM: Given the lack of a consistent factor structure of safety climate, this study tested the stability of a factor structure of a safety climate scale developed through an extensive literature review using confirmatory factor analytic approach and cross-validation. METHODS: A cross-sectional sample of 722 U.S. grain industry workers participated in the questionnaire survey. RESULTS: The safety climate scale developed through the generation of an item pool based on a table of specifications, subsequent scientific item reduction procedures, reviews from experts, and pilot test yielded adequate reliabilities for each dimension. Each item showed proper discriminative power based on both internal and external criteria. Criterion validity was manifested by the significant positive correlation of the scale with five criteria. Evidence of construct validity was provided by both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Both calibration and validation samples supported a consistent factor structure. Management commitment and supervisor support were found to influence other dimensions of safety climate. DISCUSSION: This study provides an insight into the primary reason why previous attempts have failed to find a consistent factor structure of safety climate: No specification of the influence of management commitment and supervisor support on other dimensions of safety in their models. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: The findings of this study provide a framework upon which accident prevention efforts can be effectively organized and underscore the importance of management commitment and supervisor support as they affect employee safety perceptions.     

Safety climate and hydrocarbon leaks: An empirical contribution to the leading-lagging indicator discussion

Hydrocarbon (HC) leaks are important initiating events for major accidents in the oil and gas industry. This study explores the extent to which a safety climate indicator from a survey on working conditions undertaken in an oil and gas company (n = 2188) can be used as a leading and/or lagging indicator in relation to HC leaks on 28 offshore installations. It was found that more negative safety climate scores were associated with increasing numbers of HC leaks over a 12-month period following the survey. The safety climate indicator explained more of the variance in HC leaks than technical indicators. HC leaks in the 12-month period preceding the survey did also correlate significantly with the safety climate indicator. More HC leaks during this period were associated with worse scores on the safety climate indicator. Thus, the results support that the safety climate measure could serve as leading and lagging indicator for HC leaks. The results and their possible implications are discussed.     

基于监管的化工园区事故免疫系统构建

为探索完善化工园区安全生产监管体系,借鉴生物免疫系统抵御疾病的机理,构建了在组织、功能、机制等方面与生物免疫系统相似的化工园区事故免疫系统;从化工园区安全生产监管的角度出发,阐述了化工园区事故免疫系统组织、功能和机制的具体构建方法。结果表明,生物免疫系统和化工园区安全生产监管体系具有共性、完善的组织是化工园区事故免疫系统预防事故的首要条件、化工园区事故免疫系统可为完善化工园区安全生产监管提供策略和方法。     

Safety climate factors, group differences and safety behaviour in road construction

This study determines the factor structure of safety climate within a road construction organization using a modified version of the safety climate questionnaire (SCQ). It also investigates the relationship between safety climate and safety performance. The SCQ was administered to 192 employees from two districts and in two job categories — construction and maintenance. A behavioural observation measure of safety performance was also developed. Factor analysis derived six factors, which were similar to those obtained in an earlier study using the SCQ. Differences in the safety climate of job sub-groups were found on two of the factors. No differences between the two districts were found. No relationship was found between safety climate and the safety performance measure. While identical safety climate factors cannot apply to all organizations, some general safety climate factors may emerge. Discussion focuses upon the measurement of safety climate.     

道化学评价法的改进及其在联合站安全评价中的应用

道化学评价法是一种在化学工业领域应用广泛的安全评价方法,针对道化学评价法评价未考虑人员、环境及设备维护等因素而使评价结果不够准确的情况,提出了在安全补偿系数选取中引入物质系数修正、人因危险补偿系数、环境补偿系数和设备状态补偿系数对道化学法进行改进。首先通过对物质燃烧性进行温度修正获取实际情况下的物质系数值,同时通过统计数据分析计算出人因行为概率,进而计算人因危险补偿系数,此外结合设备可靠度引入了设备状态补偿系数。将以上改进方法应用到某油田联合站原油稳定装置和轻烃储罐装置的安全评价中,结果表明经过改进的道化学评价法能更客观地反映实际情况,评价结果更准确,同时根据改进后得到的危险等级提出了稳定装置及轻烃储罐装置安全运行的对策措施,最后结合事故案例对比了传统道化学和改进道化学的结果,说明了改进方法的准确性和优势。     

Organizational Factors Affecting Safety Implementation in Food Companies in Thailand

Thai food industry employs a massive number of skilled and unskilled workers. This may result in an industry with high incidences and accident rates. To improve safety and reduce the accident figures, this paper investigates factors influencing safety implementation in small, medium, and large food companies in Thailand. Five factors, i.e., management commitment, stakeholders’ role, safety information and communication, supportive environment, and risk, are found important in helping to improve safety implementation. The statistical analyses also reveal that small, medium, and large food companies hold similar opinions on the risk factor, but bear different perceptions on the other 4 factors. It is also found that to improve safety implementation, the perceptions of safety goals, communication, feedback, safety resources, and supervision should be aligned in small, medium, and large companies.     

城市公共安全风险评估与控制对策研究:以武汉市为例

为明确城市公共安全关键影响因素,解决以往研究中存在的研究区域小、影响因素单一、评估方法主观性强、对策措施缺乏针对性等问题,基于风险评估基础理论和因子分析法,构建城市公共安全风险评估指标体系和风险评估模型,并以武汉市为例进行公共安全风险评估,提出相应的风险控制对策。结果表明:构建的“灾害严重性-风险应对能力”风险评估指标体系对因子分析法具有较好的适用性,风险评估模型能够有效判别城市公共安全的关键影响因素;影响武汉市公共安全的4大关键影响因子为城市发展水平和基础设施、事故灾害、环境影响和地质灾害及其防治;2010—2017年间武汉市公共安全水平总体呈上升趋势,风险应对能力的提升对武汉市公共安全水平提升贡献较大。     

Safety compliance and safety climate: A repeated cross-sectional study in the oil and gas industry

IntroductionViolations of safety rules and procedures are commonly identified as a causal factor in accidents in the oil and gas industry. Extensive knowledge on effective management practices related to improved compliance with safety procedures is therefore needed. Previous studies of the causal relationship between safety climate and safety compliance demonstrate that the propensity to act in accordance with prevailing rules and procedures is influenced to a large degree by workers' safety climate. Commonly, the climate measures employed differ from one study to another and identical measures of safety climate are seldom tested repeatedly over extended periods of time. This research gap is addressed in the present study.MethodThe study is based on a survey conducted four times among sharp-end workers of the Norwegian oil and gas industry (N = 31,350). This is done by performing multiple tests (regression analysis) over a period of 7 years of the causal relationship between safety climate and safety compliance. The safety climate measure employed is identical across the 7-year period.ConclusionsTaking all periods together, the employed safety climate model explained roughly 27% of the variance in safety compliance. The causal relationship was found to be stable across the period, thereby increasing the reliability and the predictive validity of the factor structure. The safety climate factor that had the most powerful effect on safety compliance was work pressure.Practical applicationsThe factor structure employed shows high predictive validity and should therefore be relevant to organizations seeking to improve safety in the petroleum sector. The findings should also be relevant to other high-hazard industries where safety rules and procedures constitute a central part of the approach to managing safety.     

基于风险熵的化工园区事故风险突变模型研究

为准确判断化工园区事故风险演化进程,基于风险熵理论分析化工园区系统风险状态,从影响园区系统风险熵的不同因素出发,根据化工园区公共区域和企业端的各自特点建立风险熵指标;利用尖点突变理论,用矩阵表征多参数多时刻的风险熵增和熵减值,建立化工园区熵增、熵减计算模型;根据计算结果判断事故风险状态。将所提出的方法应用于某化工园区,结果表明:在该园区某危化品储存企业丁二烯泄漏情况下园区系统风险熵发生突变,由泄漏引发二次事故的风险骤升,需要采取相应安全措施。分析结果与实际情况相符合。