Some unusual case histories from personal experience

Is protection of equipment the only consideration when setting the relieving pressures of safety relief valves? I will show you a case where other factors should have been considered and suggest that you might give your safety valve set pressures a second thought.Do you have side-by-side pieces of identical equipment? If so, you must consider that operating or maintenance personnel may become confused, and the results maybe catastrophic. A PVC reactor incident will demonstrate this point.Does your process contain materials that could decompose? After thirty years of safe operation in butadiene units, there was a vinyl acetylene decomposition. Could it happen to you?It is my hope that these three unique and unusual cases will provide valuable information for operations and maintenance personnel, managers, safety professionals, and engineers.     

The effects of persistent audible seat belt reminders and a speed-limiting interlock on the seat belt use of drivers who do not always use a seat belt

Introduction: Vehicle technologies that increase seat belt use can save thousands of lives each year. Kidd, Singer, Huey, and Kerfoot (2018) found that a gearshift interlock was more effective for increasing seat belt use than an intermittent audible reminder, but interlocks may not be more effective than persistent audible reminders lasting at least 90 seconds. Method: Forty-nine part-time belt users with a recent seat belt citation who self-reported not always using a seat belt drove two vehicles for 1 week each. Thirty-three drove a Chevrolet with an intermittent audible reminder followed by either a BMW with a persistent 90-second audible reminder (n = 17) or a Subaru with an incessant audible reminder (n = 16). The other 16 participants experienced the BMW persistent reminder followed by an interlock that limited speed to 15 mph during unbelted driving. These data were combined with data from 32 part-time belt users in Kidd et al. (2018) who experienced the intermittent reminder for 2 weeks or the intermittent reminder for 1 week and a gearshift interlock the next. Results: Relative to the intermittent reminder, seat belt use was significantly increased an estimated 30% by the BMW persistent reminder, 34% by the Subaru incessant reminder, and 33% by the speed-limiting interlock. Belt use was increased an estimated 16% by the gearshift interlock, but this change was not significant. More participants circumvented the speed-limiting interlock to drive unbelted than the audible reminders. Responses to a poststudy survey indicated that interlocks were less acceptable than reminders. Conclusions: Audible reminders lasting at least 90 seconds and a speed-limiting interlock were more effective for increasing seat belt use than an intermittent audible reminder, but reminders were found more acceptable. Practical applications: Strengthening existing U.S. safety standards to require audible reminders lasting at least 90 seconds for front-row occupants could save up to 1,489 lives annually.     

Why businessmen should be honest: The argument from rational egoism

You are a business owner who has just taken out a loan to manufacture a new high technology product, for which you have lucrative orders. Although you thought you could make the product to specifications, you have not been able to do so. You will not be able to meet the delivery deadline and cash is running short — so short that it is threatening the viability of the rest of your business. Things are in a critical state, but you desperately want the product to succeed. You have several options. You could tell the customers about your problems, ask for a postponement of the deadline, and hire an outside consultant to help with the product. But this will anger your customers, take time and not solve your cash flow problem. You could also get another bank loan by telling the bank's president that you need it to expand an old line of business. You know he will refuse more money for the new product, but he does not have to be told how you will actually use the money. The loan will take a while to process but you need money now. You can get it from your children's college savings accounts; it would upset your wife (who helped fund the accounts) and the kids, but you do not have to tell them and can repay later. You can also borrow money from the employee pension fund. The employees do not have to know. Finally, you can ship the products even though they do not meet specs, and hope that nobody finds out right away. You can use customers' payment to pay back the various loans and worry about fixing the product later. What should you do? Should you take the honest route or the dishonest route? Clearly, you have to make a moral choice, but you can only do so by reference to a moral code. In this essay we will address three questions: (1) What are the main moral codes that have been accepted throughout the centuries and what are their views on honesty? (2) Why are they inadequate and what would be a rational moral code and its argument for honesty? (3) How would one apply it to the issue of businessmen being honest?     

Prompting safety-belt use in the context of a belt-use law: the flash-for life revisited

PROBLEM: Safety-belt use reduces motor vehicle crash-related morbidity and mortality, yet an estimated 18% of drivers do not consistently buckle up (NHTSA, 2005). In 1985, Geller and colleagues developed an interpersonal Flash-for-Life prompt that increased belt use among 22% of 1,087 unbuckled drivers (Geller, Bruff, & Nimmer, 1985). METHOD: The Flash-for-Life intervention was re-introduced at a large university with high safety-belt use (i.e., 80%). College students stood at parking-lot entrance/exits and "flashed" signs with the message, "Please Buckle Up, I Care" to unbuckled drivers. RESULTS: Of 427 unbuckled drivers observed, 30% of these complied with the prompt. Male drivers were significantly more likely to comply with prompts delivered by females. DISCUSSION: Compliance was higher than in the 1985 study, indicating a high baseline rate of safety-belt use does not negate potential beneficial influence of a prompting intervention. This intervention is particularly effective with college-aged males, a sub-group of the driving population least likely to buckle-up. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: A simple behavioral prompt could be used at most industrial complexes to increase safety-belt use among vehicle occupants who are not buckled-up.     

Is there agreement between worker self and supervisor assessment of worker safety performance? An examination in the construction industry

Introduction: Individual safety performance (behavior) critically influences safety outcomes in high-risk workplaces. Compared to the study of generic work performance on different measurements, few studies have investigated different measurements of safety performance, typically relying on employees' self-reflection of their safety behavior. This research aims to address this limitation by including worker self-reflection and other (i.e., supervisor) assessment of two worker safety performance dimensions, safety compliance and safety participation. Method: A sample of 105 workers and 17 supervisors in 17 groups in the Chinese construction industry participated in this study. Comparisons were made between worker compliance and participation in each measurement, and between workers' and supervisors' assessment of workers' compliance and participation. Multilevel modeling was adopted to test the moderating effects on the worker self-reflection and supervisor-assessment relationship by group safety climate and the work experience of supervisors. Results: Higher levels of safety compliance than participation were found for self-reflection and supervisor assessment. The discrepancy between the two measurements in each safety performance dimension was significant. The work experience of supervisors attenuated the discrepancy between self- and supervisor-assessment of compliance. Contrary to our expectations, the moderating effect of group safety climate was not supported. Conclusions: The discrepancy between worker self- and supervisor-assessment of worker safety performance, thus, suggests the importance of including alternative measurements of safety performance in addition to self-reflection. Lower levels of participation behavior in both raters suggest more research on the motivators of participatory behavior. Practical applications The discrepancy between different raters can lead to negative reactions of ratees, suggesting that managers should be aware of that difference. Assigning experienced supervisors as raters can be effective at mitigating interrater discrepancy and conflicts in the assessment of compliance behavior.     

Enhancing corporate compliance with worksite safety and health legislation

Introduction: A 2-year prospective study evaluated the effectiveness of a managerial training program to enhance corporate compliance with statewide worksite safety and health regulations. The program offered participants information about regulatory requirements and emphasized organizational and environmental strategies for reducing occupational injuries and illnesses. Objectives: To assess the effects of a train-the-trainer program on business managers' knowledge of statewide occupational safety and health legislation and on levels of corporate compliance with regulatory requirements. Methods: Forty-eight small- and medium-sized companies participated in the training sessions during the first year of the study. These firms were compared with 46 control companies that did not receive the training until the conclusion of the study. Results: Participation in the program was associated with higher levels of corporate regulatory compliance 12 months after the training sessions were held (controlling for baseline levels of corporate compliance with the regulations). Program effects on compliance levels were mediated by posttraining changes in managers' knowledge of regulatory requirements. Conclusions: The REACH OUT training program raised managers' awareness of and corporate compliance with statewide worksite safety and health regulations. Impact on Industry: Smaller companies face greater challenges than larger ones in developing and maintaining worksite safety and health programs. Barriers to regulatory compliance, especially in small- and medium-size companies, should be identified and removed to enhance the efficacy of these programs.     

Computerized hazards analysis : The backbone of a hazards analysis effort/basis for a corporate hazards information exchange

Computerized hazards analysis has many obvious advantages. Criticality codes can be assigned, modified, sorted, grouped, and regrouped. Critical event assignments can be automatically tracked. Graphics capability can show the distribution of various types of hazards dramatically, and the risks involved with each. But, computerized hazards analyses can provide benefits orders of magnitudes beyond those mentioned above. Consider the following: as hazards analyses are performed, i.e., as hazard severity, critical events, and risks are defined for each component and each operator action in your facility, you are relying on the memories of many people for much of your input. The following text includes real life examples of such a situation.     

Impact of psychological capital on construction worker safety behavior: Communication competence as a mediator

IntroductionConstruction workers face a work environment of high risk and mental stress. Psychological capital (PsyCap) could influence employee's mental health and work performance. It would be helpful to determine whether PsyCap affects worker safety behavior. However, few studies empirically examined the impacts of the sub-dimensions of PsyCap on the safety behavior in construction settings, reducing the potential practicability of PsyCap to improve workplace safety performance. Thus, this study tested the relationship between sub-dimensions of PsyCap (self-efficacy, hope, resilience, optimism) and safety behaviors (safety compliance, safety participation), while the mediating role of communication competence was also explored. Method: Data were collected from 655 construction workers in China using a psychological capital questionnaire (PCQ). The theoretical model were tested with confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques. Results: Results show that: (a) the self-efficacy dimension of PsyCap positively affected safety compliance and safety participation, while the resilience dimension positively impacted safety participation; (b) the hope dimension was not directly related to safety behaviors, while the optimism dimension negatively associated with safety participation; and (c) communication competence mediated the relationships between the hope and optimism dimensions of PsyCap and safety participation. Conclusions: A multidimensional perspective on PsyCap should be taken while examining its effects on safety behavior and the individual communication competence helps to enhance construction safety. Findings of this study shed lights on safety behavior promotion practices based on the multidimensional model. Initiating flexible psychological capital training and intervention, and strengthening communication skills of construction employees are suggested to improve safety performance in the construction industry.     

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.     

Exploring patterns of multiple climates and their effects on safety performance at the department level

Introduction: This paper represents a first attempt to fill a gap in research about different specific climates and safety outcomes, by empirically identifying patterns of climates and exploring the possible effect of different climates at the department level on some specific safety outcomes. The first objective was to explore how different specific climates (safety, communication, diversity and inclusion) can be associated to each other, considering the department level of analysis. The second objective was to examine the relationships between those patterns of climates with safety performance (compliance and participation behaviors). Method: A total of 429 blue-collar workers in 35 departments answered a questionnaire covering safety, diversity, inclusion, and communication climate measures. Cluster analysis was performed to identify clusters of departments with different climate patterns and their impact on safety compliance and safety participation behaviors. Subsequently, a hierarchical multiple linear regression was conducted at the individual-level to test the effect of climate patterns, by controlling for some sociodemographic variables. Results: Results showed the existence of four differentiated clusters of departments. Three of those clusters showed homogenous patterns (coherent association among perceptions of low, medium and high climates) and one heterogeneous (low and medium perceptions). The findings also revealed that the higher the climates perceptions, the higher the levels of safety participation and safety compliance, with safety participation being more affected than compliance. Conclusions: The present research showed the associated effects of some organizational climate factors, such as fair treatment, inclusion, safety and communication within the organization, which had not been previously studied in their combined relationships, on safety behaviors. Practical applications: Several other organizational climate factors, such as fair treatment, inclusiveness and communication, may play an important role in safety, showing the importance of broadening the focus on safety climate as one of the main predictors of safety behaviors.     

Stigma at work: The psychological costs and benefits of the pressure to work safely

Introduction: Workplace accidents and injuries can be quite costly to both individual employees and their organizations. While safety climate (i.e., perceptions of policies and procedures related to safety that should reflect an organization's value of safety) has been established as a predictor of safety behaviors, less research has considered the possible negative pressures that could result from an environment that emphasizes safety. Though organizations may intend to create a positive safety climate, concerns about being treated differently if an employee were to be involved in a safety incident may result in unintended, but detrimental safety and health outcomes. Method: This study investigated the stigma associated with being involved in a safety-related incident in relation to self-reported safety behaviors and psychological health outcomes. The data were acquired through a two-wave prospective design, surveying workers from Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk; N = 528) who indicated they were exposed to at least one physical work stressor (e.g., heavy lifting; air quality; standing for extended periods) a few times each month or more. Results: When controlling for safety climate, safety stigma was related to decreased safety compliance and poorer psychological health. There was a marginally significant interaction between safety stigma and safety motivation in relation to safety compliance. Conclusions: These findings suggest that experiencing pressure to work safely, for fear of being evaluated negatively, may actually come at the cost of employees' safety compliance and psychological health. Practical applications: These results may be useful in assessing and intervening to improve an organization's safety climate. Organizations should closely examine the climate for safety to ensure that positive aspects of safety are not undermined by a stigmatizing pressure associated with safety in the work environment.     

Exposure to fall hazards and safety climate in the aircraft maintenance industry

PROBLEM: Falls represent a significant occupational hazard, particularly in industries with dynamic work environments. This paper describes rates of noncompliance with fall hazard prevention requirements, perceived safety climate and worker knowledge and beliefs, and the association between fall exposure and safety climate measures in commercial aircraft maintenance activities. METHODS: Walkthrough observations were conducted on aircraft mechanics at two participating facilities (Sites A and B) to ascertain the degree of noncompliance. Mechanics at each site completed questionnaires concerning fall hazard knowledge, personal safety beliefs, and safety climate. Questionnaire results were summarized into safety climate and belief scores by workgroup and site. Noncompliance rates observed during walkthroughs were compared to the climate-belief scores, and were expected to be inversely associated. RESULTS: Important differences were seen in fall safety performance between the sites. The study provided a characterization of aircraft maintenance fall hazards, and also demonstrated the effectiveness of an objective hazard assessment methodology. Noncompliance varied by height, equipment used, location of work on the aircraft, shift, and by safety system. DISCUSSION: Although the expected relationship between safety climate and noncompliance was seen for site-average climate scores, workgroups with higher safety climate scores had greater observed noncompliance within Site A. Overall, use of engineered safety systems had a significant impact on working safely, while safety beliefs and climate also contributed, though inconsistently. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: The results of this study indicate that safety systems are very important in reducing noncompliance with fall protection requirements in aircraft maintenance facilities. Site-level fall safety compliance was found to be related to safety climate, although an unexpected relationship between compliance and safety climate was seen at the workgroup level within site. Finally, observed fall safety compliance was found to differ from self-reported compliance.     

基于STPA法的空中加油软管甩鞭安全性分析

为定量评价空中加油软管甩鞭(HWP)现象的安全性,使用系统理论过程分析(STPA)法查找出相关系统级危险、不安全控制行为和致因因素共计46条,确定与之对应的44项安全对接约束条件;依据空中加油飞行试验数据,定义可量化的安全检查点,依据安全检查点将安全约束条件分为17类,确定各检查点的安全区间和权重;根据飞行数据确定HW...     

增强机组监控技能,确保飞行安全

良好的监控技能对确保飞行安全 ,预防飞行事故发生有十分重要的作用。但由于多方面原因 ,当前的飞行机组监控工作还存在不少问题 ,并成为多起飞行事故主要原因之一。笔者从四方面 ,对民用航空飞行中缺乏良好监控的原因予以分析和说明 :持续有效的监控工作不符合人的本性 ;现行规章制度中未把机组监控技能作为所有机组成员 ,尤其是对辅助操纵者的一项重要任务加以确定 ;现有管理制度与管理观念 ,更多关注行为结果而不是行为发生过程 ;飞行训练中未将其作为重要飞行技能加以训练。笔者强调指出 :采用标准操作程序 ,提高相应飞行阶段的监控技能 ,对不同飞行阶段的工作负荷予以计划和控制、进行工作优先排序 ,加强机组成员间配合 ,在训练中强化监控技能培养等措施 ,有助于改进和增强飞行机组的监控技能 ,确保飞行安全     

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing – Unexpected reaction case studies make the case for technical discipline

The old saying, “what you don't know can't hurt you,” implies that ignorance is bliss. “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing,” may be closer to the truth; however, it is not the little that we know that is dangerous, but that which is not known. By design, the processes used in the chemical industry are reactive, and the intended reaction receives much scrutiny. However, other reactions occur, often unexpectedly, and possibly with severe consequences. The lessons we learn from these reactions must drive the improvement of our process development and technology management processes and the culture that shapes those processes, a culture of Technical Discipline.Technical Discipline, analogous to Operating Discipline in the manufacturing organization, is a culture committed to fully identifying and characterizing chemical and reaction hazards, and properly documenting and communicating those hazards to create a permanent knowledge and understanding within the organization operating that process.A culture of Technical Discipline will reveal reaction hazards that might otherwise remain unknown until being unveiled in a dramatic and unexpected fashion. Until you fully identify and characterize the hazards of the materials you handle in your processes…what you don't know can hurt you.     

Stress,coping and safety compliance in a multinational gold mining company

The primary objective of this study was to investigate the relationship of work stress, consisting of role stressors and job insecurity, with safety compliance at work. A secondary objective was to test for the possible moderating effect of individual employees’ coping behaviour between experienced work stress and job insecurity, and their safety compliance. A cross-sectional survey design was used (n?=?771). An electronic survey, with a biographical questionnaire and scales on role conflict, role ambiguity, role overload, job insecurity, coping and safety compliance at work, was administered. The results indicated that specific aspects of work stress, notably role conflict, role ambiguity and quantitative job insecurity, and of coping, namely an avoidance style and changing the situation, were important in understanding safety compliance. A moderating effect of avoidance coping was also found.     

Drivers' opinions of enforcement and incentive strategies to promote safety belt use

During a nationwide campaign to promote safety belt use among military personnel, a field study was conducted at 12 military bases in the Netherlands. Enforcement and incentive programs were varied among military bases. A written survey was administered to personnel of these bases. The survey contained items concerning reported belt use, motivation to use a safety belt, attitudes toward legislation, public information, enforcement and incentive strategies, and awareness of the campaign. The results showed that enforcement was clearly a better accepted countermeasure than rewarding drivers for the use of safety belts. Respondents from bases exposed to the incentive treatment tend to have relatively more positive opinions of incentives than those exposed to the enforcement treatment. Two independent dimensions were present in the response patterns: one representing opinions of enforcement and the other of incentives/rewards.     

军民航空域安全评估中的碰撞风险研究

碰撞风险是空域安全评估的重要内容。为保证军民航的安全飞行,通过对民航Event模型碰撞风险的研究,构建了军航训练空域与民航航路的碰撞风险模型;根据军航飞机的飞行特点,建立了军航飞机侧向位置偏差概率模型;结合民航飞机的横向位置偏差概率模型重新计算Event模型中的碰撞盒穿越间隔片频率(GERh);选取某一战术动作对军民侧向碰撞风险进行仿真,确定其安全间隔;通过对飞行过程中各个关键点碰撞风险的研究,对空域的使用提出建议,并验证了理论的实用性。结果表明,当前10 km的安全间隔标准并不能符合规定的安全目标等级,至少需要再增加7 km的安全间隔才能使整个飞行过程均满足要求。     

基于SPA-Markov的飞行安全态势评估与预测研究

为提高航空公司飞行安全风险控制和预测水平,利用QAR数据作为支撑,结合集 对分析和马尔科夫理论建立飞行安全态势评估模型。该模型以QAR超限事件为评估指标 ,采用集对分析中的联系度来描述安全风险等级;运用马尔科夫理论确定安全状态的转 移概率矩阵,以预测飞行安全动态变化趋势。最后以某公司A320机队6个月发生频率最 高的7类超限事件对模型进行验证。结果表明:该公司2月、6月和预测月份的安全状态 为一般风险,其他月份为低风险;总体安全状态也为一般风险,并有增加趋势。     

Seat belts pay off: The evaluation of a community-wide incentive program

This research explores the effectiveness of a seat-belt incentive program in an entire community. The project was conducted during 1983 in Chapel Hill/Carrboro, North Carolina, a community with a population of 50,000. The campaign, entitled “Seat Belts Pay Off,” comprised several steps: (a) planning and developing support, (b) developing data collection and other evaluative procedures, (c) implementing a public education/involvement campaign, and (d) giving modest economic incentives to belted occupants of vehicles passing checkpoints over a 6-month period. Belt use matching the highest level recorded in a U.S. community was achieved. Incentives, generally ranging in value from $3 to $5, were donated by many community businesses. The prizes, which included meals, containers of soft drinks, $5 cash coupons, T-shirts, and gift certificates, were given out for 6 months (April 19 to October 17, 1983). Additionally, six monthly $500 drawings were held, along with a $1,000 grand prize drawing. Eligible participants were those who had been stopped and rewarded for wearing their seat belt(s) and who then mailed in a preaddressed, postage-paid entry card. The drawings were conducted to stimulate public interest at selected intervals in the campaign. The effectiveness of the effort was measured by monitoring driver shoulder-belt use in passenger cars equipped with shoulder belts before, during, and after the education and incentive phases. A systematic, stratified sample was used to obtain weekly belt use data from 7 of 17 permanent data collection stations located around the community. Results indicate that driver overall belt use increased from 24 % in the baseline phase to a peak value of 41 % in the last week of the incentive phase. During the initial 6 months of the follow-up phase, weekly belt use held consistently around 36%. Over the next year, use rates increased slightly, although a small scale 2-month follow-up intervention introduced in the fall of 1984 had little, if any, impact.