The weighted risk analysis

Safety and risk assessment are characterised by aspects, like subjectivity and objectivity. In this paper, relations between safety and risk are described. When a risk analysis is performed, it is important to realise that decision-making about risks is very complex, and not only technical aspects but also economical, environmental, comfort related, political, psychological and societal acceptance are aspects that play an important role. In order to balance safety measures with aspects, such as environmental, quality, and economical aspects, a weighted risk analysis methodology is proposed in this paper. This paper also provides a theoretical background regarding the scope of safety assessment in relation to the decision-making in complex urban development projects adjacent to or above transport routes of hazardous materials. In Western Europe, such projects are realised due to shortage of space. The weighted risk analysis is an interesting tool comparing different risks, such as investments, economical losses and the loss of human lives, in one-dimension (e.g., money), since both investments and risks could be expressed solely in money. Finally, the weighted risk analysis approach is applied in a case study of Bos and Lommer, Amsterdam.     

Safety compliance climate concerning risk assessment and preventive measures in EU legislation: A Finnish survey

The aim of the present study is to explore the process dynamics of the safety compliance climate and work relationships, including their antecedents and consequences. After investigating the many dimensions of safety compliance climate and of work relationships, the study concludes that a multi-component measure is needed to fully assess all of their dimensions. With respect to the impacting positively on safety compliance legislation, the present study found the following factors: “contribution measures”, “concrete preventive measures” and “risk assessment process”. For risk assessment factors on safety compliance the study identified “planning, guidelines, policy, management”, “prioritization of proactive measures”, “results in cooperation and information” and “active use of risks assessment document”. In a regression model for the workers, both risk assessment process and contribution measures had a statistically highly significant (p < 0.001) effect on concrete preventive measures. In the regression analysis of the employers risk assessment process had a statistically significant (p < 0.01) effect and contribution measures had a statistically highly significant (p < 0.001) effect on concrete preventive measures.     

Using a cluster randomized controlled trial to determine the effects of intervention of battery and hardwired smoke alarms in New South Wales,Australia: Home fire safety checks pilot program

IntroductionIn 2014, Fire & Rescue New South Wales piloted the delivery of its home fire safety checks program (HFSC) aimed at engaging and educating targeted top “at risk” groups to prevent and prepare for fire. This pilot study aimed to assess the effectiveness of smoke alarms using a cluster randomized controlled trial.MethodsSurvey questionnaires were distributed to the households that had participated in the HFSC program (intervention group). A separate survey questionnaire was distributed to the control group that was identified with similar characteristics to the intervention group in the same suburb. To adjust for potential clustering effects, generalized estimation equations with a log link were used.ResultsMultivariable analyses revealed that battery and hardwired smoking alarm usage increased by 9% and 3% respectively among the intervention group compared to the control group. Females were more likely to install battery smoke alarms than males. Respondents who possessed a certificate or diploma (AOR = 1.31, 95% CI 1.00–1.70, P = 0.047) and those who were educated up to years 8–12 (AOR = 1.32, 95% CI 1.06–1.64, P = 0.012) were significantly more likely to install battery smoke alarms than those who completed bachelor degrees. Conversely, holders of a certificate or diploma and people who were educated up to years 8–12 were 31% (AOR = 0.69, 95% CI 0.52–0.93, P = 0.014) and 24% (AOR = 0.76, 95% CI 0.60–0.95, P = 0.015) significantly less likely to install a hardwired smoke alarm compared to those who completed bachelor degrees.ConclusionsThis pilot study provided evidence of the benefit of the HFSC in New South Wales. Practical Applications: Fire safety intervention programs, like HFSC, need to be targeted to male adults with lower level of schooling even when they are aware of their risks.     

Association between safety leading indicators and safety climate levels

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to evaluate the association of leading indicators for occupational health and safety, particularly safety inspections and non-compliances, with safety climate levels.MethodsNordic Occupational Safety Climate Assessment Questionnaire was employed to evaluate safety climate in cross-sectional design. The geographically diverse population of the inspection body made it possible to conduct the survey across 10 provinces in Iran. 89 completed questionnaires were obtained with a response rate of 47%. Except for management safety justice, the internal consistency of other six dimensions was found to be acceptable (α ≥ 0.7).ResultsMean scores of dimensions ranged from 3.50 in trust in the efficacy of safety systems (SD = 0.38) to 2.98 in workers' safety priority and risk non-acceptance (SD = 0.47). Tukey HSD tests indicated a statistically significant difference of mean scores among groups undergoing different number of safety inspections and those receiving different number of non-compliances (p < 0.05), with no significant differences based on safety training man-hours and sessions (p > 0.05). Spearman's rank-order correlation showed no relationship between work experience and number of non-compliances (correlation coefficient = − 0.04, p > 0.05) and between safety training man-hours and number of non-compliances (correlation coefficient = − 0.15, p > 0.05).ConclusionsOur results indicate that safety climate levels are influenced by number of safety inspections and the resultant non-compliances.Practical applicationsFindings suggest that safety non-compliances detected as a result of conducting safety inspections could be used to monitor the safety climate state. Establishing plans to conduct scheduled safety inspections and recording findings in the form of safety non-compliance and monitoring their trend could be used to monitor levels of safety climate.     

Prevention of occupational injuries: Evidence for effective good practices in foundries

IntroductionOccupational injuries are a relevant research and practical issue. However, intervention studies evaluating the effectiveness of workplace injury prevention programs are seldom performed. Method: The effectiveness of a multifaceted intervention aimed at reducing occupational injury rates (incidence/employment-based = IR, frequency/hours-based = FR, severity = SR) was evaluated between 2008 and 2013 in 29 Italian foundries (22 ferrous; 7 non-ferrous; 3,460 male blue collar workers/year) of varying sizes. Each foundry established an internal multidisciplinary prevention team for risk assessment, monitoring and prevention of occupational injuries, involving employers, occupational physicians, safety personnel, workers' representatives, supervisors. Targets of intervention were workers, equipment, organization, workplace, job tasks. An interrupted time series (ITS) design was applied. Results: 4,604 occupational injuries and 83,156 lost workdays were registered between 2003 and 2013. Statistical analysis showed, after intervention, a reduction of all injury rates (− 26% IR, − 15% FR, −18% SR) in ferrous foundries and of SR (− 4%) in non-ferrous foundries. A significant (p = 0.021) ‘step-effect’ was shown for IR in ferrous foundries, independent of secular trends (p < 0.001). Sector-specific benchmarks for all injury rates were developed separately for ferrous and non-ferrous foundries. Conclusions: Strengths of the study were: ITS design, according to standardized quality criteria (i.e., at least three data points before and three data points after intervention; clearly defined intervention point); pragmatic approach, with good external validity; promotion of effective good practices. Main limitations were the non-randomized nature and a medium length post-intervention period. In conclusion, a multifaceted, pragmatic and accountable intervention is effective in reducing the burden of occupational injuries in small-, medium- and large-sized foundries. Practical Applications: The study poses the basis for feasible good practice guidelines to be implemented to prevent occupational injuries, by means of sector-specific numerical benchmarks, with potentially relevant impacts on workers, companies, occupational health professionals and society at large.     

Workers' compensation loss prevention representative contact and risk of lost-time injury in construction policyholders

IntroductionInsurance loss prevention (LP) representatives have access and contact with businesses and employees to provide targeted safety and health resources. Construction firms, especially those smaller in size, are a high-risk population. This research evaluated the association between LP rep contact and risk for lost-time injuries in construction policyholders.MethodsWorkers' compensation data were utilized to track LP rep contact with policyholders and incidence of lost-time injury over time. Survival analysis with repeated events modeling calculated hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).ResultsCompared no LP contact, one contact was associated with a 27% reduction of risk (HR = 0.73, CI = 0.65–0.82), two with a 41% (HR = 0.59, CI = 0.51–0.68), and three or more contacts with a 28% reduction of risk (HR = 0.72, CI = 0.65–0.81).ConclusionsLP reps appear to be a valuable partner in efforts to reduce injury burden. Their presence or contact with policyholders is consistent with reduction in overall incidence of lost-time injuries.Practical applicationsReduction in lost-time injuries, resulting in reduced workers' compensation costs for policyholders and insurance companies, builds a business-case for safety and injury prevention. LP reps are often a low or no-cost benefit for insurance policyholders and may be an important injury prevention resource for small firms and/or those with lack of safety resources and staff.     

Educational status and organizational safety climate: Does educational attainment influence workers’ perceptions of workplace safety?

From a practical perspective, understanding the impact of education on perceptions of workplace safety would benefit management’s decisions regarding workers’ adaptability, general work effectiveness, accident frequency, implementation of safety management policies, and handling of education-related accident characteristics. The current study thus examined the relationship between educational attainment and (i) safety perception, (ii) job satisfaction, (iii) compliance with safety management policies, and (iv) accident frequency. Participants were Ghanaian industrial workers (N = 320) categorized into four educational groups based on their responses: basic education 50% (n = 159); secondary education, n = 98 (30%); vocational/professional education, 17% (n = 56); and university education, 3% (n = 7). Workplace safety perception was assessed with Hayes et al.’s 50-item Work Safety Scale (WSS): a scale that effectively captures the dimensions identified by safety experts to influence perceptions of workplace safety. Multivariate analysis (MANOVA) was used to test for differences of statistical significance. Posterior comparison with t-test consistently revealed significant differences between the two higher-educated cohorts and their lower-educated counterparts. The results indicated a positive association between education and safety perception. Higher-educated workers recorded the best perceptions on safety, indicated the highest level of job satisfaction, were the most compliant with safety procedures and recorded the lowest accident involvement rate.     

The FarmSafe Programme in New Zealand: Process evaluation of year one (2003)

A national programme to raise awareness of safety issues for farmers and farmworkers and reduce farmwork-related injuries (FarmSafe) has been implemented in New Zealand since late 2002. The aims of this paper are to describe the implementation of the first stage of this FarmSafe Programme in 2003, present findings from the process evaluation for the first stage, and place this evaluation in the context of a larger and longer-term evaluation programme. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with key members of the five agencies responsible for the programme, with workshop facilitators (n = 6), and with farmers and farmworkers (n = 29) who had participated in the first stage workshop (FarmSafe Awareness workshop). All workshop evaluation forms were analysed for workshop and facilitator quality. Participant numbers (n = 6341) in the FarmSafe workshop exceeded expectations for 2003. Methods of recruitment, and organisational structure and support were major contributors to high participation in the workshop, as was the ongoing quality of the workshop offered. This process evaluation indicates the programme was successful in achieving widespread participation in a safety training programme within an industry that is predominantly one of self-employment or small businesses, and that is renowned for its independence and geographical isolation.     

Work-related driving safety in light vehicle fleets: A review of past research and the development of an intervention framework

This paper presents a critical review of past research in the work-related driving field in light vehicle fleets (e.g., vehicles < 4.5 tonnes) and an intervention framework that provides future direction for practitioners and researchers. Although work-related driving crashes have become the most common cause of death, injury, and absence from work in Australia and overseas, very limited research has progressed in establishing effective strategies to improve safety outcomes. In particular, the majority of past research has been data-driven, and therefore, limited attention has been given to theoretical development in establishing the behavioural mechanism underlying driving behaviour. As such, this paper argues that to move forward in the field of work-related driving safety, practitioners and researchers need to gain a better understanding of the individual and organisational factors influencing safety through adopting relevant theoretical frameworks, which in turn will inform the development of specifically targeted theory-driven interventions. This paper presents an intervention framework that is based on relevant theoretical frameworks and sound methodological design, incorporating interventions that can be directed at the appropriate level, individual and driving target group.     

Perspectives on safety: The impact of group membership,work factors and trust on safety performance in UK and Norwegian drilling company employees

This study is anchored in a contractor company providing well services for platform drilling on the Norwegian (NCS) and the UK Continental Shelves (UKCS). The research project has as its point of departure the potential influences of group level characteristics, structural work factors, trust, and safety behaviour on safety performance. Do perceptions and performance differ across Shelves? Are “nomadic” groups or employees that have more unpredictable shift rotations more exposed to accidents than others? Is high trust and sound safety behaviour enhancing good safety performance? The results are based on questionnaire data from two samples of personnel distributed across three installations on the UKCS and nine on the NCS with a response rate of 67%: N = 170 (UKCS) and N = 621 (NCS). In addition, two focus group interviews were held in each country, with 15 participants in each. The results show that our model makes sense. Shelf shows a significant influence on safety performance in all but the final stage in our five-step logistic regression model, indicating that the effect may be mediated by safety compliance and safety participation. Installations and different work teams have different exposure and structural work factors matter significantly. Somewhat counter-intuitively, employees who have a “nomadic” status and who hold the least regular shift rotations appear to have a lower risk of being involved in incidents. High trust in workmates buffers against incident involvement and the same applies for high safety compliance. The results, challenges and implications for research and safety practitioners are discussed.     

Overall and local movement speeds during fire drill evacuations in buildings up to 31 stories

The time that it takes an occupant population to reach safety when descending a stairwell during building evacuations is typically described by measurable engineering variables such as stairwell geometry, speed, density, and pre-evacuation delay. In turn, engineering models of building evacuation use these variables to predict the performance of egress systems for building design, emergency planning, or event reconstruction. As part of a program to better understand occupant movement and behavior during building emergencies, the Engineering Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has been collecting stairwell movement data during fire drill evacuations of office buildings. These data collections are intended to provide a better understanding of this principal building egress feature and develop a technical foundation for future codes and standards requirements. To date, NIST has collected fire drill evacuation data in eight office building occupancies ranging from 6 to 62 stories in height that have included a range of stairwell widths and occupant densities.While average movement speeds in the current study of 0.48 m/s ± 0.16 m/s are observed to be quite similar to the range of literature values, local movement speeds as occupants traverse down the stairwell are seen to vary widely within a given stairwell, ranging from 0.056 m/s to 1.7 m/s. These data should provide confirmation of the adequacy of existing literature values typically used for occupant movement speeds or provide updated values for future analyses.     

Disintegration of waste activated sludge by different applications of Fenton process

Oxidative disintegration of municipal waste activated sludge (WAS) using conventional Fenton (Fe²⁺ + H₂O₂, CFP) and Fenton type (Fe⁰ + H₂O₂, FTP) processes was investigated and compared in terms of the efficiency of sludge disintegration and enhancement of anaerobic biodegradability. The influences of different operational variables namely sludge pH, initial concentration of Fe²⁺ or Fe⁰, and H₂O₂ were studied in detail. The optimum conditions have been found as catalyst iron dosage = 4 g/kg TS, H₂O₂ dosage = 40 g/kg TS and pH = 3 within 1 h oxidation period for both CFP and FTP. Kinetics studies were performed under optimal conditions. It was determined that the sludge disintegration was happened in two stages by both processes: rapid and subsequent slow disintegration stages and rapid sludge disintegration stage can be described by a zero-order kinetic model. The effects of oxidative sludge disintegration under the optimum conditions on anaerobic digestion were experienced with biochemical methane potential (BMP) assay in batch anaerobic reactors. Total methane production in the CFP and FTP pre-treated reactors increased by 26.9% and 38.0%, relative to the untreated reactor (digested the raw WAS). Furthermore, the total chemical oxygen demand reductions in the pre-treated reactors were improved as well.     

Demographic determinants of chemical safety information recall in workers and consumers in South Africa: A cross sectional study

BackgroundChemical hazard communication is intended to alert users of the potential hazards of chemicals. Hazard information needs to be understood and recalled. Recall of hazard communication is critical when the written form of the information is not available at the time it is required.MethodsA cross-sectional study investigating associations between recall of chemical safety information on labels amongst 402 participants including 315 workers and 87 consumers in two provinces of South Africa.ResultsRespondents were predominantly male (67.7%), the median age was 37 years (IQR: 30-46 years) and less than half of the participants completed high school (47.5%). Multivariate analysis identified the following positive associations with the recall of all the label elements listing the strongest association: call appropriate services and industrial vs consumer sector (OR = 2.4; 95% CI: 1.2; 4.6 ); call appropriate services and transport vs consumer sector (OR = 4.4; 95% CI: 1.2; 16.0); flammable symbol and male vs female gender (OR = 2.3; 95% CI: 1.0; 5.3); flammable symbol and home language English vs African languages (OR = 6.6; 95% CI: 2.1; 21.2); any hazard statement and home language Afrikaans vs African languages (OR = 14.0; 95% CI: 3.6; 54.2), any first aid statement and further education vs none (OR = 3.3; 95% CI: 1.3; 8.0), correct chemical name and industry blue collar workers vs non-industry blue collar workers (OR = 2.6; 95% CI: 1.1; 6.1), correct chemical name and non-industry white collar occupations vs non-industry blue collar workers (OR = 2.7; 95% CI: 1.0; 7.1).ConclusionThe study found a number of potential positive associations which influence recall of label elements of which some (e.g., sector, gender, occupation) suggest further research. Relevant policies in South Africa should ensure that the safety information on chemical labels is clearly visible to read and understandable which aids recall and the reduction in harmful chemical exposures.     

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.     

Global estimates of occupational accidents

Information of occupational accidents is not standardized worldwide. Especially, developing countries do not have reliable information on their occupational accidents due to lack of proper recording and notification systems. The number of accidents is under-reported but figures are still used as a baseline for occupational safety work. In this paper global estimates of occupational accidents are presented for 175 countries. These estimates are based on figures from selected countries in eight different regions. Global estimates help to compare different countries and regions to each other to detect improvements in safety and safety work. In 1998 the average estimated number of fatal occupational accidents was 350 000 and there were 264 million non-fatal accidents. Global estimates are needed to guide national policies and decision-making.     

HRA in China: Model and data

Human reliability analysis (HRA) is generally viewed as quite an important part in probabilistic safety assessment (PSA). In this paper, a THERP + HCR HRA model is presented to model the operators’ post-accident behavior in Chinese nuclear power plants. The paper shows how the model is structured and how to consider and acquire the corresponding data, including HCR data modification and HRA event tree data. A case study is presented to make an illustration.     

Prevalence and demographic differences in microaccidents and safety behaviors among young workers in Canada

IntroductionThe present study examines the self-reported frequency of non-lost work time workplace injuries (“microaccidents”) and the frequency of three types of work-related safety behaviors (i.e., safety voice, safety compliance, and safety neglect) recalled over a four-week period.MethodWe analyzed data on microaccidents and safety behaviors from 19,547 young workers (aged 15–25 years, Mdn = 18 years; 55% male) from multiple Canadian provinces.ResultsApproximately one-third of all young workers recalled experiencing at least one microaccident at work in the last four weeks. Comparisons across three age groups revealed that younger workers, particularly between the ages of 15–18, reported more frequent microaccidents, less safety voice, less safety compliance, and more safety neglect than workers aged 19–22. This pattern of results also held for comparisons between workers in 19–22 and 23–25 age groups, except for safety voice which did not differ between these two older age groups. In terms of gender, males and females reported the same frequency of microaccidents, but males reported more safety voice, more safety compliance, and more safety neglect than females did. The results and limitations of the present study are discussed.ConclusionFrequency of microaccidents and safety behavior vary among young worker age sub-groups.     

Efficacy of roll stability control and lane departure warning systems using carrier-collected data

IntroductionLarge truck crashes have significantly declined over the last 10 years, likely due, in part, to the increased use of onboard safety systems (OSS). Unfortunately, historically there is a paucity of data on the real-world efficacy of these devices in large trucks. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the two OSSs, lane departure warning (LDW) and roll stability control (RSC), using data collected from motor carriers.MethodA retrospective cohort approach was used to assess the safety benefits of these OSSs installed on Class 7 and 8 trucks as they operated during normal revenue-producing deliveries. Data were collected from 14 carriers representing small, medium, and large carriers hauling a variety of commodities. The data consisted of a total of 88,112 crash records and 151,624 truck-years that traveled 13 billion miles over the observation period.ResultsThe non-LDW cohort had an LDW-related crash rate that was 1.917 times higher than the LDW cohort (p = 0.001), and the non-RSC cohort had an RSC-related crash rate that was 1.555 times higher than the RSC cohort (p < 0.001).ConclusionsThe results across analyses indicated a strong, positive safety benefit for LDW and RSC under real-world conditions.Practical applicationsThe results support the use of LDW and RSC in reducing the crash types associated with each OSS.