Comprehension and memory for warning symbols: age-related differences and impact of training

Problem: Prior research indicates that many warning symbols are poorly understood, particularly by the elderly. Method: The effectiveness of three different training conditions to improve comprehension and memory for warning symbols was assessed for younger (18–35 years of age) and older (50–67 years of age) participants. All three conditions paired the symbols with associated text during training; however they differed in the extent to which they further elaborated on the meanings of the symbols. Results: Training substantially improved accuracy and speed of responding on a comprehension test; however there was little difference among conditions. Additionally, while the magnitude of the training effect was similar for both age groups, older participants performed much more poorly than younger participants, both before (37% vs. 52% correct) and after training (68% vs. 88% correct on the immediate post-test), and found it more difficult to reject incorrect meanings (55% vs. 68% correct). Conclusion: Relatively simple training conditions can dramatically improve accuracy and speed of responding to warning symbols. Impact on industry: Training should be used to improve warning symbol comprehension since failures to adequately understand warning information may lead to injury or death. Furthermore, attempts should be made to address individual differences in warning processing such as those related to changes in cognitive processing across the lifespan.     

Employers′ knowledge of the hazard communication standard requirements and the perceived barriers to compliance

This study examined employers′ perceived knowledge of the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) requirements prior to the inspection in which they were cited for an HCS violation. A lack of staff available to implement the HCS program was identified as having a significant impact upon compliance (p < 01). The perceived difficulty with compliance was also examined by the violations received by the organization. Those organizations cited for failing to have a written program identified a lack of staff available to implement the HCS requirements as having a greater impact upon compliance than those not cited for written program violations (p < 05). Suggested methods for improving the overall compliance with the HCS may include using the many compliance resources available through insurance companies, safety organizations, and state programs. Areas for further research include identifying the availability, use, and effectiveness of the outside safety and health compliance resources.     

Evaluation of thermal properties and process hazard of three ionic liquids through thermodynamic calculations and equilibrium methods

Industrial and new energy applications of ionic liquids (ILs) may have to be used at high temperatures conditions, such as in batteries and fuel applications, which may cause thermal hazards. However, there are few studies on the thermal hazards of ILs. To ensure the thermal safety of ILs processes, three commonly used ILs were selected for analysis: 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium nitrate ([Bmim]NO₃), 1-butyl-2,3-dimethylimidazolium nitrate ([Bmmim]NO₃), and 1,3-dimethylimidazolium nitrate ([Mmim]NO₃). The process hazards under adiabatic conditions demonstrated that [Bmmim]NO₃ and [Mmim]NO₃ have extensive explosion hazards. The self-reaction characteristics determined by the isothermal test indicated that the ILs are nth reactions, and the thermal decomposition features were also determined by thermogravimetric analysis. The data were obtained with a nonlinear thermodynamic model and used to establish the basic thermal hazards of the three ILs. In addition, based on the thermal equilibrium theory, the critical safety parameters can be inferred. The effects of heat transfer in 25.0 g and 50.0 g containers were discussed. The results show that [Mmim]NO₃ will produce a thermal runaway reaction at a lower temperature (<100 °C) and has the shortest reaction time (<1 day), which means [Mmim]NO₃ is considered to be the most hazardous material among the three ILs studied.     

Metrics and analytics for process hazard analysis

Process hazard analysis (PHA) studies (e.g. HAZOP) identify hazard scenarios and each scenario is examined individually to decide whether risk reduction measures are needed. However, much more can be done to benefit from the contents of studies.PHA studies contain so much data that a manual review is precluded from yielding insights into their results. Fortunately, valuable information can be extracted using metrics and analytics that consider all the contents of a PHA study. The management of safety, operability, reliability, utilization, and loss prevention can all be improved.Metrics evaluate the contents of PHA studies to provide insights into the safety of processes and the quality of studies. Measures of process safety and study quality can be compared with norms to identify possible departures that may need to be addressed.Rather than focusing decision making on the risks of individual hazard scenarios, as is common practice, analytics enable a deeper analysis of the entire set of scenarios for a process. This enables better decisions to be made on where and how risk reduction resources should be allocated. Analytics can also be used to prioritize maintenance, training, and other activities.Various analytics and metrics for PHA studies are described together with examples that illustrate their use.     

航班起飞过程的风险识别与控制

飞机起飞阶段是事故多发阶段,为了进行风险识别与控制,设计了定性判别方法和定量计算仿真算法,并以具体飞机坠毁事故为例分析了安全裕度.分别计算了飞机冲出跑道的速度、距离和逃生时间.中断起飞的速度与时间,是火灾发生后的判断关键,也构成了飞机起飞事故的裕度.结果表明,中断起飞的安全裕度比坠毁的大,且关于中断起飞的规定有矛盾之处;用于逃生的90 s规则高于中断起飞的决断速度的限制规定.该分析方法为处理危急时刻的两难决策问题提供了理论指导.     

输油气站危害控制技术

风险分析和控制是HSE体系的核心内容,针对油气管道企业的实际生产运营特点,阐述了风险管理的基本思路,就目前国内外常用危害因素的识别评判方法进行了归纳分析,给出了适合输油气站队的风险控制的管理方法和措施,为生产基层单位HSE体系深入推广提供了参考.     

Perceptions of implied hazard for visual and auditory alerting signals

Visual and auditory alerts are increasingly important and have many applications, particularly in the presentation of hazard information in transportation and many industrial systems. This paper is concerned with the factors that govern the relative effectiveness of alerting signals involving various combinations of visual and auditory signals. The visual variables were colour, flash rate, and flash mode, combined with or without an auditory alarm. It was found that the subjects associated different levels of hazard with different alerting light colours, flash rates, flashing modes, and with combinations of auditory and visual alerts. A red flashing light was perceived as the most effective hazard warning colour, with yellow and blue warning lights indicative of less hazardous situations. The faster the flash rate, the greater is the hazard perceived. A flash rate of 60 fpm (flashes per minute) was not as effective as the rates of 180 and 240 fpm, and 240 fpm was the most effective. This implies that hazard warning signal should flash at well above 60 fpm. Having a breakup in the flashing pattern so as to provide a double or triple flash mode also increases the effectiveness of the signal. There were significant interactions between the alert variables used. The difference in perceived hazard levels for the colours blue and yellow were statistically non significant, but blue was more effective in conveying hazard message than yellow at the high flash rates. When accompanied with auditory alarms, blue and yellow were perceived to convey the same perception level of hazard as red without auditory alarms. The effect of colour on perceived hazard was also found to vary with flash mode. As compared to either visual signal alone or a visual signal with other types of acoustic alarms, a siren type of auditory alarm was found more effective for eliciting perception of hazards. There was evidence that presenting alerting signal in triple-flash mode and at high flash rate could be annoying and might not help improving hazard awareness.     

重大危险源安全与自动化监控系统

对重大危险源实施系统、有效的安全监控是重大工业事故预防控制体系中的关键环节。文中给出了针对重大危险源监控全安全生命周期过程的整体实施流程,提出了重大危险源危险与风险评估的重点,探讨了重大危险安全与自动化监控的三层构建框架和工作过程,研究了安全系统与基本过程控制系统相独立的监控方式,给出了安全仪表系统的设计要求。     

江苏省重大危险源监管现状分析与对策

对重大危险源普查、建档,并在此基础上开展监管和预警等相关工作是预防重、特大事故和快速有效的应急救援的前提和基础.本文分析了江苏省重大危险源普查、申报、建档、监管等相关工作的现状,从管理层面和技术层面详细分析了目前存在问题,提出了应对措施建议.     

A retro-synthesis approach for hazard evaluation and risk screening

Risk screening instruments can be very useful for evaluating hazards and establishing priorities for risk reduction. Further, these instruments can provide educational value to field staff when they are distributed to individuals outside of traditional process safety roles. This paper describes a retro-synthesis technique whereby risk screening instruments can be readily generated for these types of hazard evaluation and priority setting activities. Further, by utilizing a retro-synthesis approach, data gathered at the field level can often be drawn upon at a later point if a more detailed risk assessment is required. The retro-synthesis approach involves working backwards from traditional risk functions (relationships) so as to define the predominant elements for incorporation within the risk screening instrument. Compared to conventional techniques, the retro-synthesis approach utilizes deductive reasoning techniques in a manner similar to Fault Tree Analysis (FTA). However, the directional relationships that are established between causes and consequences become inverted.For example, risk can be defined as a function of “likelihood” and “severity”, where “severity” may be a function of the “energy released” and the “exposure group”. Similarly, the “energy released” is often a function of the “properties of the material involved” and the “amount of material released”. Through identifying these relationships, “risk” in this example can be characterized as a function of “likelihood”, “exposure group”, “properties of the material involved”, and “amount of material released”. Further, by highlighting the various influential parameters, the relationships between each of these parameters, as related to risk, can also be understood. Once the various terms and functions are defined, screening categories can then be developed to quantify each of the terms so as to allow for an approximation of the relative risk involved for the given scenarios.This approach benefits from being simple to develop, maintaining alignment with the mathematics required for more detailed quantitative risk assessments, and generating screening categories which can be given to field staff. Through careful construction of the screening categories field staff can then rapidly, and in a reproducible manner, screen a large number of scenarios so as to identify those situations which represent priority hazards.     

Thermal hazard assessment for synthesis of 3-methylpyridine-N-oxide

The exothermic oxidation of 3-methylpyridine with hydrogen peroxide was analyzed by Reaction Calorimeter (RC1e) in semi-batch operation. Heat releasing rate and heat conversion were studied at different operating conditions, such as reaction temperature, feeding rate, the amount of catalyst and so on. The thermal hazard assessment of the oxidation was derived from the calorimetric data, such as adiabatic temperature rise (ΔT_ad) and the maximum temperature of synthesis reaction (MTSR) in out of control conditions. Along with thermal decomposition of the product, the possibility of secondary decomposition under runaway conditions was analyzed by time to maximum rate (TMR_ad). Also, risk matrix was used to assess the risk of the reaction. Results indicated that with the increase of the reaction temperature, the reaction heat release rate increased, while reaction time and exotherm decreased. With the increase of feeding time, heat releasing rate decreased, but reaction time and exotherm increased. With the amount of the catalyst increased, heat releasing rate increased, reaction time decreased and exothermic heat increased. The risk matrix showed that when the reaction temperature was 70 °C, feeding time was 1 h, and the amount of catalyst was 10 g and 15 g, respectively, the reaction risk was high and must be reduced.     

Design and cognitive evaluation of 6 dynamic lane departure warning symbols

Objective: Lane departure, caused by inattention, distraction, drowsiness, or any unusual driver behavior, is a typical risk threatening the driver as well as other road users. Accurate perception of such situations through effective warnings would help drivers to avoid serious consequences. With regard to critical functions of warning symbols for risk communication, the present study focused on providing effective and easily perceivable symbols, compatible with human cognitive capabilities. Thus, the main purpose of the present study was to design and cognitively appraise 6 newly designed dynamic symbols, candidates for a new type of lane departure warning system.

Methods: Simplicity, familiarity, concreteness, meaningfulness, and semantic closeness were the major assessment criteria, defining cognitive features by the earlier researchers in the field. A total number of 187 driving license applicants, with a mean age of 20.58 years (SD = 3.20), participated in the present survey. The participants rated cognitive features of the 6 dynamic symbols along a 0–100 scale.

Results: Significant main effect of the element factor type of the designed symbols on rating cognitive features revealed that the existence of car element was the best predictor for illustrating lane departure. The interaction of both element factor and location of element factor significantly affected the ratings. However, the location of element factor did not solely have any strong effect on the ratings. The results also demonstrated that semantic closeness received the highest overall mean score across symbols (M = 61.80), especially within the symbols that include the car element (M = 75.67). Moreover, a significant difference was observed between the average ratings of the cognitive features, despite the fact that a significant correlation was found between cognitive features.

Conclusion: The most considerable result of the current study was the match between the symbol with the highest ratings and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO)-related icon in appearance. Because previous studies demonstrated a strong correlation between comprehension scores of the symbol and both semantic closeness and meaningfulness, high-level comprehensibility of the best ranked symbol is expected.     

木业企业火灾危险性评价及保险费率厘定

针对木业企业火灾风险特点,建立企业火灾危险性评价方法--火灾风险调查评价法.并利用该方法得到系统安全分值SV,建立木业企业火灾保险费率模型.本文以浙江省嘉善县某典型木业企业为例,评价了其火灾危险性,计算了该企业火灾保险费率,并与投保企业财产综合险数据进行了对比分析.根据标的的火灾风险评估结果厘定了其火灾保险费率,并使其费率与风险状况一致.评价方法考虑了影响火灾风险的多方面因素,能对火灾风险状况做出较全面和客观的评价.案例研究表明,保险公司的恶性竞争手段--收取的保险费率远低于公平费率.是造成财险经营严重亏损的根本原因.     

Limiting oxygen concentration for coal dusts for explosion hazard analysis and safety

Investigation of explosion characteristics of coal dust was undertaken as a part of regular research program at CSIR-CBRI, Roorkee, India, for designing explosion safety measures for coal dust handling installations. This paper presents results of detailed experimental work on determination of Limiting Oxygen Concentration (LOC) and influence of reduced oxygen levels on explosion severity data for two types of coals with varying volatile matter as 27.18% (coal A) and 19.69% (coal B) from Jharia coalfield of India determined at ambient conditions with 20-L Spherical Vessel established at CSIR-CBRI. The effects of coal particle size and moisture content were evaluated. Data presented will be used for hazard analysis, designing explosion preventive measures, and explosion severity reduction by involving the use of inert gases for installations handling pulverized coal with similar nature. The importance of ignition source energy in determining LOC data is highlighted. The data collected lead to an extension of the current data for coal dusts as found in the literature. Limiting oxygen concentrations were found as 7% for coal A and 8% for coal B for the size representative to that used in pulverized coal boilers and moisture content ～4%.     

Robotic testing of radio frequency devices designed for industrial safety

An experimental setup is proposed to test the performance of safety devices based on radio frequency technology. The setup specifically tests devices designed for improving safety in dangerous areas of small size, such as those surrounding power press brakes. Tested here is a radio frequency identification (RFID) prototype, whose main objective is to prevent accidents by sending a stop signal to a machine when a worker’s wrist, bearing an RFID tag, gets too close to the dangerous area. An ABB IRB 2400L robot is used as a reference system; this system is capable of providing millimeter accuracy. A plastic hand and a wristband with at least one passive RFID tag are attached to the end of the robot arm, which emulates the behavior of a human arm. With this robotic approach, it is possible to test trajectories with different velocities and orientations and to simulate several risky situations associated with machine use. Several experiments are presented that were conducted with the RFID prototype, and statistics are reported on the distance detection capability of this safety system with respect to the plane that defines the dangerous area. A matrix approach is proposed for analyzing the robustness of safety devices that are designed to automatically prevent a worker entering in dangerous areas. The results show the benefits that development of a radio frequency device of this class could confer towards increasing worker safety.     

高峰水库下采空区重大安全风险评估及治理对策

湖南柿竹园多金属矿老蛇形坪矿区闭坑后被高峰水库淹没,周边民采矿点超深越界偷采井下保水矿柱,形成了高峰水库下积水采空区透水隐患。为了保证临近矿区安全开采,消除采空区透水隐患,在三维流固耦合有限差分数值模拟的基础上,对53#关键采空区和18m隔水矿柱的稳定性进行了分析,采用事故树法排查了可能发生出突水事故的104种基本事件,分析了高峰水库重大安全隐患的风险等级,并提出了隐患治理对策,可为水下开采的矿山突水安全评估及治理提供参考。     

复合型工艺危害分析与控制技术的应用研究

工艺危害分析与控制技术强调运用系统的方法对危害进行辨识,并采取必要的措施消除和减少危害,或减轻危害可能导致的事故后果.目前大型跨国能源和化工公司都采用独具特色的工艺危害分析与控制技术进行工艺安全管理.介绍了集合HAZOP分析、保护层分析(LOPA)、领结分析(Bow-Tie分析)于一体的复合型工艺危害分析与控制技术.以加热炉为例,通过HAZOP分析,全面辨识出装置存在的危险;通过LOPA,确定装置设置的保护层是否足够;通过Bow-Tie分析,识别确保指定的控制措施或紧急情况应急措施仍然有效的活动.复合型工艺危害分析与控制技术能使企业的工艺安全管理由原来的基于经验的管理转变到系统的工艺安全管理,可以有效地控制重大工艺安全事故的发生,提高企业风险管理水平.     

支线机场安全动态预警技术研究

提升支线机场安全管理能力是中国支线机场未来发展面临的一个重大问题,为提高我国支线机场安全管理水平,本文基于系统动态的风险管理思想,针对支线机场安全风险发生随机、动态和系统的特点,结合支线机场安全管理实践,构建了支线机场三维风险识别图,以时间维为主线,空间维为基础,逻辑维为依据,多层次地识别支线机场面临的风险,以提高支线机场风险识别结果的客观性和全面性;将风险概率、风险损失、风险可预测性、风险可控制性纳入了支线机场安全风险分析过程,构建了支线机场安全多维风险评价函数,从而能更系统、全面地对支线机场面临的各种风险因素进行评价;通过上述支线机场风险管理技术的应用,可提高对支线机场安全风险的辨别、分析和控制能力,达到对支线机场安全风险进行实时、动态监控的预警目标,进而减少支线机场安全风险的潜在损失。