Effectiveness of the designed safety education programme modules by their implementation in selected industries

Various and diverse industrial safety areas were identified and grouped as under: general areas of safety, Special areas of safety and industry specific areas of safety.

General areas of safety are common to all industries and special areas of safety are relevant only if the selected industry has such nature of work or hazard and whereas the industry specific areas of safety refers to process safety of the industry. Three separate modules were prepared along with contents.

For conduction of the programme, the selected industry must be studied and the designed safety education programme modules have to be adapted by leaving irrelevant areas in special and industry specific areas of the designed safety modules. The implementation of safety education programme was carried out at Bharath Heavy Electricals Ltd, Trichy and Southern Railway workshop, Trichy, by adapting the designed modules to suit these industries as mentioned above.

Effectiveness is measured by the increase in safety awareness of the selected industrial workers (sample), who had already undergone such programmes with short falls conducted within the industry itself. Research Tool was prepared based on the contents of the adapted safety education modules and pre-test and post-test were conducted, data collected and analysed.

The results were statistically significant as confirmed by t-test analyses.     

Managing Mediterranean soil resources under global change: expected trends and mitigation strategies

Regional Environmental Change - The soils of the Mediterranean Basin are the products of soil processes that have been governed by a unique convergence of highly differentiated natural and...     

Achieving sustainable development goals through participatory forest management: Examples from South-Eastern Bangladesh

Forests managed through peoples' participation can help to achieve a number of sustainable development goals (SDGs). This paper, drawing data from four participatory forest management (PFM) projects in south-eastern Bangladesh, explored: (a) the factors that influenced the outcomes of PFM; and (b) contribution of PFM towards achieving selected SDGs. The research used observation, semi-structured household interviews, group discussions, vegetation survey and Ostromʼs design principles for data collection, Divergent forest conditions and factors in four PFM sites have had differential contribution to SDGs. Heterogeneity of user groups, insufficient coordination, absence of motivation, and land tenure conflicts had affected the attainment of SDGs. The PFM helped to achieve 9–11 SDGs comprising poverty reduction (Goal 1), improving food security (Goal 2), maintaining health and well-being (Goal 3), enhancing childrensʼ education (Goal 4), fair access to jobs and committees (Goals 5 and 10), sources of clean drinking water (Goal 6), affordable energy for cooking (Goal 7), increased household economy (Goal 8), climate change through carbon sequestration (Goal 13), forest conservation (Goal 15), and partnerships with relevant institutions (Goal 16). In order to achieve SDGs, PFM could be viewed as an integral part of government development strategies, which needs sectoral coordination and integration of relevant policies.     

Assessment of cytotoxicity and toxicity for phosphonium-based deep eutectic solvents

In this work, the cytotoxicity and toxicity of phosphonium-based deep eutectic solvents (DESs) with three hydrogen bond donors, namely glycerine, ethylene glycol, and triethylene glycol were investigated. The cytotoxicity effect was tested using brine shrimp (Artemia salina). The toxicity was investigated using the two Gram positive bacteria Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus, and two Gram negative bacteria Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The cytotoxicity of tested DESs was much higher than that of their individual components, indicating their toxicological behavior was different. It was also found that there was toxic effect on the studied bacteria, indicating their potential application as anti-bacterial agents. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time the cytotoxicity and toxicity of phosphonium-based DESs were studied.     

Assessment of Groundwater Quality in a Structurally Deformed Granitic Terrain in Hyderabad, India

Geochemical study of groundwater from a structurally deformed granitic terrain near Hyderabad (India) was carried out to understand and evaluate the hydrogeochemical processes and quality of groundwater. Several trace elements (Fe, Mn, Be, Al, V, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Sr, Mo, Cd, Sb, Ba, Pb, U) along with major ions and minor elements were precisely estimated in shallow and drilled wells to know the suitability of water for drinking and irrigation purposes. Analytical data shows that pH and major ion chemistry in dug wells and bore wells do not vary significantly, while some trace elements (Fe, Mn, Al, Be, Co, Pb, U and Zn) vary in dug wells and bore wells, which can be attributed to differential mineral weathering and dissolution/precipitation reactions along fractures/joints. Although the water is not potable, it was found to be suitable for irrigation with little danger in the development of harmful level of exchangeable sodium. It is inferred that the chemical composition of the groundwater in this region is likely to have its origin from silicate weathering reactions and dissolution/precipitation processes supported by rainfall and groundwater flow.     

Determination of ozone in outdoor and indoor environments using nitrite-impregnated passive samplers followed by ion chromatography

An improved ion chromatographic (IC) method has been developed for the separation of nitrate in filter extracts in the presence of high concentrations of nitrite. This analytical method was successfully used for an indirect measurement of ozone (O3) in outdoor and indoor air, following its collection using a nitrite-impregnated passive sampler. The limit of detection and the limit of quantification, using the modified IC method, were 6 microg l(-1) (3sigma) and 20 microg l(-1) (10sigma), respectively. Improved detection limits and low baseline noise were obtained with the use of eluent generator and high-capacity ion exchange column. The optimized method was used for assessing O3 concentration in both indoor and outdoor environments of 28 child care centers (CCCs) located in different parts of Singapore. The O3 concentrations ranged from 0.1 to 11.95 parts per billion (ppb) in indoor and from 3.2 to 21.7 ppb in outdoor environments during the study period. It was found that, among the CCCs investigated in this study, air-conditioned CCCs and those located in close proximity to traffic emissions had significantly lower O3 concentrations indoors.     

Comparative Salinity Tolerance of Three Indigenous Tropical Freshwater Cladoceran Species; Moinodaphnia Macleayi, Ceriodaphnia Rigaudii and Diaphanosoma Brachyurum

The acute salinity tolerance of three tropical freshwater cladoceran species, M. macleayi, C. rigaudii and D. brachyurum was determined. The existence of these species represented new records for Trinidad and Tobago, a tropical Caribbean island. It has a large oil based industry, in which, the primary effluent (saline produced water) is discharged directly into many freshwater systems. Cladoceran species are used routinely in temperate regions, to assess the impacts of chemicals and effluents in freshwater systems. However, relatively few studies have assessed the salinity tolerance of these organisms. Test organisms were assayed using seven salinity treatments (0, 1, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25‰) prepared by volumetrically mixing natural filtered seawater with dilution water. C. rigaudii had a 48 h LC50 of 1.6‰, M. macleayi 1.5‰ and D. brachyurum <1‰. The CSmax (critical salinity maximum) for C. rigaudii and M. macleayi was 3‰ after 48 h, compared to 1‰ for D. brachyurum. There was no salinity value at which there was 100% survival. The resulting salinity response curve was a straight line which indicated that each species was intolerant of salt. Consequently, any of these can be considered as a representative freshwater organism for toxicity testing in Trinidad and Tobago.     

Physicochemical factors and sources of particulate matter at residential urban environment in Kuala Lumpur

Long-term measurements (2004–2011) of PM₁₀ (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter <10 μm) and trace gases (carbon monoxide [CO], ozone [O₃], nitrogen oxide [NO], oxides of nitrogen [NO_x], nitrogen dioxide [NO₂], sulfur dioxide [SO₂], methane [CH₄], nonmethane hydrocarbon [NMHC]) have been conducted to study the effect of physicochemical factors on the PM₁₀ concentration. In addition, this study includes source apportionment of PM₁₀ in Kuala Lumpur urban environment. An advanced principal component analysis (PCA) technique coupled with absolute principal component scores (APCS) and multiple linear regression (MLR) has been applied. The average annual concentration of PM₁₀ for 8 yr is 51.3 ± 25.8 μg m^?3, which exceeds the Recommended Malaysian Air Quality Guideline (RMAQG) and international guideline values. Detail analysis shows the dependency of PM₁₀ on the linear changes of the motor vehicles in use and the amount of biomass burning, particularly from Sumatra, Indonesia, during southwesterly monsoon. The main sources of PM₁₀ identified by PCA-APCS-MLR are traffic combustion (28%), ozone coupled with meteorological factors (20%), and windblown particles (1%). However, the apportionment procedure left 28.0 μg m^?3, that is, 51% of PM₁₀ undetermined.

Implications: Air quality is always a top concern around the globe. Especially in the South Asian regions, measures are not yet sufficient; as revealed in our studies, the concentrations of particulate matters exceed the tolerable limits. Long-term data analysis and characterization of particular matters and their sources will aid the policy makers and the concerned authority to adapt measures and policies according to the circumstances. Additionally, similar intensive studies will give insight about future implications of air quality management.