Causation of Severe and Fatal Accidents in the Manufacturing Sector

The main purpose of this paper is to identify the most frequent causes of accidents in the manufacturing sector in Andalusia, Spain, to help safety practitioners in the task of prioritizing preventive actions. Official accident investigation reports are analyzed. A causation pattern is identified with the proportion of causes of each of the different possible groups of causes. We found evidence of a differential causation between slight and non-slight accidents. We have also found significant differences in accident causation depending on the mechanism of the accident. These results can be used to prioritize preventive actions to combat the most likely causes of each accident mechanism. We have also done research on the associations of certain latent causes with specific active (immediate) causes. These relationships show how organizational and safety management can contribute to the prevention of active failures.     

Comparison of Two Methods for Judging Distances Near Overhead Power Lines

Sixteen certified crane operators performed several series of boom movements toward a segment of a typical power line using a 100-ton lifting capacity crane equipped with an 18-m boom, a single lifting cable, and a hard ball hook. The operators were instructed to stop the crane movement when the lifting cable reached the edge of the danger zone located 3 m from the power line. To achieve each maneuver, they evaluated the distance between the nearest wire and their crane using two methods: free sighting and the use of highly visible markers delineating the edge of the danger zone. The dependent measure was the distance between the lifting cable and the edge of the danger zone. Results showed that operators were generally unreliable when judging the distance between their crane and the power line when sighting the power line directly, but the use of markers proved to be much more precise and reliable in targeting the edge of the danger zone.     

Will Musculoskeletal,Visual and Psychosocial Stress Change for Visual Display Unit (VDU) Operators When Moving From a Single-Occupancy Office to an Office Landscape?

This study investigated the effect of moving from single-occupancy offices to a landscape environment. Thirty-two visual display unit (VDU) operators reported no significant change in visual discomfort. Lighting conditions and glare reported subjectively showed no significant correlation with visual discomfort. Experience of pain was found to reduce subjectively rated work capacity during VDU tasks. The correlation between visual discomfort and reduced work capacity for single-occupancy offices was r_s = .88 (p = .000) and for office landscape r_s = .82 (p = .000). Eye blink rate during habitual VDU work was recorded for 12 operators randomly selected from the 32 participants in the office landscape. A marked drop in eye blink rate during VDU work was found compared to eye blink rate during easy conversation. There were no significant changes in pain intensity in the neck, shoulder, forearm, wrist/hand, back or headache (.24 < p < .67). Pain levels in different body areas were significantly correlated with reduced work capacity, .77 < r_s < .99 (p = .000).     

The environmental cost of broiler production and carbon sequestration potential of eucalyptus plantations around farms in Mato Grosso do Sul,Brazil

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The present study aimed to evaluate the environmental cost of the production process of broilers from the approach of emergy accounting and carbon...     

Potential ability of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) to phytomanage an urban brownfield soil

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The ability of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv. Badischer Geudertheimer) for phytomanaging and remediating soil ecological functions at a...     

Temporal variations in the level of chlordecone in seawater and marine organisms in Martinique Island (Lesser Antilles)

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The present study, conducted in the Galion Bay in Martinique, aims to highlight the temporal and seasonal variations of chlordecone contamination (an...     

Ionomics and metabolomics analysis reveal the molecular mechanism of metal tolerance of Pteris vittata L. dominating in a mining site in Thai Nguyen province,Vietnam

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This study aims to find the interaction between ionome and metabolome profiles of Pteris vittata L., an arsenic hyperaccumulator plant, to reveal its...     

The role of iron nanoparticles on anaerobic digestion: mechanisms,limitations, and perspectives

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Anaerobic digestion (AD) is the most widely used technology for organic matter treatment. However, multiple types of research have reported on...     

The role of wetlands in the chromophoric dissolved organic matter release and its relation to aquatic ecosystems optical properties. A case of study: Katonga and Bunjako Bays (Victoria Lake; Uganda)

Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter (CDOM) is an important component in freshwater and marine ecosystems and plays direct and indirect role in biogeochemical cycles. CDOM originates from the degradation process of organic materials, usually macrophytes and planktons. The present work examines the importance of wetland derived CDOM on the optical and bio-optical properties of two bays of Lake Victoria (Uganda, Africa). This was achieved by determining the attenuation and extinction coefficients of filtered and unfiltered water samples from two equatorial bays on the Ugandan coastline of Lake Victoria. Katonga Bay is a wetland lined bay that receives water from the Katonga river, while Bunjako Bay is an outer bay between Katonga Bay and Lake Victoria. The results showed that attenuation was highest in Katonga Bay and the role of CDOM is most dominant near the river inlet. The quantity and quality of CDOM is extremely different in the two bays: in Katonga Bay it is possible to hypothesize a terrestrial origin of CDOM (transported by the wetland river). On the contrary, in Bunjako Bay, spectral measurements of absorption indicate a modified CDOM and/or alternative CDOM source. The terrestrial CDOM in Katonga Bay is more capable of absorbing harmful UV radiation than the CDOM present in the Bunjako Bay. The resulting optical environment in the former bay presented a water column with a very limited penetration of harmful UV radiation, while a higher penetration was observed in the Bunjako Bay.