Associations between sleep,risk and safety climate: A study of offshore personnel on the Norwegian continental shelf

The demands and constraints of the offshore working environment can have adverse effects on health, particularly the quality of sleep. Perceived risk and safety are significant psychological stress factors which may interfere with and deteriorate the sleep quality of offshore personnel. The present study explores the relationship between risk perception, safety climate and sleep quality. Data were collected under the auspices of the Petroleum Safety Authorities in Norway using a cross-sectional design. A total of 9601 offshore workers from 52 offshore installations on the Norwegian continental shelf participated in the study. Our findings indicate that both risk perception and safety climate are significantly related to sleep quality. The results of the present study suggest that risk perception and safety climate not only are important aspects of safety performance in the offshore industry, but also have an impact on sleep quality.     

ACCESS climate data management

Building on achievements and experience gained through the EU project DAMOCLES and international data management during the International Polar Year, ACCESS, data management was implemented using the same platform as used for DAMOCLES. A metadata-driven approach through which all datasets are properly described with discovery and use metadata was chosen in order to simplify data management and data usage. The system provides automated submission and checking of datasets, search and download as well as visualisation and transformation on user demand and metadata export. Long-term management of ACCESS climate datasets is done within the context of the Arctic Data Centre. This ensures visibility of ACCESS datasets in the context of WMO and GEOSS catalogues. Challenges with ACCESS data management have mainly been cultural with the consequence that the system has been underutilised within the duration of the project duration.     

Building Safety indicators: Part 1 – Theoretical foundation

Development of early warning indicators to prevent major accidents – to ‘build safety’ – should rest on a sound theoretical foundation, including basic concepts, main perspectives and past developments, as well as an overview of the present status and ongoing research. In this paper we have established the theoretical basis for development of indicators used as early warnings of major accidents. Extensive work on indicators have been carried out in the past, and this could and should have been better utilized by industry, e.g., by focusing more on major hazard indicators, and less on personal safety indicators. Recent discussions about safety indicators have focused on the distinction between leading and lagging indicators; however, a discussion on terms should not impede the development of useful indicators that can provide (early) warnings about potential major accidents.     

Study of inexpensive oxygen carriers for chemical looping combustion

Norwegian industrial tailings and by-products, as well as naturally occurring minerals and ores have been surveyed with the purpose of identifying candidate oxygen carrier materials for use in a chemical looping combustion process. Nine materials, based on manganese and/or iron oxide, were selected for an initial screening test; six were deemed promising and were hence investigated further. Thermogravimetric experiments were performed to investigate the oxygen capacity, the reaction kinetics and reversibility of the oxygen absorption reaction. A manganese ore with a reversible capacity of 4.9 wt% oxygen at 1000 °C was selected as the most promising for chemical looping combustion applications. This material was modified by addition of calcia to explore the possibility of enhancing the kinetic, catalytic and mechanical properties. The addition of excess calcium relative to manganese resulted in formation of calcium manganite and related phases. The oxygen capacity of the modified material was 4.5 wt% at 1000 °C, but it has potential advantages in terms of kinetics and chemical and mechanical stability relative to the pure ore.     

On-site radioactive soil contamination at the Andreeva Bay shore technical base, Northwest Russia

The radioactive waste (RAW) storage site at Andreeva Bay in the Russian Northwest has experienced radioactive contamination both as a result of activities carried out at the site and due to incidents that have occurred there in the past such as accidental releases of radioactive materials. The site is an interesting case study for decommissioning due to the extremely large amounts of radioactivity present at the site and the conditions under which it is stored; very little has been previously published in the scientific literature about this site. This paper complements the paper describing dose rates at Andreeva Bay which is published in this issue of Journal of Environmental Radioactivity by the same authors. This study presents new data related to the activity concentrations of (137)Cs and (90)Sr in surface soils and measurements of alpha- and beta-particle fluxes taken at different areas around the site. Limited data on 60Co is also presented. The results of the study indicate that the main areas of site contamination are associated with the former spent nuclear fuel storage facility at Building 5, due to accidental discharges which began in 1982. Substantial contamination is also observed at the solid radioactive waste storage facilities, probably due to the ingress of water into these facilities. More than 240 samples were measured: maximum contamination levels were 1 x 10(6)Bq/kg (137)Cs (mean value 4.1 x 10(5)Bq/kg) and 4 x 10(6)Bq/kg (90)Sr (mean value 1.2 x1 0(5)Bq/kg). Localised patches of alpha and beta contamination were also observed throughout the site.     

Parasites of the chaetognath Sagitta setosa in the western English Channel

The temporal occurrence of parasites in Sagitta setosa J. Müller, caught one to three times a month during 1982 and 1983 off Plymouth, England, was investigated. S. setosa was infected by eight parasitic species: one nematode, five trematodes, one cestode and, possibly, one protozoon. Infection by a single parasite, normally found in the body coelom, was the rule. The nematode Hysterothylacium aduncum, as III-stage larva, was by far the most common parasite (56% of all parasites found), followed by the metacercariae of three non-encysted trematodes: Derogenes varicus, a didymozoid species and a Lecithochirium species. Two trematode species new to Chaetognatha were found. The percentage of infected S. setosa specimens ranged from 0 to 7%. Absence or low numbers of parasites from June to November were correlated to the disappearance of large S. setosa and the appearance of a new S. setosa generation. Trematodes may show great annual and seasonal differences in occurrence in S. setosa. No injuries due to parasites were seen. The reproduction of the S. setosa populations off Plymouth did not seem to be affected by parasite infections during 1982–1983.     

Mimic Enzyme Based Cellulose Nanocrystals/PVA Nanocomposite Membranes for Enrichment of Biogas as a Natural Gas Substitute

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - Nanocomposite membranes promoted by mimic enzyme was developed and optimized for biogas upgrading at moderately high pressure applications up to...     

Consumptive orientation of anglers in Engerdal,Norway

In a study of consumptiveness among Swedish and Norwegian anglers in Engerdal, eastern Norway, three segments of low-, mid-, and high-consumptive anglers were identified by replicating a methodology of an earlier study of North American anglers. The Engerdal anglers were somewhat more catch-oriented than the North American anglers. Anglers in Norway fish to satisfy a complex set of experience preferences. Low-consumptive anglers rate nature experiences higher than mid- and high-consumptive anglers. High-consumptive anglers have a somewhat narrower range of experience preferences and are more oriented towards competitive aspects of fishing. All anglers generally support management efforts directed toward restricting other types of use of the waters, such as reducing pollution and reducing local fishermen's leisure gill-net fishing. They also support stocking of fish, but oppose actions restricting angling. However, low-consumptive anglers do not oppose angling restrictions to the same degree as mid- and high-consumptive groups. Low-consumptive fishermen show a higher degree of specialization and report higher overall satisfaction with their fishing trips than the other two groups.     

Sexual dimorphism and the mating ecology of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) at Svalbard

We assessed the role of size, mass, and age in mating and non-mating polar bears (Ursus maritimus) at Svalbard, Norway, during the spring breeding season. The ratio of male to female mass, in male-female pairs, ranged from 1.00 to 3.02 ([`(x)] = 1.99 overline x = 1.99 ) indicating that mating males were larger than mating females but with substantial variation. Paired males were older than unpaired males and male mass was related to age. However, males paired with females were not significantly different in body mass from those males caught alone. Wounds and scars resulting from fights between males began at about 6 years of age and peaked at about 17 and 20 years of age, respectively. The frequency of broken canines in males, presumably due to increased male-male conflicts, increased with age but showed little increase in females. The wide range of male size in male-female pairs and the age-related signs of injury suggest that male polar bears engage in both scramble competition and contest competition for access to breeding females. The mating system of polar bears is variable but is best described as female defense polygyny or serial monogamy.