Acciphilia on the road: An analysis of severe collisions

Introduction

Although prior studies of road traffic accidents have found between-group differences in risk, little attention has been given to the encounter between drivers involved in severe collisions.

Method

The present study empirically evaluates two different possible causes of "social accidents," which are defined as collisions between two or more drivers where some faulty social interaction might be assumed, and which are the most prevalent cause of road injuries. The analyses use merged Israeli collision records from 1983 to 2004 with data from two national censuses, thus providing an unprecedented empirical basis to study the social foundations of car accidents. The data are used to adjudicate between two alternative hypotheses: the heterogeneity hypothesis (socially different drivers tend to collide) versus the homogeneity hypothesis (socially similar drivers tend to collide).

Results

Multivariate analyses provide preliminary support for the latter hypothesis. Given an accident, there are more collisions among drivers from the same broad educational group, and the factors that influence this correlation are independent of geography. The paper thus leads to the idea that severe collisions reflect a sociological or ecological process that is akin to acciphilia.

Impact on Industry

The preliminary findings suggest that variation between drivers may be preferable to similarity, since apparently there is a greater tendency toward collisions between similar drivers.     

Highlights of LNG risk technology

The authors have recently undertaken a major review of LNG consequence modeling, compiling a wide range of historical information with more recent experiments and modeling approaches in a book entitled “LNG Risk-Based Safety: Modeling and Consequence Analysis”. All the main consequence routes were reviewed – discharge, evaporation, pool and jet fire, vapor cloud explosions, rollover, and Rapid Phase Transitions (RPT’s). In the book, experimental data bases are assembled for tests on pool spread and evaporation, burn rates, dispersion, fire and radiation and effects on personnel and structures. The current paper presents selected highlights of interest: lessons learned from historical development and experience, comparison of predictions by various models, varying mechanisms for LNG spread of water, a modeling protocol to enable acceptance of newer models, and unresolved technical issues such as cascading failures, fire engulfment of a carrier, the circumstances for a possible LNG BLEVE, and accelerated evaporation by LNG penetration into water.     

On the development of a new hybrid risk assessment process using occupational accidents’ data: Application on the Greek Public Electric Power Provider

The occupational accidents have a major impact upon human integrity and also bring about high costs for the social health and insurance system of a country. In addition, risk analysis is an essential process for the safety policy of a company, having as main aim the effacement of any potential of damage in a productive procedure, while the quantified risk evaluation is the most crucial part of the whole procedure of assessing hazards in the work. The main goal of this study is double: a) the development and presentation of a new hybrid risk assessment process (HRAP) and b) the application of HRAP in the Greek Public Power Corporation (PPC) (the unique electric power provider and the largest industry in Greece), by using occupational accidents that have been recorded, during the 12-year period of 1993-2004. The new process consists of four distinct phases a) the hazard sources’ identification phase, b) the risk consideration phase, c) the risk-evaluation phase, and d) the phase of the risk assessment and safety-related decision making. The results show that in some cases the risk value has been calculated in PPC to be higher than 500 (in the risk rating of 0-1000), which imposes the taking of suppressive measures for abolishing the danger source, while the fatal accident frequency rate (per 10⁸ man-hrs) is FAFR ≅ 2.4.     

矿山企业安全生产管理缺陷预警系统

矿山企业安全管理预警是针对可能发生的事故进行事先预测和防范.介绍了企业安全管理预 警系统的模型、预警系统各模块的功能及基于J2EE模式体系的设计与实现.     

急倾斜煤层石门揭煤突出机理数值模拟研究

与其他类型的突出相比,石门揭煤的突出危险性最为严重,对它的突出机理进行研究有助于提高防突工作水平。根据马家沟矿石门揭煤突出后遗留的孔洞形状,采用数值模拟软件对突出过程进行反演分析;再现了马家沟矿石门揭煤突出发生的地质条件及发展过程。结果显示,急倾斜煤层石门揭煤突出过程中,煤体自重应力的作用比较明显;突出发生后,地应力梯度和瓦斯压力梯度均下降,卸压区宽度增大。因此,对于急倾斜煤层石门揭煤,一方面,要采取瓦斯抽放等措施,降低工作面前方煤体的应力和瓦斯压力;另一方面,要采用金属骨架对其上方煤体进行支护,防止该煤体垮落诱导突出。     

实验室煤与瓦斯突出模拟试验回顾及展望

为借鉴国内外煤与瓦斯突出模拟试验研究成果,查阅大量相关文献,进行分析和总结。以人们对煤与瓦斯突出试验研究的深入程度为主线,将实验室煤与瓦斯突出模拟试验的研究历程进行阶段划分。研究表明:20世纪50—60年代,成功诱导了突出,初步考察诸因素对突出的影响;70—90年代,深入探究突出发生的力学判据及突出过程,并提出数十种有关突出机理方面的假说;21世纪初,以组建三维模拟试验台进行试验为特点,大大提高了模拟试验条件与现场的相似度,但在力学加载系统的稳定性和可调性、模型的整体密封性、测试探头的精度等方面仍需改进。     

电站锅炉安全管理

本文对锅炉危险、有害因素和事故进行了分析,从锅炉的设计、制造、安装、调试、检验、修理和改造等环节阐述了锅炉安全管理的有关要求,并重点阐述了锅炉使用(运行)过程中的安全管理和锅炉"四管"爆漏的预防措施。     

新疆煤炭开发环境保护问题及对策建议

针对新疆煤炭资源开发状况及新疆煤炭资源的分布特点,分析了煤炭开发过程中引发的环境问题,提出了加强煤炭资源开发区域规划环境影响评价,积极探索建立矿山生态环境恢复补偿机制,加强对煤矿开发产生的废水、矸石的处理及监管力度,加大矸石、废水的监管和排污收费征收力度等措施。     

浅谈煤矿建设项目竣工环境保护验收调查

着重阐述了煤矿建设项目的主要环境问题及调查重点和调查内容、方法,分析了煤矿建设项目竣工环境保护验收调查中常存在的一些问题,并提出了几点对策和建议.     

矿山地质环境质量评价数学模型研究概述

在对大量文献和典型矿山地质调查资料研究的基础上,从矿山环境地质问题所导致的结果(资源损毁、地质灾害、环境污染)出发,筛选出合理的评价因子并建立评价指标体系.采用不同的评价方法,通过进行现状—预测—综合评价最终确定矿山地质环境质量评价数学模型;并将评价方法应用于实际矿山地质环境质量评价中,获得了较好的一致性.