现代电子监控技术在安全生产领域的应用

现代电子监控技术在安全生产领域的应用越来越广泛,在安全生产各个环节发挥了重要作用.如手机屏蔽仪在加油站等易燃易爆场所进行信号监控,防止在加油站等易燃易爆场所使用手机引发爆炸事故;应用煤矿安全事故预警系统,实时对井下巷道的各个传感器进行瓦斯浓度和透水情况监测、记录和数据分析;建立远程安全生产监控系统,形成安全生产监测体系.利用现代化的电子通信技术、网络技术、传感技术和自动监控技术,可以大大增强对事故的防范能力,防止事故发生和减少事故的损失.     

国内外重点领域安全标准比对研究

为了增加我国安全标准技术含量,进一步提高标准管理水平,本文选取矿山、危险化学品和基础通用三个具有代表性的安全标准重点领域,比对分析了我国与美国、南非、欧盟、国际标准化组织和国际劳工组织安全标准,从标准构成、技术标准和管理标准的比例、标准制修订机构、对公众安全重视程度、标准体系内容完善程度和标准修订周期六个方面,提出了国内外安全标准体系存在的的差异。本文选取了上述三个重点领域的100项安全标准的1550个技术指标,通过国内外相应安全指标的比对分析,提出国内外安全指标的异同,以及我国安全标准技术指标修改建议。在此基础上,提出了我国重点领域安全标准发展的对策措施。     

开发区规划环境影响跟踪评价工作重点研究探讨

环境影响跟踪评价是环境影响评价制度的重要组成部分。从2011年开始江苏省环评批复满5年的开发区开始着手进行环境影响跟踪评价。开发区规划环境影响跟踪评价的一般工作内容主要包括13部分,工作重点主要是分析开发区产业定位、产业布局、污染物防控措施、总量、基础设施建设、风险防范措施、环境质量变化、居民拆迁、空间防护距离等方面存在的问题,并提出可操作性的措施。环境影响跟踪评价为调整开发区规划的思路,避免重复出现类似问题提供了技术支撑。     

Work Content and Eye Discomfort in VDT Work

A questionnaire study of Swedish public employees with frequent and different types of VDT work (n = 2,025) was conducted. Eight different kinds of eye discomfort were examined, and an additive index was constructed. Eye discomfort was statistically related to aspects of work organization. The highest levels of discomfort were reported by computer-aided design (CAD), data entry, and word processing groups; groups with mixed VDT tasks displayed the lowest level of symptoms. Time spent at a VDT, low degree of work control, time pressure, and high pace of work were all associated with relatively high levels of eye discomfort. There was significant interaction between experience of stress and time spent at a VDT with respect to both the eye discomfort index and three specific symptoms (itching, gritty feeling, and dryness). Whereas dryness, smarting, and itching of the eyes seem most strongly related to work conditions, redness and watery eyes seem most weakly related.     

Safety Level of Acrobatic Work: A Probabilistic Study

Acrobatic work constitutes an activity during which individuals intervene on buildings, cliffs, towers, and so forth, through the use of mountaineering or speleological techniques. The most dangerous situations occur particularly when ascending a rope with ascenders or roping with a descender. Any free fall or false manoeuvre will result in a strong shock on the belaying system that may cause its rupture. The fatal accident rate (FAR) of a given occupation is defined as the average number of fatal accidents per 10⁸ hrs of exposure to a given hazard. In this study it is assumed that the FAR is proportional to the average number of fall-initiating events, η, per worker and per hour of exposure to the fall hazard. η is estimated to be between 10^-3 and 3 × 10^-3. The maximum values of the rupture probability of the securing systems are calculated for the FAR of acrobatic work to be smaller than the FAR of the three most dangerous activity groups of the construction industry in France. These values allow the varying ranges of the parameters that influence this rupture probability to be determined.     

An Investigation of Stress Level and Human Reliability Analysis of Two Security Companies in Taiwan

This article presents the results of an evaluation and comparison study of three subjective techniques for determining human reliability under stress for work performed at two Taiwanese security companies. Stress levels at security companies were estimated by using the Unified Tri-service Cognitive Performance Assessment Battery and 40 participants from two similar-sized companies. Experiment results (memory searching task and mathematical processing task) indicated that the participants were under high levels of stress. Three subjective techniques (Success Likelihood Index Method, Technique for Human Error Rate Prediction, and Human Error Assessment and Reduction Technique) for estimating human error probability were evaluated and compared by using 20 experts for six tasks. The comparison criteria are interjudge consistency and accuracy. Of the three human error probability tests studied, the Technique for Human Error Rate Prediction and Success Likelihood Index Method were more consistent than the Human Error Assessment and Reduction Technique. The same relationship occurred in the comparison of accuracy. Thus, the Human Error Assessment and Reduction Technique may need to be modified in some way if it is to be useful. It was already known that this technique required modifications in error-producing conditions and nominal human unreliability. Our work presents additional evidence to substantiate this.     

Ergonomics and Work Organization: The Relationship Between Tayloristic Design and Workers’ Health in Banks and Credit Cards Companies

Abstract

The discussion developed in this paper is based on the results of an ergonomic work analysis carried out with attendants at call centers. Some critical issues and difficulties, like working pace, inadequate tools and workstations, and software inadequacies were detected in working situations. Operator-customer interactions are presented, attempting to put in evidence working constraints, working conditions, and their connection with health problems.

The main conclusion is that serving clients, especially when the job is to provide information, is not a simple task, as information is not always available in the computerized system and is completely fragmented. The scope of workers’ actions is very restricted and complicated and recurrent requests are redirected to others. Workers (individually or as groups) have limited possibilities to make adjustments to be able to give more adequate and personalized treatment to clients and, at the same time, to work in a less stressful environment. In periods of increased workload and work intensification, the situation is very much favorable to the incidence of health disorders, such as work related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD) and others. Some suggestions to improve the work situation are discussed.     

Job Redesign Needs for Aged Workers

The aim of this paper is to explore and present a proposal for redesigning elements of the workplace for agech workers. The method of research was to observe, record, and measure the actions of sitting workers performing assembly operations on electrical products in the Kani Plant Nagoya Works of Mitsubishi Electric Co. (Japan). The evaluation index used in the experiment was obtained by measuring time motion elements, cycle time per product, and motion velocity waves of elderly workers. Those motion characteristics were then compared to the motion characteristics of young workers. The results led to job redesign elements being identified to reduce handling factors of high difficulty for aged workers and to the necessity to consider a coefficient of correction in Method Time Measurement (MTM) according to differences in the manufactured object’s weight.     

Adaptation to a New Workplace According to Reactivity and Values-Motives Coherence at Work

A new workplace is a result of changing a work post or undertaking a new job. Direct indices of adaptation to this situation (average mood at the workplace and job satisfaction) and the indirect ones (costs like health complaints and the level of depressing or facilitating anxiety) are analysed with regard to reactivity and values-motives coherence at work. Sixty bank workers were investigated. The obtained results confirm that mood and costs depend on reactivity, but satisfaction with work depends on coherence. Only achievement values-motives coherence at work differentiates direct and indirect indicators of adaptation. Considering both kinds of variables modifies dependencies. Some theoretical and practical conclusions resulting from the research are included.     

Office Ergonomics: Deficiencies in Computer Workstation Design

The objective of this research was to study and identify ergonomic deficiencies in computer workstation design in typical offices. Physical measurements and a questionnaire were used to study 40 workstations. Major ergonomic deficiencies were found in physical design and layout of the workstations, employee postures, work practices, and training. The consequences in terms of user health and other problems were significant. Forty-five percent of the employees used nonadjustable chairs, 48% of computers faced windows, 90% of the employees used computers more than 4 hrs/day, 45% of the employees adopted bent and unsupported back postures, and 20% used office tables for computers. Major problems reported were eyestrain (58%), shoulder pain (45%), back pain (43%), arm pain (35%), wrist pain (30%), and neck pain (30%). These results indicated serious ergonomic deficiencies in office computer workstation design, layout, and usage. Strategies to reduce or eliminate ergonomic deficiencies in computer workstation design were suggested.