Attitude to safety rules and reflexivity as determinants of safety climate

IntroductionWe present two studies that focus on the relationship between safety rules and the safety climate. It is expected that a reasoned acceptance, namely one based on an understanding of the bases for the rules and a collective management of the rules, should benefit the climate. Method: In an initial study (N = 202) employees replied to a questionnaire that measured the safety climate, the level of the relationship with the safety rules, and the understanding of their bases. The results highlighted the fact that a reasoned acceptance of the rules is associated with an understanding of their bases and predicts the level of safety. In a second study (N = 258) employees replied to a questionnaire measuring team reflexivity, the safety climate, and the level of relationship with the safety rules. We observed that collective management of the rules mediated the relation between team reflexivity and the safety climate. Results: The results are discussed from the point of view of their practical implications. Developing safety climate requires that operators are trained to understand the basis of safety rules and team reflexivity.     

Climate as a group level phenomenon: Theoretical assumptions and methodological considerations

Climate is a group‐level phenomenon that should be measured and studied at the group level. The group level has theoretical and methodological advantages over the individual level. In this paper, I theoretically review the assumptions in measuring climate at the individual and group levels and demonstrate that the group‐level assumptions are more adequate for climate research because of their influences in exposure to events, interpretation of events, and preservation of perceptions. Methodologically, I discuss advantages in group‐level climate measurement accuracy that are based on multiple evaluators of climate and I suggest group aggregation is an organizational form of “wisdom of the crowds.” Finally, I point to three topics that remain to be investigated to understand climate at the group level better. The first is use of variability measures to compensate for information that is lost in aggregation. The second is challenging the assumption that formal organizational structure defines the group boundaries. I suggest that other levels of analysis apply to group‐level climate measurement and demonstrate the use of informal, more natural groups as an additional level. Third, I point to recently developed statistical procedures that can aid the study of climate perception emergence over time.     

兴隆山自然保护区优势植物的物候格局对气候变化的响应

甘肃兴隆山自然保护区地处青藏高原、黄土高原、蒙新高原交汇地带,区域内的植物物候变化对探索气候变化对该地区的生态影响有重要意义。本文对1951—2014年的气象数据进行了分析,结果表明:60年来,兴隆山地区的日均温呈逐年上升趋势,累积增温0.92℃,年降水量逐年下降,平均减少率为83.09 mm?(10a)~(-1)。通过对比2004—2007年和2012—2015年间两时间段内的鲜黄小檗(Berberis diaphana)等14种植物物种的开花等8种物候现象的发生时间发现,有42.86%的观测物种的物候存在显著差异,其中华北珍珠梅(Sorbaria kirilowii)、鲜黄小檗最为显著。鲜黄小檗物候期都呈推迟趋势。华北珍珠梅的春季物候期推迟,秋季物候期提前,其生长季减少率为15.49 d?a~(-1)。在保护区的植被管理实践中,应特别加强对华北珍珠梅的保育。     

1981—2010年内蒙古草地土壤有机碳时空变化及其气候敏感性

草地土壤有机碳储量巨大,其较小幅度的波动即可能显著反馈于气候变化. 基于1981—2010年内蒙古自治区境内及其周边共计92个气象台站气候要素插值数据,采用空间化的生物地球化学模型——CENTURY 4.5,模拟分析近30年来内蒙古草地表层(0~20 cm)土壤有机碳的空间格局与动态变化特征,并通过构建气候变化情景探讨其对主要气候要素的敏感性. 结果表明:近30年内蒙古草地表层土壤有机碳密度平均值约为1.99 kg/m2(以C计),在空间上呈由东北向西南逐渐减少的分布特征. 近30年来内蒙古草地表层土壤有机碳密度略有增加,年均增幅约0.22%,其中草甸草原的增速〔14.25 g/(m2·a)〕最大,荒漠草原的增速〔1.36 g/(m2·a)〕最小. 草地表层土壤有机碳密度年际变化差异明显,1980s至1990s的增加较为缓慢,1990s至2000s的增幅约为前者的2倍,其中草甸草原和典型草原土壤有机碳增幅较大. 气候敏感性分析结果显示,区域降水量变化可能是近30年内蒙古草地表层土壤有机碳密度变化的主要影响因素,但不同草地类型表层土壤有机碳密度对气候变化的敏感性存在较大差异;典型草原与草甸草原表层土壤有机碳变化主要受控于降水量变化,荒漠草原则主要受控于温度变化.      

An investigation of safety climate in OHSAS 18001-certified and non-certified organizations

Many organizations worldwide have implemented Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series (OHSAS) 18001 in their premises because of the assumed positive effects of this standard on safety. Few studies have analyzed the effect of the safety climate in OHSAS 18001-certified organizations. This case–control study used a new safety climate questionnaire to evaluate three OHSAS 18001-certified and three non-certified manufacturing companies in Iran. Hierarchical regression indicated that the safety climate was influenced by OHSAS implementation and by safety training. Employees who received safety training had better perceptions of the safety climate and its dimensions than other respondents within the certified companies. This study found that the implementation of OHSAS 18001 does not guarantee improvement of the safety climate. This study also emphasizes the need for high-quality safety training for employees of the certified companies to improve the safety climate.     

Polish adaptation of three self-report measures of job stressors: the Interpersonal Conflict at Work Scale,the Quantitative Workload Inventory and the Organizational Constraints Scale

Aim. The objective of the present study was to test the psychometric properties, reliability and validity of three job stressor measures, namely, the Interpersonal Conflict at Work Scale, the Organizational Constraints Scale and the Quantitative Workload Inventory. Method. The study was conducted on two samples (N?=?382 and 3368) representing a wide range of occupations. The estimation of internal consistency with Cronbach's α and the test–retest method as well as both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were the main statistical methods. Results. The internal consistency of the scales proved satisfactory, ranging from 0.80 to 0.90 for Cronbach's α test and from 0.72 to 0.86 for the test–retest method. The one-dimensional structure of the three measurements was confirmed. The three scales have acceptable fit to the data. The one-factor structures and other psychometric properties of the Polish version of the scales seem to be similar to those found in the US version of the scales. It was also proved that the three job stressors are positively related to all the job strain measures. Conclusions. The Polish versions of the three analysed scales can be used to measure the job stressors in Polish conditions.     

近50年中国温带地区不同景观带气温变化对比研究

运用线性趋势分析、气候倾向率分析和Mann-Kendall突变检验等方法对中国1962年-2011年温带地区不同景观带气温数据进行分析,研究温带地区不同景观带气温变化趋势以及气温突变状况,分析气温变化的异同。研究结果表明：近50年中国温带地区森林、草原、荒漠三个景观带的年平均气温、四季气温、年平均最高、最低气温都呈现显著增加的趋势,且均存在突变现象,虽然同属温带地区,但是气温增长速率及突变时间存在差异。温带草原带和温带森林带是气候变化的敏感区。     

The importance of the will to improve: how ‘sustainability’ sidelined local livelihoods in a carbon-forestry investment in Uganda

This paper describes a ‘win–win’ discourse on local sustainable development and global climate change mitigation regarding Kachung, a Swedish–Norwegian climate forestry investment in Uganda certified under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). In many ways, this investment is a typical example of how private interests and capital accumulation are prioritised over local concerns in natural resource management under neoliberalism. This study, however, indicated that investors had genuine intentions of creating mutual benefits for the global environment and local people. Drawing on Li (2007), we show that this ‘will to improve’ was nevertheless constructed in ways that resulted in prioritisation of global climate change mitigation over local context-specific concerns.

We identify three core factors making the win–win discourse around Kachung plantation especially resilient: (i) the perceived urgency of climate change mitigation, (ii) the apolitical framing of ‘sustainability’ as an environmental issue that can be fixed through external technical interventions and (iii) the devaluation of local and context-specific knowledge. We end by suggesting that research on the neoliberalisation of nature focus more on analysing the rationales behind specific interventions. This would leave us better equipped to suggest how such interventions should be modified to produce true wins for local contexts.     

《巴黎协定》后全球气候治理的形势与中国的引领作用

当前落实《巴黎协定》的实施细则谈判中,如何体现气候变化公约和《巴黎协定》的原则,全面、均衡地推进适应、减缓、资金、技术、能力建设和透明度各要素的进展,各缔约方仍存在较大分歧。为缩小各国减排承诺与实现控制温升2℃目标间的差距,2018年将开展"促进性对话",强化各缔约方的承诺和行动,也面临复杂的博弈形势。中国倡导合作共赢、公平正义、共同发展的全球气候治理新理念,把合作应对气候变化作为推动各国可持续发展的机遇,促进各国特别是发展中国家走上气候适宜型的低碳经济发展路径,以实现"发展"与"减碳"的双赢,促进各国加强互惠合作,共同发展,打造人类命运共同体。在国内遵循绿色、循环、低碳发展理念,统筹国内可持续发展与全球应对气候变化国内、国际两个大局,推动能源革命和经济发展方式转型,打造经济、民生、资源、环境与应对气候变化多方共赢的局面。加强国际务实合作,结合"一带一路"建设,秉承生态文明建设和绿色发展理念,与沿线国家可持续发展战略相对接,加强先进能源产业与低碳基础设施的建设和互联互通。中国在全球气候治理变革、能源与经济低碳转型、互惠共赢国际合作等领域,已经并将继续做出重要贡献,发挥引领作用。     

Assessment of Future Drought Conditions in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed

Impacts of climate change on the severity and intensity of future droughts can be evaluated based on precipitation and temperature projections, multiple hydrological models, simulated hydrometeorological variables, and various drought indices. The objective of this study was to assess climate change impacts on future drought conditions and water resources in the Chesapeake Bay (CB) watershed. In this study, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) and the Variable Infiltration Capacity model were used to simulate a Modified Palmer Drought Severity Index (MPDSI), a Standardized Soil Moisture index (SSI), a Multivariate Standardized Drought Index (MSDI), along with Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) climate models for both historical and future periods (f1: 2020‐2049, f2: 2050‐2079). The results of the SSI suggested that there was a general increase in agricultural droughts in the entire CB watershed because of increases in surface and groundwater flow and evapotranspiration. However, MPDSI and MSDI showed an overall decrease in projected drought occurrences due to the increases in precipitation in the future. The results of this study suggest that it is crucial to use multiple modeling approaches with specific drought indices that combine the effects of both precipitation and temperature changes.