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.     

偶合环境侵权责任之探析

作为环境侵权中的一种特殊形态,偶合环境侵权具有其自身的特点,其与共同侵权、共同危险行为存在区别。论文在论证偶合环境侵权构成要件的基础上,提出偶合环境侵权人之责任承担应当区分单独侵权行为和共同侵权行为,在此基础上由行为人自负其责或承担连带责任,连带责任人内部则根据致害程度来进行分担。     

船舶腐蚀相关电磁场特征仿真研究

随着电磁探测技术的提高和电磁引信水雷的开发应用,腐蚀相关电磁场成为影响船舶隐身性能和安全性的重要因素.针对目前没有系统的关于船体无保护、外加电流保护和牺牲阳极保护导致的稳态电场和腐蚀相关磁场特征研究的现状,采用数值仿真技术模拟了上述3种条件下的稳态电场和腐蚀相关磁场特征.研究结果表明,不同保护状态导致的腐蚀相关电磁场具...     

危险货物运输的“限量运输”与“例外数量”研究

通过对联合国《关于危险货物运输的建议书规章范本》(第十六版)"限量运输"与"例外数量"在依据、豁免程度、包装要求、限制数量等方面的比较,研究"限量运输"与"例外数量"的差异,并结合IMDG,ADR,ADN等规则及协议,分析国际海运、公路、内河运输方式中"限量运输"与"例外数量"特点。"例外数量"在数量限制和包装要求上均严于"限量运输",其豁免程度也大于"限量运输";IMDG,ADR,ADN根据海运、公路、内河运输的特点细化了"限量运输"规定,提高了可操作性,但对于"例外数量"的规定基本一致。     

长江入海口北岸单站降水组分10年变化状况探讨

分析2001—2010年南通市区城中子站降水监测点位数据,得出降水中起致酸作用的阴离子硫酸根、硝酸根、氟离子和氯离子中除硝酸根呈现显著性上升趋势,其余上升趋势不明显;氯离子、钠离子与降水量存在高度线性负相关,硫酸根、硝酸根与降水量分别为低度非线性负相关和正相关,其他项目与降水量为显著性非线性负相关;将pH分5级,pH<4.7为重酸雨频率,pH4.7～5.0为较重酸雨频率,pH5.0～5.3为中度酸雨频率,pH5.3～5.6为轻度酸雨频率,pH≥0.56为非酸雨频率,其结果表明:南通市区2009、2010年酸雨频率降低,分别为44.1%和38.2%,主要是重酸雨频率减少,非酸雨频率增加;2003、2007年酸雨频率升高,分别为67.4%和69.8%,主要是重酸雨频率增加,非酸雨频率减小;降水量大小与电导率浓度高低没有对应性;阴阳离子浓度总量逐年、逐月同步变化;阴离子中硫酸根、硝酸根浓度逐年、逐月变化量与幅度较大;阳离子中钙离子、铵离子浓度逐年、逐月变化量与幅度较大;阴阳离子浓度逐年、逐月占比呈准对称形。     

危险品车辆通行公路隧道的风险控制

随着公路建设的发展,危险品车辆通行隧道的数量和频率都在增长,增大了公路隧道的灾害风险,使危险品车辆隧道运输风险控制越发重要。介绍了国内外危险品车辆通行隧道的规定,分析了常用危险品运输车辆通行隧道的风险控制措施及其不足,结合我国国情,提出了危险品车辆通行公路隧道的风险控制措施。     

Objectives of public economic policy and the adaptation to climate change

Much can be learned about adaptation by applying structures and methodologies already used in other research fields. This study employs a public economic policy approach to investigate how – or if at all – adaptation should be supported by the public sector. Three different fields of adaptation activity are identified which are especially relevant for government intervention and the study proposes ways in which government intervention could be conducted. The analysis takes into account that developing regions are particularly vulnerable and they have insufficient funds to adequately adapt to climate change.     

专业化、多样性与中国省域工业污染排放的关系

集聚外部性是集聚影响工业污染排放的重要机制,不同的集聚方式对应不同的污染排放行为。以中国31个省市工业废水、工业废气、工业固废为例,基于集聚外部性理论,将工业集聚分为专业化、多样性、相关多样性和非相关多样性等4种类型,在分析工业污染排放强度空间格局特征的基础上构建计量模型考察工业集聚与工业污染排放的关系,结果表明：（1）工业废水、废气、固废污染强度的省域差异显著,空间分布上均有不断集中的趋向。（2）多样性集聚比专业化集聚更有利于降低工业污染排放强度。多样性集聚对工业废水强度下降的作用最大,对废气和固废污染的减排作用较小。产业关联是多样性集聚发挥环境“自净”效应的重要条件,相关多样性有利于降低工业污染排放强度,而非相关多样性会加剧污染排放。（3）从不同污染型产业看,废水污染型产业的专业化集聚有利于污染强度下降,而废气和固废污染型产业专业化集聚会加剧污染排放,污染型产业多样性发展均有利于污染强度下降。（4）不同集聚类型对工业污染的影响存在着区域和污染类型的异质性。（5）要进一步降低工业污染,应提高集聚产业的多样化水平,强化产业间的内在关联。同时,应根据不同区域、不同污染型产业、不同工业污染物制定差异化防治措施。     

Participation in devolved commons management: Multiscale socioeconomic factors related to individuals’ participation in community-based management of marine protected areas in Indonesia

Management of common-pool natural resources is commonly implemented under institutional models promoting devolved decision-making, such as co-management and community-based management. Although participation of local people is critical to the success of devolved commons management, few studies have empirically investigated how individuals’ participation is related to socioeconomic factors that operate at multiple scales. Here, we evaluated how individual- and community-scale factors were related to levels of individual participation in management of community-based marine protected areas in Indonesia. In addressing this aim, we drew on multiple bodies of literature on human behaviour from economics and social science, including the social-ecological systems framework from the literature on common-pool resources, the theory of planned behaviour from social psychology, and public goods games from behavioural economics. We found three key factors related to level of participation of local people: subjective norms, structural elements of social capital, and nested institutions. There was also suggestive evidence that participation was related to people’s cooperative behavioural disposition, which we elicited using a public goods game. These results point to the importance of considering socioeconomic factors that operate at multiple scales when examining individual behaviour. Further, our study highlights the need to consider multiscale mechanisms other than those designed to appeal to self-interested concerns, such as regulations and material incentives, which are typically employed in devolved commons management to encourage participation. Increased understanding of the factors related to participation could facilitate better targeting of investments aimed at encouraging cooperative management.     

苯暴露的致癌风险评价

为建立苯暴露风险的定量研究方法,利用生理药代动力学(PBPK)模型与剂量—反应关系,进行苯暴露的致癌风险评价。采用美国环保署推荐的PBPK模型模拟软件,计算苯经吸收转化后进入人体的数据。将模拟得到的内剂量代入致癌风险计算公式中,得到苯暴露的致癌风险,并利用蒙特卡洛模拟方法确定风险概率分布,进行不确定性分析。最后将此健康风险评价方法应用于天津某大型石油化工企业,分析工人苯暴露下的致癌风险。结果表明,工人苯暴露的致癌风险明显超过了最大可接受风险值1×10-4,需要采取相关措施降低风险。