Serious road injuries in The Netherlands dissected

Objective: This article discusses the characteristics and injury patterns of serious road injuries (Maximum Abbreviated Injury Scale [MAIS] 2+ inpatients) in The Netherlands.

Methods: In The Netherlands, the actual number of serious injuries is estimated by linking police data to hospital data. The distribution of serious road injuries over (1) travel mode and gender and (2) crash type and age are compared for the years 2000 and 2011. Moreover, the distribution of the injuries over the body regions is illustrated using colored injury body profiles.

Results: The number of serious injuries is higher for men than for women and increased from 16,500 in 2000 to 19,700 in 2011. In 2011, about half (51%) of the serious road injuries were due to a bicycle crash not involving a motor vehicle. The share of casualties aged 60 years and older is relatively high (43% in 2011) in these crashes. The injury body profiles show that head injuries (31%) and injuries to the lower extremities (37%) are most prevalent. Compared to other travel modes, pedestrians and riders of powered 2-wheelers relatively often sustain lower-leg injuries compared to other travel modes. Head injuries are most prevalent in cyclists who are injured in a crash with a motorized vehicle. Cyclists who are injured in a crash not involving a motor vehicle and casualties of 60 years and older relatively often include hip or upper-leg injuries.

Conclusion: The characteristics of serious road injuries differ from those of fatalities and the distribution of injuries over the body differs by travel mode, gender, and age.     

How do children learn to cross the street? The process of pedestrian safety training

Objective: Pedestrian injuries are a leading cause of child death and may be reduced by training children to cross streets more safely. Such training is most effective when children receive repeated practice at the complex cognitive–perceptual task of judging moving traffic and selecting safe crossing gaps, but there is limited data on how much practice is required for children to reach adult levels of functioning. Using existing data, we examined how children's pedestrian skills changed over the course of 6 pedestrian safety training sessions, each composed of 45 crossings within a virtual pedestrian environment.

Methods: As part of a randomized controlled trial on pedestrian safety training, 59 children ages 7–8 crossed the street within a semi-immersive virtual pedestrian environment 270 times over a 3-week period (6 sessions of 45 crossings each). Feedback was provided after each crossing, and traffic speed and density were advanced as children's skill improved. Postintervention pedestrian behavior was assessed a week later in the virtual environment and compared to adult behavior with identical traffic patterns.

Results: Over the course of training, children entered traffic gaps more quickly and chose tighter gaps to cross within; their crossing efficiency appeared to increase. By the end of training, some aspects of children's pedestrian behavior was comparable to adult behavior but other aspects were not, indicating that the training was worthwhile but insufficient for most children to achieve adult levels of functioning.

Conclusions: Repeated practice in a simulated pedestrian environment helps children learn aspects of safe and efficient pedestrian behavior. Six twice-weekly training sessions of 45 crossings each were insufficient for children to reach adult pedestrian functioning, however, and future research should continue to study the trajectory and quantity of child pedestrian safety training needed for children to become competent pedestrians.     

Risk factors for the severity of injury incurred in crashes involving on-duty police cars

Objective: This article explores the risk factors associated with police cars on routine patrol and/or on an emergency run and their effects on the severity of injuries in crashes.

Methods: The binary probit model is used to examine the effects of important factors on the risk of injuries sustained in crashes involving on-duty police cars.

Results: Several factors significantly increase the probability of crashes that cause severe injuries. Among those causes are police officers who drive at excessive speeds, traffic violations during emergency responses or pursuits, and driving during the evening (6 to 12 p.m.) or in rainy weather. Findings also indicate some potential issues associated with an increase in the probability of crashes that cause injuries. Younger police drivers were found to be more likely to be involved in crashes causing injuries than middle-aged drivers were. Distracted driving by on-duty police officers as well as civilian drivers who did not pull over to let a police car pass in emergency situations also caused serious crashes.

Conclusions: Police cars are exempted from certain traffic laws under emergency circumstances. However, to reduce the probability of being involved in a crash resulting in severe injuries, officers are still obligated to drive safely and follow safety procedures when responding to emergencies or pursuing a car. Enhancement of training techniques for emergency situations or driving in pursuit of an offender and following the safety procedures are essential for safety in driving during an emergency run by police.     

受限空间煤尘爆炸毒害气体传播伤害研究

为减少煤矿煤尘爆炸后毒气对人的危害,为煤矿防爆、抑爆和安全评价,以及事故应急救援等提供理论依据,研究了煤尘爆炸后毒气的传播伤害规律。基于质量守恒定律与空气动力学理论,建立煤尘爆炸后风流作用下的毒害气体在受限空间内的数学传播模型,得到巷道内毒气传播的弥散系数,计算出沿爆炸传播方向毒气浓度随距离变化的关系,划分伤害三区并推导出相应的伤害范围计算公式。研究表明:毒气传播的峰值点随风流方向移动,其峰值点浓度逐渐变小。     

爆炸冲击荷载对动物杀伤作用距离的试验研究

采用3 kg、5 kg和10 kg装药在自由场中爆炸,观察分析距炸点不同距离的家兔在爆炸冲击波下的伤亡情况.试验同时使用冲击波超压测量仪记录不同位置的冲击波超压.试验结果表明,在超压小于0.08×105 Pa时家兔基本安全,3 kg、5 kg、10 kg炸药爆炸时的安全距离分别为20 m、25 m、30 m.     

工伤保险行业差别费率确定方法探讨

制定合理的行业差别费率对于工伤保险基金的稳定、促进企业改善安全生产状况具有积极作用.我国工伤保险制度处于起步阶段,有些地区对行业差别费率厘定进行了探索,但费率与风险的关联性不强,影响了低风险企业参加工伤保险统筹的积极性.本文针对工伤统计数据缺乏的现状,分析了现阶段工伤保险行业差别费率确定方法的研究现状,重点讨论了确定行业风险等级的3种方法,即聚类分析法、风险系数测评和模糊风险评估法的应用过程以及优缺点;另外,强调了在确定行业风险指数时,应注意根据不同事故类别的严重度来确定各风险因素指标的权重大小.最后,应用风险评估理论分析工伤保险行业差别费率的运作机理,提出应用工伤赔付支出费用计算行业差别费率的数学公式,此公式原理清晰、操作方便,且有利于各统筹地区根据实际情况划分行业差别费率.     

日光温室黄瓜低温冷害风险评估技术研究

基于人工气候箱和大田试验观测结果,探讨了日光温室黄瓜生产低温冷害气象指标确定技术,将冬季黄瓜生产低温冷害分为无灾、轻灾、中灾和重灾4个等级,利用层次分析法和GIS技术,对日光温室黄瓜生产低温冷害综合风险进行评估.结果表明,山东省各级冷害出现日数随着低温冷害程度的加重呈减少的趋势,但区域间存在一定差异.鲁北、鲁西北北部、鲁中北部以及半岛内陆地区遭受低温冷害风险较高,半岛东部沿海、鲁西南、鲁南及鲁东南沿海区域风险较低,其他地区属于中度风险.     

Ergonomic Program Effectiveness: Ergonomic and Medical Intervention

The implementation of a successful ergonomic and medical intervention program designed to reduce the number and severity of injuries and illnesses and the associated levels of discomfort in the workplace is presented. Because of the recent activity concerning the on-again-off-again Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Ergonomic Program Standard questions have been raised as to the value and effectiveness of an organization’s ergonomics program. In light of these concerns, the immense cost associated with work-related injury and illness, and the related pain and suffering associated with such injuries and illnesses, it is important to present a workable and effective ergonomic and medical intervention program. The results of this applied study demonstrate that through the application of an ergonomic and medical intervention program, workplace-related injuries and illnesses can be reduced or eliminated.