Synergy Between Visual and Auditory Signals and Its Influence on the Follow-Up Regulation Quality

The study aimed at verifying a hypothesis that supporting a visual signal of regulation deviation with an auditory one could improve the quality of regulation; the operator would have better information on machine operation. A special simulator was applied to follow-up tracking with a manual lever which controlled vertical movements of a cursor on a monitor screen. Simultaneously with visual information on screen, the operator was provided with an auditory deviation signal of pre-determined characteristics. 33 young males underwent the test. It was found that supporting a visual signal with an auditory one resulted in an improvement in the regulation quality by 5-6%, which proved synergy between those signals. The results may be used in designing tele- and servo-mechanisms, especially for remote control machinery, e.g., inspection robots or micromanipulators controlled by operators in a follow-up system.     

Simulation of Reflected and Scattered Laser Radiation for Designing Laser Shields

This paper presents a computer simulation of reflected and scattered laser radiation for calculating the angle of laser shields performed with the Laser Shield Solver computer program. The authors describe a method of calculating the shield angle for laser shields which protect workers against reflected and scattered laser radiation and which are made from different materials. The main assumptions of the program, which calculates and simulates reflected laser radiation from any material and which can be used for designing shield angles, are presented. Calculations are compared with measurements of reflected laser radiation. The results for one type of laser and different materials which interacted with a laser beam showed that the Laser Shield Solver was an appropriate tool for designing laser shields and its simulations of reflected laser radiation distribution have practical use.     

Analysis of Conditions and Organization of Work of Notebook Computer Users

Abstract

Aim. The aim of this study was to evaluate working conditions with a notebook computer (notebook) as a potential cause of musculoskeletal disorders. Material and methods. The study had 2 stages. The first one was a questionnaire survey among 300 notebook users. The next stage was an expert analysis of 53 randomly selected workstations. The questionnaire survey included questions about the participants, their working conditions, work organization and also duration of work with a notebook. Results and conclusions. The results of the research showed that most examined operators used a notebook as a basic working tool. The most important irregularities included an unadjustable working surface, unadjustable height of the seat pan and backrest, unadjustable height and distance between the armrests and no additional ergonomic devices (external keyboard, docking station, notebook stand or footstool).     

Disparity of a Seat Cushion and Its Influence on Postural Control

Properties of supporting surfaces of a seat have an influence on postural control. Centre of pressure (COP) displacement parameters reflect both the balance controlling process and movements of the centre of a mass of entire body. The subjects of the study were 9 healthy men. A seat cushion was examined with a 2-force platform setup. Force exertion at a seat pan and feet and COP displacement at a seat pan were measured to analyse postural control. Analysis of variance determined the differences in postural control depending on a cushion type among the subjects. Significant differences in COP displacement parameters were in COP trajectory length, medio-lateral COP displacement and COP velocity. The results of the study showed that foam cushion ensures better postural control.     

Analysis of underlying causes of investigated loss of containment incidents in Dutch Seveso plants using the Storybuilder method

In the Netherlands there are around 400 “Seveso” sites that fall under the Dutch Major Hazards Decree (BRZO) 1999. Between 2006 and 2010 the Dutch Labour Inspectorate's Directorate for Major Hazard Control completed investigations of 118 loss of containment incidents involving hazardous substances from this group. On the basis of investigation reports the incidents were entered in a tailor-made tool called Storybuilder developed for the Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment for identifying the dominant patterns of technical safety barrier failures, barrier task failures and underlying management causes associated with the resulting loss of control events. The model is a bow-tie structure with six lines of defence, three on either side of the central loss of containment event. In the first line of defence, failures in the safety barriers leading to loss of control events were primarily equipment condition failures, pre start-up and safeguarding failures and process deviations such as pressure and flow failures. These deviations, which should have been recovered while still within the safe envelope of operation, were missed primarily because of inadequate indication signals that the deviations have occurred. Through failures of subsequent lines of defence they are developing into serious incidents. Overall, task failures are principally failures to provide adequate technical safety barriers and failures to operate provided barriers appropriately. Underlying management delivery failures were mainly found in equipment specifications and provisions, procedures and competence. The competence delivery system is especially important for identifying equipment condition, equipment isolation for maintenance, pre-start-up status and process deviations. Human errors associated with operating barriers were identified in fifty per cent of cases, were mostly mistakes and feature primarily in failure to prevent deviations and subsequently recover them. Loss of control associated with loss of containment was primarily due to the containment being bypassed (72% of incidents) and less to material strength failures (28%). Transfer pipework, connections in process plant and relief valves are the most frequent release points and the dominant release material is extremely flammable. It is concluded that the analysis of a large number of incidents in Storybuilder can support the quantification of underlying causes and provide evidence of where the weak points exist in major hazard control in the prevention of major accidents.     

Quantitative assessment in safety reports of the consequences from the detonation of solid explosives

Safety reports are mandatory documents in member states of European Union whenever any threshold limits of amounts of either stored or processed hazardous substances are exceeded. After a short introduction to EU Seveso Directives on major-accident hazards involving dangerous substances and to the transposition and implementation by member states, with a brief comment on last 2012/18/EU Directive (also known as Seveso III directive), the paper focuses on drafting of safety reports for industrial activities involving solid explosives. Specifically, the quantitative assessment of consequences from detonation is tackled respect to the side-on overpressure and the debris production. Both direct and inverse problems are illustrated to determine respectively the overpressure value at a given distance, and the explosive amount that allows respecting the regulations. Their solution is based on either analytic or numerical techniques and being based on recent scientific publications on the matter either evaluates or zeroes nonlinear algebraic equations. The availability of these equations avoids grounding the consequences assessment on diagrams and nomograms that otherwise would lead to interpretation and usage errors besides avoiding the automatic solution of the inverse problem. The paper focuses also on details such as embankment, crater, munitions, rocket propellant, building structure, and wall material that, at different levels, play a role in the assessment of detonation consequences. A discussion on debris formation, the available literature, and the evaluation of the impact probability of fragments on both fixed and moving targets closes the paper.     

扬沸火灾发生时间预测模型的建立与应用分析

原油储罐扬沸火灾由池火灾发展而成,是一种危害性极大的事故.准确预测扬沸事故发生的时间,是扬沸机理研究中的难题之一.现有扬沸时间计算的通用模型由于没有考虑油品的粘性作用,计算结果误差较大.把扬沸火灾简化为无内热源的非稳态传热问题,在此基础上进行传热分析,进而推导出扬沸事故时间计算模型.设定了6组不同尺寸和不同充装水平的原油储罐池火灾,利用推导模型计算出了相应的扬沸事故发生时间.将计算结果与通用模型计算结果以及实验结果进行对比:该模型的准确性由于通用模型,计算结果与实验值误差较小,较为合理.研究结果对于扬沸火灾事故下消防人员的灭火救援的安全保障具有重要意义.     

某铁矿职业病预评价中危害因素的识别与分析

职业病危害因素识别与分析是职业病危害预评价的基础,识别与分析的结果直接关系到职业病危害预评价结论的合理性和科学性。以某铁矿职业病危害预评价为例,重点阐述了系统工程分析法和类比调查法在预评价中职业病危害因素识别与分析的应用。通过对原辅材料、生产工艺和设备以及类比工程进行分析,识别了某铁矿可能存在的职业病危害因素,并分析了职业病危害程度,得出来了凿岩工是白指病、噪声聋、尘肺的易感人群,球磨工和破碎工罹患尘肺病和噪声聋的概率较大,凿岩工、球磨工和破碎工是本项目重点保护对象和监护人群的结论。     

海外高风险地区项目突发事件应急对策

介绍了我国企业近年来在海外地区的发展态势,简要说明了在海外高风险地区项目面临的安全威胁和挑战,分析了海外高风险地区项目可能发生突发事件的种类和危害,阐述了海外项目应对突发事件的策略,在此基础上建立了海外高风险地区项目应对突发事件的通用应急管理模式,并通过相关实例进行了说明,总结了海外高风险地区项目应对突发事件的关键环节和经验.     

宜兴煤矿安全经济护巷煤柱宽度的研究确定

为节省资源,留最窄护巷煤柱,在借用FLAC3D模拟软件掌握不同护巷煤柱宽度下巷道围岩应力应变后,结合模拟的结果和实验室试验新材料GRT-201加固后的煤岩体强度指标,最终确定煤柱留设宽度为2m,较正常煤柱宽度留设减小了20多米.现场操作后巷道的变形率控制在5％以内,大大降低留设煤柱宽度的同时保证了工作面的正常接替和安全回采.