Analysis of occupational accidents: prevention through the use of additional technical safety measures for machinery

This article presents an analysis of results of 1035 serious and 341 minor accidents recorded by Poland's National Labour Inspectorate (PIP) in 2005–2011, in view of their prevention by means of additional safety measures applied by machinery users. Since the analysis aimed at formulating principles for the application of technical safety measures, the analysed accidents should bear additional attributes: the type of machine operation, technical safety measures and the type of events causing injuries. The analysis proved that the executed tasks and injury-causing events were closely connected and there was a relation between casualty events and technical safety measures. In the case of tasks consisting of manual feeding and collecting materials, the injuries usually occur because of the rotating motion of tools or crushing due to a closing motion. Numerous accidents also happened in the course of supporting actions, like removing pollutants, correcting material position, cleaning, etc.     

Postural assessment in pen-and-paper-based observational methods and their associated health effects: a review

Introduction. This review describes standardized ergonomics assessment based on pen-and-paper observational methods for assessing ergonomics risk factors. Objective. The three main objectives are to analyze published pen-and-paper observational methods, to extract and understand the risk levels of each method and to identify their associated health effects. Methodology. The authors searched scientific databases and the Internet for materials from 1970 to 2013 using the following keywords: ergo, posture, method, observational, postural angle, health effects, pain and diseases. Postural assessments of upper arms, lower arms, wrists, neck, back and legs in six pen-and-paper-based observational methods are highlighted, extracted in groups and linked with associated adverse health effects. Results. The literature reviewed showed strengths and limitations of published pen-and-paper-based observational methods in determining the work activities, risk levels and related postural angles to adverse health effects. This provided a better understanding of unsafe work postures and how to improve these postures. Conclusion. Many pen-and-paper-based observational methods have been developed. However, there are still many limitations of these methods. There is, therefore, a need to develop a new pen-and-paper-based observational method for assessing postural problems.     

Analysis of car-to-bicycle approach patterns for developing active safety devices

Objective: To reduce the severity of injuries and the number of cyclist deaths in traffic accidents, active safety devices providing cyclist detection are considered to be effective countermeasures. The features of car-to-bicycle collisions need to be known in detail to develop such safety devices.

Methods: The study investigated near-miss situations captured by drive recorders installed in passenger cars. Because similarities in the approach patterns between near-miss incidents and real-world fatal cyclist accidents in Japan were confirmed, we analyzed the 229 near-miss incident data via video capturing bicycles crossing the road in front of forward-moving cars. Using a video frame captured by a drive recorder, the time to collision (TTC) was calculated from the car's velocity and the distance between the car and bicycle at the moment when the bicycle initially appeared.

Results: The average TTC in the cases where bicycles emerged from behind obstructions was shorter than that in the cases where drivers had unobstructed views of the bicycles. In comparing the TTC of car-to-bicycle near-miss incidents to the previously obtained results of car-to-pedestrian near-miss incidents, it was determined that the average TTC in car-to-bicycle near-miss incidents was significantly longer than that in car-to-pedestrian near-miss incidents.

Conclusions: When considering the TTC in the test protocol of evaluation for safety performance of active safety devices, we propose individual TTCs for evaluation of cyclist and pedestrian detections, respectively. In the test protocols, the following 2 scenarios should be employed: bicycle emerging from behind an unobstructed view and bicycle emerging from behind obstructions.     

Dangerous student car drop-off behaviors and child pedestrian–motor vehicle collisions: An observational study

Objectives: The objective of this study was to examine the association between dangerous student car drop-off behaviors and historical child pedestrian–motor vehicle collisions (PMVCs) near elementary schools in Toronto, Canada.

Methods: Police-reported child PMVCs during school travel times from 2000 to 2011 were mapped within 200 m of 118 elementary schools. Observers measured dangerous student morning car drop-off behaviors and number of children walking to school during one day in 2011. A composite score of school social disadvantage was obtained from the Toronto District School Board. Built environment and traffic features were mapped and included as covariates. A multivariate Poisson regression was used to model the rates of PMVC/number of children walking and dangerous student car drop-off behaviors, adjusting for the built environment and social disadvantage.

Results: There were 45 child PMVCs, with 29 (64%) sustaining minor injuries resulting in emergency department visits. The mean collision rate was 2.9/10,000 children walking/year (SD = 6.7). Dangerous drop-off behaviors were observed in 104 schools (88%). In the multivariate analysis, each additional dangerous drop-off behavior was associated with a 45% increase in collision rates (incident rate ratio [IRR] = 1.45, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02, 2.07). Higher speed roads (IRR = 1.27, 95% CI, 1.13, 1.44) and social disadvantage (IRR = 2.99, 95% CI, 1.03, 8.68) were associated with higher collision rates.

Conclusions: Dangerous student car drop-off behaviors were associated with historical nonfatal child PMVC rates during school travel times near schools. Some caution must be taken in interpreting these results due small number of events and limitations in the data collection, because collision data were collected historically over a 12-year period, whereas driving behavior was only observed on a single day in 2011. Targeted multifaceted intervention approaches related to the built environment, enforcement, and education could address dangerous drop-off behaviors near schools to reduce child PMVCs and promote safe walking to school.     

Development of collision risk indicators for autonomous subsea inspection maintenance and repair

The objective of this article is to present a method for developing collision risk indicators applicable for autonomous remotely operated vehicles (AROVs), which are essential for promoting situation awareness in decisions support systems. Three suitable risk based collision indicators are suggested for AROVs namely, time to collision, mean time to collision and mean impact energy. The proposed indicators are classified into different thresholds; low, intermediate and high. An AROV flight path is simulated to gather input data to calculate the proposed indicators and three collision targets are established, i.e., subsea structure, seabed and a cooperating AROV. The proposed indicator development method together with the case study show a proof-of-concept that the combination of mean time to collision and mean impact energy indicators can identify risk prone waypoints in the AROV path. The method results in an overall risk picture for a given AROV path. The results may provide useful input in replanning of mission paths and for implementation of risk reducing measures. Even though the method focuses on collision risk, it can be used for other accident scenarios for AROVs.     

巢湖流域和太湖流域沉积物中苄氯菊酯和高效氰戊菊酯的生态风险评价

分析了巢湖流域和太湖流域表层沉积物中苄氯菊酯和高效氰戊菊酯,并结合毒性单元法(Toxic Unit,TU)和物种敏感性分布法(Species Sensitivity Distributions,SSD)评价了两种拟除虫菊酯的生态风险.结果显示,两大流域沉积物中均广泛检测出两类污染物.总体而言,巢湖流域苄氯菊酯含量较高,而太湖流域高效氰戊菊酯含量较高.同时,两种污染物在巢湖流域呈现显著的正相关,但太湖流域二者之间没有相关关系.3种风险评价方法(TU法、沉积物SSD法、水体SSD法)均揭示苄氯菊酯对巢湖流域水生环境影响较大,而高效氰戊菊酯对两个流域影响均较大.因此,需要加强对流域高效氰戊菊酯污染的关注.其中,TU法预测的风险最小,沉积物SSD法预测的风险最大,主要原因在于TU法采用的毒性数据为LC50,而SSD法则选用了NOEC/LOEC,同时沉积物SSD法是出于保护大部分底栖生物为目的的方法.各种方法对于评价沉积物毒害污染物的生态风险均存在不足,尽管沉积物SSD法最为合理,但由于其毒性数据较少,最终预测结果存在一定的不确定性.因此,需要进一步加强对底栖生物毒性的研究和数据积累.     

飘尘的性质、危害和防治对策研究

飘尘污染是大气污染重要的方面,飘尘污染控制问题逐渐引起人们的重视.本文论述了大气漂尘的性质、危害和污染防治对策问题.从人们重视程度,飘尘脱除的技术难度及粉尘的爆炸对飘尘量增加影响等3个方面分析了飘尘污染日益严重的原因;分析了飘尘的性质与环境影响的关系,从重金属成份浓缩性,表面积增大和多孔性,吸附性,润湿性和爆炸性等方面分析了飘尘的环境影响,并在分析飘尘危害的基础上,提出飘尘污染防治措施.提高人们对飘尘污染认识,控制飘尘污染具有重要指导意义.     

安溪铁观音茶园土壤重金属赋存形态及生态风险评价

用改进的BCR连续提取法提取安溪铁观音茶园土壤中重金属元素(Li、Fe、Zn、Ba、Sr、Ti、Co、Cr、Cd、Mn、Ni、Pb、V、Mg、Cu)的赋存形态,分析其生物有效性并作出生态风险评价。重金属赋存形态研究结果表明,Cd的形态总体分布为弱酸溶态残渣态可还原态可氧化态,Pb的形态总体分布为可还原态可氧化态弱酸溶态残渣态,Cu的形态总体分布为可还原态可氧化态残渣态弱酸溶态,其余重金属皆以残渣态为主。生物有效性分析结果表明,Pb、Cd、Cu、Mn、Ni、Sr等重金属的潜在生物可利用性较高,其所占百分比分别为90.4%、73.0%、36.6%、32.8%、23.8%、22.9%。对茶园土壤中的重金属作生态风险评价,地累积指数法和潜在生态危害指数法结果均表明,大部分土壤样品是清洁安全的,部分土壤受到Cd元素污染,污染程度达到中度污染级别。     

滨海石化项目环境综合风险评估方法研究

研究针对国内目前的研究现状,运用环境风险评价指数法建立滨海石化项目环境风险评估体系,采用层次分析法和熵权法结合的组合赋权法,结合专家咨询法进行指标的修改与完善,运用线性加权组合法对评估体系中指标权重的赋值,并计算滨海石化项目的环境风险等级,确定项目的风险强弱.实例分析表明环境风险管理在环境风险的产生和预防占有十分重要的地位,通过加强和完善环境风险的管理体系,结合环境因素的敏感程度及风险源的产生和影响,能降低环境风险及事故的影响程度.     

基于MCDA模型的危险废物填埋场地下水污染风险分级

基于对风险全过程控制的思想,利用层次分析法,构建了综合考虑危险废物填埋场自身属性、污染场地水文地质条件以及污染受体等因素的危险废物填埋场地下水污染风险分级指标体系,该体系共包括14项指标;并采用MCDA(multi-criteria decision analysis,多准则决策分析)模型,对我国37个危险废物填埋场(不包括港澳台数据,下同)地下水污染风险进行了分级研究. 结果表明:14项风险分级指标之间具有很好的独立性,指标体系能够较为完整、准确地反映危险废物填埋场对地下水的污染风险程度;37个危险废物填埋场地下水污染风险可分为高、中、低3个级别,其中81%处于中、低级风险级别;地下水中特征污染物ρ(Cr)监测值与风险分级分值的距平指数为0.802 9,验证了风险分级结果的可靠性;同时采用MDCA模型对风险分级指标权重的敏感性进行分析,验证了风险分级过程中指标权重赋值的准确性,并降低了指标权重赋值过程中的不确定性,进一步提高了分级结果的可靠性.风险分级结果在一定程度上可为危险废物填埋场地下水污染风险管理提供依据.