Occupational Cognitive Failures and Safety Performance in the Workplace

Introduction. The majority of industrial accidents occur because of human errors. Human error has different causes, however, in all cases cognitive abilities and limitations of human play an important role. Occupational cognitive failures are cognitively-based human errors that occur at work. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between occupational cognitive failures and safety consequences. Method. Personnel of a large industrial company in Iran filled out an occupational cognitive failure questionnaire (OCFQ) and answered questions on accidents. Univariate and multiple logistic regression analysis were used to determine the relationship between cognitive failures and safety consequences. Results. According to developed regression models, personnel with a high rate of cognitive failure, in comparison to low rate, have a high risk of minor injury involvement (OR 5.1, 95% CI [2.62, 10.3]); similar results were for major injury and near miss. Discussion. The results of this study revealed usefulness of the OCFQ as a tool of predicting safety-related consequences and planning preventive actions.     

Experimental analysis of radiographer exposure to the static field from a 1.5-T magnetic resonance imaging machine

Introduction. This study measures the exposure of occupational therapists from a 1.5-T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine. Method. A total of 14 time-series on each of the chest, head and hand were taken before and after different MRI procedures. The peak values were noted in each case together with an average of all data recorded in the time-series. Results. The highest exposure recorded was observed on the hand, followed by the head and the chest. The overall maximum exposure (1479.40?mT) recorded was observed on the hand during a change of coil. It was also observed that the recorded exposure of experienced radiographers working in the MRI environment was less than that of junior staff due to different practices. Conclusion. This study is of significant importance in Malta since it is the first conducted in a MRI environment, especially because the results were compared with limits imposed by EU Directive 2013/35/EU which has to be implemented by July 2016.     

Multiple dimensions of work-related risk factors and their relationship to work ability among industrial workers in Iran

Objectives. The present study was designed to investigate the simultaneous effects of physical, psychosocial and other work-related risk factors on the work ability index (WAI) score among industrial workers. Methods. This study used a cross-sectional design with a questionnaire survey. A total of 280 workers were included in the study. Data were collected using three questionnaires including the Persian version of the WAI, the Persian version of the job content questionnaire and an author-developed measure (to assess work-related factors, health-related factors and socio-demographic characteristics). Results. The majority of the participants were young, but they had poor WAI scores (mean 37.3?±?6.4) and 44.3% of them had poor or moderate work ability. Occupational accidents and injuries were found to be the strongest predictors of WAI scores. Additionally, there was a strong association between WAI scores and supervisor support, skill discretion, occupational training, sleep quality, work nature and educational level. Conclusions. Intervention programs should focus on improving supervisor support, sleep quality, job skills and knowledge and on decreasing physical and mental work demands. Additionally, implementing a comprehensive occupational health and ergonomics program for controlling and reducing hazardous working environments and occupational injury rates should be considered.     

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.     

基于完全因素分解法的能源效率影响因素研究

“十二五”是我国全面建成小康社会的关键阶段,又由于环境和资源禀赋方面的制约,提高能源效率成为我国经济和社会发展的内在需求.从能源强度的角度出发,分析了我国产业结构和能源效率现状,采用完全因素分解法,从产业结构的角度人手对全国能源效率的影响因素进行了研究.结果表明,技术因素是我国能源效率提高的主要推动力,第二产业对能源效率的影响远远大于第一和第三产业.     

提高天津市安全生产水平对策研究

根据对天津市2000—2004年工伤事故分析和研究,总结出的天津市工伤事故的规律和特点,以及事故致因的有关理论,提出对策研究的总体思路,并对照天津市及其重点行业的经济发展状况及安全监管的现状,提出了从总体上控制天津市工伤事故、不断提高安全生产水平的对策,即加强安全生产监管体系的建设、建立自律与激励机制、从制度上解决企业安全费用投入不足的问题、加大对重大危险源的监控以期杜绝特大事故的发生、尽快建立安全应急救援体系、加强事故管理、完善地方安全法规的建设使监管做到有法可依、强化安全检查等8项措施。     

基于神经网络和遗传算法的城市火灾风险评价模型

以消防安全工程学与系统安全工程理论为基础,结合我国城市发展特征及消防安全管理状况,建立了城市区域火灾风险评价指标体系;针对神经网络易陷入局部极小而引起评价指标权值分布不合理的缺陷,提出了基于神经网络和遗传算法的城市火灾风险评价模型,该模型以火灾发生的可能性以及灾后的严重程度为输入单元,火灾风险等级为输出单元,采用误差反算法训练BP网络,最终得出火灾风险等级范围,有效地解决了城市火灾的动态性和非线性特征;研究实例证明了该模型的有效性,可为城市的消防安全管理提供确实可行的参考依据。     

徐州市职业安全卫生工作探讨

本文概略描述了徐州市职业安全卫生各组成部门的工作情况。指出职业病危害存在患者待遇不落实、职业危害项目转移、职业健康检查滞后、工作场所职业危害因素检测、评价制度不健全的状况。调查发现，职业卫生工作存在5个方面的问题：现有职业卫生法律法规不够完善；对职业危害防治工作的支持力度不够；部门之间的协作机制有待加强；执法监督力量不足；企业法制意识淡漠。最后，提出解决问题的应对办法。     

动态规划法在污水处理厂优化设计中的应用

对具有代表性的系统优化模型进行分析比较,选用动态规划法对城市污水处理厂进行优化设计,得到了城市污水处理厂投资和运行的最优决策,为城市污水处理厂运行和设计提供了依据.     

江苏省及南京市工业危险废物现状研究与分析

通过对全国、江苏省以及南京市工业危险废物的产生量和排放量进行调查、总结和对比分析,指出江苏省作为一个工业大省、强省,每年工业危险废物的产生量接近全国的10%,且呈逐年下降趋势.而排放量所占比例大于10%,且出现了先降低、再增加、又降低到零的现象,最高时达到16.67%.造成这一现象的原因可能跟工业危险废物的管理有关.同时指出了目前江苏省乃至南京市目前存在的问题以及相应的对策措施.