The predictive validity of safety climate

PROBLEM: Safety professionals have increasingly turned their attention to social science for insight into the causation of industrial accidents. One social construct, safety climate, has been examined by several researchers [Cooper, M. D., & Phillips, R. A. (2004). Exploratory analysis of the safety climate and safety behavior relationship. Journal of Safety Research, 35(5), 497-512; Gillen, M., Baltz, D., Gassel, M., Kirsch, L., & Vacarro, D. (2002). Perceived safety climate, job Demands, and coworker support among union and nonunion injured construction workers. Journal of Safety Research, 33(1), 33-51; Neal, A., & Griffin, M. A. (2002). Safety climate and safety behaviour. Australian Journal of Management, 27, 66-76; Zohar, D. (2000). A group-level model of safety climate: Testing the effect of group climate on microaccidents in manufacturing jobs. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85(4), 587-596; Zohar, D., & Luria, G. (2005). A multilevel model of safety climate: Cross-level relationships between organization and group-level climates. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90(4), 616-628] who have documented its importance as a factor explaining the variation of safety-related outcomes (e.g., behavior, accidents). Researchers have developed instruments for measuring safety climate and have established some degree of psychometric reliability and validity. The problem, however, is that predictive validity has not been firmly established, which reduces the credibility of safety climate as a meaningful social construct. The research described in this article addresses this problem and provides additional support for safety climate as a viable construct and as a predictive indicator of safety-related outcomes. METHODS: This study used 292 employees at three locations of a heavy manufacturing organization to complete the 16 item Zohar Safety Climate Questionnaire (ZSCQ) [Zohar, D., & Luria, G. (2005). A multilevel model of safety climate: Cross-level relationships between organization and group-level climates. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90(4), 616-628]. In addition, safety behavior and accident experience data were collected for 5 months following the survey and were statistically analyzed (structural equation modeling, confirmatory factor analysis, exploratory factor analysis, etc.) to identify correlations, associations, internal consistency, and factorial structures. RESULTS: Results revealed that the ZSCQ: (a) was psychometrically reliable and valid, (b) served as an effective predictor of safety-related outcomes (behavior and accident experience), and (c) could be trimmed to an 11 item survey with little loss of explanatory power. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: Practitioners and researchers can use the ZSCQ with reasonable certainty of the questionnaire's reliability and validity. This provides a solid foundation for the development of meaningful organizational interventions and/or continued research into social factors affecting industrial accident experience.     

Population dynamics and regulation in the cave salamander <Emphasis Type="Italic">Speleomantes strinatii</Emphasis>

Time series analysis has been used to evaluate the mechanisms regulating population dynamics of mammals and insects, but has been rarely applied to amphibian populations. In this study, the influence of endogenous (density-dependent) and exogenous (density-independent) factors regulating population dynamics of the terrestrial plethodontid salamander Speleomantes strinatii was analysed by means of time series and multiple regression analyses. During the period 1993–2005, S. strinatii population abundance, estimated by a standardised temporary removal method, displayed relatively low fluctuations, and the autocorrelation function (ACF) analysis showed that the time series had a noncyclic structure. The partial rate correlation function (PRCF) indicated that a strong first-order negative feedback dominated the endogenous dynamics. Stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that the only climatic factor influencing population growth rate was the minimum winter temperature. Thus, at least during the study period, endogenous, density-dependent negative feedback was the main factor affecting the growth rate of the salamander population, whereas stochastic environmental variables, such as temperature and rainfall, seemed to play a minor role in regulation. These results stress the importance of considering both exogenous and endogenous factors when analysing amphibian long-term population dynamics.     

基于组织因素的航空安全评价与分析

基于组织因素,从事故类型出发寻找影响航空安全的因素,并采用层次分析法进行评价,得出各个指标因素的权重,确定机组、天气、公司管理是事故链中居于前3位的因素.对机组提出采用"PACE进谏法"和建立人为失误数据库进行训练等建议;针对天气提出改进气象装备,尽早预测并采取措施等建议;对公司管理提出借鉴瑞典航空公司的事前评估、自愿报告免责制度以及安全旁听制度等建议.     

鼓风机叶轮快速断裂的检测及失效分析

针对焦化厂鼓风机叶轮运行近15 d后产生穿透性裂纹、并延伸至叶轮半径2/3处的严重断裂事故,采用具有早期缺陷诊断功能的金属磁记忆新技术及其他多种手段,从宏观力学及微观机理角度对其进行综合性能评定及失效分析.研究结果表明,叶轮材料强度、韧性均过低,且韧性指标分散性大、同类型试样的韧性指标最大值与最小值之间相差3倍多;金相组织晶粒粗大,断口表现为脆性开裂.沿叶轮的断裂与非断裂面分别进行磁记忆扫描,磁场强度分析表明,断裂面内存在两处具有明显应力集中的危险源.分析表明,锻造及锻后热处理不良造成了快速疲劳断裂.最后,结合5年中3次叶轮断裂事故,对失效原因进行了相关性分析.     

福建省近10年生态足迹与生态承载力研究

利用生态足迹分析法分析了福建省1995年、2000年和2004年的生态足迹及生态承载力.将福建省资源利用的动态特征纳入生态足迹模型中,在此基础上进行横向和纵向比较.结果显示,福建省人均生态赤字从1995年的0.340 3 hm2、2000年的0.443 6 hm2上升到2004年的0.720 2 hm2.这说明福建省在近10年的发展中,生产、生活强度大幅度增加,超过了自然生态系统的承载力,维持现状将难以保证可持续发展.因此,应提高科技与农林业结合水平,大力提倡节约型生活及消费方式,减少生态赤字,遏制生态环境的恶化.     

从一起爆炸事故谈作业安全票证(单)的管理

从一起爆炸事故的原因--没有办理设备检修许可证,分析了使用作业安全票证(单)存在的问题,提出了加强作业安全票证(单)管理措施.     

发现和消除未遂事件保障装置安全生产——洛阳分公司2006年未遂事件、事故隐患统计分析

统计了洛阳分公司2006年度事故隐患情况,从未遂事件、事故隐患的时间段、后果、性质、直接原因等方面进行了深入细致的分析,找出影响洛阳分公司安全生产的主要隐患,提出了相应对策措施和建议.     

张弦网壳结构索张拉模拟计算及试验研究

施工张拉控制是张弦网壳结构的关键技术之一,提出采用控制索原长的反分析方法追踪结构施工整个过程。首先,通过控制索在预应力状态下的张拉力求出零状态和索原长,并同时获得预应力态下所有单元的内力。在此基础上,通过控制每一级张拉索的原长,进行非线性有限元迭代计算,可求出索在分级分批施工时的控制力,并用VC＋＋6.0编制相应的计算程序。这一方法有效地避免了通用有限元需要反复试算,计算繁琐的缺点。最后,以张弦网壳结构模型为试验对象,按分级分批张拉的方式模拟结构的现场施工,并跟踪施工过程中杆件单元的应力状态。结果表明,数值模拟计算与试验值吻合较好,计算结果可靠,该方法能精确模拟结构的施工成形过程,且在整个过程中,每根索只需张拉一次,简化了施工工艺。     

潮汐流人工湿地低温下 NH4+ -N去除模型的比较和优化

针对目前人工湿地在低温条件下脱氮效能降低的问题,本研究对每天3个运行周期的潮汐流人工湿地在低温条件下对NH4+ -N的处理效能进行研究,同时利用表观动力学模型、多元参数回归模型及Monod机制模型对NH4+-N的去除过程进行拟合.结果显示,在平均水温为9～13℃条件下,每天3个运行周期的潮汐流人工湿地对NH4+-N有良...     

企业风险管理与经营效率：来自中国保险业的经验证据

本文从风险管理的视角对企业效率评估的数据包络分析技术进行了改进,探讨了风险管理与经营效率的内在关联,并以中国保险业为例,对1999年以来企业真实的经营效率水平进行了评估。结果表明：企业内部的风险管理能力对其经营效率水平的提升具有明显的影响,而且这种影响力正在逐渐加强。不考虑企业内部的风险管理水平将直接导致其经营效率的测算结果出现低估,2002年以后这种低估的程度越发明显,这可归因于同期保险企业开始逐渐重视提高自身的风险管理能力。以上结论也为企业如何在管控风险的同时提升经营效率水平提供了有价值的指导。