Change in frontline supervisors’ safety leadership practices after participating in a leadership training program: Does company size matter?

Introduction: The majority of construction companies are small businesses and small business often lack the resources needed to ensure that their supervisors have the safety leadership skills to build and maintain a strong jobsite safety climate. The Foundations for Safety Leadership (FSL) training program was designed to provide frontline leaders in all sized companies with safety leadership skills. This paper examines the impact of the FSL training by size of business. Methods: Leaders, defined as foremen or other frontline supervisors, from small, medium, and large construction companies were recruited to participate in a study to evaluate the degree to which the FSL changed their understanding and use of the leadership skills, safety practices and crew reporting of safety-related conditions. We used linear mixed modeling methods to analyze pre-post training survey data. Results: Prior to the training, leaders from small and medium sized companies reported using safety leadership skills less frequently than those from large ones. After the training, regardless of business size, we observed that the FSL training improved leaders understanding of safety leadership skills from immediately before to immediately after the training. Additionally, leaders reported greater use of safety leadership skills, safety practices, and crew reporting of safety-related conditions from before to two-weeks after the training. However, those from small and medium sized companies reported the greatest improvement in their use of safety leadership skills. Conclusions: The FSL training improves safety leadership outcomes regardless of the size company for which the leader worked. However, the FSL may be even more effective at improving the safety leadership skills of leaders working for smaller sized construction companies or those with lower baseline levels of safety leadership skills. Practical applications: The majority of construction companies employ a small number of employees and therefore may not have the resources to provide their frontline leaders with the leadership training they need to be effective leaders who can create a strong jobsite safety climate. The Foundations for Safety Leadership (FSL) training can help fill this gap.     

某地戈壁与普通环境辐射剂量率对比及差异分析研究

利用NaI(Tl)便携式x-γ剂量率仪对西北某地戈壁砾石地带及普通环境地表的辐射剂量率进行对比测量,对可能的影响因素进行分析,并使用统计检验的方法分析测量结果,发现戈壁砾石地带结果高于普通环境,均值高约14.5%.基于实验室HPGeγ谱测量土壤样品及理论分析,得到导致此结果的原因主要是土壤中天然放射性核素含量及地表氡析出率的差异.结论提示需重视人员稀少地带的辐射环境水平,为中国在某些戈壁地区从事核技术利用开发项目的环境影响评价提供经验.     

世界职业灾害概述

本文讨论了我国和工业发达国家及世界范围的职业灾害问题，涉及事故伤亡数、重大恶性事故、职业危害、经济损失等四个方面．     

铁路轨道施工工艺及职业病危害因素分析

调查铁路轨道施工工艺及施工过程中职业病危害因素,对铁路轨道施工现场进行职业卫生学调查及工作场所职业病危害因素检测。结果表明,铁路轨道施工现场部分岗位接触的矽尘/其他粉尘、水泥粉尘、电焊烟尘、锰及其化合物、手传振动和噪声是职业病主要危害因素,建议加强铁路轨道施工作业个体防护。     

Cd对我国不同类型土壤硝化活性影响的主控因子研究

硝化作用是土壤中存在的一个重要生物学过程,其对环境条件的变化表现出极高的敏感性,其中包括重金属污染.本文选取我国10种不同类型土壤,采用室内模拟方法,研究硝化活性对不同Cd污染程度的响应特征以及影响Cd毒性的主要控制因素.结果表明:除红壤和黑土外,土壤硝化活性随外源Cd的增加而降低,采用Logistic模型和完全抑制模型可很好的表征两者之间的关系;通过Logistic模型获得的不同土壤ED25和ED50值分别为2.44~363.03 mg·kg~(-1)、10.99~553.64 mg·kg~(-1),由完全抑制模型拟合结果表明Cd对硝化活性的作用机理为完全抑制作用;基于土壤性质和ED50值建立的多元回归预测模型表明,pH和阳离子交换量(CEC)共同解释了回归模型变异的95.6%.综上表明在一定范围内土壤硝化活性可表征土壤Cd污染程度,土壤CEC和p H是影响Cd毒性的主控因素,可较好地预测土壤中外源Cd对硝化活性的毒性阈值.     

Modeling of variations in nitrogen trichloride concentration over time in swimming pool water

In water, chlorine reacts with nitrogen-containing compounds to produce disinfection by-products such as nitrogen trichloride which induces ocular and respiratory irritations in swimming pool workers. This study proposes a model to predict variations in NCl₃ concentration over time in a traditional indoor swimming pool as a function of its operating parameters and attendance. The model was developed taking into consideration the reaction mechanisms, thermodynamic equilibria, physico-chemical properties, and transfer mechanisms occurring at the pool's surface. This model was validated through a robust series of experiments over two days and two nights in a real swimming pool. The model was found to satisfactorily predict variations over time in the concentrations of the chemical species investigated, including nitrogen trichloride. The work presented constitutes a first step to extend the model at different swimming pools. This approach may also be used to study the influence of the main operating parameters and to evaluate the impact of setting up water treatment systems on nitrogen trichloride concentration.     

炼油污水三泥脱水装置调试运行

炼油污水处理装置的三泥脱水实验表明,剩余污泥的脱水性能最好。根据实验结果,将浮渣与剩余污泥按比例混合进行脱水,连续少量掺入油泥,调整转速与混凝剂用量后取得较好的脱水效果。在离心机处理量13～15m3/h,离转速3000r/min,差转速5～7r/min,混凝剂量5kg/h的工况下,离心机所产泥饼含水率<85%、滤液ρ(COD)<800mg/L。脱水处理直接成本19.6元/m3。     

Comparative study of natural radioactivity levels in soil samples from the Upper Siwaliks and Punjab,India using gamma-ray spectrometry

Natural radioactive materials under certain conditions can reach hazardous radiological levels. So, it becomes necessary to study the natural radioactivity levels in soil to assess the dose for the population in order to know the health risks and to have a baseline for future changes in the environmental radioactivity due to human activities. The natural radionuclide (²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, and ⁴⁰K) contents in soil were determined for 26 locations around the Upper Siwaliks of Kala Amb, Nahan and Morni Hills, Northern India, using high-resolution gamma-ray spectrometric analysis. It was observed that the concentration of natural radionuclides viz., ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K, in the soil varies from 28.3 ± 0.5 to 81.0 ± 1.7 Bq kg⁻¹, 61.2 ± 1.3 to 140.3 ± 2.6 Bq kg⁻¹ and 363.4 ± 4.9 to 1002.2 ± 11.2 Bq kg⁻¹ respectively. The total absorbed dose rate calculated from activity concentration of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K ranged from 71.1 to 162.0 nGy h⁻¹. The radium equivalent (R_eq) and the external hazard index (H_ex), which resulted from the natural radionuclides in soil, were also calculated and found to vary from 149.4 to 351.8 Bq kg⁻¹and from 0.40 to 0.95 respectively. These values in Upper Siwaliks area were compared with that from the adjoining areas of Punjab. The radium equivalent activities in all the soil samples were lower than the limit (370 Bq kg⁻¹) set in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report and the dose equivalent was within the safe limit of 1 mSv y⁻¹.     

210Po in the marine environment with emphasis on its behaviour within the biosphere

The distribution and behaviour of the natural-series alpha-emitter polonium-210 in the marine environment has been under study for many years primarily due to its enhanced bioaccumulation, its strong affinity for binding with certain internal tissues, and its importance as a contributor to the natural radiation dose received by marine biota as well as humans consuming seafoods. Results from studies spanning nearly 5 decades show that ²¹⁰Po concentrations in organisms vary widely among the different phylogenic groups as well as between the different tissues of a given species. Such variation results in ²¹⁰Po concentration factors ranging from approximately 10³ to over 10⁶ depending upon the organism or tissue considered. ²¹⁰Po/²¹⁰Pb ratios in marine species are generally greater than unity and tend to increase up the food chain indicating that ²¹⁰Po is preferentially taken up by organisms compared to its progenitor ²¹⁰Pb. The effective transfer of ²¹⁰Po up the food chain is primarily due to the high degree of assimilation of the radionuclide from ingested food and its subsequent strong retention in the organisms. In some cases this mechanism may lead to an apparent biomagnification of ²¹⁰Po at the higher trophic level. Various pelagic species release ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb packaged in organic biodetrital particles that sink and remove these radionuclides from the upper water column, a biogeochemical process which, coupled with scavenging rates of this radionuclide pair, is being examined as a possible proxy for estimating downward organic carbon fluxes in the sea. Data related to preferential bioaccumulation in various organisms, their tissues, resultant radiation doses to these species, and the processes by which ²¹⁰Po is transferred and recycled through the food web are discussed. In addition, the main gaps in our present knowledge and proposed areas for future studies on the biogeochemical behaviour of ²¹⁰Po and its use as a tracer of oceanographic processes are highlighted in this review.     

Relationship between occupational social class and exposure to organochlorine pesticides during pregnancy

Background

Little evidence is available on the influence of socioeconomic factors on exposure to persistent organic pollutants, especially during vulnerable periods such as pregnancy and early life.

Objective

To investigate the relationship of maternal social class with placental concentrations of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and their combined estrogenic activity measured with a biomarker of exposure.

Methods

Exposure to 16 OCPs (DDTs, endosulfans, and seven other compounds) and the total effective xenoestrogenic burden (TEXB) were analyzed in placentas from a mother-child cohort. OCP concentrations were quantified by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, and TEXB was assessed with the E-Screen bioassay. Social class was classified according to maternal occupation. Multivariate regression analysis was conducted to examine variations in pesticide exposure and TEXB as a function of maternal social class in 257 subjects.

Results

Placental p,p′-DDT concentrations were higher in social classes III and IV than in classes I-II (the most affluent); concentrations of the sum of DDTs were higher in class IV; and exposure to the sum of endosulfans was greater in class III. HCB concentrations were higher among women in class IV than in classes I-II and among manual (classes III-V) than non-manual workers. However, the trend across social classes was only statistically significant for HCB. Social class significantly explained 10% of the variability in concentrations of the sum of endosulfans.

Conclusion

There is a need to explore whether more disadvantaged populations suffer higher levels of exposure to pesticides or other environmental chemicals and how different social processes contribute to this exposure.