THE VULNERABILITY OF WETLANDS TO CLIMATE CHANGE: A HYDROLOGIC LANDSCAPE PERSPECTIVE1

ABSTRACT: The vulnerability of wetlands to changes in climate depends on their position within hydrologic landscapes. Hydrologic landscapes are defined by the flow characteristics of ground water and surface water and by the interaction of atmospheric water, surface water, and ground water for any given locality or region. Six general hydrologic landscapes are defined; mountainous, plateau and high plain, broad basins of interior drainage, riverine, flat coastal, and hummocky glacial and dune. Assessment of these landscapes indicate that the vulnerability of all wetlands to climate change fall between two extremes: those dependent primarily on precipitation for their water supply are highly vulnerable, and those dependent primarily on discharge from regional ground water flow systems are the least vulnerable, because of the great buffering capacity of large ground water flow systems to climate change.     

新时期医疗废物处置技术体系的变革及发展

近20年来,我国在推进医疗废物无害化管理和处理处置方面开展了大量的工作,成绩举世瞩目。但处于新的历史时期,如何更好地基于可行技术,探索与其相匹配的管理模式,解决医疗废物处理处置短板已成为迫在眉睫的工作。我国目前存在针对医疗废物处理处置技术适用性考虑不足、农村及偏远地区医疗废物处置能力缺乏、医疗废物应急处置能力存在短板以及医疗废物领域科技创新能力有待提升等问题。因此,结合各种医疗处置技术特点及适用性,提出基于技术的适用性推进医疗废物处理处置技术布局优化、通过管理和技术进步解决农村和边远地区医疗废物处置难题、合理配置疫情期间应急处置能力以及推进科技创新等建议,为打造新时期医疗废物处理处置技术体系提供参考。     

The determinants of employee participation in occupational health and safety management

This article focuses on employee direct participation in occupational health and safety (OHS) management. The article explains what determines employee opportunities to participate in OHS management. The explanatory framework focuses on safety culture and safety management at workplaces. The framework is empirically tested using Estonian cross-sectional, multilevel data of organizations and their employees. The analysis indicates that differences in employee participation in OHS management in the Estonian case could be explained by differences in OHS management practices rather than differences in safety culture. This indicates that throughout the institutional change and shift to the European model of employment relations system, change in management practices has preceded changes in safety culture which according to theoretical argument is supposed to follow culture change.     

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.     

An optimal level of dust explosion risk management: Framework and application

The current research provides guidance on the prevention and mitigation of dust explosion using a Quantitative Risk Management Framework (QRMF). Using concepts drawn from previous studies, the framework consists of three main steps: (i) a new combined safety management protocol, (ii) the use of DESC (Dust Explosion Simulation Code) and FTA (Fault Tree Analysis) to assess explosion consequences and likelihood, respectively, and (iii) application of the hierarchy of controls (inherent, engineered and procedural safety). QRMF assessment of an industrial case study showed that the original process was at high risk. DESC simulations and Probit equations determined the destructive percentages. FTAs revealed high probabilities of explosion occurrence; in addition, detailed individual and societal risks calculations were made, before and after the framework was applied. Based on the hierarchy of controls technique, the framework showed significant risk reduction to the point where the residual risk was acceptable for the process.     

我国煤矿安全生产事故的致灾因素分析

煤矿安全不仅关系到广大煤矿工人的生命财产安全、煤炭的安全开采,还关系到煤炭企业的和谐稳定.煤矿安全工作是党和政府管理社会、为人民服务的基本任务,是全面落实科学发展观、建设和谐社会的重要组成部分.首先对我国煤矿安全形势进行了分析,随后介绍了事故致因理论的发展,结合我国煤矿事故的特点运用现代事故致因理论对一起煤矿事故进行了分析,最后得出提高煤矿安全监管的措施.     

信息化在海外油气项目HSE管理中的应用

伴随着中国石油企业走出去的步伐不断加快,海外油气项目的规模迅速扩大,相较于国内而言,海外油气项目面临的环境更加复杂,HSE管理难度更大。探索一种科学、高效并且符合现代化管理要求的先进管理手段,与企业的HSE管理有机融合,从而确保企业HSE管理体系良好运行,对于企业具有重要意义。中国某石油企业海外项目（A公司）在此方面进行了大量、有益的实践,其将自身的信息管理系统与HSE体系有机融合,从而实现了HSE管理的信息化。选取A公司的事故预防应急系统作重点介绍,将A公司的事故预防管理与传统事故预防管理进行对比,同时将A公司的应急管理与传统应急管理进行对比,最后提出了针对HSE管理信息化的思考,以期对石油企业海外项目的HSE管理提供帮助。     

在煤矿构建人因安全测评室的探索

人因安全管理是煤矿安全管理中的重要内容,而其中的一项重要内容则是人员测评.参考已有研究经验,并结合煤矿生产的特点,基于测评方法和侧重点的异同、企业实施检测的条件与环境等因素,对煤矿安全人因测评指标进行重新归纳,提出了一套系统性好、针对性强、且具有较高可操作性的煤矿人因安全测评室的构建方案.总结出三类与煤矿安全生产紧密相关的人因指标模块:心理素质、生理机能和认知能力,并给出了每个模块的具体测评指标及检测方法.最后还给出了测评室建设实施及完善推广的相关建议.     

提高基层班组JSA质量的管理实践

工作安全分析(简称JSA)作为有效的危害识别和风险控制工具被广泛使用,但基层班组员工所做JSA的质量一直不高,具体表现为员工虽然清楚JSA的各个环节,却不能高质量的完成.尽管这在一定程度上与基层员工文化素质低,文字表达能力差有关,但也是管理者缺乏具体和优秀的指导所致.针对实施JSA的各个环节,分析制约质量提升的具体原因,以标准规范为基础提出具体可行的改进措施,实施效果良好.     

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.