Safety in shipping: the human element

INTRODUCTION: There are numerous diverse papers that have addressed issues within maritime safety; to date there has been no comprehensive review of this literature to aggregate the causal factors within accidents in shipping and surmise current knowledge. METHODS: This paper reviewed the literature on safety in three key areas: common themes of accidents, the influence of human error, and interventions to make shipping safer. The review included 20 studies of seafaring across the following areas: fatigue, stress, health, situation awareness, teamwork, decision-making, communication, automation, and safety culture. RESULTS: The review identifies the relative contributions of individual and organizational factors in shipping accidents, and also presents the methodological issues with previous research. CONCLUSIONS: The paper concludes that monitoring and modifying the human factors issues presented in this paper could contribute to maritime safety performance. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: This review illustrates which human factors issues are prevalent in incidents therefore this gives shipping practitioners a focus for interventions.     

中国建筑火灾引起坍塌事故的统计与分析

为了研究火灾引起的建筑结构坍塌的机理,便于已有建筑的抗火防护和新建建筑的抗火设计,通过查询文献资料和新闻媒体报道,对我国建筑火灾坍塌事例进行了调查,对火灾坍塌建筑物的结构形式、层数和使用功能等方面进行了统计分析,列出了部分我国火灾史上1960-2005年所发生的火灾坍塌事例.调查结果显示,钢结构、特别是工业厂房钢屋架在火灾下较其他形式的建筑易发生坍塌;4～8层的民用建筑发生火灾坍塌的比例较高;工业厂房,仓库和商业建筑发生火灾坍塌的比例较高;民用建筑多发生局部坍塌;发生坍塌的建筑一般存在设计和施工不规范以及防火设施不合格等情况.     

公元1600年秘鲁Huaynaputina火山喷发与长江中下游地区的气候异常

公元1600年秘鲁Huaynaputina火山喷发是过去1 000年全球最大规模的火山喷发之一。考察了此次火山喷发在中国长江中下游地区的可能气候效应。经查阅中国历史文献，在《见闻杂记》、《袁宏道集》和明清地方志中发现了有价值的资料。此次火山喷发在长江中下游地区的气候效应可能表现得比较复杂。结合《见闻杂记》和明清地方志，发现1601年长江下游地区夏季降雪，异常寒冷；结合《袁宏道集》和明清地方志，发现1602年年初至春季长江中下游地区异常多雪和寒冷，这些气候异常与欧洲历史文献和北半球树轮序列等比较一致。另外，结合《见闻杂记》和明清地方志，还发现1601年秋季长江下游部分地区异常炎热。上述气候异常未必都能完全归因于Huaynaputina喷发，但Huaynaputina喷发应该是其中的一个重要原因。〖     

Environmental Monitoring in The Netherlands: Past Developments and Future Challenges

During the past three decades environmental monitoringsystems covering an immense variety of environmentalproblems emerged rapidly throughout the world. In The Netherlands the entire spectrum of monitoring systemsis present. Their development is especially interesting because of the Dutch complex environmental landscape: a result of the combination of a natural setting with a high small-scale variation and an intense use of the available space by both industry and agriculture. This necessitates a well balanced environmental policy wherein monitoring ofboth environmental compartments and environmental policy itself plays an important role. In this article we focus on abiotic systems, whereby the development of monitoring will be related to that of environmental policy in general. Some general lines emerge: from quantity towards quality, from single pollutants towards environmentally harmful processes as a whole, and from a focus on human health and safety towards integrated environmental management. Because The Netherlands is a highly organized and highly educatedsociety, reacting fast and flexible to new problems, this progression has happened quickly. However, still much remains to be desired and flexibility not necessarily guarantees optimal routes of development. Paramount is the development of sophisticated and robust monitoring systems that truly support integrated environmental management. This asks forclear objectives based on solid scientific insights.     

关中盆地地-气系统灾变的节律性及耦合关系

依据丰富而系统的历史资料，建立了关中盆地历史地震与旱涝灾害两个数据库，分析了近2000a来地-气系统环境灾变的节律性及耦合关系。结果发现：(1)地震活动具有一定的节律性，并先后经历了3个平静期和3个活跃期，平静期与活跃期呈交替出现，具有3～4个世纪的周期；(2)较为严重的干旱、洪涝灾害亦具有一定的周期性，先后经历了2个洪涝期和3个干旱期，其较长尺度的转换周期亦为3～4个世纪；(3)在世纪尺度上，地震活动与旱涝灾害具有某种耦合关系，表现为在地震活动的活跃期，旱涝灾害呈多发性，而在地震活动的平静期，旱涝灾害较为稀少；(4)以较大级别的地震群发为节点，地气系统环境灾变的耦合关系具有先旱→后震→再涝的演替特征。基于上述事实，提出了一个地-气系统环境灾变的概念模型，对地震与旱涝灾害的耦合关系给出了确定性解释。为关中盆地世纪尺度的环境灾变群发性预测提供了新的依据。     

Tenure diversity and dependent causation in the effects of regional integration on land use: evaluating the evolutionary theory of land rights in Acre,Brazil

In the complex causation behind land change, dependent causation can play a central role. A case in point concerns land tenure diversity, where contrasting use rules for different lands may affect the impacts of other drivers on land use outcomes. We therefore evaluate the evolutionary theory of land rights (ETLR), which assumes homogeneous private property rights, in order to test for dependent causation due to distinct use rules among various types of private lands. In the present analysis, we focus on whether land tenure type modifies the effects of highway infrastructure on key outcomes highlighted in the ETLR framework. We take up the case of rural settlements along the Inter-Oceanic Highway in the eastern part of the Brazilian state of Acre, where there is considerable land tenure diversity. Findings from multivariate models for land titling, the castanha nut harvest, and cattle pasture all indicate that the effects of infrastructure depend on land tenure type. These results confirm the importance of dependent causation behind land use and bear implications for theory on land change, infrastructure impacts, and land system science.     

新时期加强和改进大学生安全教育的实践与探索

针对高校在大学生安全教育方面重视不够,内容观点陈旧,教育手段单一等主要问题及其产生的原因,通过分析并找出解决问题的方法;树立以人为本、珍爱生命的理念,遵循安全第一,预防为主的原则,采取多种措施,切实开展安全教育,普及安全知识与防范技能,培养学生健全的法律意识、安全意识,提高自我保护和安全防范能力;制订相关的法律法规与规章制度,完善安全教育的领导体制与运行机制,切实做好高校大学生安全教育工作。     

南京典型古建筑的消防现状调查和消防对策

通过对江苏南京代表性古建筑朝天宫、甘熙故居、鸡鸣寺和净觉寺的实地深入调查,从结构、材料、内容、布局和环境等方面分析了古建筑普遍存在的火灾危险性,考察了古建筑中现代消防设施建设、消防资金投入、消防管理措施和现代消防材料和技术应用的现状,发现多数古建筑在消防防护方面仍处于保守、常规、落后和消极的状态。为实现对古建筑价值的最大限度保护,应从消防安全布局、消防站建设、消防通道设计、消防给水供应、消防通讯保障、消防装备配置等方面进行性能化设计和规划;在遵循“修旧如旧”的修缮和维护原则下,需要勇于尝试和接纳纳米材料等新型化学保护材料和技术。     

Case study: examining the contribution of historical sources of lead in urban soils in Portland,Maine, USA

While the presence of lead in urban soils from residential lead paint and leaded gasoline is well documented, the relative contribution of lead from area historical industrial activities is not. This study examined the connection between historical industrial sources of lead in Portland, Maine, USA from 1860 to 1970 to current, spatial distributions of soil lead. Collecting 1859 surface and 122 sub-surface soil samples in accordance with USEPA's Lead Safe Yard Protocols, lead concentrations varied from 9 mg/kg to >100,000 mg/kg with most of the samples greater than USEPA's critical value for lead (400 mg/kg). Using historical documents, probable sources of lead were mapped. In comparing two datasets, no clear relationship emerged. Findings were hampered by inability to sample under large areas of impervious surfaces and private properties. Because of lead's immobility in soil, one would expect decreasing concentration with depth, but lead concentrations varied with depth and location. The haphazard dumping of lead-contaminated industrial waste and the relocation of contaminated fill are likely factors. These findings suggest that in urban areas where multiple historical sources of lead existed, surface sampling to determine presence of lead may not be sufficient to protect public health.     

河北省旱涝灾害历史特征研究

通过分析河北省旱涝灾害的历史状况,得出黉灾呈逐年减轻、时灾呈逐年加重的认识,旱灾是河北省的一种主要自然灾害,探讨了该省旱涝灾害的时空分布规律,在时间上具有季节性、持续性和阶段性,在空间上具有地域性,对增强水患意识,防汛抗旱,今后的防灾抗灾提供了科学依据。