Aviation deicing workers,global risk assessment of musculoskeletal injuries

Deicing technicians working from open baskets are exposed to ergonomic risks and fatigue. This study aims to assess the global risk of musculoskeletal injuries (MSIs) for this type of activity. An ergonomic study was conducted with the workers of a Canadian airport deicing operator during the winter of 2016–2017. Video recordings made it possible to observe the activities during the most intensive work shifts, as well as characterise and quantify (frequency and duration) the movements/postures of twelve human subjects. The resulting risk assessment identified the body structures submitted to exertion, analysed the efforts involved and globally assessed the forces exerted on the spine and upper limbs. This global risk assessment leads to the conclusion that the risks to the upper limbs are preoccupying and must be examined further.     

某企业不同工种的放射工作人员发生甲状腺结节风险分析

采用职业健康体检资料和问卷形式,利用单因素和多因素logistic回归模型,分析探讨某企业内不同工种的放射工作人员暴露在低剂量电离辐射环境下发生甲状腺结节的风险。结果表明,放射工作人员中以混合射线组甲状腺结节发生风险最高,随着年龄和放射工龄的增加发生风险会增加;性别不同与甲状腺结节发生风险有关。     

Developing social impact assessment guidelines in a pre-existing policy context

Few jurisdictions have translated internationally agreed social impact assessment (SIA) principles into statutory provisions. Governments and regulatory bodies tend to provide developers with high-level frameworks, or require that social impacts be ‘considered’, without specifying how this is to be done. In Australia, this lack of clarity leaves all parties uncertain about requirements for SIA. The New South Wales (NSW) Government’s 2017 release of the SIA guideline for State-significant mining, petroleum and extractive industry development represents an attempt to clarify requirements and provide guidance. In this paper, we describe the process of bringing this guideline to fruition from the perspective of being directly involved in its development, and highlight the challenges involved in integrating leading-practice principles into the state’s pre-existing policy framework. While the guideline represents a significant advance in policy-based SIA guidance, some aspects leave room for improvement. The real test of the guideline’s impact will lie in its influence on SIA practice in NSW, and ultimately in social outcomes for communities affected by resources projects.     

Effects of risks on the performance of business process outsourcing projects: The moderating roles of knowledge management capabilities

Although business process outsourcing (BPO) can reduce cost and enhance the competitiveness of firms, the implementation of BPO projects is unsatisfactory. By integrating knowledge management capability theory and risk-based view, we develop a model of how different types of BPO risks affect project satisfaction and how knowledge management capability changes the influences of BPO risks. A survey of 121 BPO projects was conducted among BPO client department manager and project manager through a pairwise design. Empirical evidence reveals that social system, technical system, and project management risks negatively affect BPO project satisfaction. However, cultural, technological, and structural levels of knowledge management capabilities weaken the negative risk effects of social system, technical system, and project management, respectively. Different types of risks and knowledge management capabilities should be matched to achieve effective risk management.     

Health risk assessment of chlorpyrifos inhalation exposure among chilli-growing farmers in Na-Krasaeng Sub-District,Det Udom District,Ubon Ratchathani Province,Thailand

The paper reports a health risk assessment of pesticide exposure among chilli-growing farmers living in Na-Krasaeng Sub-District, Det Udom District, Ubon Ratchathani Province, Thailand. Personal air samples were collected from 46 participants spraying pesticide. These samples were analysed to investigate the farmers’ exposure by inhalation of the organophosphate, chlorpyrifos, which is the predominant pesticide used in the study area. The potential health risk of the farmers through inhalation was estimated by calculating the Hazard Quotient (HQ). The results showed that chlorpyrifos concentrations in inhaled air samples from the farmers ranged from less than the limit of detection, <LOD, to 0.041 mg/m3 with an average of 0.0072 mg/m3. Average daily doses (ADD) of exposure were calculated to be in the range 0–0.007 mg/kg/day with a mean value of 0.0014 mg/kg/day. The estimated risk quotient was 0 to 2.35 and the mean value was 0.84. Accordingly, the chilli-growing farmers were not considered to be a population at risk (mean value of HQ ≤ 1). But, the estimated risk of 17.38% of the study population was higher than the acceptable level (HQ > 1). This indicated that some participants were considered as an individual risk which should be of concern.     

Owner’s Risk Allocation and Contractor’s Role Behavior in a Project: A Parallel-mediation Model

Risk allocation decisions are of critical importance in project management. The present study proposes an explanation for how risk allocation in a contract motivates a contractor to cooperate with a project owner. Theories of risk allocation and trust were used to motivate the research. Using a survey methodology, we collected data concerning 124 construction projects in China. We found that risk allocation influenced the contractor’s role behavior through the contractor’s feeling of being trusted but not the contractor’s trust in the owner. Feeling of being trusted partially mediated the effect of risk allocation on the contractor’s in-role (i.e., contractual) behavior and fully mediated the effect on extra-role behavior. The study introduces a social and psychological view of the impacts of risk allocation to the project and engineering management literature. We contribute to theory by arguing and demonstrating the mediating effect of trust on the relationship between risk allocation and contractor behavior. From a practical standpoint, we conclude that contractual risk allocation has a significant impact on building a trusting relationship between owners and contractors and that contractors who feel trusted perform both contractually mandated actions and actions external to the contract more diligently, resulting in the likelihood of improved outcomes for both parties.     

The paradox of technology innovativeness and risk perceptions – A profile of Asian smartphone users

Risk perceptions and technology innovativeness are the two primary factors related to the adoption of mobile technologies. The current study examines the role of technology innovativeness and risk perceptions on smartphone use and dependence in an Asian context. A total of 9086 participants were recruited through online surveys from ten Asian countries. Ordinary least squares regression analyses revealed the effects of technology innovativeness, information security, privacy concern, and their interactions on smartphone use and dependence. Moreover, based on users’ smartphone usage patterns and perceptions, this paper identified four homogeneous groups using cluster analysis. Results shows that Asian smartphone users can be segmented into four groups: innovators, conservatives, moderators, and laggards. The four clusters show significant differences in demographic features. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed based on these findings.     

Simulation Study on Hydrogen-Heating-Power Poly-Generation System based on Solar Driven Supercritical Water Biomass Gasification with Compressed Gas Products as an Energy Storage System

Supercritical water gasification driven by solar energy is a promising way for clean utilization of biomass with high moisture content, but direct discharge of liquid residual causes energy waste and decreases energy efficiency. To reduce energy waste, a poly-generation system for hydrogen-rich gas production coupling heat supply and power generation based on supercritical water gasification of biomass driven by concentrated solar energy was established in this paper, which also provided a novel energy storage method to overcome the shortcomings of solar discontinuity. Thermodynamic model of the system was proposed and life cycle assessment(LCA) of the system was conducted. Influence of different parameters(temperature of 600℃ to 800℃, outlet temperature of heat exchanger of 42℃ to 56℃, biomass slurry concentration of 5% to 6.5%) on the gasification performance, energy and exergy efficiency, energy distribution and global warming potential(GWP) was discussed. The results indicated that hydrogen yield increased as gasification temperature increased since free radical reaction was enhanced which gas production reaction was classified into. Molar fraction of hydrogen increased as gasification temperature increased and reached 65.6% at 750℃. Energy and exergy efficiency of the system reached 74.84% and 34.87% at 700℃ and 600℃ respectively and that of gas production was 18.15% at 650℃, which was the highest. Increasing reaction temperature and decreasing biomass slurry concentration were effective ways to decrease GWP. Optimal operating parameter was reaction temperature of 650℃, outlet temperature of heat exchanger of 50℃ and biomass concentration of 5%.