Time will tell: changes in risk perception and the processing of risk information about the Y2K-risk

A field study was performed on the perceived risks related to the Y2K-problem. Two cross-sectional surveys were executed to study whether risk perception regarding the Y2K-problem, the perceived societal and personal capabilities to mitigate the risks, the attitude toward computers and the attitude toward the availability of information 10 months before 1-1-2000 differed from those a few weeks before this crucial date. Four patterns were distinguished, based on the possible psychological reactions to the approach of a risk threat. Results showed a significant decrease in the perception of the risk, a significant increase in the perceived risk mitigation at the personal and societal level, a significant increase in the perceived awareness of the problem among the general public combined with a significant decrease in the need for information, and no change in the attitude toward computers. This combination of results was considered to fit best one of the theoretically distinguished reaction patterns: danger-control and reassuring information. The applicability of our model to other computer risk areas, as computer viruses, is being discussed.     

Accident history,risk perception and traffic safe behaviour

Abstract

This study clarifies the associations between accident history, perception of the riskiness of road travel and traffic safety behaviours by taking into account the number and severity of accidents experienced. A sample of 525 road users in Cameroon answered a questionnaire comprising items on perception of risk, safe behaviour and personal accident history. Participants who reported involvement in more than three accidents or involvement in a severe accident perceived road travel as less risky and also reported behaving less safely compared with those involved in fewer, or less severe accidents. The results have practical implications for the prevention of traffic accidents.

Practitioner Summary: The associations between accident history, perceived risk of road travel and safe behaviour were investigated using self-report questionnaire data. Participants involved in more than three accidents, or in severe accidents, perceived road travel as less risky and also reported more unsafe behaviour compared with those involved in fewer, or less severe accidents. Campaigns targeting people with a less serious, less extensive accident history should aim to increase awareness of hazards and the potential severity of their consequences, as well as emphasising how easy it is to take the recommended preventive actions. Campaigns targeting those involved in more frequent accidents, and survivors of serious accidents, should address feelings of invulnerability and helplessness.     

供电企业信息作业风险评估研究

在深入研究事故致因理论、事故风险管理和供电企业生产作业风险管理的基础上,提出了供电企业信息作业风险评估的模型和方法。有助于供电企业建立一套基于风险管理的信息作业指导书,为信息运维人员提供安全作业操作规范,减少安全事故的发生。     

A case-based reasoning safety decision-support tool: Nextcase/safety

We developed, made suitable and tested a generic case-based reasoning platform, called Nextcase/safety, for helping safety managers taking decisions on prevention measures more efficiently. Recommendations provided by the software are based on quick and effective past similar incident retrieval and expertise-driven advice. Hence, the developed software makes it easier and more objective for safety managers to draw conclusions and to give recommendations based on the expertise embedded in past incidents when an incident occurs in their company. Nextcase/safety provides its expert user with suggestions and information and does not require an extensive amount of time. The most time-consuming phase is datasheet generation and inputting accident cases into the database. The program was tested using a real accident database from the marine industry. The case-study indicates the high potential of the Nextcase/safety software for all industrial safety managers. Furthermore, the pros and cons of the Nextcase/safety program for building a company accident database were indicated.     

Evaluation of the effectiveness of portable ceiling lifts in a new long-term care facility

Researchers and health and safety practitioners have advocated replacing manual patient handling techniques with ceiling lifts in long-term care. The majority of these studies have only evaluated the impact of fixed ceiling lifts on extended care residents where the ratio of ceiling lifts to resident beds is one to one. This pre-post intervention study assesses the effectiveness of portable ceiling lifts in a new multi-level care facility on risk of patient handling injuries where the ratio of ceiling lifts to resident beds is one to six. Results indicated that staff perceived they were at significantly (p<0.05) less risk of injury when using ceiling lifts compared to manual methods. Seventy-five percent of staff preferred to use the ceiling lifts over any other method for lifting and transferring residents. Compensation costs due to patient handling decreased in the intervention facility, with a 241% increase in the comparison facility. This study demonstrates that incorporating ceiling lifts into the design of a new multi-level care facility reduced patient handling injuries and decreased perceived risk of injury among care staff.     

信息系统的风险评估方法研究

本文在分析信息系统事故的基础上,对信息系统的风险评估模型以及信息系统风险评估程序进行了系统描述。同时,在对我国信息系统风险评估工具进行简要介绍的基础上,重点介绍了适用于企业日常安全管理的定性定量的信息系统评估方法,并对评估方法进行了对比分析,从而有利于信息系统评估工作在我国的推广应用。     

Revisiting the role of web assurance seals in business-to-consumer electronic commerce

There is conflicting evidence as to the current level of awareness and impact of Web Assurance Seal Services (WASSs). This study examines the effects of an educational intervention designed to increase consumer's knowledge, of security and privacy aspect of business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce websites and assurance seal services. The study further explores the relationships among consumers' perceptions about online security, including WASSs awareness, importance of WASS, privacy concerns, security concerns, and information quality, before and after the educational intervention. The study finds that educating consumers about the security and privacy dangers of the web, as well as the role of web assurance seals, does increase their awareness and perceived importance of the seals. However, despite this increased awareness, there is little association between these assurance seals and the two indicators of trustworthiness, concerns about privacy and perceived information quality, of an e-commerce site, even after the intervention. Only security concerns have a statistically significant relationship with WASSs awareness before and after the educational intervention. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.     

Do safety measures really work? An examination of risk homoeostasis theory

The claim that safety measures in general fail to work is examined. This claim is seen as consistent with risk homoeostasis theory which proposes that following the introduction of a safety measure drivers compensate in such a way as to bring the accident involvement back to the preceding level. The validity of risk homoeostasis theory rests on several assumptions: (i) people have a simple and straightforward representation of accident risk, (ii) people can detect all changes in this accident risk, (iii) people can, over time, completely compensate for changes in accident risk and (iv) people cannot be discouraged or prevented from compensating for changes in accident risk. Each of these assumptions is examined     

分析基于webGIS的安全生产应急救援系统的实现

webGIS安全生产应急救援系统的实现,为处理突发性安全事故提供了有效的数据资料,其中包括救援资源、事故周边环境信息以及事故的隐患分析等.它有效地提高了突发安全生产事故产生时的应急反应能力、指挥决策能力及事故处理效率.因此,在安全事故的处理中发挥着越来越重大的影响.     

Factors contributing to child drownings and near-drownings in residential swimming pools

This article examines and quantifies factors affecting the risk of child drowning and near-drowning accidents in residential swimming pools. Two surveys were conducted. One survey provided information on children and pools involved in accidents; the other provided information on children exposed to the risk of drowning and their swimming environment. A logit regression model was used to analyze the survey results. The accident determinants were estimated, and risk factors calculated. The results are analyzed within the context of the child drowning and child development literature. Possible intervention strategies are discussed.     

Identification of accident-injury type and bodypart factors from construction accident reports: A graph-based deep learning framework

Accident reports provide information to understand why and how events occur. Learning from past accident reports is critical for preventing accidents or injuries in construction safety management. However, there are two issues: (1) manual analysis of such accident reports is time-consuming and labor-intensive; and (2) previous research mainly focused on analyzing the causal factors of accidents. Not much research concentrates on the injury effect in an accident and the influential relationship between accident cause and injury effect. To tackle this problem, a graph-based deep learning framework is proposed to identify accident-injury type and bodypart factors automatically to enable managers to make timely and better-informed decisions to prevent accidents and injuries for on-site safety. In this framework, a graph-based deep learning approach (specifically, the Graph Convolutional Network) is developed to automatically classify accident reports labeled with accident_type and injury_type, whereas the traversal method is developed to identify the bodypart factors. To further intuitively visualize these safety risk factors (e.g., accident_type, injury_type, and bodypart factors), the co-occurrence networks are drawn to further intuitively reveal the interdependency in accident-injury and injury-bodypart types respectively. From the perspective of theoretical and practical contributions, the framework proposed in this study not only represents a substantial data-driven advancement in construction accident report classification and keyword extraction tasks, but also enables managers to get knowledge of construction safety performance (i.e., accident causes and injury effects) and further formulate corresponding strategies to prevent accidents and injuries in on-site safety management.     

Development of a Moodle course for schoolchildren’s table tennis learning based on Competence Motivation Theory: Its effectiveness in comparison to traditional training method

Based on Competence Motivation Theory (CMT), a Moodle course for schoolchildren’s table tennis learning was developed (The URL is http://www.bssepp.com, and this course allows guest access). The effects of the course on students’ knowledge, perceived competence and interest were evaluated through quantitative methods. The sample of the study consisted of 32 primary school students, who were randomly assigned to two groups, one of which used the Moodle course (Group M, N = 16) and the other one (Group C, N = 16) didn’t, and the intervention lasted 6 weeks. The result showed that (1) students made significant learning gains and demonstrated statistically significant higher perceived competence by participating in the Moodle course, (2) there was no statistically significant mean difference in table tennis interest between the two intervention groups. These positive effects on knowledge and perceived competence suggest that Moodle can be used as a tool to supplement traditional motor learning.     

基于故障树分析的软件安全性测试研究

针对软件安全性测试的本质特征在于快速降低由于软件失效而导致系统事故的风险, 结合基于Baye-sian统计理论的测试方法, 建立一套构建安全性测试剖面, 并由此产生测试用例的测试方法。该方法运用故障树分析技术, 对各模块发生故障对系统安全性的影响进行分析, 找出影响较大的关键性模块, 然后利用分析结果构建安全性测试剖面。最后给出了测试停止的标准。通过对例子的分析可知, 本方法在快速降低软件事故风险方面比现有软件测试方法更有效。     

小型水库群安全风险感知及预警平台研究

为更好地感知小型水库群安全风险从而实现有效预警,在分析小型水库群失事实例和特点的基础上, 将小型水库群安全风险分成水文气象和地质、挡泄水结构及设备设施、运行监督管理 3 类风险,给出基于风险的信息感知流程和平台设计要求,建立多源信息获取及定性指标与定量指标相结合的预警指标构建方法,为小型水库安全风险感知及预警平台构建提供参考。     

Effects of the work environment and safety activities on occupational accidents in eight wood‐processing companies

The study was conducted at 16 wood‐processing companies in southern Finland. The companies involved were selected according to the following criteria: (a) 8 companies were to have an accident rate that was clearly below the average rate for the wood‐processing industry in the period 1985–1989, and 8 companies a rate clearly higher than the average; and (b) the companies were to form pairs engaged in the same type of activity and exhibiting different rates. Companies were divided into 2 groups. Two sawmills, 1 parquet, and 1 plywood factory with a low accident rate and 4 similar factories with a high rate were selected as “experiment companies” and received advice aimed at improving their work environment and safety activities. Eight similar companies were selected as a control group and received no advice. This study attempted to ascertain the effects of such advice on the work environment, safety activities, and occupational accidents. In addition, differences in the safety of the work environment, in safety activities, and in occupational accidents were studied in companies with a low accident rate as compared with the situation in companies with a high rate. Work environment and safety activities showed a statistically significant correlation with accident rate. The better the situation, the lower the accident rate. In the companies with a low accident rate, the work environment and safety activities were also better than in the companies with a high rate. In the period 1989–1994, the drop in the accident rate at the experiment companies was greater—to a statistically significant extent—than it was in the control group or in the wood‐processing industry as a whole. In cases where advice was given to the experiment companies with the aim of preventing particular occupational accidents, the rate of such accidents declined; there was no such trend in the control companies. By contrast, trends for other types of accidents were similar in the experiment and control companies. Changes in the accident rates of the experiment or control companies could not be explained by economic cycles or by changes either in the employees' work experience or in the duration of absences. It is highly probable that the positive trend with regard to occupational accidents in the experiment companies was related to improvement in the work environment and safety activities and that this in turn was a result of the advice given to these companies in 1990. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

煤矿安全管理信息系统的研制

采用面向对象的程序设计语言VB和数据库技术,结合开滦集团公司煤矿安全管理工作的实际,开发了煤矿安全管理信息系统。该系统建立了煤矿事故数据库和煤矿安全评价模型,可实现伤亡事故统计分析、事故评价和预测等多种管理功能。     

Corporate Motivation to Risk Prevention: Applied Exploratory Analysis in Construction Sector in Catalonia

In this article, we have undertaken an exploratory analysis of the extrinsic and intrinsic factors affecting an employer's safety motivation in the construction industry, and their correlation with firm size, management level, and perceived risk. We have employed a model based on previous research by Michael Wright for the Health and Safety Executive (UK). Methods: A sample of managers from 198 construction firms in Catalonia (Spain) were interviewed collecting relevant data. The exploratory factor analysis of this data detected two factors: extrinsic (prosecution, inspection, external pressure) and intrinsic (legal, responsibility, internal involvement). Confirmatory factor analysis did not rule out the presence of extrinsic and intrinsic factors (Wright), and the analysis with covariates (MIMIC model) showed significant positive relationships between extrinsic factors, management level, and perceived risk. It also showed a significant positive relationship between intrinsic factors and firm size. Conclusion: The aim of this study was to make a preliminary diagnostic of an employer's safety motivation. Our findings indicate that it is possible to develop external motivators (advice from inspection bodies, union activities, publicity of prosecution records, etc.) that are addressed to top managers and to firms more exposed to risk. We have also found that it is possible to develop internal motivators by introducing experience modification ratings, social accounting, advertising in the mass media, and promotion campaigns, particularly among bigger firms. Our findings will be useful to government agencies, company managers, and consultants and may be adapted for use in motivating midlevel staff to adopt participatory intervention programs.© 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Retrospective and prospective validity of aircraft accident risk indicators

Data from a national survey of pilots were used to examine the validity of measures for the prediction of aviation accidents that had occurred prior to the survey (retrospective analysis) and accidents that occurred after the survey (prospective analysis). Separate retrospective and prospective analyses were conducted, and 45 measures from the survey were found to be associated significantly with accident involvement in the retrospective analysis. However, only 13 of those 45 measures achieved significance in the prospective analysis. Most of the measures found to be significantly related to accident involvement concerned aviation exposure; the remaining measures related to pilots' perceived and actual level of caution. The study is unique in its use of a cohort design for the examination of aircraft accident risk prospectively, and the results suggest the need for caution in the interpretation of retrospective analyses in this research domain. Actual or potential applications of this research include the design of aviation safety programs and the design or interpretation of studies that address indicators of aircraft accident risk.     

Moral Hazard and the Role of Users in Learning from Accidents1

Most technological accidents studied in the literature consist of a single event occurring in a single location (Challenger, Chernobyl, Ariane 5, Bhopal, etc.). However, a significant number of accidents comprise a series of incidents taking place in multiple and unconnected locations. This may happen whenever a given technology is used by multiple decentralized users – as is the case for medical devices or diving equipment, for instance. In this paper, we argue that such a structural characteristic raises specific problems and issues in terms of learning from accidents. We focus on a specific issue and problem: information asymmetries between the users and the manufacturer in favor of the manufacturer and the risk of “moral hazard” that they can induce. Using second hand information on a well known case (Therac‐25), we show how the manufacturer behaved opportunistically when it came to learn from a series of decentralized incidents and we argue that this opportunism was made possible by information asymmetries. Following predictions from the principal‐agent theory, we then argue that for users to monitor manufacturers' behavior in a sense favorable to the taking place of learning from accident, it is necessary to ensure communication among users of risky technologies. Besides reducing information asymmetries conducive to moral hazard this would moreover improve risk prevention. Yet, as communication among decentralized users is unlikely to arise spontaneously in most cases, we argue that this makes the case for public intervention in the form of publicly sponsored user groups.     

Zeitschrift für Arbeitswissenschaft Abstracts of papers,Vol. 42 (14 NF), Part 1, 1988

This study sought to identify causal factors for slip, trip and fall accidents occurring during the delivery of mail. Analysis of in-house data produced information about accident circumstances for 1734 fall cases. The most common initiating events in delivery falls were slips and trips. Slips most often occurred on snow, ice or grass, while trips tended to involve uneven pavements, obstacles and kerbs. Nearly one-fifth of falls occurred on steps, with step falls requiring longer absence from work than falls on the level. Half of all falls occurred during November-February and three-quarters of falls occurred between 7 and 9 a.m. Incidence rates for female employees were 50% higher than for their male colleagues. Accident-independent methods included interviews with safety personnel and managers, discussion groups with delivery employees, and a questionnaire survey of employees and managers. These techniques provided data on risk factors related to the task, behaviour, footwear and equipment. Arising from these accident-independent investigations, it is suggested that unsafe working practices, such as reading addresses while walking and taking shortcuts, increase the risk of falls. Organizational issues include management safety activities, training and equipment provision. Measures are discussed that might lead to a reduction in the incidence of delivery fall accidents.