75 FR 22317 - Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Small Business Impacts of Motor Vehicle Safety

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-28

... 1300 [Docket No. NHTSA-2010-0054] Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Small Business Impacts of Motor Vehicle Safety AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Department of..., multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks, buses, trailers, incomplete vehicles, motorcycles, and motor vehicle...

77 FR 69586 - Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Small Business Impacts of Motor Vehicle Safety

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-11-20

... [Docket No. NHTSA-2012-0155] Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Small Business Impacts of Motor Vehicle Safety AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Department of..., multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks, buses, trailers, motorcycles, and motor vehicle equipment. DATES: You...

Impact of Distracted Driving on Safety and Traffic Flow

PubMed Central

Stavrinos, Despina; Jones, Jennifer L.; Garner, Annie A.; Griffin, Russell; Franklin, Crystal A.; Ball, David; Welburn, Sharon C.; Ball, Karlene K.; Sisiopiku, Virginia P.; Fine, Philip R.

2015-01-01

Studies have documented a link between distracted driving and diminished safety; however, an association between distracted driving and traffic congestion has not been investigated in depth. The present study examined the behavior of teens and young adults operating a driving simulator while engaged in various distractions (i.e., cell phone, texting, and undistracted) and driving conditions (i.e., free flow, stable flow, and oversaturation). Seventy five participants 16 to 25 years of age (split into 2 groups: novice drivers and young adults) drove a STISIM simulator three times, each time with one of three randomly presented distractions. Each drive was designed to represent daytime scenery on a 4 lane divided roadway and included three equal roadway portions representing Levels of Service (LOS) A, C, and E as defined in the 2000 Highway Capacity Manual. Participants also completed questionnaires documenting demographics and driving history. Both safety and traffic flow related driving outcomes were considered. A Repeated Measures Multivariate Analysis of Variance was employed to analyze continuous outcome variables and a Generalized Estimate Equation (GEE) poisson model was used to analyze count variables. Results revealed that, in general more lane deviations and crashes occurred during texting. Distraction (in most cases, text messaging) had a significantly negative impact on traffic flow, such that participants exhibited greater fluctuation in speed, changed lanes significantly fewer times, and took longer to complete the scenario. In turn, more simulated vehicles passed the participant drivers while they were texting or talking on a cell phone than while undistracted. The results indicate that distracted driving, particularly texting, may lead to reduced safety and traffic flow, thus having a negative impact on traffic operations. No significant differences were detected between age groups, suggesting that all drivers, regardless of age, may drive in a manner

Impact of distracted driving on safety and traffic flow.

PubMed

Stavrinos, Despina; Jones, Jennifer L; Garner, Annie A; Griffin, Russell; Franklin, Crystal A; Ball, David; Welburn, Sharon C; Ball, Karlene K; Sisiopiku, Virginia P; Fine, Philip R

2013-12-01

Studies have documented a link between distracted driving and diminished safety; however, an association between distracted driving and traffic congestion has not been investigated in depth. The present study examined the behavior of teens and young adults operating a driving simulator while engaged in various distractions (i.e., cell phone, texting, and undistracted) and driving conditions (i.e., free flow, stable flow, and oversaturation). Seventy five participants 16-25 years of age (split into 2 groups: novice drivers and young adults) drove a STISIM simulator three times, each time with one of three randomly presented distractions. Each drive was designed to represent daytime scenery on a 4 lane divided roadway and included three equal roadway portions representing Levels of Service (LOS) A, C, and E as defined in the 2000 Highway Capacity Manual. Participants also completed questionnaires documenting demographics and driving history. Both safety and traffic flow related driving outcomes were considered. A Repeated Measures Multivariate Analysis of Variance was employed to analyze continuous outcome variables and a Generalized Estimate Equation (GEE) Poisson model was used to analyze count variables. Results revealed that, in general more lane deviations and crashes occurred during texting. Distraction (in most cases, text messaging) had a significantly negative impact on traffic flow, such that participants exhibited greater fluctuation in speed, changed lanes significantly fewer times, and took longer to complete the scenario. In turn, more simulated vehicles passed the participant drivers while they were texting or talking on a cell phone than while undistracted. The results indicate that distracted driving, particularly texting, may lead to reduced safety and traffic flow, thus having a negative impact on traffic operations. No significant differences were detected between age groups, suggesting that all drivers, regardless of age, may drive in a manner

78 FR 76265 - Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Small Business Impacts of Motor Vehicle Safety

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-17

... Through 578, Except Parts 571 and 575 [Docket No. NHTSA-2013-0116] Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Small Business Impacts of Motor Vehicle Safety AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration... passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks, buses, trailers, motorcycles, and motor vehicle...

76 FR 72888 - Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Small Business Impacts of Motor Vehicle Safety

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-28

... pedestrian safety devices. 571.217 Bus emergency exits and window retention and release. 571.220 School bus... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 49 CFR Part 571 [Docket No. NHTSA-2011-0160] Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Small Business Impacts of Motor...

The impact of health information technology on patient safety.

PubMed

Alotaibi, Yasser K; Federico, Frank

2017-12-01

Since the original Institute of Medicine (IOM) report was published there has been an accelerated development and adoption of health information technology with varying degrees of evidence about the impact of health information technology on patient safety.  This article is intended to review the current available scientific evidence on the impact of different health information technologies on improving patient safety outcomes. We conclude that health information technology improves patient's safety by reducing medication errors, reducing adverse drug reactions, and improving compliance to practice guidelines. There should be no doubt that health information technology is an important tool for improving healthcare quality and safety. Healthcare organizations need to be selective in which technology to invest in, as literature shows that some technologies have limited evidence in improving patient safety outcomes.

The impact of health information technology on patient safety

PubMed Central

Alotaibi, Yasser K.; Federico, Frank

2017-01-01

Since the original Institute of Medicine (IOM) report was published there has been an accelerated development and adoption of health information technology with varying degrees of evidence about the impact of health information technology on patient safety. This article is intended to review the current available scientific evidence on the impact of different health information technologies on improving patient safety outcomes. We conclude that health information technology improves patient’s safety by reducing medication errors, reducing adverse drug reactions, and improving compliance to practice guidelines. There should be no doubt that health information technology is an important tool for improving healthcare quality and safety. Healthcare organizations need to be selective in which technology to invest in, as literature shows that some technologies have limited evidence in improving patient safety outcomes. PMID:29209664

49 CFR 191.23 - Reporting safety-related conditions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 49 Transportation 3 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Reporting safety-related conditions. 191.23... HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SAFETY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CONTINUED) PIPELINE SAFETY TRANSPORTATION OF NATURAL AND OTHER GAS BY PIPELINE; ANNUAL REPORTS, INCIDENT REPORTS, AND SAFETY-RELATED...

The objective impact of clinical peer review on hospital quality and safety.

PubMed

Edwards, Marc T

2011-01-01

Despite its importance, the objective impact of clinical peer review on the quality and safety of care has not been studied. Data from 296 acute care hospitals show that peer review program and related organizational factors can explain up to 18% of the variation in standardized measures of quality and patient safety. The majority of programs rely on an outmoded and dysfunctional process model. Adoption of best practices informed by the continuing study of peer review program effectiveness has the potential to significantly improve patient outcomes.

Research on the Safety Impacts of Speed Limiter Device Installations on Commercial Motor Vehicles: Phase II

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-03-01

The purpose of this project was to identify the impacts of implementing speed limiters (SL) in commercial vehicle fleet operations. These impacts may be related to safety through a reduction in the number and/or severity of crashes, and/or address op...

Evaluating North Carolina Food Pantry Food Safety-Related Operating Procedures.

PubMed

Chaifetz, Ashley; Chapman, Benjamin

2015-11-01

Almost one in seven American households were food insecure in 2012, experiencing difficulty in providing enough food for all family members due to a lack of resources. Food pantries assist a food-insecure population through emergency food provision, but there is a paucity of information on the food safety-related operating procedures used in the pantries. Food pantries operate in a variable regulatory landscape; in some jurisdictions, they are treated equivalent to restaurants, while in others, they operate outside of inspection regimes. By using a mixed methods approach to catalog the standard operating procedures related to food in 105 food pantries from 12 North Carolina counties, we evaluated their potential impact on food safety. Data collected through interviews with pantry managers were supplemented with observed food safety practices scored against a modified version of the North Carolina Food Establishment Inspection Report. Pantries partnered with organized food bank networks were compared with those that operated independently. In this exploratory research, additional comparisons were examined for pantries in metropolitan areas versus nonmetropolitan areas and pantries with managers who had received food safety training versus managers who had not. The results provide a snapshot of how North Carolina food pantries operate and document risk mitigation strategies for foodborne illness for the vulnerable populations they serve. Data analysis reveals gaps in food safety knowledge and practice, indicating that pantries would benefit from more effective food safety training, especially focusing on formalizing risk management strategies. In addition, new tools, procedures, or policy interventions might improve information actualization by food pantry personnel.

Fall Protection Characteristics of Safety Belts and Human Impact Tolerance.

PubMed

Hino, Yasumichi; Ohdo, Katsutoshi; Takahashi, Hiroki

2014-08-23

Many fatal accidents due to falls from heights have occurred at construction sites not only in Japan but also in other countries. This study aims to determine the fall prevention performance of two types of safety belts: a body belt 1) , which has been used for more than 40 yr in the Japanese construction industry as a general type of safety equipment for fall accident prevention, and a full harness 2, 3) , which has been used in many other countries. To determine human tolerance for impact trauma, this study discusses features of safety belts with reference 4-9) to relevant studies in the medical science, automobile crash safety, and aircrew safety. For this purpose, simple drop tests were carried out in a virtual workplace to measure impact load, head acceleration, and posture in the experiments, the Hybrid-III pedestrian model 10) was used as a human dummy. Hybrid-III is typically employed in official automobile crash tests (New Car Assessment Program: NCAP) and is currently recognized as a model that faithfully reproduces dynamic responses. Experimental results shows that safety performance strongly depends on both the variety of safety belts used and the shock absorbers attached onto lanyards. These findings indicate that fall prevention equipment, such as safety belts, lanyards, and shock absorbers, must be improved to reduce impact injuries to the human head and body during falls.

Fall protection characteristics of safety belts and human impact tolerance.

PubMed

Hino, Yasumichi; Ohdo, Katsutoshi; Takahashi, Hiroki

2014-01-01

Many fatal accidents due to falls from heights have occurred at construction sites not only in Japan but also in other countries. This study aims to determine the fall prevention performance of two types of safety belts: a body belt, which has been used for more than 40 yr in the Japanese construction industry as a general type of safety equipment for fall accident prevention, and a full harness, which has been used in many other countries. To determine human tolerance for impact trauma, this study discusses features of safety belts with reference to relevant studies in the medical science, automobile crash safety, and aircrew safety. For this purpose, simple drop tests were carried out in a virtual workplace to measure impact load, head acceleration, and posture in the experiments, the Hybrid-III pedestrian model was used as a human dummy. Hybrid-III is typically employed in official automobile crash tests (New Car Assessment Program: NCAP) and is currently recognized as a model that faithfully reproduces dynamic responses. Experimental results shows that safety performance strongly depends on both the variety of safety belts used and the shock absorbers attached onto lanyards. These findings indicate that fall prevention equipment, such as safety belts, lanyards, and shock absorbers, must be improved to reduce impact injuries to the human head and body during falls.

Investigation of the impact of large trucks on interstate highway safety.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2002-02-01

This study concentrated on the impact of large trucks on interstate highway safety. The objectives of this study were to investigate the impact of trucks on interstate travel and offer recommendations for improving safety. The procedure involved revi...

Psychological impact and recovery after involvement in a patient safety incident: a repeated measures analysis

PubMed Central

Van Gerven, Eva; Bruyneel, Luk; Panella, Massimiliano; Euwema, Martin; Sermeus, Walter; Vanhaecht, Kris

2016-01-01

Objective To examine individual, situational and organisational aspects that influence psychological impact and recovery of a patient safety incident on physicians, nurses and midwives. Design Cross-sectional, retrospective surveys of physicians, midwives and nurses. Setting 33 Belgian hospitals. Participants 913 clinicians (186 physicians, 682 nurses, 45 midwives) involved in a patient safety incident. Main outcome measures The Impact of Event Scale was used to retrospectively measure psychological impact of the safety incident at the time of the event and compare it with psychological impact at the time of the survey. Results Individual, situational as well as organisational aspects influenced psychological impact and recovery of a patient safety incident. Psychological impact is higher when the degree of harm for the patient is more severe, when healthcare professionals feel responsible for the incident and among female healthcare professionals. Impact of degree of harm differed across clinicians. Psychological impact is lower among more optimistic professionals. Overall, impact decreased significantly over time. This effect was more pronounced for women and for those who feel responsible for the incident. The longer ago the incident took place, the stronger impact had decreased. Also, higher psychological impact is related with the use of a more active coping and planning coping strategy, and is unrelated to support seeking coping strategies. Rendered support and a support culture reduce psychological impact, whereas a blame culture increases psychological impact. No associations were found with job experience and resilience of the health professional, the presence of a second victim support team or guideline and working in a learning culture. Conclusions Healthcare organisations should anticipate on providing their staff appropriate and timely support structures that are tailored to the healthcare professional involved in the incident and to the specific

Safety and mobility impacts of winter weather - phase 3.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-09-01

Highway agencies spend millions of dollars to ensure safe and efficient winter travel. However, the effectiveness of winter-weather : maintenance practices on safety and mobility are somewhat difficult to quantify. Safety and Mobility Impacts of Wint...

Taking ownership of safety. What are the active ingredients of safety coaching and how do they impact safety outcomes in critical offshore working environments?

PubMed

Krauesslar, Victoria; Avery, Rachel E; Passmore, Jonathan

2015-01-01

Safety coaching interventions have become a common feature in the safety critical offshore working environments of the North Sea. Whilst the beneficial impact of coaching as an organizational tool has been evidenced, there remains a question specifically over the use of safety coaching and its impact on behavioural change and producing safe working practices. A series of 24 semi-structured interviews were conducted with three groups of experts in the offshore industry: safety coaches, offshore managers and HSE directors. Using a thematic analysis approach, several significant themes were identified across the three expert groups including connecting with and creating safety ownership in the individual, personal significance and humanisation, ingraining safety and assessing and measuring a safety coach's competence. Results suggest clear utility of safety coaching when applied by safety coaches with appropriate coach training and understanding of safety issues in an offshore environment. The current work has found that the use of safety coaching in the safety critical offshore oil and gas industry is a powerful tool in managing and promoting a culture of safety and care.

Toward an understanding of the impact of production pressure on safety performance in construction operations.

PubMed

Han, Sanguk; Saba, Farzaneh; Lee, Sanghyun; Mohamed, Yasser; Peña-Mora, Feniosky

2014-07-01

It is not unusual to observe that actual schedule and quality performances are different from planned performances (e.g., schedule delay and rework) during a construction project. Such differences often result in production pressure (e.g., being pressed to work faster). Previous studies demonstrated that such production pressure negatively affects safety performance. However, the process by which production pressure influences safety performance, and to what extent, has not been fully investigated. As a result, the impact of production pressure has not been incorporated much into safety management in practice. In an effort to address this issue, this paper examines how production pressure relates to safety performance over time by identifying their feedback processes. A conceptual causal loop diagram is created to identify the relationship between schedule and quality performances (e.g., schedule delays and rework) and the components related to a safety program (e.g., workers' perceptions of safety, safety training, safety supervision, and crew size). A case study is then experimentally undertaken to investigate this relationship with accident occurrence with the use of data collected from a construction site; the case study is used to build a System Dynamics (SD) model. The SD model, then, is validated through inequality statistics analysis. Sensitivity analysis and statistical screening techniques further permit an evaluation of the impact of the managerial components on accident occurrence. The results of the case study indicate that schedule delays and rework are the critical factors affecting accident occurrence for the monitored project. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Occupational Safety and Related Impacts on Health and the Environment

PubMed Central

Watterson, Andrew

2016-01-01

The inter-relationship between safety, health and the ‘environment’ is a complex and at times a relatively neglected topic. In this issue, ‘safety’ is often viewed by contributors as ‘health and safety’ and includes occupationally-related ill health as well as injury or harm to employees and the wider public. ‘Environment’ is also interpreted in the widest sense covering both physical and work environments with upstream work hazards presenting risks to downstream communities. The focus is very much on exploring and where possible addressing the challenges, some old and some facing workers in a range of public and private settings and also at times their nearby communities. The 19 papers in the issue cover public and private sectors, global and very local populations, macro-theoretical perspectives, large epidemiological and some single factory or hospital site small case studies. A number of the papers are just beginning to explore and draw out for the first time the risks from hazards in their part of the world. The methodologies adopted also range from lab-based studies through ergonomic assessments and interventions to therapeutic approaches. PMID:27782047

The Impact of a Patient Safety Program on Medical Error Reporting

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-05-01

307 The Impact of a Patient Safety Program on Medical Error Reporting Donald R. Woolever Abstract Background: In response to the occurrence of...a sentinel event—a medical error with serious consequences—Eglin U.S. Air Force (USAF) Regional Hospital developed and implemented a patient safety...communication, teamwork, and reporting. Objective: To determine the impact of a patient safety program on patterns of medical error reporting. Methods: This

Fall Protection Characteristics of Safety Belts and Human Impact Tolerance

PubMed Central

HINO, Yasumichi; OHDO, Katsutoshi; TAKAHASHI, Hiroki

2014-01-01

Abstract: Many fatal accidents due to falls from heights have occurred at construction sites not only in Japan but also in other countries. This study aims to determine the fall prevention performance of two types of safety belts: a body belt1), which has been used for more than 40 yr in the Japanese construction industry as a general type of safety equipment for fall accident prevention, and a full harness2, 3), which has been used in many other countries. To determine human tolerance for impact trauma, this study discusses features of safety belts with reference4,5,6,7,8,9) to relevant studies in the medical science, automobile crash safety, and aircrew safety. For this purpose, simple drop tests were carried out in a virtual workplace to measure impact load, head acceleration, and posture in the experiments, the Hybrid-III pedestrian model10) was used as a human dummy. Hybrid-III is typically employed in official automobile crash tests (New Car Assessment Program: NCAP) and is currently recognized as a model that faithfully reproduces dynamic responses. Experimental results shows that safety performance strongly depends on both the variety of safety belts used and the shock absorbers attached onto lanyards. These findings indicate that fall prevention equipment, such as safety belts, lanyards, and shock absorbers, must be improved to reduce impact injuries to the human head and body during falls. PMID:25345426

Safety Education Impact and Good Practice: A Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mulvaney, Caroline A.; Watson, Michael C.; Errington, Gail

2012-01-01

Purpose: The aim of this literature review was to examine recent evidence of the impact of safety education for children and young people on unintentional injury rates and to update an earlier review. Evidence was sought that linked safety education for children and young people in schools, centres and other settings with changes in knowledge,…

Impact of intraoperative distractions on patient safety: a prospective descriptive study using validated instruments.

PubMed

Sevdalis, Nick; Undre, Shabnam; McDermott, James; Giddie, Jasdeep; Diner, Lila; Smith, Gillian

2014-04-01

There is emerging evidence indicating that distractions in the operating room (OR) are prevalent. Studies have shown a negative impact of distractions, but they have been conducted mostly with residents in simulated environments. We tested the hypothesis that intraoperative distractions are associated with deterioration in patient safety checks in the OR. We assessed 24 elective urologic procedures. Blinded trained assessors (two surgeons, one psychologist) used validated instruments to prospectively assess in vivo frequency and severity of distractions (related to communication, phones/pagers, equipment/provisions, OR environment, other hospital departments, or a member of the OR team) and completion of safety-related tasks (related to the patient, equipment, and communication). Descriptive and correlational analyses were conducted. Mean case duration was 70 min (mean intraoperative time 31 min). A mean of 4.0 communication distractions (range 0-9) and 2.48 other distractions (range 0-5) were recorded per case (distraction rate of one per 10 min). Distractions from external visitors (addressed to the entire team or the surgeon) and distractions due to lack of coordination between hospital departments were most disruptive. Regarding safety checks, patient tasks were completed most often (85-100 %) followed by equipment tasks (75-100 %) and communication tasks (55-90 %). Correlational analyses showed that more frequent/severe communication distractions were linked to lower completion of patient checks intraoperatively (median rho -0.56, p < 0.05). Distractions are prevalent in ORs and in this study were linked to deterioration in intraoperative patient safety checks. Surgeons should be mindful of their tolerance to distractions. Surgical leadership can help control distractions and reduce their potential impact on patient safety and performance.

Impact of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Safety-Related Announcements on the Use of Bisphosphonates After Hip Fracture.

PubMed

Kim, Seoyoung C; Kim, Dae Hyun; Mogun, Helen; Eddings, Wesley; Polinski, Jennifer M; Franklin, Jessica M; Solomon, Daniel H

2016-08-01

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued several announcements related to potential risk of bisphosphonates including osteonecrosis of the jaw (2005), atrial fibrillation (2007), and atypical femur fracture (2010). We aimed to evaluate the impact of three FDA drug safety announcements on the use of bisphosphonates in patients with hip fracture using claims data from a U.S. commercial health plan (2004-2013). We calculated the proportion of patients in each quarter who received a bisphosphonate or other osteoporosis medication in the 6 months following hospitalization for hip fracture. Segmented logistic regression models examined the time trends. Among 22,598 patients with hip fracture, use of bisphosphonate decreased from 15% in 2004 to 3% in the last quarter of 2013. Prior to the 2007 announcement, there was a 4% increase in the odds of bisphosphonate use every quarter (OR 1.04; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.07). After the 2007 announcement, there was a 4% decrease in the odds of bisphosphonate use (OR 0.96; 95% CI, 0.93 to 0.99) every quarter. The announcement in 2007 was associated with a significant decline in the rate of change of bisphosphonate uses over time (p < 0.001), but no impact on other osteoporosis medication use (p = 0.2). After the 2010 announcement, the odds of bisphosphonate use continued to decrease by 4% (OR 0.96; 95% CI, 0.94 to 0.98) each quarter and the odds of other osteoporosis medication use remained stable over time (OR 0.99; 95% CI, 0.96 to 1.02). The FDA safety announcement related to atrial fibrillation in 2007 was significantly associated with a decrease in bisphosphonate use among patients with hip fracture. © 2016 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research. © 2016 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

Safety impact issues of job-associated sleep

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-09-01

This research investigated the safety impact issues of job-associated sleep in truck drivers. The research focused on the anonymous survey of professional truck drivers. Information was gathered regarding perception of driving performance and its rel...

Psychological impact and recovery after involvement in a patient safety incident: a repeated measures analysis.

PubMed

Van Gerven, Eva; Bruyneel, Luk; Panella, Massimiliano; Euwema, Martin; Sermeus, Walter; Vanhaecht, Kris

2016-08-31

To examine individual, situational and organisational aspects that influence psychological impact and recovery of a patient safety incident on physicians, nurses and midwives. Cross-sectional, retrospective surveys of physicians, midwives and nurses. 33 Belgian hospitals. 913 clinicians (186 physicians, 682 nurses, 45 midwives) involved in a patient safety incident. The Impact of Event Scale was used to retrospectively measure psychological impact of the safety incident at the time of the event and compare it with psychological impact at the time of the survey. Individual, situational as well as organisational aspects influenced psychological impact and recovery of a patient safety incident. Psychological impact is higher when the degree of harm for the patient is more severe, when healthcare professionals feel responsible for the incident and among female healthcare professionals. Impact of degree of harm differed across clinicians. Psychological impact is lower among more optimistic professionals. Overall, impact decreased significantly over time. This effect was more pronounced for women and for those who feel responsible for the incident. The longer ago the incident took place, the stronger impact had decreased. Also, higher psychological impact is related with the use of a more active coping and planning coping strategy, and is unrelated to support seeking coping strategies. Rendered support and a support culture reduce psychological impact, whereas a blame culture increases psychological impact. No associations were found with job experience and resilience of the health professional, the presence of a second victim support team or guideline and working in a learning culture. Healthcare organisations should anticipate on providing their staff appropriate and timely support structures that are tailored to the healthcare professional involved in the incident and to the specific situation of the incident. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For

Safety Analysis and Industry Impacts of the Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP)

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-10-01

In this report, FMCSA analyzes the safety impacts of the Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP) and presents metrics and anecdotal information on attitudes of carriers using PSP. The safety impacts are examined by comparing the crash rates and driver...

Prescription safety eyewear: impact studies of lens and frame failure.

PubMed

Vinger, P F; Woods, T A

2000-02-01

To determine if a plano lens could be the test lens for all prescription (Rx) lenses and to investigate why Rx lenses pop out of safety eyewear. Plano and Rx polycarbonate lenses (n = 641) with varying thickness and edge geometry, mounted on steel lens holders, and Rx safety eyewear (n = 128) placed on headforms were impacted with test objects of varying diameter and hardness. Impacts were studied with 500 to 2,000 frames-per-second motion analysis. Plano lenses were at least, or more, prone to failure (dislodgment, perforation, shatter, or crack) than -3.00 or +3.00 lenses of the same minimum thickness. More than 40% of safety frames with removable lenses broke or had lenses pop out when impacted with energies expected in industry and sports. Plano lenses can be used as the test lenses for all Rx lenses made of the same material with the same minimal thickness. The ANSI Z87.1-1989 industrial standard for Rx eyewear is inadequate for sports or other activities with high-impact potential. The best lens-retention system has, as a component, a frame with a bevel perpendicular to a frontal impact force.

Transformational and passive leadership as cross-level moderators of the relationships between safety knowledge, safety motivation, and safety participation.

PubMed

Jiang, Lixin; Probst, Tahira M

2016-06-01

While safety knowledge and safety motivation are well-established predictors of safety participation, less is known about the impact of leadership styles on these relationships. The purpose of the current study was to examine whether the positive relationships between safety knowledge and motivation and safety participation are contingent on transformational and passive forms of safety leadership. Using multilevel modeling with a sample of 171 employees nested in 40 workgroups, we found that transformational safety leadership strengthened the safety knowledge-participation relationship, whereas passive leadership weakened the safety motivation-participation relationship. Under low transformational leadership, safety motivation was not related to safety participation; under high passive leadership, safety knowledge was not related to safety participation. These results are discussed in light of organizational efforts to increase safety-related citizenship behaviors. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and National Safety Council. All rights reserved.

Leadership, safety climate, and continuous quality improvement: impact on process quality and patient safety.

PubMed

McFadden, Kathleen L; Stock, Gregory N; Gowen, Charles R

2014-10-01

Successful amelioration of medical errors represents a significant problem in the health care industry. There is a need for greater understanding of the factors that lead to improved process quality and patient safety outcomes in hospitals. We present a research model that shows how transformational leadership, safety climate, and continuous quality improvement (CQI) initiatives are related to objective quality and patient safety outcome measures. The proposed framework is tested using structural equation modeling, based on data collected for 204 hospitals, and supplemented with objective outcome data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The results provide empirical evidence that a safety climate, which is connected to the chief executive officer's transformational leadership style, is related to CQI initiatives, which are linked to improved process quality. A unique finding of this study is that, although CQI initiatives are positively associated with improved process quality, they are also associated with higher hospital-acquired condition rates, a measure of patient safety. Likewise, safety climate is directly related to improved patient safety outcomes. The notion that patient safety climate and CQI initiatives are not interchangeable or universally beneficial is an important contribution to the literature. The results confirm the importance of using CQI to effectively enhance process quality in hospitals, and patient safety climate to improve patient safety outcomes. The overall pattern of findings suggests that simultaneous implementation of CQI initiatives and patient safety climate produces greater combined benefits.

Leadership, safety climate, and continuous quality improvement: impact on process quality and patient safety.

PubMed

McFadden, Kathleen L; Stock, Gregory N; Gowen, Charles R

2015-01-01

Successful amelioration of medical errors represents a significant problem in the health care industry. There is a need for greater understanding of the factors that lead to improved process quality and patient safety outcomes in hospitals. We present a research model that shows how transformational leadership, safety climate, and continuous quality improvement (CQI) initiatives are related to objective quality and patient safety outcome measures. The proposed framework is tested using structural equation modeling, based on data collected for 204 hospitals, and supplemented with objective outcome data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The results provide empirical evidence that a safety climate, which is connected to the chief executive officer's transformational leadership style, is related to CQI initiatives, which are linked to improved process quality. A unique finding of this study is that, although CQI initiatives are positively associated with improved process quality, they are also associated with higher hospital-acquired condition rates, a measure of patient safety. Likewise, safety climate is directly related to improved patient safety outcomes. The notion that patient safety climate and CQI initiatives are not interchangeable or universally beneficial is an important contribution to the literature. The results confirm the importance of using CQI to effectively enhance process quality in hospitals, and patient safety climate to improve patient safety outcomes. The overall pattern of findings suggests that simultaneous implementation of CQI initiatives and patient safety climate produces greater combined benefits.

Patterns in Safety-Related Projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parsons, Mike; Hunter, Charles

Within Logica UK, safety-related projects are run in a variety of ways depending on the constraints imposed and how the risks and mitigations are owned and handled. A total of eight different types of project development patterns have been identified and this paper discusses each type. A simple decision tool has been developed based on the patterns which is used as an aid in deciding how to bid a safety project, allowing tradeoffs between risk ownership, development methods and cost to be assessed.

An examination of the impact of five grade crossing safety factors on driver decision making

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-04-01

The authors applied signal detection theory to model the impact : of five grade-crossing safety factors to understand their impact : on driver decision making. The safety factors were improving : commercial motor vehicle (CMV) driver safety through f...

Safe RESIDential Environments? A longitudinal analysis of the influence of crime-related safety on walking.

PubMed

Foster, Sarah; Hooper, Paula; Knuiman, Matthew; Christian, Hayley; Bull, Fiona; Giles-Corti, Billie

2016-02-16

Numerous cross-sectional studies have investigated the premise that the perception of crime will cause residents to constrain their walking; however the findings to date are inconclusive. In contrast, few longitudinal or prospective studies have examined the impact of crime-related safety on residents walking behaviours. This study used longitudinal data to test whether there is a causal relationship between crime-related safety and walking in the local neighbourhood. Participants in the RESIDential Environments Project (RESIDE) in Perth, Australia, completed a questionnaire before moving to their new neighbourhood (n = 1813) and again approximately one (n = 1467), three (n = 1230) and seven years (n = 531) after relocating. Self-report measures included neighbourhood perceptions (modified NEWS items) and walking inside the neighbourhood (min/week). Objective built environmental measures were generated for each participant's 1600 m neighbourhood at each time-point, and the count of crimes reported to police were generated at the suburb-level for the first three time-points only. The impact of crime-related safety on walking was examined in SAS using the Proc Mixed procedure (marginal repeated measures model with unrestricted variance pattern). Initial models controlled for demographics, time and self-selection, and subsequent models progressively adjusted for other built and social environment factors based on a social ecological model. For every increase of one level on a five-point Likert scale in perceived safety from crime, total walking within the local neighbourhood increased by 18.0 min/week (p = 0.000). This relationship attenuated to an increase of 10.5 min/week after accounting for other built and social environment factors, but remained significant (p = 0.008). Further analyses examined transport and recreational walking separately. In the fully adjusted models, each increase in safety from crime was associated with a 7.0�

An assessment of the impact of home safety assessments on fires and fire-related injuries: a case study of Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service.

PubMed

Arch, B N; Thurston, M N

2013-06-01

Deaths and injuries related to fires are largely preventable events. In the UK, a plethora of community-based fire safety initiatives have been introduced over the last 25 years, often led by fire and rescue services, to address this issue. This paper focuses on one such initiative--home safety assessments (HSAs). Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service (in England) implemented a uniquely large-scale HSA intervention. This paper assesses its effectiveness. The impact of HSAs was assessed in relation to three outcomes: accidental dwelling fires (ADFs), ADFs contained and injuries arising from ADFs. A two-period comparison in fire-related rates of incidences in Cheshire between 2002 and 2011 was implemented, using Poisson regression and adjusting for the national temporal trend using a control group comprising the 37 other English non-metropolitan fire-services. Significant reductions were observed in rates of ADFs [incidence rate ratios (IRR): 0.79, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.74-0.83, P < 0.001, 2002/03-2007/08 versus 2008/09-2010/11] and associated injuries (IRR: 0.49, 95% CI: 0.39-0.60, P < 0.001, 2002/03-2006/07 versus 2007/08-2010/11), but not in the proportion of fires contained to room of origin. There is strong evidence to suggest that the intervention was successful in reducing domestic fires and related injuries.

Trends in technology, trade and consumption likely to impact on microbial food safety.

PubMed

Quested, T E; Cook, P E; Gorris, L G M; Cole, M B

2010-05-30

Current and potential future trends in technology, consumption and trade of food that may impact on food-borne disease are analysed and the key driving factors identified focusing on the European Union and, to a lesser extent, accounting for the United States and global issues. Understanding of factors is developed using system-based methods and their impact is discussed in relation to current events and predictions of future trends. These factors come from a wide range of spheres relevant to food and include political, economic, social, technological, regulatory and environmental drivers. The degree of certainty in assessing the impact of important driving factors is considered in relation to food-borne disease. The most important factors driving an increase in the burden of food-borne disease in the next few decades were found to be the anticipated doubling of the global demand for food and of the international trade in food next to a significantly increased consumption of certain high-value food commodities such as meat and poultry and fresh produce. A less important factor potentially increasing the food-borne disease burden would be the increased demand for convenience foods. Factors that may contribute to a reduction in the food-borne disease burden were identified as the ability of governments around the world to take effective regulatory measures as well as the development and use of new food safety technologies and detection methods. The most important factor in reducing the burden of food-borne disease was identified as our ability to first detect and investigate a food safety issue and then to develop effective control measures. Given the global scale of impact on food safety that current and potentially future trends have, either by potentially increasing or decreasing the food-borne disease burden, it is concluded that a key role is fulfilled by intergovernmental organisations and by international standard setting bodies in coordinating the

CENTERLINE RUMBLE STRIPS SAFETY IMPACT EVALUATION—PHASE 2

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2018-02-02

Centerline rumble strips are used by various states as a low-cost countermeasure for mitigating cross-over crashes on two-way highways. This study performs a safety impact evaluation using an empirical Bayesian analysis. The researchers obtained a cr...

Insights from an international stakeholder consultation to identify informational needs related to seafood safety.

PubMed

Tediosi, Alice; Fait, Gabriella; Jacobs, Silke; Verbeke, Wim; Álvarez-Muñoz, Diana; Diogene, Jorge; Reuver, Marieke; Marques, António; Capri, Ettore

2015-11-01

Food safety assessment and communication have a strong importance in reducing human health risks related to food consumption. The research carried out within the ECsafeSEAFOOD project aims to assess seafood safety issues, mainly related to non-regulated priority environmental contaminants, and to evaluate their impact on public health. In order to make the research results accessible and exploitable, and to respond to actual stakeholders' demands, a consultation with international stakeholders was performed by means of a survey. The focus was on policy and decision makers, food producers and processors, and agencies (i.e. EU and National or Regional agencies related to Food Safety or Public Health) and consumer organisations. The survey considered questions related to: seafood safety assessment and mitigation strategies, availability of data, such as the level of information on different contaminants, and communication among different stakeholder groups. Furthermore, stakeholders were asked to give their opinion on how they believe consumers perceive risks associated with environmental contaminants. The survey was distributed to 531 key stakeholders and 91 responses were received from stakeholders from 30 EU and non-EU countries. The main results show that communication between different groups of stakeholders needs to be improved and that there is a deficit of information and data in the field of seafood safety. This pertains mainly to the transfer of contaminants between the environment and seafood, and to the diversity of environmental contaminants such as plastic additives, algal toxins and hormones. On-line tools were perceived to be the most useful communication channel. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Integrated assessment of pedestrian head impact protection in testing secondary safety and autonomous emergency braking.

PubMed

Searson, D J; Anderson, R W G; Hutchinson, T P

2014-02-01

Pedestrian impact testing is used to provide information to the public about the relative level of protection provided by different vehicles to a struck pedestrian. Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) is a relatively new technology that aims to reduce the impact speed of such crashes. It is expected that vehicles with AEB will pose less harm to pedestrians, and that the benefit will come about through reductions in the number of collisions and a change in the severity of impacts that will still occur. In this paper, an integration of the assessment of AEB performance and impact performance is proposed based on average injury risk. Average injury risk is calculated using the result of an impact test and a previously published distribution of real world crash speeds. A second published speed distribution is used that accounts for the effects of AEB, and reduced average risks are implied. This principle allows the effects of AEB systems and secondary safety performance to be integrated into a single measure of safety. The results are used to examine the effect of AEB on Euro NCAP and ANCAP assessments using previously published results on the likely effect of AEB. The results show that, given certain assumptions about AEB performance, the addition of AEB is approximately the equivalent of increasing Euro NCAP test performance by one band, which corresponds to an increase in the score of 25% of the maximum. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Impact of eHealth on the Quality and Safety of Healthcare

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Majeed, Azeem; Black, Ashly; Car, Josip; Anandan, Chantelle; Cresswell, Kathrin; McKinstry, Brian; Pagliari, Claudia; Procter, Rob; Sheikh, Aziz

There is considerable interest in using information technology (IT) to enhance the quality and safety of healthcare. We undertook a systematic literature review to assess the impact of eHealth applications on the quality and safety of healthcare. We retrieved 46,349 potentially relevant publications, from which we selected 67 relevant systematic reviews for inclusion. The literature was found to be poorly collated and of variable quality in its methodology, reporting and utility. We categorised eHealth applications into three main areas: i). storing, managing and transmission of data; ii). supporting clinical decision-making; and iii). facilitating care from a distance. We found that relative to the potential benefits noted within the literature, little empirical evidence exists in support of these applications. Of the few studies revealing the clearest evidence of benefits, many are from academic clinical centres where developers of new applications have also been directly associated with their evaluation. It is therefore unclear how effective these applications would be if deployed outside the environment in which they were developed. Our review of the impact of eHealth applications on quality and safety of healthcare demonstrated a vast gap between the postulated and empirically demonstrated benefits. In addition, there is a lack of robust research on risks and costs. Consequently, the cost-effectiveness of these interventions has yet to be demonstrated.

Materials-related issues in the safety and licensing of nuclear fusion facilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, N.; Merrill, B.; Cadwallader, L.; Di Pace, L.; El-Guebaly, L.; Humrickhouse, P.; Panayotov, D.; Pinna, T.; Porfiri, M.-T.; Reyes, S.; Shimada, M.; Willms, S.

2017-09-01

Fusion power holds the promise of electricity production with a high degree of safety and low environmental impact. Favourable characteristics of fusion as an energy source provide the potential for this very good safety and environmental performance. But to fully realize the potential, attention must be paid in the design of a demonstration fusion power plant (DEMO) or a commercial power plant to minimize the radiological hazards. These hazards arise principally from the inventory of tritium and from materials that become activated by neutrons from the plasma. The confinement of these radioactive substances, and prevention of radiation exposure, are the primary goals of the safety approach for fusion, in order to minimize the potential for harm to personnel, the public, and the environment. The safety functions that are implemented in the design to achieve these goals are dependent on the performance of a range of materials. Degradation of the properties of materials can lead to challenges to key safety functions such as confinement. In this paper the principal types of material that have some role in safety are recalled. These either represent a potential source of hazard or contribute to the amelioration of hazards; in each case the related issues are reviewed. The resolution of these issues lead, in some instances, to requirements on materials specifications or to limits on their performance.

Social media for arthritis-related comparative effectiveness and safety research and the impact of direct-to-consumer advertising.

PubMed

Curtis, Jeffrey R; Chen, Lang; Higginbotham, Phillip; Nowell, W Benjamin; Gal-Levy, Ronit; Willig, James; Safford, Monika; Coe, Joseph; O'Hara, Kaitlin; Sa'adon, Roee

2017-03-07

Social media may complement traditional data sources to answer comparative effectiveness/safety questions after medication licensure. The Treato platform was used to analyze all publicly available social media data including Facebook, blogs, and discussion boards for posts mentioning inflammatory arthritis (e.g. rheumatoid, psoriatic). Safety events were self-reported by patients and mapped to medical ontologies, resolving synonyms. Disease and symptom-related treatment indications were manually redacted. The units of analysis were unique terms in posts. Pre-specified conditions (e.g. herpes zoster (HZ)) were selected based upon safety signals from clinical trials and reported as pairwise odds ratios (ORs); drugs were compared with Fisher's exact test. Empirically identified events were analyzed using disproportionality analysis and reported as relative reporting ratios (RRRs). The accuracy of a natural language processing (NLP) classifier to identify cases of shingles associated with arthritis medications was assessed. As of October 2015, there were 785,656 arthritis-related posts. Posts were predominantly US posts (75%) from patient authors (87%) under 40 years of age (61%). For HZ posts (n = 1815), ORs were significantly increased with tofacitinib versus other rheumatoid arthritis therapies. ORs for mentions of perforated bowel (n = 13) were higher with tocilizumab versus other therapies. RRRs associated with tofacitinib were highest in conditions related to baldness and hair regrowth, infections and cancer. The NLP classifier had a positive predictive value of 91% to identify HZ. There was a threefold increase in posts following television direct-to-consumer advertisement (p = 0.04); posts expressing medication safety concerns were significantly more frequent than favorable posts. Social media is a challenging yet promising data source that may complement traditional approaches for comparative effectiveness research for new medications.

The impact of personality on driving safety among Chinese high-speed railway drivers.

PubMed

Guo, Ming; Wei, Wei; Liao, Ganli; Chu, Fulei

2016-07-01

This study explored the impact of personality traits on driving safety in high-speed railway drivers. A sample of high-speed railway drivers in Beijing (N=214) completed a questionnaire, including information on personality traits and background variables. The NEO Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) was administered to characterize participants based on five personality traits: Neuroticism, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Openness to Experience, and Conscientiousness. The survey data were combined with naturalistic data of accident involvement and risky driving behavior in China. Poisson regression results show that drivers with high Conscientiousness and Extraversion caused fewer accidents. Higher Conscientiousness and lower Agreeableness were related to less frequent risky driving behavior. Education level and age negatively moderated the relation between certain personality traits and driving safety. The findings suggest that personality traits should be considered when selecting and training high-speed railway drivers. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Impacts of Job Stress and Cognitive Failure on Patient Safety Incidents among Hospital Nurses.

PubMed

Park, Young-Mi; Kim, Souk Young

2013-12-01

This study aimed to identify the impacts of job stress and cognitive failure on patient safety incidents among hospital nurses in Korea. The study included 279 nurses who worked for at least 6 months in five general hospitals in Korea. Data were collected with self-administered questionnaires designed to measure job stress, cognitive failure, and patient safety incidents. This study showed that 27.9% of the participants had experienced patient safety incidents in the past 6 months. Factors affecting incidents were found to be shift work [odds ratio (OR) = 6.85], cognitive failure (OR = 2.92), lacking job autonomy (OR = 0.97), and job instability (OR = 1.02). Patient safety incidents were affected by shift work, cognitive failure, and job stress. Many countermeasures to reduce the incidents caused by shift work, and plans to reduce job stress to reduce the workers' cognitive failure are required. In addition, there is a necessity to reduce job instability and clearly define the scope and authority for duties that are directly related to the patient's safety.

Impacts of Job Stress and Cognitive Failure on Patient Safety Incidents among Hospital Nurses

PubMed Central

Park, Young-Mi; Kim, Souk Young

2013-01-01

Background This study aimed to identify the impacts of job stress and cognitive failure on patient safety incidents among hospital nurses in Korea. Methods The study included 279 nurses who worked for at least 6 months in five general hospitals in Korea. Data were collected with self-administered questionnaires designed to measure job stress, cognitive failure, and patient safety incidents. Results This study showed that 27.9% of the participants had experienced patient safety incidents in the past 6 months. Factors affecting incidents were found to be shift work [odds ratio (OR) = 6.85], cognitive failure (OR = 2.92), lacking job autonomy (OR = 0.97), and job instability (OR = 1.02). Conclusion Patient safety incidents were affected by shift work, cognitive failure, and job stress. Many countermeasures to reduce the incidents caused by shift work, and plans to reduce job stress to reduce the workers' cognitive failure are required. In addition, there is a necessity to reduce job instability and clearly define the scope and authority for duties that are directly related to the patient's safety. PMID:24422177

Are health professionals' perceptions of patient safety related to figures on safety incidents?

PubMed

Martijn, Lucie; Harmsen, Mirjam; Gaal, Sander; Mettes, Dirk; van Dulmen, Simone; Wensing, Michel

2013-10-01

The study aims to explore whether health care professionals' perceptions of patient safety in their practice were associated with the number of patient safety incidents identified in patient records. Seventy primary care practices of general practice, general dental practice, midwifery practices and allied health care practices were used in the study. A retrospective audit of 50 patient records was performed to identify patient safety incidents in each of the practices and a survey among health professionals to identify their perceptions of patient safety. All health professions felt that 'communication breakdowns inside the practice' as well as 'communication breakdowns outside the practice' and 'reporting of patient safety concerns' were a threat to patient safety in their work setting. We found little association between the perceptions of health professionals and the number of safety incidents. The only item with a significant relation to a higher number of safety incidents referred to the perception of 'communication problems outside the practice' as a threat to patient safety. This study indicates that the assessment of professionals' perceptions may be complementary to observed safety incidents, but not linked to an objective measure of patient safety. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

An analysis of electronic health record-related patient safety concerns

PubMed Central

Meeks, Derek W; Smith, Michael W; Taylor, Lesley; Sittig, Dean F; Scott, Jean M; Singh, Hardeep

2014-01-01

Objective A recent Institute of Medicine report called for attention to safety issues related to electronic health records (EHRs). We analyzed EHR-related safety concerns reported within a large, integrated healthcare system. Methods The Informatics Patient Safety Office of the Veterans Health Administration (VA) maintains a non-punitive, voluntary reporting system to collect and investigate EHR-related safety concerns (ie, adverse events, potential events, and near misses). We analyzed completed investigations using an eight-dimension sociotechnical conceptual model that accounted for both technical and non-technical dimensions of safety. Using the framework analysis approach to qualitative data, we identified emergent and recurring safety concerns common to multiple reports. Results We extracted 100 consecutive, unique, closed investigations between August 2009 and May 2013 from 344 reported incidents. Seventy-four involved unsafe technology and 25 involved unsafe use of technology. A majority (70%) involved two or more model dimensions. Most often, non-technical dimensions such as workflow, policies, and personnel interacted in a complex fashion with technical dimensions such as software/hardware, content, and user interface to produce safety concerns. Most (94%) safety concerns related to either unmet data-display needs in the EHR (ie, displayed information available to the end user failed to reduce uncertainty or led to increased potential for patient harm), software upgrades or modifications, data transmission between components of the EHR, or ‘hidden dependencies’ within the EHR. Discussion EHR-related safety concerns involving both unsafe technology and unsafe use of technology persist long after ‘go-live’ and despite the sophisticated EHR infrastructure represented in our data source. Currently, few healthcare institutions have reporting and analysis capabilities similar to the VA. Conclusions Because EHR-related safety concerns have complex

Insights from an international stakeholder consultation to identify informational needs related to seafood safety

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tediosi, Alice, E-mail: alice.tediosi@aeiforia.eu; Fait, Gabriella; Jacobs, Silke

Food safety assessment and communication have a strong importance in reducing human health risks related to food consumption. The research carried out within the ECsafeSEAFOOD project aims to assess seafood safety issues, mainly related to non-regulated priority environmental contaminants, and to evaluate their impact on public health. In order to make the research results accessible and exploitable, and to respond to actual stakeholders' demands, a consultation with international stakeholders was performed by means of a survey. The focus was on policy and decision makers, food producers and processors, and agencies (i.e. EU and National or Regional agencies related to Foodmore » Safety or Public Health) and consumer organisations. The survey considered questions related to: seafood safety assessment and mitigation strategies, availability of data, such as the level of information on different contaminants, and communication among different stakeholder groups. Furthermore, stakeholders were asked to give their opinion on how they believe consumers perceive risks associated with environmental contaminants. The survey was distributed to 531 key stakeholders and 91 responses were received from stakeholders from 30 EU and non-EU countries. The main results show that communication between different groups of stakeholders needs to be improved and that there is a deficit of information and data in the field of seafood safety. This pertains mainly to the transfer of contaminants between the environment and seafood, and to the diversity of environmental contaminants such as plastic additives, algal toxins and hormones. On-line tools were perceived to be the most useful communication channel. - Highlights: • We consulted stakeholders to identify their needs about seafood safety. • An on-line survey was prepared and sent to gather stakeholders' opinions. • Communication among stakeholders needs to be improved. • There is a deficit of information and data in the

Experimental research on safety impacts of the inside shoulder based on driving simulation.

PubMed

Zhao, Xiaohua; Ding, Han; Wu, Yiping; Ma, Jianming; Zhong, Liande

2015-03-01

Statistical data shows that single-vehicle crashes account for half of all traffic crashes on expressways in China, and previous research has indicated that main contributing factors were related to whether and how the inside shoulder was paved. The inside shoulder provides space for drivers to make evasive maneuvers and accommodate driver errors. However, lower-cost construction solutions in China have resulted in the design of numerous urban expressway segments that lack inside shoulders. This paper has two objectives. The first is to reveal the safety impacts of inside shoulders on urban expressways by driving simulator experiment. The second objective is to propose optimal range and recommended value of inside shoulder width for designing inside shoulders of urban expressways. The empirical data, including subjects' eye movement data, heart rate (HR) and the lateral position of vehicles, were collected in a driving simulator. The data were analyzed to evaluate the safety impacts of the inside shoulder. The results have revealed that the inside shoulder has an impact on drivers' visual perception, behaviors, and psychology; in particular, it has a significant effect on vehicle operations. In addition, this paper recommends the desired and optimal inside shoulder widths for eight-lane, two-way divided expressways. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluating the impact of grade crossing safety factors through signal detection theory

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-10-22

The purpose of this effort was to apply signal detection theory to descriptively model the impact : of five grade crossing safety factors to understand their effect on driver decision making. The : safety factors consisted of: improving commercial mo...

Hospital safety climate and safety behavior: A social exchange perspective.

PubMed

Ancarani, Alessandro; Di Mauro, Carmela; Giammanco, Maria D

Safety climate is considered beneficial to the improvement of hospital safety outcomes. Nevertheless, the relations between two of its key constituents, namely those stemming from leader-subordinate relations and coworker support for safety, are still to be fully ascertained. This article uses the theoretical lens of Social Exchange Theory to study the joint impact of leader-member exchange in the safety sphere and coworker support for safety on safety-related behavior at the hospital ward level. Social exchange constructs are further related to the existence of a shame-/blame-free environment, seen as a potential antecedent of safety behavior. A cross-sectional study including 166 inpatients in hospital wards belonging to 10 public hospitals in Italy was undertaken to test the hypotheses developed. Hypothesized relations have been analyzed through a fully mediated multilevel structural equation model. This methodology allows studying behavior at the individual level, while keeping into account the heterogeneity among hospital specialties. Results suggest that the linkage between leader support for safety and individual safety behavior is mediated by coworker support on safety issues and by the creation of a shame-free environment. These findings call for the creation of a safety climate in which managerial efforts should be directed not only to the provision of new safety resources and the enforcement of safety rules but also to the encouragement of teamwork and freedom to report errors as ways to foster the capacity of the staff to communicate, share, and learn from each other.

Beyond safety outcomes: An investigation of the impact of safety climate on job satisfaction, employee engagement and turnover using social exchange theory as the theoretical framework.

PubMed

Huang, Yueng-Hsiang; Lee, Jin; McFadden, Anna C; Murphy, Lauren A; Robertson, Michelle M; Cheung, Janelle H; Zohar, Dov

2016-07-01

Safety climate, a measure of the degree to which safety is perceived by employees to be a priority in their company, is often implicated as a key factor in the promotion of injury-reducing behavior and safe work environments. Using social exchange theory as a theoretical basis, this study hypothesized that safety climate would be related to employees' job satisfaction, engagement, and turnover rate, highlighting the beneficial effects of safety climate beyond typical safety outcomes. Survey data were collected from 6207 truck drivers from two U.S. trucking companies. The objective turnover rate was collected one year after the survey data collection. Results showed that employees' safety climate perceptions were linked to employees' level of job satisfaction, engagement, and objective turnover rate, thus supporting the application of social exchange theory. Job satisfaction was also a significant mediator between safety climate and the two human resource outcomes (i.e., employee engagement and turnover rate). This study is among the first to assess the impact of safety climate beyond safety outcomes among lone workers (using truck drivers as an exemplar). Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

The impact of nursing leadership on patient safety in a developing country.

PubMed

Stewart, Lee; Usher, Kim

2010-11-01

This article is a report of a study to identify the ways nursing leaders and managers in a developing country have an impact on patient safety. The attempt to address the problem of patient safety in health care is a global issue. Literature addressing the significant impact that nursing leadership has on patient safety is extensive and focuses almost exclusively on the developed world. A critical ethnography was conducted with senior registered nursing leaders and managers throughout the Fiji Islands, specifically those in the Head Office of the Fiji Ministry of Health and the most senior nurse in a hospital or community health service. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with senior nursing leaders and managers in Fiji. Thematic analysis of the interviews was undertaken from a critical theory perspective, with reference to the macro socio-political system of the Fiji Ministry of Health. Four interrelated issues regarding the nursing leaders and managers' impact on patient safety emerged from the study. Empowerment of nursing leaders and managers, an increased focus on the patient, the necessity to explore conditions for front-line nurses and the direct relationship between improved nursing conditions and increased patient safety mirrored literature from developed countries. The findings have significant implications for developing countries and it is crucial that support for patient safety in developing countries become a focus for the international nursing community. Nursing leaders and managers' increased focus on their own place in the hierarchy of the health care system and on nursing conditions as these affect patient safety could decrease adverse patient outcomes. The findings could assist the global nursing community to better support developing countries in pursuing a patient safety agenda. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

An assessment of traffic safety culture related to engagement efforts to improve traffic safety : research programs.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-12-01

The Center for Health and Safety Culture at Montana State University developed a survey to investigate the traffic safety culture related to engagement in traffic safety citizenship behaviors. The development of the survey was based on an augmented f...

Mine safety assessment using gray relational analysis and bow tie model

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Mine safety assessment is a precondition for ensuring orderly and safety in production. The main purpose of this study was to prevent mine accidents more effectively by proposing a composite risk analysis model. First, the weights of the assessment indicators were determined by the revised integrated weight method, in which the objective weights were determined by a variation coefficient method and the subjective weights determined by the Delphi method. A new formula was then adopted to calculate the integrated weights based on the subjective and objective weights. Second, after the assessment indicator weights were determined, gray relational analysis was used to evaluate the safety of mine enterprises. Mine enterprise safety was ranked according to the gray relational degree, and weak links of mine safety practices identified based on gray relational analysis. Third, to validate the revised integrated weight method adopted in the process of gray relational analysis, the fuzzy evaluation method was used to the safety assessment of mine enterprises. Fourth, for first time, bow tie model was adopted to identify the causes and consequences of weak links and allow corresponding safety measures to be taken to guarantee the mine’s safe production. A case study of mine safety assessment was presented to demonstrate the effectiveness and rationality of the proposed composite risk analysis model, which can be applied to other related industries for safety evaluation. PMID:29561875

The impact of radar detectors on highway traffic safety.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1988-08-01

As part of a program to examine the relationship between highway traffic safety and the use of radar detectors, comparisons were made between speed distributions when a detectable radar transmission was present and when it was not. The impact of dete...

Safety and economic impact of Texas travel information centers.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-12-01

The overall goal of this research was to develop a methodology and gather sufficient data to quantify the : impact of Texas Travel Information Center staff and services on the safety of travelers on Texas roadways. : Researchers used data and analyti...

Positive affect protects against deficient safety learning during extinction of fear of movement-related pain in healthy individuals scoring relatively high on trait anxiety.

PubMed

Meulders, Ann; Meulders, Michel; Vlaeyen, Johan W S

2014-06-01

From a treatment perspective, it is highly relevant to pinpoint individual vulnerability factors for resistance to exposure treatment in highly fearful chronic pain patients. Previous fear conditioning research showed that healthy individuals scoring relatively high on trait anxiety display sustained fear to safety cues during extinction. In the context of fear of movement-related pain, this intriguing question has been largely neglected so far. Even more importantly, positive psychological traits such as trait positive affect may function as protective factors against the spreading of fear to safe movements and improve exposure treatment outcomes. In this study, healthy participants completed a trait anxiety and trait positive affect questionnaire and underwent acquisition and extinction of fear of movement-related pain using an experimental voluntary movement paradigm. During acquisition, one movement (CS+) was paired with a painful stimulus and another movement was not (CS-). During extinction, the CS+ was no longer reinforced. Results show failure of fear inhibition to the CS- during extinction in healthy individuals scoring relatively high on trait anxiety or relatively low on positive affect. These findings seem to suggest that safety learning is more vulnerable in healthy people with a high anxious disposition and/or relatively lower levels of positive affect. In addition, this is the first study to show that the negative impact of high trait anxiety on fear inhibition to safety cues during extinction can be countered by high levels of positive affect. These findings may have important clinical implications. Both low positive affect and high trait anxiety are associated with impaired fear inhibition to nonpainful movements during fear extinction. Interestingly, high levels of positive affect buffer against the negative impact of trait anxiety. Increasing positive affect during exposure may counter the effects of trait vulnerabilities and improve treatment

Methodological approaches to evaluate the impact of FDA drug safety communications.

PubMed

Kesselheim, Aaron S; Campbell, Eric G; Schneeweiss, Sebastian; Rausch, Paula; Lappin, Brian M; Zhou, Esther H; Seeger, John D; Brownstein, John S; Woloshin, Steven; Schwartz, Lisa M; Toomey, Timothy; Dal Pan, Gerald J; Avorn, Jerry

2015-06-01

When the US FDA approves a new prescription drug there is still a great deal remaining to be learned about the safe and proper use of that product. When new information addressing these topics emerges post-approval, the FDA may issue a Drug Safety Communication (DSC) to alert patients and physicians. The effectiveness of the communication-how drug safety messaging conveyed in FDA DSCs changes patient or prescriber behavior-may depend on multiple factors, including the way physicians and patients learn about the information, their understanding of the issues conveyed, and their perception of the importance of the information. In 2013, the FDA issued two DSCs addressing critical new warnings related to products containing the sedative/hypnotic zolpidem. In this article, we describe a core set of research initiatives that can be used to study how zolpidem-related DSCs affected subsequent physician and patient decision making. These research initiatives include analyzing drug utilization patterns and related health outcomes; comparing zolpidem-containing products against a comparator with similar indications [eszopiclone (Lunesta)] not covered by the 2013 DSCs; and surveying patients and qualitatively evaluating the dissemination of information regarding these drugs in traditional and social-media channels. Using an integrated, multidisciplinary approach, we can obtain information that can be used to optimize regulatory communications by seeking to understand the impact of the information contained in FDA risk communications.

The Impact of Participatory Safety Rules Revision on Incident Rates, Liability Claims, and Safety Culture in the U.S. Railroad Industry

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2007-07-01

The Federal Railroad Administration Human Factors Research and Development Program sponsored a lessons learned study to examine the impact of safety rules revision on safety culture, incident rates, and liability claims in the railroad industry. Safe...

Occupational Safety and Related Impacts on Health  and the Environment.

PubMed

Watterson, Andrew

2016-10-05

The inter-relationship between safety, health and the 'environment' is a complex and at times a relatively neglected topic. In this issue, 'safety' is often viewed by contributors as 'health and safety' and includes occupationally-related ill health as well as injury or harm to employees and the wider public. 'Environment' is also interpreted in the widest sense covering both physical and work environments with upstream work hazards presenting risks to downstream communities. The focus is very much on exploring and where possible addressing the challenges, some old and some facing workers in a range of public and private settings and also at times their nearby communities. The 19 papers in the issue cover public and private sectors, global and very local populations, macro-theoretical perspectives, large epidemiological and some single factory or hospital site small case studies. A number of the papers are just beginning to explore and draw out for the first time the risks from hazards in their part of the world. The methodologies adopted also range from lab-based studies through ergonomic assessments and interventions to therapeutic approaches.

Implementation guide for monitoring work zone safety and mobility impacts

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-01-01

This implementation guide describes the conceptual framework, data requirements, and computational procedures for determining the safety and mobility impacts of work zones in Texas. Researchers designed the framework and procedures to assist district...

The mediating role of integration of safety by activity versus operator between organizational culture and safety climate.

PubMed

Auzoult, Laurent; Gangloff, Bernard

2018-04-20

In this study, we analyse the impact of the organizational culture and introduce a new variable, the integration of safety, which relates to the modalities for the implementation and adoption of safety in the work process, either through the activity or by the operator. One hundred and eighty employees replied to a questionnaire measuring the organizational climate, the safety climate and the integration of safety. We expected that implementation centred on the activity or on the operator would mediate the relationship between the organizational culture and the safety climate. The results support our assumptions. A regression analysis highlights the positive impact on the safety climate of organizational values of the 'rule' and 'support' type, as well as of integration by the operator and activity. Moreover, integration mediates the relation between these variables. The results suggest to take into account organizational culture and to introduce different implementation modalities to improve the safety climate.

Lean manufacturing comes to China: a case study of its impact on workplace health and safety.

PubMed

Brown, Garrett D; O'Rourke, Dara

2007-01-01

Lean manufacturing, which establishes small production "cells," or teams of workers, who complete an entire product from raw material processing through final assembly and shipment, increases health and safety hazards by mixing previously separated exposures to various chemicals (with possible additive and cumulative effects) and noise. The intensification of work leads to greater ergonomic and stress-related adverse health effects, as well as increased safety hazards. The standard industrial hygiene approach of anticipation, recognition, evaluation, and hazard control is applicable to lean operations. A focus on worker participation in identifying and solving problems is critical for reducing negative impacts. A key to worker safety in lean production operations is the development of informed, empowered, and active workers with the knowledge, skills, and opportunity to act in the workplace to eliminate or reduce hazards.

The impact of eHealth on the quality and safety of health care: a systematic overview.

PubMed

Black, Ashly D; Car, Josip; Pagliari, Claudia; Anandan, Chantelle; Cresswell, Kathrin; Bokun, Tomislav; McKinstry, Brian; Procter, Rob; Majeed, Azeem; Sheikh, Aziz

2011-01-18

There is considerable international interest in exploiting the potential of digital solutions to enhance the quality and safety of health care. Implementations of transformative eHealth technologies are underway globally, often at very considerable cost. In order to assess the impact of eHealth solutions on the quality and safety of health care, and to inform policy decisions on eHealth deployments, we undertook a systematic review of systematic reviews assessing the effectiveness and consequences of various eHealth technologies on the quality and safety of care. We developed novel search strategies, conceptual maps of health care quality, safety, and eHealth interventions, and then systematically identified, scrutinised, and synthesised the systematic review literature. Major biomedical databases were searched to identify systematic reviews published between 1997 and 2010. Related theoretical, methodological, and technical material was also reviewed. We identified 53 systematic reviews that focused on assessing the impact of eHealth interventions on the quality and/or safety of health care and 55 supplementary systematic reviews providing relevant supportive information. This systematic review literature was found to be generally of substandard quality with regards to methodology, reporting, and utility. We thematically categorised eHealth technologies into three main areas: (1) storing, managing, and transmission of data; (2) clinical decision support; and (3) facilitating care from a distance. We found that despite support from policymakers, there was relatively little empirical evidence to substantiate many of the claims made in relation to these technologies. Whether the success of those relatively few solutions identified to improve quality and safety would continue if these were deployed beyond the contexts in which they were originally developed, has yet to be established. Importantly, best practice guidelines in effective development and deployment

The Impact of eHealth on the Quality and Safety of Health Care: A Systematic Overview

PubMed Central

Black, Ashly D.; Car, Josip; Pagliari, Claudia; Anandan, Chantelle; Cresswell, Kathrin; Bokun, Tomislav; McKinstry, Brian; Procter, Rob; Majeed, Azeem; Sheikh, Aziz

2011-01-01

Background There is considerable international interest in exploiting the potential of digital solutions to enhance the quality and safety of health care. Implementations of transformative eHealth technologies are underway globally, often at very considerable cost. In order to assess the impact of eHealth solutions on the quality and safety of health care, and to inform policy decisions on eHealth deployments, we undertook a systematic review of systematic reviews assessing the effectiveness and consequences of various eHealth technologies on the quality and safety of care. Methods and Findings We developed novel search strategies, conceptual maps of health care quality, safety, and eHealth interventions, and then systematically identified, scrutinised, and synthesised the systematic review literature. Major biomedical databases were searched to identify systematic reviews published between 1997 and 2010. Related theoretical, methodological, and technical material was also reviewed. We identified 53 systematic reviews that focused on assessing the impact of eHealth interventions on the quality and/or safety of health care and 55 supplementary systematic reviews providing relevant supportive information. This systematic review literature was found to be generally of substandard quality with regards to methodology, reporting, and utility. We thematically categorised eHealth technologies into three main areas: (1) storing, managing, and transmission of data; (2) clinical decision support; and (3) facilitating care from a distance. We found that despite support from policymakers, there was relatively little empirical evidence to substantiate many of the claims made in relation to these technologies. Whether the success of those relatively few solutions identified to improve quality and safety would continue if these were deployed beyond the contexts in which they were originally developed, has yet to be established. Importantly, best practice guidelines in effective

Neighborhood Crime-Related Safety and Its Relation to Children's Physical Activity.

PubMed

Kneeshaw-Price, Stephanie H; Saelens, Brian E; Sallis, James F; Frank, Lawrence D; Grembowski, David E; Hannon, Peggy A; Smith, Nicholas L; Chan, K C Gary

2015-06-01

Crime is both a societal safety and public health issue. Examining different measures and aspects of crime-related safety and their correlations may provide insight into the unclear relationship between crime and children's physical activity. We evaluated five neighborhood crime-related safety measures to determine how they were interrelated. We then explored which crime-related safety measures were associated with children's total moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and MVPA in their neighborhoods. Significant positive correlations between observed neighborhood incivilities and parents' perceptions of general crime and disorder were found (r = 0.30, p = 0.0002), as were associations between parents' perceptions of general crime and disorder and perceptions of stranger danger (r = 0.30, p = 0.0002). Parent report of prior crime victimization in their neighborhood was associated with observed neighborhood incivilities (r = 0.22, p = 0.007) and their perceptions of both stranger danger (r = 0.24, p = 0.003) and general crime and disorder (r = 0.37, p < 0.0001). After accounting for covariates, police-reported crime within the census block group in which children lived was associated with less physical activity, both total and in their neighborhood (beta = -0.09, p = 0.005, beta = -0.01, p = 0.02, respectively). Neighborhood-active children living in the lowest crime-quartile neighborhoods based on police reports had 40 min more of total MVPA on average compared to neighborhood-active children living in the highest crime-quartile neighborhoods. Findings suggest that police reports of neighborhood crime may be contributing to lower children's physical activity.

Implementation of Programmatic Quality and the Impact on Safety

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huls, Dale Thomas; Meehan, Kevin

2005-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the implementation of a programmatic quality assurance discipline within the International Space Station Program and the resulting impact on safety. NASA culture has continued to stress safety at the expense of quality when both are extremely important and both can equally influence the success or failure of a Program or Mission. Although safety was heavily criticized in the media after Colimbiaa, strong case can be made that it was the failure of quality processes and quality assurance in all processes that eventually led to the Columbia accident. Consequently, it is possible to have good quality processes without safety, but it is impossible to have good safety processes without quality. The ISS Program quality assurance function was analyzed as representative of the long-term manned missions that are consistent with the President s Vision for Space Exploration. Background topics are as follows: The quality assurance organizational structure within the ISS Program and the interrelationships between various internal and external organizations. ISS Program quality roles and responsibilities with respect to internal Program Offices and other external organizations such as the Shuttle Program, JSC Directorates, NASA Headquarters, NASA Contractors, other NASA Centers, and International Partner/participants will be addressed. A detailed analysis of implemented quality assurance responsibilities and functions with respect to NASA Headquarters, the JSC S&MA Directorate, and the ISS Program will be presented. Discussions topics are as follows: A comparison of quality and safety resources in terms of staffing, training, experience, and certifications. A benchmark assessment of the lessons learned from the Columbia Accident Investigation (CAB) Report (and follow-up reports and assessments), NASA Benchmarking, and traditional quality assurance activities against ISS quality procedures and practices. The lack of a coherent operational

An assessment of traffic safety culture related to engagement in efforts to improve traffic safety : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-12-01

This final report summarizes the methods, results, conclusions, and recommendations derived from a survey conducted to understand values, beliefs, and attitudes regarding engagement in behaviors that impact the traffic safety of others. Results of th...

Perceived organizational support for safety and employee safety voice: the mediating role of coworker support for safety.

PubMed

Tucker, Sean; Chmiel, Nik; Turner, Nick; Hershcovis, M Sandy; Stride, Chris B

2008-10-01

In the present study, we modeled 2 sources of safety support (perceived organizational support for safety and perceived coworker support for safety) as predictors of employee safety voice, that is, speaking out in an attempt to change unsafe working conditions. Drawing on social exchange and social impact theories, we hypothesized and tested a mediated model predicting employee safety voice using a cross-sectional survey of urban bus drivers (n = 213) in the United Kingdom. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that perceived coworker support for safety fully mediated the relationship between perceived organizational support for safety and employee safety voice. This study adds to the employee voice literature by evaluating the important role that coworkers can play in encouraging others to speak out about safety issues. Implications for research and practice related to change-oriented safety communication are discussed.

Fatigue-related crashes involving express buses in Malaysia: will the proposed policy of banning the early-hour operation reduce fatigue-related crashes and benefit overall road safety?

PubMed

Mohamed, Norlen; Mohd-Yusoff, Mohammad-Fadhli; Othman, Ilhamah; Zulkipli, Zarir-Hafiz; Osman, Mohd Rasid; Voon, Wong Shaw

2012-03-01

Fatigue-related crashes have long been the topic of discussion and study worldwide. The relationship between fatigue-related crashes and time of day is well documented. In Malaysia, the possibility of banning express buses from operating during the early-hours of the morning has emerged as an important consideration for passenger safety. This paper highlights the findings of an impact assessment study. The study was conducted to determine all possible impacts prior to the government making any decision on the proposed banning. This study is an example of a simple and inexpensive approach that may influence future policy-making process. The impact assessment comprised two major steps. The first step involved profiling existing operation scenarios, gathering information on crashes involving public express buses and stakeholders' views. The second step involved a qualitative impact assessment analysis using all information gathered during the profiling stage to describe the possible impacts. Based on the assessment, the move to ban early-hour operations could possibly result in further negative impacts on the overall road safety agenda. These negative impacts may occur if the fundamental issues, such as driving and working hours, and the need for rest and sleep facilities for drivers, are not addressed. In addition, a safer and more accessible public transportation system as an alternative for those who choose to travel at night would be required. The proposed banning of early-hour operations is also not a feasible solution for sustainability of express bus operations in Malaysia, especially for those operating long journeys. The paper concludes by highlighting the need to design a more holistic approach for preventing fatigue-related crashes involving express buses in Malaysia. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An analysis of electronic health record-related patient safety incidents.

PubMed

Palojoki, Sari; Mäkelä, Matti; Lehtonen, Lasse; Saranto, Kaija

2017-06-01

The aim of this study was to analyse electronic health record-related patient safety incidents in the patient safety incident reporting database in fully digital hospitals in Finland. We compare Finnish data to similar international data and discuss their content with regard to the literature. We analysed the types of electronic health record-related patient safety incidents that occurred at 23 hospitals during a 2-year period. A procedure of taxonomy mapping served to allow comparisons. This study represents a rare examination of patient safety risks in a fully digital environment. The proportion of electronic health record-related incidents was markedly higher in our study than in previous studies with similar data. Human-computer interaction problems were the most frequently reported. The results show the possibility of error arising from the complex interaction between clinicians and computers.

Measuring the impact of pharmacoepidemiologic research using altmetrics: A case study of a CNODES drug-safety article.

PubMed

Gamble, J M; Traynor, Robyn L; Gruzd, Anatoliy; Mai, Philip; Dormuth, Colin R; Sketris, Ingrid S

2018-03-24

To provide an overview of altmetrics, including their potential benefits and limitations, how they may be obtained, and their role in assessing pharmacoepidemiologic research impact. Our review was informed by compiling relevant literature identified through searching multiple health research databases (PubMed, Embase, and CIHNAHL) and grey literature sources (websites, blogs, and reports). We demonstrate how pharmacoepidemiologists, in particular, may use altmetrics to understand scholarly impact and knowledge translation by providing a case study of a drug-safety study conducted by the Canadian Network of Observational Drug Effect Studies. A common approach to measuring research impact is the use of citation-based metrics, such as an article's citation count or a journal's impact factor. "Alternative" metrics, or altmetrics, are increasingly supported as a complementary measure of research uptake in the age of social media. Altmetrics are nontraditional indicators that capture a diverse set of traceable, online research-related artifacts including peer-reviewed publications and other research outputs (software, datasets, blogs, videos, posters, policy documents, presentations, social media posts, wiki entries, etc). Compared with traditional citation-based metrics, altmetrics take a more holistic view of research impact, attempting to capture the activity and engagement of both scholarly and nonscholarly communities. Despite the limited theoretical underpinnings, possible commercial influence, potential for gaming and manipulation, and numerous data quality-related issues, altmetrics are promising as a supplement to more traditional citation-based metrics because they can ingest and process a larger set of data points related to the flow and reach of scholarly communication from an expanded pool of stakeholders. Unlike citation-based metrics, altmetrics are not inherently rooted in the research publication process, which includes peer review; it is unclear to

Impact of Performance Obstacles on Intensive Care Nurses‘ Workload, Perceived Quality and Safety of Care, and Quality of Working Life

PubMed Central

Gurses, Ayse P; Carayon, Pascale; Wall, Melanie

2009-01-01

Objectives To study the impact of performance obstacles on intensive care nurses‘ workload, quality and safety of care, and quality of working life (QWL). Performance obstacles are factors that hinder nurses‘ capacity to perform their job and that are closely associated with their immediate work system. Data Sources/Study Setting Data were collected from 265 nurses in 17 intensive care units (ICUs) between February and August 2004 via a structured questionnaire, yielding a response rate of 80 percent. Study Design A cross-sectional study design was used. Data were analyzed by correlation analyses and structural equation modeling. Principal Findings Performance obstacles were found to affect perceived quality and safety of care and QWL of ICU nurses. Workload mediated the impact of performance obstacles with the exception of equipment-related issues on perceived quality and safety of care as well as QWL. Conclusions Performance obstacles in ICUs are a major determinant of nursing workload, perceived quality and safety of care, and QWL. In general, performance obstacles increase nursing workload, which in turn negatively affect perceived quality and safety of care and QWL. Redesigning the ICU work system to reduce performance obstacles may improve nurses‘ work. PMID:19207589

Electronic distractions of the respiratory therapist and their impact on patient safety.

PubMed

Papadakos, Peter J

2014-08-01

Over the last decade, data from the lay press, government agencies, and the business world have identified ever-growing problems with electronic distraction and changes in human relationships in this electronically interconnected planet. As health professionals, we are well aware of the epidemic growth of injuries and deaths related to texting and driving. It should not surprise us that this distracted behavior has affected all levels of health-care providers and has impacted patient care. This advent of “distracted doctoring” was first coined by the Pulitzer Prize-winning correspondent Matt Richtel in a landmark article in the New York Times, “As doctors use more devices, potential for distraction grows.” This article was a flashpoint for professional organizations to reflect on this change in behavior and how it will impact patient safety and how we relate to patients. The explosion in technology (both personnel and hospital-based), coupled with a rapid social shift, creates an environment that constantly tempts health-care workers to surf the internet, check social media outlets, or respond to e-mails. Studies and commentaries in the medical literature only support how this is a growing problem in patient safety and may both increase medical errors and affects costs and the way we relate to patients and fellow staff. The Emergency Care Research Institute (ECRI) released its annual list of technology hazards for 2013, and three ring true for United States caregivers: distractions from smartphones and mobile devices, alarm hazards, and patient/data mismatches in electronic medical records and other health IT systems, all being in the top 10. How do we begin to address these new technological threats to our patients? First and foremost, we accept that this problem exists. We begin by educating our students and staff that this electronic explosion affects our behavior through addiction and the environment within our hospital through the use of electronic

The relative impact of work-related stress, life stress and driving environment stress on driving outcomes.

PubMed

Rowden, Peter; Matthews, Gerald; Watson, Barry; Biggs, Herbert

2011-07-01

Previous research has shown the association between stress and crash involvement. The impact of stress on road safety may also be mediated by behaviours including cognitive lapses, errors, and intentional traffic violations. This study aimed to provide a further understanding of the impact that stress from different sources may have upon driving behaviour and road safety. It is asserted that both stress extraneous to the driving environment and stress directly elicited by driving must be considered part of a dynamic system that may have a negative impact on driving behaviours. Two hundred and forty-seven public sector employees from Queensland, Australia, completed self-report measures examining demographics, subjective work-related stress, daily hassles, and aspects of general mental health. Additionally, the Driver Behaviour Questionnaire (DBQ) and the Driver Stress Inventory (DSI) were administered. All participants drove for work purposes regularly, however the study did not specifically focus on full-time professional drivers. Confirmatory factor analysis of the predictor variables revealed three factors: DSI negative affect; DSI risk taking; and extraneous influences (daily hassles, work-related stress, and general mental health). Moderate intercorrelations were found between each of these factors confirming the 'spillover' effect. That is, driver stress is reciprocally related to stress in other domains including work and domestic life. Structural equation modelling (SEM) showed that the DSI negative affect factor influenced both lapses and errors, whereas the DSI risk-taking factor was the strongest influence on violations. The SEMs also confirmed that daily hassles extraneous to the driving environment may influence DBQ lapses and violations independently. Accordingly, interventions may be developed to increase driver awareness of the dangers of excessive emotional responses to both driving events and daily hassles (e.g. driving fast to 'blow off steam

A statistical analysis of the impact of advertising signs on road safety.

PubMed

Yannis, George; Papadimitriou, Eleonora; Papantoniou, Panagiotis; Voulgari, Chrisoula

2013-01-01

This research aims to investigate the impact of advertising signs on road safety. An exhaustive review of international literature was carried out on the effect of advertising signs on driver behaviour and safety. Moreover, a before-and-after statistical analysis with control groups was applied on several road sites with different characteristics in the Athens metropolitan area, in Greece, in order to investigate the correlation between the placement or removal of advertising signs and the related occurrence of road accidents. Road accident data for the 'before' and 'after' periods on the test sites and the control sites were extracted from the database of the Hellenic Statistical Authority, and the selected 'before' and 'after' periods vary from 2.5 to 6 years. The statistical analysis shows no statistical correlation between road accidents and advertising signs in none of the nine sites examined, as the confidence intervals of the estimated safety effects are non-significant at 95% confidence level. This can be explained by the fact that, in the examined road sites, drivers are overloaded with information (traffic signs, directions signs, labels of shops, pedestrians and other vehicles, etc.) so that the additional information load from advertising signs may not further distract them.

Radiation safety issues related to radiolabeled antibodies. [Contains glossary

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barber, D.E.; Baum, J.W.; Meinhold, C. B.

1991-03-01

Techniques related to the use of radiolabeled antibodies in humans are reviewed and evaluated in this report. It is intended as an informational resource for the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and NRC licensees. Descriptions of techniques and health and safety issues are provided. Principal methods for labeling antibodies are summarized to help identify related radiation safety problems in the preparation of dosages for administration to patients. The descriptions are derived from an extensive literature review and consultations with experts in the field. A glossary of terms and acronyms is also included. An assessment was made of the extent ofmore » the involvement of organizations (other than the NRC) with safety issues related to radiolabeled antibodies, in order to identify regulatory issues which require attention. Federal regulations and guides were also reviewed for their relevance. A few (but significant) differences between the use of common radiopharmaceuticals and radiolabeled antibodies were observed. The clearance rate of whole, radiolabeled immunoglobulin is somewhat slower than common radiopharmaceuticals, and new methods of administration are being used. New nuclides are being used or considered (e.g., Re-186 and At-211) for labeling antibodies. Some of these nuclides present new dosimetry, instrument calibration, and patient management problems. Subjects related to radiation safety that require additional research are identified. 149 refs., 3 figs., 20 tabs.« less

Revealing and Resolving Patient Safety Defects: The Impact of Leadership WalkRounds on Frontline Caregiver Assessments of Patient Safety

PubMed Central

Frankel, Allan; Grillo, Sarah Pratt; Pittman, Mary; Thomas, Eric J; Horowitz, Lisa; Page, Martha; Sexton, Bryan

2008-01-01

Objective To evaluate the impact of rigorous WalkRounds on frontline caregiver assessments of safety climate, and to clarify the steps and implementation of rigorous WalkRounds. Data Sources/Study Setting Primary outcome variables were baseline and post WalkRounds safety climate scores from the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ). Secondary outcomes were safety issues elicited through WalkRounds. Study period was August 2002 to April 2005; seven hospitals in Massachusetts agreed to participate; and the project was implemented in all patient care areas. Study Design Prospective study of the impact of rigorously applied WalkRounds on frontline caregivers assessments of safety climate in their patient care area. WalkRounds were conducted weekly and according to the seven-step WalkRounds Guide. The SAQ was administered at baseline and approximately 18 months post-WalkRounds implementation to all caregivers in patient care areas. Results Two of seven hospitals complied with the rigorous WalkRounds approach; hospital A was an academic teaching center and hospital B a community teaching hospital. Of 21 patient care areas, SAQ surveys were received from 62 percent of respondents at baseline and 60 percent post WalkRounds. At baseline, 10 of 21 care areas (48 percent) had safety climate scores below 60 percent, whereas post-WalkRounds three care areas (14 percent) had safety climate scores below 60 percent without improving by 10 points or more. Safety climate scale scores in hospital A were 62 percent at baseline and 77 percent post-WalkRounds (t=2.67, p=.03), and in hospital B were 46 percent at baseline and 56 percent post WalkRounds (t=2.06, p=.06). Main safety issues by category were equipment/facility (A [26 percent] and B [33 percent]) and communication (A [24 percent] and B [18 percent]). Conclusions WalkRounds implementation requires significant organizational will; sustainability requires outstanding project management and leadership engagement. In the patient

Using Active Learning to Identify Health Information Technology Related Patient Safety Events.

PubMed

Fong, Allan; Howe, Jessica L; Adams, Katharine T; Ratwani, Raj M

2017-01-18

The widespread adoption of health information technology (HIT) has led to new patient safety hazards that are often difficult to identify. Patient safety event reports, which are self-reported descriptions of safety hazards, provide one view of potential HIT-related safety events. However, identifying HIT-related reports can be challenging as they are often categorized under other more predominate clinical categories. This challenge of identifying HIT-related reports is exacerbated by the increasing number and complexity of reports which pose challenges to human annotators that must manually review reports. In this paper, we apply active learning techniques to support classification of patient safety event reports as HIT-related. We evaluated different strategies and demonstrated a 30% increase in average precision of a confirmatory sampling strategy over a baseline no active learning approach after 10 learning iterations.

Safety concerns related to modular/prefabricated building construction.

PubMed

Fard, Maryam Mirhadi; Terouhid, Seyyed Amin; Kibert, Charles J; Hakim, Hamed

2017-03-01

The US construction industry annually experiences a relatively high rate of fatalities and injuries; therefore, improving safety practices should be considered a top priority for this industry. Modular/prefabricated building construction is a construction strategy that involves manufacturing of the whole building or some of its components off-site. This research focuses on the safety performance of the modular/prefabricated building construction sector during both manufacturing and on-site processes. This safety evaluation can serve as the starting point for improving the safety performance of this sector. Research was conducted based on Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigated accidents. The study found 125 accidents related to modular/prefabricated building construction. The details of each accident were closely examined to identify the types of injury and underlying causes. Out of 125 accidents, there were 48 fatalities (38.4%), 63 hospitalized injuries (50.4%), and 14 non-hospitalized injuries (11.2%). It was found that, the most common type of injury in modular/prefabricated construction was 'fracture', and the most common cause of accidents was 'fall'. The most frequent cause of cause (underlying and root cause) was 'unstable structure'. In this research, the accidents were also examined in terms of corresponding location, occupation, equipment as well as activities during which the accidents occurred. For improving safety records of the modular/prefabricated construction sector, this study recommends that future research be conducted on stabilizing structures during their lifting, storing, and permanent installation, securing fall protection systems during on-site assembly of components while working from heights, and developing training programmes and standards focused on modular/prefabricated construction.

Improving safety culture through the health and safety organization: a case study.

PubMed

Nielsen, Kent J

2014-02-01

International research indicates that internal health and safety organizations (HSO) and health and safety committees (HSC) do not have the intended impact on companies' safety performance. The aim of this case study at an industrial plant was to test whether the HSO can improve company safety culture by creating more and better safety-related interactions both within the HSO and between HSO members and the shop-floor. A quasi-experimental single case study design based on action research with both quantitative and qualitative measures was used. Based on baseline mapping of safety culture and the efficiency of the HSO three developmental processes were started aimed at the HSC, the whole HSO, and the safety representatives, respectively. Results at follow-up indicated a marked improvement in HSO performance, interaction patterns concerning safety, safety culture indicators, and a changed trend in injury rates. These improvements are interpreted as cultural change because an organizational double-loop learning process leading to modification of the basic assumptions could be identified. The study provides evidence that the HSO can improve company safety culture by focusing on safety-related interactions. © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd and National Safety Council.

Effectiveness of the IMPACT:Ability Program to Improve Safety and Self-Advocacy Skills in High School Students with Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dryden, Eileen M.; Desmarais, Jeffery; Arsenault, Lisa

2014-01-01

Background: Individuals with disabilities experience higher rates of abuse than the nondisabled. Few evidence-based prevention interventions have been published despite a need for such work. This study evaluated IMPACT:Ability, a safety and self-advocacy training for individuals with cognitive and/or physical disabilities. Methods: A…

A new method to evaluate future impact of vehicle safety technology in Sweden.

PubMed

Strandroth, Johan; Sternlund, Simon; Tingvall, Claes; Johansson, Roger; Rizzi, Matteo; Kullgren, Anders

2012-10-01

In the design of a safe road transport system there is a need to better understand the safety challenges lying ahead. One way of doing that is to evaluate safety technology with retrospective analysis of crashes. However, by using retros- pective data there is the risk of adapting safety innovations to scenarios irrelevant in the future. Also, challenges arise as safety interventions do not act alone but are rather interacting components in a complex road transport system. The objective of this study was therefore to facilitate the prioritizing of road safety measures by developing and applying a new method to consider possible impact of future vehicle safety technology. The key point was to project the chain of events leading to a crash today into the crashes for a given time in the future. Assumptions on implementation on safety technologies were made and these assump- tions were applied on the crashes of today. It was estimated which crashes would be prevented and the residual was analyzed to identify the characteristics of future crashes. The Swedish Transport Administration's in-depth studies of fatal crashes from 2010 involving car passengers (n=156) were used. This study estimated that the number of killed car occupant would be reduced with 53 percent from the year 2010 to 2020. Through this new method, valuable information regarding the characteristic of the future crashes was found. The results of this study showed that it was possible to evaluate future impact of vehicle safety technology if detailed and representative crash data is available.

Exploration of impact measures of safety belt use laws. Volume 1

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1990-02-01

Author's abstract: This project identified, evaluated, and recommended indicators of safety belt use law (SBUL) impact (other than fatality reduction and observed belt usage), as well as institutional sources that collect them. The project involved a...

Evaluating the safety impact of adaptive cruise control in traffic oscillations on freeways.

PubMed

Li, Ye; Li, Zhibin; Wang, Hao; Wang, Wei; Xing, Lu

2017-07-01

Adaptive cruise control (ACC) has been considered one of the critical components of automated driving. ACC adjusts vehicle speeds automatically by measuring the status of the ego-vehicle and leading vehicle. Current commercial ACCs are designed to be comfortable and convenient driving systems. Little attention is paid to the safety impacts of ACC, especially in traffic oscillations when crash risks are the highest. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the impacts of ACC parameter settings on rear-end collisions on freeways. First, the occurrence of a rear-end collision in a stop-and-go wave was analyzed. A car-following model in an integrated ACC was developed for a simulation analysis. The time-to-collision based factors were calculated as surrogate safety measures of the collision risk. We also evaluated different market penetration rates considering that the application of ACC will be a gradual process. The results showed that the safety impacts of ACC were largely affected by the parameters. Smaller time delays and larger time gaps improved safety performance, but inappropriate parameter settings increased the collision risks and caused traffic disturbances. A higher reduction of the collision risk was achieved as the ACC vehicle penetration rate increased, especially in the initial stage with penetration rates of less than 30%. This study also showed that in the initial stage, the combination of ACC and a variable speed limit achieved better safety improvements on congested freeways than each single technique. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Impact of design features upon perceived tool usability and safety

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiker, Steven F.; Seol, Mun-Su

2005-11-01

While injuries from powered hand tools are caused by a number of factors, this study looks specifically at the impact of the tools design features on perceived tool usability and safety. The tools used in this study are circular saws, power drills and power nailers. Sixty-nine males and thirty-two females completed an anonymous web-based questionnaire that provided orthogonal view photographs of the various tools. Subjects or raters provided: 1) description of the respondents or raters, 2) description of the responses from the raters, and 3) analysis of the interrelationships among respondent ratings of tool safety and usability, physical metrics of the tool, and rater demographic information. The results of the study found that safety and usability were dependent materially upon rater history of use and experience, but not upon training in safety and usability, or quality of design features of the tools (e.g., grip diameters, trigger design, guards, etc.). Thus, positive and negative transfer of prior experience with use of powered hand tools is far more important than any expectancy that may be driven by prior safety and usability training, or from the visual cues that are provided by the engineering design of the tool.

The Public Safety Impact of Community Notification Laws: Rearrest of Convicted Sex Offenders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freeman, Naomi J.

2012-01-01

Sex offender management is one of the highest-profile issues in public safety today. Although states have enacted community notification laws as a means to protect communities from sexual offending, limited research has been conducted to examine the impact of these laws on public safety. As such, this study used a quasi-experimental design to…

Impact of hospital security programmes and workplace aggression on nurse perceptions of safety.

PubMed

Blando, James D; O'Hagan, Emily; Casteel, Carri; Nocera, Mary-Alice; Peek-Asa, Corinne

2013-04-01

To assess how nurses' perception of their safety and risk of violence was affected by their work environment and whether this perception correlated with their actual risk. The work environment has an impact on nurses' perception of their risk of violence and this perception affects worker productivity, quality, employee retention, worker satisfaction and their actual safety. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in person of 314 emergency department nurses and 143 psychiatric nurses, and assault data was collected from injury logs. This study found that nurses in the emergency and psychiatric units differed in their perception of violence and safety. The workplace elements that led to a perception of lower risk of violence were not correlated with a lower rate of injury from violent acts. The nurses' beliefs about the adequacy of security equipment, security guards and the frequency of verbal abuse were strongly correlated with perceived safety. Several factors that influence nurses' perception of their risk of violence are not well correlated with their actual risk. Managers must address workplace elements that affect nurse perceptions because this has an impact on quality and employee retention. They must also address factors that have an impact on the actual risk of violence because this study showed, for the first time, that these may differ from perceptions. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Perceptions of the impact of depression and anxiety and the medication for these conditions on safety in the workplace.

PubMed

Haslam, C; Atkinson, S; Brown, S; Haslam, R A

2005-08-01

The number of people taking prescribed medication for anxiety and depression has increased greatly, but little is known of how this medication impacts on safety at work. To examine the relation between anxiety and depression, prescribed medication, performance, and safety in the workplace. The research involved nine focus groups with sufferers of anxiety and depression to investigate experiences of mental health problems and the impact of psychotropic drugs. A further three focus groups were conducted with staff in human resources, personnel, occupational health, and health and safety departments, to explore organisational perspectives. The sample comprised 74 individuals drawn from a wide range of occupational sectors. Finally, the results were presented to a panel of experts from occupational medicine, general practice, psychology, health and safety, and psychiatry, to consider the implications for practice. Workers reported that both the symptoms and the medication impaired work performance. Participants described accidents which they attributed to their condition or to the medication. Workers with responsibilities for others, such as teachers, healthcare workers, and managers appeared to present a particular safety risk. Healthcare workers believed that they placed themselves and their patients at risk when carrying out medical procedures. Respondents in this study felt that their symptoms of anxiety and depression and the medication they took to treat these conditions placed them at risk with respect to safety in the workplace. Drawing on the results, the authors outline areas for improvement in the management of mental health problems at work.

Factors Implicated in Safety-related Firefighter Fatalities.

PubMed

Kahn, Steven A; Palmieri, Tina L; Sen, Soman; Woods, Jason; Gunter, Oliver L

Firefighting is wrought with risk, as 80-100 firefighters (FFs) die on the job each year in the United States. Many of the fatalities have been analyzed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to determine contributing factors. The purpose of this study is to determine variables that put FFs at risk for potentially preventable workplace mortality such as use of personal protective equipment (PPE), seat belts, and appropriate training/fitness/clearance for duty. The NIOSH FF Fatality Database reports from 2009 to 2014 were analyzed. Data including age, gender, years on the job, weather, other calls on the same shift, and department type were compared between FFs who employed PPE, seat belts, or wellness/fitness and those who did not. A second group of FFs was determined by NIOSH to have inexperience, lack of training, or inappropriate clearance for duty implicated in their fatalities. Comparisons for the second group were between those whose department used training and safety-related standard operating protocols and those who did not. In 84/176 deaths, PPE/seat belts/fitness was implicated in the fatality. Lack of PPE was more likely on clear days (P = .03) but less likely on cloudy and windy days (P < .001). These FFs dying with lack of PPE had more time on the job in a single department, 18 vs 13 years (P = .03), and more time in a volunteer department, 17 vs 8 years (P < .01). Being deployed on another call during the same shift was associated with lack of PPE-34 vs 16% of those who had not been on another call (P = .005). Lack of training, experience, or medical clearance was implicated in fatalities for 100/176 FFs. FFs who worked in departments that lacked standard operating protocols for respirator fit testing, PPE, fitness testing, rapid intervention, medical clearance, safety/distress alarms, vehicle maintenance, or incident command were statistically more likely to have lack of experience/training/clearance implicated in the

Bullet Impact Safety Study of PBX-9502

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferranti, Louis

2013-06-01

A new small arms capability for performing bullet impact testing into energetic materials has recently been activated at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory located in the High Explosives Applications Facility (HEAF). The initial capability includes 0.223, 0.30, and 0.50 testing calibers with the flexibility to add other barrels in the near future. An initial test series has been performed using the 0.50 caliber barrel shooting bullets into targets using the TATB based explosive PBX-9502 and shows an expected non-violent reaction. Future experiments to evaluate the safety of new explosive formulations to bullet impact are planned. A highlight of the new capability along with discussion of the initial experiments to date will be presented including future areas of research. This work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

Impact of the introduction of electronic prescribing on staff perceptions of patient safety and organizational culture.

PubMed

Davies, James; Pucher, Philip H; Ibrahim, Heba; Stubbs, Ben

2017-05-15

Electronic prescribing (EP) systems are online technology platforms by which medicines can be prescribed, administered, and stock controlled. The actual impact of EP on patient safety is not truly understood. This study seeks to assess the impact of the implementation of an EP system on safety culture, as well as assessing differences between clinical respondent groups and considering their implications. Staff completed a modified Safety Attitudes Questionnaire survey, 6 weeks following the introduction of EP across surgical services in a hospital in Dorset, England. Responses were assessed and differences between respondent groups compared. Rates of self-reported adverse events were compared before and after implementation. Overall response rate was 34.5%. There was no significant difference between usage patterns and previous experience with EP between user groups. Overall safety was felt to have been reduced by the introduction of EP. Significant differences between clinician and nonclinicians were seen in ability to discuss errors (3.23 ± 0.5 versus 2.8 ± 0.69, P = 0.004), drug chart access, and ease of medication prescribing. Regression analysis did not identify any confounding factors. Despite a significant reduction in the adverse event rate in other divisions of the hospital that did not implement EP at the same time, this same reduction was not seen in the surgical department. This is the first study to assess the impact of EP on safety culture using a validated assessment tool (Safety Attitudes Questionnaire). Overall safety culture deteriorated following introduction of EP. Problems with system usability/intuitiveness, nonstandardized implementation, and competence assessment strategies may have all contributed to this result. Centers seeking to implement EP in future must consider these factors to ensure a positive impact on patient safety and outcomes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Certification of highly complex safety-related systems.

PubMed

Reinert, D; Schaefer, M

1999-01-01

The BIA has now 15 years of experience with the certification of complex electronic systems for safety-related applications in the machinery sector. Using the example of machining centres this presentation will show the systematic procedure for verifying and validating control systems using Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) and microcomputers for safety functions. One section will describe the control structure of machining centres with control systems using "integrated safety." A diverse redundant architecture combined with crossmonitoring and forced dynamization is explained. In the main section the steps of the systematic certification procedure are explained showing some results of the certification of drilling machines. Specification reviews, design reviews with test case specification, statistical analysis, and walk-throughs are the analytical measures in the testing process. Systematic tests based on the test case specification, Electro Magnetic Interference (EMI), and environmental testing, and site acceptance tests on the machines are the testing measures for validation. A complex software driven system is always undergoing modification. Most of the changes are not safety-relevant but this has to be proven. A systematic procedure for certifying software modifications is presented in the last section of the paper.

Safety-Net Institutions Buffer the Impact of Medicaid Managed Care: A Multi-Method Assessment in a Rural State

PubMed Central

Waitzkin, Howard; Williams, Robert L.; Bock, John A.; McCloskey, Joanne; Willging, Cathleen; Wagner, William

2002-01-01

Objectives. This project used a long-term, multi-method approach to study the impact of Medicaid managed care. Methods. Survey techniques measured impacts on individuals, and ethnographic methods assessed effects on safety-net providers in New Mexico. Results. After the first year of Medicaid managed care, uninsured adults reported less access and use (odds ratio [OR] = 0.46; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.34, 0.64) and worse barriers to care (OR = 6.60; 95% CI = 3.95, 11.54) than adults in other insurance categories. Medicaid children experienced greater access and use (OR = 2.11; 95% CI = 1.21, 3.72) and greater communication and satisfaction (OR = 3.64; 95% CI = 1.13, 12.54) than children in other insurance categories; uninsured children encountered greater barriers to care (OR = 6.29; 95% CI = 1.58, 42.21). There were no consistent changes in the major outcome variables over the period of transition to Medicaid managed care. Safety-net institutions experienced marked increases in workload and financial stress, especially in rural areas. Availability of mental health services declined sharply. Providers worked to buffer the impact of Medicaid managed care for patients. Conclusions. In its first year, Medicaid managed care exerted major effects on safety-net providers but relatively few measurable effects on individuals. This reform did not address the problems of the uninsured. PMID:11919059

The Impact of Verbal Prompts on Child Safety-Belt Use in Shopping Carts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barker, Mae R.; Bailey, Jon S.; Lee, Natalie

2004-01-01

Each year thousands of children are injured by falling from shopping carts. Buckling children into the seats of shopping carts could prevent many of these injuries. A combined reversal and multiple baseline across settings design was used to evaluate the impact of verbal prompts on shopping cart safety-belt use in two stores. Safety-belt use…

Creating an Oversight Infrastructure for Electronic Health Record-Related Patient Safety Hazards

PubMed Central

Singh, Hardeep; Classen, David C.; Sittig, Dean F.

2013-01-01

Electronic health records (EHRs) have potential quality and safety benefits. However, reports of EHR-related safety hazards are now emerging. The Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology (HIT) recently sponsored an Institute of Medicine committee to evaluate how HIT use affects patient safety. In this paper, we propose the creation of a national EHR oversight program to provide dedicated surveillance of EHR-related safety hazards and to promote learning from identified errors, close calls, and adverse events. The program calls for data gathering, investigation/analysis and regulatory components. The first two functions will depend on institution-level EHR safety committees that will investigate all known EHR-related adverse events and near-misses and report them nationally using standardized methods. These committees should also perform routine safety self-assessments to proactively identify new risks. Nationally, we propose the long-term creation of a centralized, non-partisan board with an appropriate legal and regulatory infrastructure to ensure the safety of EHRs. We discuss the rationale of the proposed oversight program and its potential organizational components and functions. These include mechanisms for robust data collection and analyses of all safety concerns using multiple methods that extend beyond reporting; multidisciplinary investigation of selected high-risk safety events; and enhanced coordination with other national agencies in order to facilitate broad dissemination of hazards information. Implementation of this proposed infrastructure can facilitate identification of EHR-related adverse events and errors and potentially create a safer and more effective EHR-based health care delivery system. PMID:22080284

Assessment of the Impact of Scheduled Postmarketing Safety Summary Analyses on Regulatory Actions

PubMed Central

Sekine, S; Pinnow, EE; Wu, E; Kurtzig, R; Hall, M; Dal Pan, GJ

2016-01-01

In addition to standard postmarketing drug safety monitoring, Section 915 of the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007 (FDAAA) requires the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to conduct a summary analysis of adverse event reports to identify risks of a drug or biologic product 18 months after product approval, or after 10,000 patients have used the product, whichever is later. We assessed the extent to which these analyses identified new safety signals and resultant safety-related label changes. Among 458 newly approved products, 300 were the subjects of a scheduled analysis; a new safety signal that resulted in a safety-related label change was found for 11 of these products. Less than 2% of 713 safety-related label changes were based on the scheduled analyses. Our study suggests that the safety summary analyses provide only marginal value over other pharmacovigilance activities. PMID:26853718

Projected Impact of Compositional Verification on Current and Future Aviation Safety Risk

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reveley, Mary S.; Withrow, Colleen A.; Leone, Karen M.; Jones, Sharon M.

2014-01-01

The projected impact of compositional verification research conducted by the National Aeronautic and Space Administration System-Wide Safety and Assurance Technologies on aviation safety risk was assessed. Software and compositional verification was described. Traditional verification techniques have two major problems: testing at the prototype stage where error discovery can be quite costly and the inability to test for all potential interactions leaving some errors undetected until used by the end user. Increasingly complex and nondeterministic aviation systems are becoming too large for these tools to check and verify. Compositional verification is a "divide and conquer" solution to addressing increasingly larger and more complex systems. A review of compositional verification research being conducted by academia, industry, and Government agencies is provided. Forty-four aviation safety risks in the Biennial NextGen Safety Issues Survey were identified that could be impacted by compositional verification and grouped into five categories: automation design; system complexity; software, flight control, or equipment failure or malfunction; new technology or operations; and verification and validation. One capability, 1 research action, 5 operational improvements, and 13 enablers within the Federal Aviation Administration Joint Planning and Development Office Integrated Work Plan that could be addressed by compositional verification were identified.

Impacts of soil and water pollution on food safety and health risks in China.

PubMed

Lu, Yonglong; Song, Shuai; Wang, Ruoshi; Liu, Zhaoyang; Meng, Jing; Sweetman, Andrew J; Jenkins, Alan; Ferrier, Robert C; Li, Hong; Luo, Wei; Wang, Tieyu

2015-04-01

Environmental pollution and food safety are two of the most important issues of our time. Soil and water pollution, in particular, have historically impacted on food safety which represents an important threat to human health. Nowhere has that situation been more complex and challenging than in China, where a combination of pollution and an increasing food safety risk have affected a large part of the population. Water scarcity, pesticide over-application, and chemical pollutants are considered to be the most important factors impacting on food safety in China. Inadequate quantity and quality of surface water resources in China have led to the long-term use of waste-water irrigation to fulfill the water requirements for agricultural production. In some regions this has caused serious agricultural land and food pollution, especially for heavy metals. It is important, therefore, that issues threatening food safety such as combined pesticide residues and heavy metal pollution are addressed to reduce risks to human health. The increasing negative effects on food safety from water and soil pollution have put more people at risk of carcinogenic diseases, potentially contributing to 'cancer villages' which appear to correlate strongly with the main food producing areas. Currently in China, food safety policies are not integrated with soil and water pollution management policies. Here, a comprehensive map of both soil and water pollution threats to food safety in China is presented and integrated policies addressing soil and water pollution for achieving food safety are suggested to provide a holistic approach. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

18 CFR 12.10 - Reporting safety-related incidents.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... report of any death or serious injury considered or alleged to be project related must also describe any... be verified in accordance with § 12.13. (3) Accidents that are not project-related may be reported by... COMMISSION, DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY REGULATIONS UNDER THE FEDERAL POWER ACT SAFETY OF WATER POWER PROJECTS AND...

A Method for Evaluating the Safety Impacts of Air Traffic Automation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kostiuk, Peter; Shapiro, Gerald; Hanson, Dave; Kolitz, Stephan; Leong, Frank; Rosch, Gene; Bonesteel, Charles

1998-01-01

This report describes a methodology for analyzing the safety and operational impacts of emerging air traffic technologies. The approach integrates traditional reliability models of the system infrastructure with models that analyze the environment within which the system operates, and models of how the system responds to different scenarios. Products of the analysis include safety measures such as predicted incident rates, predicted accident statistics, and false alarm rates; and operational availability data. The report demonstrates the methodology with an analysis of the operation of the Center-TRACON Automation System at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

Impact of edge lines on safety of rural two-lane highways.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2005-10-01

This report documents the results of the project for Impact of Edge Lines on Safety of Rural Two Lane Highways. This research project was initiated in the effort of compliance with the updated version of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control De...

The impact of nursing work environments on patient safety outcomes: the mediating role of burnout/engagement.

PubMed

Spence Laschinger, Heather K; Leiter, Michael P

2006-05-01

To test a theoretical model of professional nurse work environments linking conditions for professional nursing practice to burnout and, subsequently, patient safety outcomes. The 2004 Institute of Medicine report raised serious concerns about the impact of hospital restructuring on nursing work environments and patient safety outcomes. Few studies have used a theoretical framework to study the nature of the relationships between nursing work environments and patient safety outcomes. Hospital-based nurses in Canada (N = 8,597) completed measures of worklife (Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index), burnout (Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Service Scale), and their report of frequency of adverse patient events. Structural equation modeling analysis supported an extension of Leiter and Laschinger's Nursing Worklife Model. Nursing leadership played a fundamental role in the quality of worklife regarding policy involvement, staffing levels, support for a nursing model of care (vs medical), and nurse/physician relationships. Staffing adequacy directly affected emotional exhaustion, and use of a nursing model of care had a direct effect on nurses' personal accomplishment. Both directly affected patient safety outcomes. The results suggest that patient safety outcomes are related to the quality of the nursing practice work environment and nursing leadership's role in changing the work environment to decrease nurse burnout.

Impact of IgG Fc-Oligosaccharides on Recombinant Monoclonal Antibody Structure, Stability, Safety, and Efficacy.

PubMed

Liu, Hongcheng; Nowak, Christine; Andrien, Bruce; Shao, Mei; Ponniah, Gomathinayagam; Neill, Alyssa

2017-09-01

Glycosylation of the conserved asparagine residue in the CH2 domain is the most common posttranslational modification of recombinant monoclonal antibodies. Ideally, a consistent oligosaccharide profile should be maintained from early clinical material to commercial material for the development of recombinant monoclonal therapeutics, though variation in the profile is a typical result of process changes. The risk of oligosaccharide variation posed to further development is required to be thoroughly evaluated based on its impact on antibody structure, stability, efficacy and safety. The variation should be controlled within a range so that there is no detrimental impact on safety and efficacy and thus allowing the use of early phase safety and efficacy data to support project advancement to later phase. This review article focuses on the current scientific understanding of the commonly observed oligosaccharides found in recombinant monoclonal antibodies and their impact on structure, stability and biological functions, which are the basis to evaluate safety and efficacy. It also provides a brief discussion on critical quality attribute (CQA) assessment with regard to oligosaccharides based on the mechanism of action (MOA). © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 33:1173-1181, 2017. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Perceptions of the impact of depression and anxiety and the medication for these conditions on safety in the workplace

PubMed Central

Haslam, C; Atkinson, S; Brown, S; Haslam, R

2005-01-01

Background: The number of people taking prescribed medication for anxiety and depression has increased greatly, but little is known of how this medication impacts on safety at work. Aims: To examine the relation between anxiety and depression, prescribed medication, performance, and safety in the workplace. Methods: The research involved nine focus groups with sufferers of anxiety and depression to investigate experiences of mental health problems and the impact of psychotropic drugs. A further three focus groups were conducted with staff in human resources, personnel, occupational health, and health and safety departments, to explore organisational perspectives. The sample comprised 74 individuals drawn from a wide range of occupational sectors. Finally, the results were presented to a panel of experts from occupational medicine, general practice, psychology, health and safety, and psychiatry, to consider the implications for practice. Results: Workers reported that both the symptoms and the medication impaired work performance. Participants described accidents which they attributed to their condition or to the medication. Workers with responsibilities for others, such as teachers, healthcare workers, and managers appeared to present a particular safety risk. Healthcare workers believed that they placed themselves and their patients at risk when carrying out medical procedures. Conclusions: Respondents in this study felt that their symptoms of anxiety and depression and the medication they took to treat these conditions placed them at risk with respect to safety in the workplace. Drawing on the results, the authors outline areas for improvement in the management of mental health problems at work. PMID:16046606

Simulation of crash tests for high impact levels of a new bridge safety barrier

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drozda, Jiří; Rotter, Tomáš

2017-09-01

The purpose is to show the opportunity of a non-linear dynamic impact simulation and to explain the possibility of using finite element method (FEM) for developing new designs of safety barriers. The main challenge is to determine the means to create and validate the finite element (FE) model. The results of accurate impact simulations can help to reduce necessary costs for developing of a new safety barrier. The introductory part deals with the creation of the FE model, which includes the newly-designed safety barrier and focuses on the application of an experimental modal analysis (EMA). The FE model has been created in ANSYS Workbench and is formed from shell and solid elements. The experimental modal analysis, which was performed on a real pattern, was employed for measuring the modal frequencies and shapes. After performing the EMA, the FE mesh was calibrated after comparing the measured modal frequencies with the calculated ones. The last part describes the process of the numerical non-linear dynamic impact simulation in LS-DYNA. This simulation was validated after comparing the measured ASI index with the calculated ones. The aim of the study is to improve professional public knowledge about dynamic non-linear impact simulations. This should ideally lead to safer, more accurate and profitable designs.

Preventive Effects of Safety Helmets on Traumatic Brain Injury after Work-Related Falls

PubMed Central

Kim, Sang Chul; Ro, Young Sun; Shin, Sang Do; Kim, Joo Yeong

2016-01-01

Introduction: Work-related traumatic brain injury (TBI) caused by falls is a catastrophic event that leads to disabilities and high socio-medical costs. This study aimed to measure the magnitude of the preventive effect of safety helmets on clinical outcomes and to compare the effect across different heights of fall. Methods: We collected a nationwide, prospective database of work-related injury patients who visited the 10 emergency departments between July 2010 and October 2012. All of the adult patients who experienced work-related fall injuries were eligible, excluding cases with unknown safety helmet use and height of fall. Primary and secondary endpoints were intracranial injury and in-hospital mortality. We calculated adjusted odds ratios (AORs) of safety helmet use and height of fall for study outcomes, and adjusted for any potential confounders. Results: A total of 1298 patients who suffered from work-related fall injuries were enrolled. The industrial or construction area was the most common place of fall injury occurrence, and 45.0% were wearing safety helmets at the time of fall injuries. The safety helmet group was less likely to have intracranial injury comparing with the no safety helmet group (the adjusted odds ratios (ORs) (95% confidence interval (CI)): 0.42 (0.24–0.73)), however, there was no statistical difference of in-hospital mortality between two groups (the adjusted ORs (95% CI): 0.83 (0.34–2.03). In the interaction analysis, preventive effects of safety helmet on intracranial injury were significant within 4 m height of fall. Conclusions: A safety helmet is associated with prevention of intracranial injury resulting from work-related fall and the effect is preserved within 4 m height of fall. Therefore, wearing a safety helmet can be an intervention for protecting fall-related intracranial injury in the workplace. PMID:27801877

Preventive Effects of Safety Helmets on Traumatic Brain Injury after Work-Related Falls.

PubMed

Kim, Sang Chul; Ro, Young Sun; Shin, Sang Do; Kim, Joo Yeong

2016-10-29

Work-related traumatic brain injury (TBI) caused by falls is a catastrophic event that leads to disabilities and high socio-medical costs. This study aimed to measure the magnitude of the preventive effect of safety helmets on clinical outcomes and to compare the effect across different heights of fall. We collected a nationwide, prospective database of work-related injury patients who visited the 10 emergency departments between July 2010 and October 2012. All of the adult patients who experienced work-related fall injuries were eligible, excluding cases with unknown safety helmet use and height of fall. Primary and secondary endpoints were intracranial injury and in-hospital mortality. We calculated adjusted odds ratios (AORs) of safety helmet use and height of fall for study outcomes, and adjusted for any potential confounders. A total of 1298 patients who suffered from work-related fall injuries were enrolled. The industrial or construction area was the most common place of fall injury occurrence, and 45.0% were wearing safety helmets at the time of fall injuries. The safety helmet group was less likely to have intracranial injury comparing with the no safety helmet group (the adjusted odds ratios (ORs) (95% confidence interval (CI)): 0.42 (0.24-0.73)), however, there was no statistical difference of in-hospital mortality between two groups (the adjusted ORs (95% CI): 0.83 (0.34-2.03). In the interaction analysis, preventive effects of safety helmet on intracranial injury were significant within 4 m height of fall. A safety helmet is associated with prevention of intracranial injury resulting from work-related fall and the effect is preserved within 4 m height of fall. Therefore, wearing a safety helmet can be an intervention for protecting fall-related intracranial injury in the workplace.

The impact of safety rules revisions on safety culture, incident rates, and liability claims in the U.S. railroad industry : a summary of lessons-learned

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2003-01-01

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Human Factors Research and Development (R&D) Program sponsored a lessons-learned study to examine the impact of safety rules revision on safety culture, incident rates, and liability claims in the railroad in...

Work stress and patient safety: observer-rated work stressors as predictors of characteristics of safety-related events reported by young nurses.

PubMed

Elfering, A; Semmer, N K; Grebner, S

This study investigates the link between workplace stress and the 'non-singularity' of patient safety-related incidents in the hospital setting. Over a period of 2 working weeks 23 young nurses from 19 hospitals in Switzerland documented 314 daily stressful events using a self-observation method (pocket diaries); 62 events were related to patient safety. Familiarity of safety-related events and probability of recurrence, as indicators of non-singularity, were the dependent variables in multilevel regression analyses. Predictor variables were both situational (self-reported situational control, safety compliance) and chronic variables (job stressors such as time pressure, or concentration demands and job control). Chronic work characteristics were rated by trained observers. The most frequent safety-related stressful events included incomplete or incorrect documentation (40.3%), medication errors (near misses 21%), delays in delivery of patient care (9.7%), and violent patients (9.7%). Familiarity of events and probability of recurrence were significantly predicted by chronic job stressors and low job control in multilevel regression analyses. Job stressors and low job control were shown to be risk factors for patient safety. The results suggest that job redesign to enhance job control and decrease job stressors may be an important intervention to increase patient safety.

Commercial grade item (CGI) dedication of generators for nuclear safety related applications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Das, R.K.; Hajos, L.G.

1993-03-01

The number of nuclear safety related equipment suppliers and the availability of spare and replacement parts designed specifically for nuclear safety related application are shrinking rapidly. These have made it necessary for utilities to apply commercial grade spare and replacement parts in nuclear safety related applications after implementing proper acceptance and dedication process to verify that such items conform with the requirements of their use in nuclear safety related application. The general guidelines for the commercial grade item (CGI) acceptance and dedication are provided in US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Generic Letters and Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) Report NP-5652,more » Guideline for the Utilization of Commercial Grade Items in Nuclear Safety Related Applications. This paper presents an application of these generic guidelines for procurement, acceptance, and dedication of a commercial grade generator for use as a standby generator at Salem Generating Station Units 1 and 2. The paper identifies the critical characteristics of the generator which once verified, will provide reasonable assurance that the generator will perform its intended safety function. The paper also delineates the method of verification of the critical characteristics through tests and provide acceptance criteria for the test results. The methodology presented in this paper may be used as specific guidelines for reliable and cost effective procurement and dedication of commercial grade generators for use as standby generators at nuclear power plants.« less

Design of a Conceptual Bumper Energy Absorber Coupling Pedestrian Safety and Low-Speed Impact Requirements

PubMed Central

Mo, Fuhao; Zhao, Siqi; Yu, Chuanhui; Duan, Shuyong

2018-01-01

The car front bumper system needs to meet the requirements of both pedestrian safety and low-speed impact which are somewhat contradicting. This study aims to design a new kind of modular self-adaptive energy absorber of the front bumper system which can balance the two performances. The X-shaped energy-absorbing structure was proposed which can enhance the energy absorption capacity during impact by changing its deformation mode based on the amount of external collision energy. Then, finite element simulations with a realistic vehicle bumper system are performed to demonstrate its crashworthiness in comparison with the traditional foam energy absorber, which presents a significant improvement of the two performances. Furthermore, the structural parameters of the X-shaped energy-absorbing structure including thickness (t u), side arc radius (R), and clamping boost beam thickness (t b) are analyzed using a full factorial method, and a multiobjective optimization is implemented regarding evaluation indexes of both pedestrian safety and low-speed impact. The optimal parameters are then verified, and the feasibility of the optimal results is confirmed. In conclusion, the new X-shaped energy absorber can meet both pedestrian safety and low-speed impact requirements well by altering the main deformation modes according to different impact energy levels. PMID:29581728

Design of a Conceptual Bumper Energy Absorber Coupling Pedestrian Safety and Low-Speed Impact Requirements.

PubMed

Mo, Fuhao; Zhao, Siqi; Yu, Chuanhui; Xiao, Zhi; Duan, Shuyong

2018-01-01

The car front bumper system needs to meet the requirements of both pedestrian safety and low-speed impact which are somewhat contradicting. This study aims to design a new kind of modular self-adaptive energy absorber of the front bumper system which can balance the two performances. The X-shaped energy-absorbing structure was proposed which can enhance the energy absorption capacity during impact by changing its deformation mode based on the amount of external collision energy. Then, finite element simulations with a realistic vehicle bumper system are performed to demonstrate its crashworthiness in comparison with the traditional foam energy absorber, which presents a significant improvement of the two performances. Furthermore, the structural parameters of the X-shaped energy-absorbing structure including thickness ( t u ), side arc radius ( R ), and clamping boost beam thickness ( t b ) are analyzed using a full factorial method, and a multiobjective optimization is implemented regarding evaluation indexes of both pedestrian safety and low-speed impact. The optimal parameters are then verified, and the feasibility of the optimal results is confirmed. In conclusion, the new X-shaped energy absorber can meet both pedestrian safety and low-speed impact requirements well by altering the main deformation modes according to different impact energy levels.

Southwest Border Food Safety and Defense Center: Creative Ideas for Promoting Food Safety and Food Protection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koukel, Sonja

2015-01-01

Foodborne illness has a significant impact on public health and consumer confidence in the U.S. The Southwest Border Food Safety and Defense Center was established to provide educational programs, trainings, and workshops to address the health and well-being of consumers as it relates to food safety and food protection. A partnership between New…

Impact of the effect of economic crisis and the targeted motorcycle safety programme on motorcycle-related accidents, injuries and fatalities in Malaysia.

PubMed

Law, T H; Umar, R S Radin; Zulkaurnain, S; Kulanthayan, S

2005-03-01

In 1997, a Motorcycle Safety Programme (MSP) was introduced to address the motorcycle-related accident problem. The MSP was specifically targeted at motorcyclists. In addition to the MSP, the recent economic recession has significantly contributed to a reduction of traffic-related incidents. This paper examines the effects of the recent economic crisis and the MSP on motorcycle-related accidents, casualties and fatalities in Malaysia. The autocorrelation integrated moving average model with transfer function was used to evaluate the overall effects of the interventions. The variables used in developing the model were gross domestic product and MSPs. The analysis found a 25% reduction in the number of motorcycle-related accidents, a 27% reduction in motorcycle casualties and a 38% reduction in motorcycle fatalities after the implementation of MSP. Findings indicate that the MSP has been one of the effective measures in reducing motorcycle safety problems in Malaysia. Apart from that, the performance of the country's economy was also found to be significant in explaining the number of motorcycle-related accidents, casualties and fatalities in Malaysia.

Does Employee Safety Matter for Patients Too? Employee Safety Climate and Patient Safety Culture in Health Care.

PubMed

Mohr, David C; Eaton, Jennifer Lipkowitz; McPhaul, Kathleen M; Hodgson, Michael J

2015-04-22

We examined relationships between employee safety climate and patient safety culture. Because employee safety may be a precondition for the development of patient safety, we hypothesized that employee safety culture would be strongly and positively related to patient safety culture. An employee safety climate survey was administered in 2010 and assessed employees' views and experiences of safety for employees. The patient safety survey administered in 2011 assessed the safety culture for patients. We performed Pearson correlations and multiple regression analysis to examine the relationships between a composite measure of employee safety with subdimensions of patient safety culture. The regression models controlled for size, geographic characteristics, and teaching affiliation. Analyses were conducted at the group level using data from 132 medical centers. Higher employee safety climate composite scores were positively associated with all 9 patient safety culture measures examined. Standardized multivariate regression coefficients ranged from 0.44 to 0.64. Medical facilities where staff have more positive perceptions of health care workplace safety climate tended to have more positive assessments of patient safety culture. This suggests that patient safety culture and employee safety climate could be mutually reinforcing, such that investments and improvements in one domain positively impacts the other. Further research is needed to better understand the nexus between health care employee and patient safety to generalize and act upon findings.

Basic Safety II. Apprentice Related Training Module.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rice, Eric; Spetz, Sally H.

One in a series of core instructional materials for apprentices to use during the first or second years of apprentice-related subjects training, this booklet deals with basic safety. The first section consists of an outline of the content and scope of the core materials as well as a self-assessment pretest. Covered in the four instructional…

Safety impacts of red light cameras at signalized intersections based on cellular automata models.

PubMed

Chai, C; Wong, Y D; Lum, K M

2015-01-01

This study applies a simulation technique to evaluate the hypothesis that red light cameras (RLCs) exert important effects on accident risks. Conflict occurrences are generated by simulation and compared at intersections with and without RLCs to assess the impact of RLCs on several conflict types under various traffic conditions. Conflict occurrences are generated through simulating vehicular interactions based on an improved cellular automata (CA) model. The CA model is calibrated and validated against field observations at approaches with and without RLCs. Simulation experiments are conducted for RLC and non-RLC intersections with different geometric layouts and traffic demands to generate conflict occurrences that are analyzed to evaluate the hypothesis that RLCs exert important effects on road safety. The comparison of simulated conflict occurrences show favorable safety impacts of RLCs on crossing conflicts and unfavorable impacts for rear-end conflicts during red/amber phases. Corroborative results are found from broad analysis of accident occurrence. RLCs are found to have a mixed effect on accident risk at signalized intersections: crossing collisions are reduced, whereas rear-end collisions may increase. The specially developed CA model is found to be a feasible safety assessment tool.

Advanced reactors and associated fuel cycle facilities: safety and environmental impacts.

PubMed

Hill, R N; Nutt, W M; Laidler, J J

2011-01-01

The safety and environmental impacts of new technology and fuel cycle approaches being considered in current U.S. nuclear research programs are contrasted to conventional technology options in this paper. Two advanced reactor technologies, the sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) and the very high temperature gas-cooled reactor (VHTR), are being developed. In general, the new reactor technologies exploit inherent features for enhanced safety performance. A key distinction of advanced fuel cycles is spent fuel recycle facilities and new waste forms. In this paper, the performance of existing fuel cycle facilities and applicable regulatory limits are reviewed. Technology options to improve recycle efficiency, restrict emissions, and/or improve safety are identified. For a closed fuel cycle, potential benefits in waste management are significant, and key waste form technology alternatives are described. Copyright © 2010 Health Physics Society

Safety surrogate histograms (SSH): A novel real-time safety assessment of dilemma zone related conflicts at signalized intersections.

PubMed

Ghanipoor Machiani, Sahar; Abbas, Montasir

2016-11-01

Drivers' indecisiveness in dilemma zones (DZ) could result in crash-prone situations at signalized intersections. DZ is to the area ahead of an intersection in which drivers encounter a dilemma regarding whether to stop or proceed through the intersection when the signal turns yellow. An improper decision to stop by the leading driver, combined with the following driver deciding to go, can result in a rear-end collision, unless the following driver recognizes a collision is imminent and adjusts his or her behavior at or shortly after the onset of yellow. Considering the significance of DZ-related crashes, a comprehensive safety measure is needed to characterize the level of safety at signalized intersections. In this study, a novel safety surrogate measure was developed utilizing real-time radar field data. This new measure, called safety surrogate histogram (SSH), captures the degree and frequency of DZ-related conflicts at each intersection approach. SSH includes detailed information regarding the possibility of crashes, because it is calculated based on the vehicles conflicts. An example illustrating the application of the new methodology at two study sites in Virginia is presented and discussed, and a comparison is provided between SSH and other DZ-related safety surrogate measures mentioned in the literature. The results of the study reveal the efficacy of the SSH as complementary to existing surrogate measures. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hospital support services and the impacts of outsourcing on occupational health and safety.

PubMed

Siganporia, Pearl; Astrakianakis, George; Alamgir, Hasanat; Ostry, Aleck; Nicol, Anne-Marie; Koehoorn, Mieke

2016-10-01

Outsourcing labor is linked to negative impacts on occupational health and safety (OHS). In British Columbia, Canada, provincial health care service providers outsource support services such as cleaners and food service workers (CFSWs) to external contractors. This study investigates the impact of outsourcing on the occupational health safety of hospital CFSWs through a mixed methods approach. Worker's compensation data for hospital CFSWs were analyzed by negative binomial and multiple linear regressions supplemented by iterative thematic analysis of telephone interviews of the same job groups. Non-significant decreases in injury rates and days lost per injury were observed in outsourced CFSWs post outsourcing. Significant decreases (P < 0.05) were observed in average costs per injury for cleaners post outsourcing. Outsourced workers interviewed implied instances of underreporting workplace injuries. This mixed methods study describes the impact of outsourcing on OHS of healthcare workers in British Columbia. Results will be helpful for policy-makers and workplace regulators to assess program effectiveness for outsourced workers.

Aviation Trends Related to Atmospheric Environment Safety Technologies Project Technical Challenges

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reveley, Mary S.; Withrow, Colleen A.; Barr, Lawrence C.; Evans, Joni K.; Leone, Karen M.; Jones, Sharon M.

2014-01-01

Current and future aviation safety trends related to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Atmospheric Environment Safety Technologies Project's three technical challenges (engine icing characterization and simulation capability; airframe icing simulation and engineering tool capability; and atmospheric hazard sensing and mitigation technology capability) were assessed by examining the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) accident database (1989 to 2008), incidents from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) accident/incident database (1989 to 2006), and literature from various industry and government sources. The accident and incident data were examined for events involving fixed-wing airplanes operating under Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) Parts 121, 135, and 91 for atmospheric conditions related to airframe icing, ice-crystal engine icing, turbulence, clear air turbulence, wake vortex, lightning, and low visibility (fog, low ceiling, clouds, precipitation, and low lighting). Five future aviation safety risk areas associated with the three AEST technical challenges were identified after an exhaustive survey of a variety of sources and include: approach and landing accident reduction, icing/ice detection, loss of control in flight, super density operations, and runway safety.

Role of the law in ensuring work related road safety.

PubMed

Griffith, Richard; Tengnah, Cassam

2007-12-01

Some 150 deaths and serious injuries are caused each week by people who were driving in the course of their work. The police, health and safety executive and government are seeking to improve this startling statistic by ensuring that organizations, including NHS Trusts, comply with health and safety law and fulfil their duty to carry out an assessment of risks associated with work related driving and implement a policy to minimize those risks. Failing to comply could result in prosecution by the police and health and safety executive.

Evaluating the Impacts of Red Light Camera Deployment on Intersection Traffic Safety

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2018-06-01

Red-light cameras (RLC) are a popular countermeasure to reduce red-light running and improve intersection safety. Studies show that the reduction in side impact crashes at RLC intersections are often accompanied by no-change or an increase in the num...

Perceived crime and traffic safety is related to physical activity among adults in Nigeria.

PubMed

Oyeyemi, Adewale L; Adegoke, Babatunde O; Sallis, James F; Oyeyemi, Adetoyeje Y; De Bourdeaudhuij, Ilse

2012-05-17

Neighborhood safety is inconsistently related to physical activity, but is seldom studied in developing countries. This study examined associations between perceived neighborhood safety and physical activity among Nigerian adults. In a cross-sectional study, accelerometer-based physical activity (MVPA), reported walking, perceived crime and traffic safety were measured in 219 Nigerian adults. Logistic regression analysis was conducted, and the odds ratio for meeting health guidelines for MVPA and walking was calculated in relation to four safety variables, after adjustment for potential confounders. Sufficient MVPA was related to more perception of safety from traffic to walk (OR=2.28, CI=1.13- 6.25) and more safety from crime at night (OR=1.68, CI=1.07-3.64), but with less perception of safety from crime during the day to walk (OR=0.34, CI=0.06- 0.91). More crime safety during the day and night were associated with more walking. Perceived safety from crime and traffic were associated with physical activity among Nigerian adults. These findings provide preliminary evidence on the need to provide safe traffic and crime environments that will make it easier and more likely for African adults to be physically active.

Impact of economic incentives on costs and benefits of occupational health and safety.

PubMed

Pawłowska, Z; Rzepecki, J

2000-01-01

The most common type of economic incentive used in the field of health and safety is experience rating of insurance premiums. The impact of this incentive on occupational health and safety (OHS) costs in the company was analysed by comparing insurance costs with other OHS costs associated with inadequate working conditions, such as accident costs borne by a company. Accident costs were estimated on the basis of research carried out in 10 companies. Insurance costs and their adjustments according to the health and safety level in a company were calculated according to an experience rating model developed in the Central Institute for Labour Protection.

Measuring the impact of an interprofessional multimedia learning resource on Japanese nurses and nursing students using the Theory of Planned Behavior Medication Safety Questionnaire.

PubMed

Omura, Mieko; Levett-Jones, Tracy; Stone, Teresa Elizabeth; Maguire, Jane; Lapkin, Samuel

2015-12-01

Interprofessional communication and teamwork are essential for medication safety; however, limited educational opportunities for health professionals and students to develop these skills exist in Japan. This study evaluated the impact of an interprofessional multimedia learning resource on registered nurses' and nursing students' intention to practice in a manner promoting medication safety. Using a quasi-experimental design, Japanese registered nurses and nursing students (n = 203) were allocated to an experimental (n = 109) or control group (n = 94). Behavioral intentions of medication safety and the predictor variables of attitudes, perceived behavioral control, and subjective norms were measured using a Japanese version of the Theory of Planned Behavior Medication Safety Questionnaire. Registered nurses in the experimental group demonstrated a greater intention to collaborate and practice in a manner that enhanced medication safety, evidenced by higher scores than the control group on all predictor variables. The results demonstrate the potential for interprofessional multimedia learning resources to positively impact the behaviors of Japanese registered nurses in relation to safe medication practices. Further research in other contexts and with other cohorts is warranted. © 2015 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Relatives in end-of-life care--part 2: a theory for enabling safety.

PubMed

Ohlén, Joakim; Andershed, Birgitta; Berg, Christina; Frid, Ingvar; Palm, Carl-Axel; Ternestedt, Britt-Marie; Segesten, Kerstin

2007-02-01

To develop a goal-oriented praxis theory for enabling safety for relatives when an adult or older patient is close to end-of-life. This is the second part of a project focusing on the situation and needs of relatives in end-of-life care. Our interpretation of the existing corpus of knowledge pertaining to the needs of close relatives in this situation showed the significance of relatives' need for safety. The theory was developed step-by-step, through triangulation of critical review of empirical research in the field, our own clinical experiences from end-of-life care, renewed literature searches and theoretical reasoning. The foundation for the theory is taken from the ethical intention of the philosopher Paul Ricoeur. From this, the theory focuses on relatives in the context of end-of-life care with the goal of enabling safety. This is proposed by four aphorisms functioning as safety enablers and these are directed towards the professional's approach and attitude, the relative's concern for the patient, the specific situation for the relative and the patient's end-of-life period as a period in the life of the relative. Implications for end-of-life practice are considered and include aspects for promotion of just institutions in end-of-life care, the significance of negotiated partnership in end-of-life care, enabling safety for relatives living in existential and practical uncertainty in connection with end-of-life care and diversity of relatives' preferences as they live through this particular period.

Safety assessment characteristics of pedestrian legform impactors in vehicle-front impact tests.

PubMed

Matsui, Yasuhiro

2014-12-01

This study investigated the characteristics of safety assessment results of front-area vehicle impact tests carried out using the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) legform impactor and a flexible legform impactor (FLEX legform impactor). Different types of vehicles (sedan, sport utility vehicle, high-roof K-car, and light cargo van) were examined. The impact locations in the study were the center of the bumper and an extremely stiff structure of the bumper (i.e., in front of the side member) of each tested vehicle. The measured injury criteria were normalized by injury assessment reference values of each legform impactor. The test results for center and side-member impacts indicated that there were no significant differences in ligament injury assessments derived from the normalized knee ligament injury measures between the TRL legform impactor and the FLEX legform impactor. Evaluations made using the TRL legform impactor and the FLEX legform impactor are thus similar in the vehicle safety investigation for knee ligament injury. Vehicle-center impact test results revealed that the tibia fracture assessments derived from the normalized tibia fracture measures did not significantly differ between the TRL legform impactor and the FLEX legform impactor. However, for an impact against an extremely stiff structure, there was a difference in the tibia fracture assessment between the FLEX legform impactor and the TRL legform impactor owing to their different sensor types. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reporting, Visualization, and Modeling of Immunogenicity Data to Assess Its Impact on Pharmacokinetics, Efficacy, and Safety of Monoclonal Antibodies.

PubMed

Passey, Chaitali; Suryawanshi, Satyendra; Sanghavi, Kinjal; Gupta, Manish

2018-02-26

The rapidly increasing number of therapeutic biologics in development has led to a growing recognition of the need for improvements in immunogenicity assessment. Published data are often inadequate to assess the impact of an antidrug antibody (ADA) on pharmacokinetics, safety, and efficacy, and enable a fully informed decision about patient management in the event of ADA development. The recent introduction of detailed regulatory guidance for industry should help address many past inadequacies in immunogenicity assessment. Nonetheless, careful analysis of gathered data and clear reporting of results are critical to a full understanding of the clinical relevance of ADAs, but have not been widely considered in published literature to date. Here, we review visualization and modeling of immunogenicity data. We present several relatively simple visualization techniques that can provide preliminary information about the kinetics and magnitude of ADA responses, and their impact on pharmacokinetics and clinical endpoints for a given therapeutic protein. We focus on individual sample- and patient-level data, which can be used to build a picture of any trends, thereby guiding analysis of the overall study population. We also discuss methods for modeling ADA data to investigate the impact of immunogenicity on pharmacokinetics, efficacy, and safety.

Impact of Pilot Delay and Non-Responsiveness on the Safety Performance of Airborne Separation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Consiglio, Maria; Hoadley, Sherwood; Wing, David; Baxley, Brian; Allen, Bonnie Danette

2008-01-01

Assessing the safety effects of prediction errors and uncertainty on automationsupported functions in the Next Generation Air Transportation System concept of operations is of foremost importance, particularly safety critical functions such as separation that involve human decision-making. Both ground-based and airborne, the automation of separation functions must be designed to account for, and mitigate the impact of, information uncertainty and varying human response. This paper describes an experiment that addresses the potential impact of operator delay when interacting with separation support systems. In this study, we evaluated an airborne separation capability operated by a simulated pilot. The experimental runs are part of the Safety Performance of Airborne Separation (SPAS) experiment suite that examines the safety implications of prediction errors and system uncertainties on airborne separation assistance systems. Pilot actions required by the airborne separation automation to resolve traffic conflicts were delayed within a wide range, varying from five to 240 seconds while a percentage of randomly selected pilots were programmed to completely miss the conflict alerts and therefore take no action. Results indicate that the strategicAirborne Separation Assistance System (ASAS) functions exercised in the experiment can sustain pilot response delays of up to 90 seconds and more, depending on the traffic density. However, when pilots or operators fail to respond to conflict alerts the safety effects are substantial, particularly at higher traffic densities.

Safety impact of permitting right-turn-on-red : a report to Congress

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1994-12-01

The Energy Policy Act of 1992 required NHTSA to conduct a study of the safety impact of permitting right and left turns on red lights. The report presents a brief summary of the current status of State implementation of laws permitting right and left...

78 FR 25488 - Qualification Tests for Safety-Related Actuators in Nuclear Power Plants

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-01

... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [NRC-2013-0079] Qualification Tests for Safety-Related Actuators in... regulatory guide (DG), DG-1235, ``Qualification Tests for Safety-Related Actuators in Nuclear Power Plants...-251- 7495, email: [email protected] . Both of the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research, U.S. Nuclear...

Workplace bullying in risk and safety professionals.

PubMed

Brewer, Gayle; Holt, Barry; Malik, Shahzeb

2018-02-01

Previous research demonstrates that workplace bullying impacts the welfare of victimized employees, with further consequences for the organization and profession. There is, however, a paucity of information relating to the bullying directed at risk and safety professionals. The present study was conducted to address this issue. Risk and safety professionals (N=420) completed the Negative Acts Questionnaire - Revised and Brief Cope, and reported the extent to which they had been pressured to make or amend a risk or safety based decision. Those experiencing workplace bullying were more likely to engage in a range of coping behaviors, with exposure to work-related and personal bullying particularly influential. Workplace bullying also predicted pressure to make or change a risk or safety based decision. Work related and physically intimidating bullying were particularly important for this aspect of professional practice. Findings are discussed with regard to current practice and the support available to risk and safety professionals. Risk and safety professionals require additional support in relation to workplace bullying and specifically guidance to resist pressure to make or change a risk or safety based decision. Copyright © 2017 National Safety Council and Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Perceived crime and traffic safety is related to physical activity among adults in Nigeria

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Neighborhood safety is inconsistently related to physical activity, but is seldom studied in developing countries. This study examined associations between perceived neighborhood safety and physical activity among Nigerian adults. Methods In a cross-sectional study, accelerometer-based physical activity (MVPA), reported walking, perceived crime and traffic safety were measured in 219 Nigerian adults. Logistic regression analysis was conducted, and the odds ratio for meeting health guidelines for MVPA and walking was calculated in relation to four safety variables, after adjustment for potential confounders. Results Sufficient MVPA was related to more perception of safety from traffic to walk (OR=2.28, CI=1.13- 6.25) and more safety from crime at night (OR=1.68, CI=1.07-3.64), but with less perception of safety from crime during the day to walk (OR=0.34, CI=0.06- 0.91). More crime safety during the day and night were associated with more walking. Conclusions Perceived safety from crime and traffic were associated with physical activity among Nigerian adults. These findings provide preliminary evidence on the need to provide safe traffic and crime environments that will make it easier and more likely for African adults to be physically active. PMID:22520066

The Impact of Language and Culture Diversity in Occupational Safety.

PubMed

De Jesus-Rivas, Mayra; Conlon, Helen Acree; Burns, Candace

2016-01-01

Occupational health nursing plays a critical part in improving the safety of foreign labor workers. The development and implementation of safety training programs do not always regularly take into account language barriers, low literacy levels, or cultural elements. This oversight can lead to more injuries and fatalities among this group. Despite established health and safety training programs, a significant number of non-native English speakers are injured or killed in preventable, occupation-related accidents. Introducing safety programs that use alternative teaching strategies such as pictograms, illustrations, and hands-on training opportunities will assist in addressing challenges for non-English laborers. Occupational health nursing has an opportunity to provide guidance on this subject and assist businesses in creating a safer and more productive work environment. © 2015 The Author(s).

A red-flag-based approach to risk management of EHR-related safety concerns.

PubMed

Sittig, Dean F; Singh, Hardeep

2013-01-01

Although electronic health records (EHRs) have a significant potential to improve patient safety, EHR-related safety concerns have begun to emerge. Based on 369 responses to a survey sent to the memberships of the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management and the American Health Lawyers Association and supplemented by our previous work in EHR-related patient safety, we identified the following common EHR-related safety concerns: (1) incorrect patient identification; (2) extended EHR unavailability (either planned or unplanned); (3) failure to heed a computer-generated warning or alert; (4) system-to-system interface errors; (5) failure to identify, find, or use the most recent patient data; (6) misunderstandings about time; (7) incorrect item selected from a list of items; and (8) open or incomplete orders. In this article, we present a "red-flag"-based approach that can be used by risk managers to identify potential EHR safety concerns in their institutions. An organization that routinely conducts EHR-related surveillance activities, such as the ones proposed here, can significantly reduce risks associated with EHR implementation and use. © 2013 American Society for Healthcare Risk Management of the American Hospital Association.

78 FR 67206 - Qualification Tests for Safety-Related Actuators in Nuclear Power Plants

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-08

... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [NRC-2013-0079] Qualification Tests for Safety-Related Actuators in..., ``Qualification Tests for Safety-Related Actuators in Nuclear Power Plants.'' This RG is being revised to provide... power plants. This RG is proposed Revision 1 of RG 1.73, ``Qualification Tests of Electric Valve...

Factors related to increasing safety belt use in states with safety belt use laws : second annual report to Congress

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1989-01-01

This report is the second in a series of four annual reports to the Congress on provisions of state safety belt use laws and other programmatic factors related to increasing safety belt use levels. The first Congressional Report reviewed what was kno...

The impact of cooking methods on the nutritional quality and safety of chicken breaded nuggets.

PubMed

Gonçalves Albuquerque, Tânia; Oliveira, M Beatriz P P; Sanches-Silva, Ana; Cristina Bento, Ana; Costa, Helena S

2016-06-15

The impact of cooking methods (industrial pre-frying, deep-fat frying and baking) on the nutritional quality and safety of chicken breaded nugget samples from supermarket and commercial brands was evaluated. The changes in the quality characteristics (nutritional composition, fatty acids profile, cholesterol and salt) of the fried food and frying oil, after ten consecutive frying operations, were evaluated. The total fat content of nuggets varied between 10.9 and 22.7 g per 100 g of edible portion and the salt content ranged from 0.873 to 1.63 g per 100 g. Taking into account one portion of nuggets, the daily intake of salt can reach 49%, which can have a significant impact on the health of those who regularly consume this type of food, especially considering the prevalence of hypertension around the world. The analysed chicken breaded nuggets are rich in unsaturated fatty acids, which have been related with potential health benefits, namely regarding cardiovascular diseases. The cholesterol content of baked samples was two times higher when compared with the fried ones. The trans fatty acids and polar compounds contents of the frying oil used for frying significantly increased, but the values were still away from the maximum recommended by legal entities for its rejection. From a nutritional point of view, it is possible to conclude that the applied cooking methods can significantly influence the nutritional quality and safety of the analysed chicken breaded nuggets. This study will contribute to important knowledge on how the applied cooking methods can change the nutritional quality and safety of foods, namely of chicken nuggets, and can be very useful for dietary recommendations and nutritional assessment.

Impact of Pharmacogenetics on Efficacy and Safety of Statin Therapy for Dyslipidemia.

PubMed

Maxwell, Whitney D; Ramsey, Laura B; Johnson, Samuel G; Moore, Kate G; Shtutman, Michael; Schoonover, John H; Kawaguchi-Suzuki, Marina

2017-09-01

Interindividual variability in response to 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors, or statins, with regard to both efficacy and safety is an obvious target for pharmacogenetic research. Many genes have been identified as possible contributors to variability in statin response and safety. Genetic polymorphisms may alter the structure or expression of coded proteins, with potential impacts on lipid and statin absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination as well as response pathways related to the pharmacologic effect. Many studies have explored the variation in statins' pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters; however, to our knowledge, few have established definitive relationships between the genetic polymorphisms and patient outcomes, such as cardiovascular events. In this review article, we provide a statin-based summary of available evidence describing pharmacogenetic associations that may be of clinical relevance in the future. Although currently available studies are often small or retrospective, and may have conflicting results, they may be useful in providing direction for future confirmatory studies and may point to associations that could be confirmed in the future when more patient outcomes-based studies are available. We also summarize the clinically relevant evidence currently available to assist clinicians with providing personalized pharmacotherapy for patients requiring statin therapy. © 2017 Pharmacotherapy Publications, Inc.

The impact of heatwaves on workers' health and safety in Adelaide, South Australia

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Xiang, Jianjun; Bi, Peng, E-mail: peng.bi@adelaide.edu.au; Pisaniello, Dino

This study aims to investigate the impact of heatwaves on worker's health and safety; to identify workers at higher risk of prevalent illnesses and injuries due to heatwaves; and to provide evidence for policy-makers and service providers. South Australian workers' compensation claims data for 2001–2010 were transformed into time series format, merged with meteorological data and analysed using generalized estimating equation (GEE) models. For total injury claims there was no significant difference detected between heatwave and non-heatwave periods. However, for outdoor industries, daily claims increased significantly by 6.2% during heatwaves. Over-represented in hot weather were male labourers and tradespersons agedmore » ≥55 years, and those employed in ‘agriculture, forestry and fishing’ and ‘electricity, gas and water’. Occupational burns, wounds, lacerations, and amputations as well as heat illnesses were significantly associated with heatwaves. Similarly, moving objects, contact with chemicals, and injuries related to environmental factors increased significantly during heatwaves, especially among middle-aged and older male workers. With the predicted increase of extremely hot weather, there is a need for relevant adaptation and prevention measures at both practice and policy levels for vulnerable work groups. - Highlights: • We investigate the impacts of heatwaves on workers' health and safety. • We identify workers at higher risk of illnesses and injuries during heatwaves. • The differences between two heatwave definitions on effect estimates are compared. • Daily injury claims for outdoor industries increased by 6.2% during heatwaves. • Relevant heat prevention measures are required for vulnerable workers.« less

Impact of the World Health Organization's Surgical Safety Checklist on safety culture in the operating theatre: a controlled intervention study

PubMed Central

Haugen, A. S.; Søfteland, E.; Eide, G. E.; Sevdalis, N.; Vincent, C. A.; Nortvedt, M. W.; Harthug, S.

2013-01-01

Background Positive changes in safety culture have been hypothesized to be one of the mechanisms behind the reduction in mortality and morbidity after the introduction of the World Health Organization's Surgical Safety Checklist (SSC). We aimed to study the checklist effects on safety culture perceptions in operating theatre personnel using a prospective controlled intervention design at a single Norwegian university hospital. Methods We conducted a study with pre- and post-intervention surveys using the intervention and control groups. The primary outcome was the effects of the Norwegian version of the SSC on safety culture perceptions. Safety culture was measured using the validated Norwegian version of the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture. Descriptive characteristics of operating theatre personnel and checklist compliance data were also recorded. A mixed linear regression model was used to assess changes in safety culture. Results The response rate was 61% (349/575) at baseline and 51% (292/569) post-intervention. Checklist compliance ranged from 77% to 85%. We found significant positive changes in the checklist intervention group for the culture factors ‘frequency of events reported’ and ‘adequate staffing’ with regression coefficients at −0.25 [95% confidence interval (CI), −0.47 to −0.07] and 0.21 (95% CI, 0.07–0.35), respectively. Overall, the intervention group reported significantly more positive culture scores—including at baseline. Conclusions Implementation of the SSC had rather limited impact on the safety culture within this hospital. PMID:23404986

Modeling the impact of spatial relationships on horizontal curve safety.

PubMed

Findley, Daniel J; Hummer, Joseph E; Rasdorf, William; Zegeer, Charles V; Fowler, Tyler J

2012-03-01

The curved segments of roadways are more hazardous because of the additional centripetalforces exerted on a vehicle, driver expectations, and other factors. The safety of a curve is dependent on various factors, most notably by geometric factors, but the location of a curve in relation to other curves is also thought to influence the safety of those curves because of a driver's expectation to encounter additional curves. The link between an individual curve's geometric characteristics and its safety performance has been established, but spatial considerations are typically not included in a safety analysis. The spatial considerations included in this research consisted of four components: distance to adjacent curves, direction of turn of the adjacent curves, and radius and length of the adjacent curves. The primary objective of this paper is to quantify the spatial relationship between adjacent horizontal curves and horizontal curve safety using a crash modification factor. Doing so enables a safety professional to more accurately estimate safety to allocate funding to reduce or prevent future collisions and more efficiently design new roadway sections to minimize crash risk where there will be a series of curves along a route. The most important finding from this research is the statistical significance of spatial considerations for the prediction of horizontal curve safety. The distances to adjacent curves were found to be a reliable predictor of observed collisions. This research recommends a model which utilizes spatial considerations for horizontal curve safety prediction in addition to current Highway Safety Manual prediction capabilities using individual curve geometric features. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Benefits and safety impact of night work-zone activities

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1984-10-01

Through a literature review and discussions with highway and transportation officials in several states, information was obtained on questions and concerns relating to the planning, safety, and traffic control aspects of night maintenance and constru...

Reducing recurrence in child protective services: impact of a targeted safety protocol.

PubMed

Fluke, J; Edwards, M; Bussey, M; Wells, S; Johnson, W

2001-08-01

Statewide implementation of a child safety assessment protocol by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) in 1995 is assessed to determine its impact on near-term recurrence of child maltreatment. Literature on the use of risk and safety assessment as a decision-making tool supports the DCFS's approach. The literature on the use of recurrence as a summative measure for evaluation is described. Survival analysis is used with an administrative data set of 400,000 children reported to DCFS between October 1994 and November 1997. An ex-post facto design tests the hypothesis that the use of the protocol cannot be ruled out as an explanation for the observed decline in recurrence following implementation. Several alternative hypotheses are tested: change in use of protective custody, other concurrent changes in state policy, and the concurrent experience of other states. The impact of the protocol to reduce recurrence was not ruled out.

Hospital support services and the impacts of outsourcing on occupational health and safety

PubMed Central

Alamgir, Hasanat; Ostry, Aleck; Nicol, Anne-Marie; Koehoorn, Mieke

2016-01-01

Background Outsourcing labor is linked to negative impacts on occupational health and safety (OHS). In British Columbia, Canada, provincial health care service providers outsource support services such as cleaners and food service workers (CFSWs) to external contractors. Objectives This study investigates the impact of outsourcing on the occupational health safety of hospital CFSWs through a mixed methods approach. Methods Worker’s compensation data for hospital CFSWs were analyzed by negative binomial and multiple linear regressions supplemented by iterative thematic analysis of telephone interviews of the same job groups. Results Non-significant decreases in injury rates and days lost per injury were observed in outsourced CFSWs post outsourcing. Significant decreases (P < 0.05) were observed in average costs per injury for cleaners post outsourcing. Outsourced workers interviewed implied instances of underreporting workplace injuries. Conclusions This mixed methods study describes the impact of outsourcing on OHS of healthcare workers in British Columbia. Results will be helpful for policy-makers and workplace regulators to assess program effectiveness for outsourced workers. PMID:27696988

Safety impact of an integrated crash warning system based on field test data.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-06-13

This paper provides the results of an analysis : conducted to assess the safety impact of an integrated : vehicle-based crash warning system based on : naturalistic driving data collected from a field : operational test. The system incorporates four ...

Impact of Passive Safety on FHR Instrumentation Systems Design and Classification

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Holcomb, David Eugene

2015-01-01

Fluoride salt-cooled high-temperature reactors (FHRs) will rely more extensively on passive safety than earlier reactor classes. 10CFR50 Appendix A, General Design Criteria for Nuclear Power Plants, establishes minimum design requirements to provide reasonable assurance of adequate safety. 10CFR50.69, Risk-Informed Categorization and Treatment of Structures, Systems and Components for Nuclear Power Reactors, provides guidance on how the safety significance of systems, structures, and components (SSCs) should be reflected in their regulatory treatment. The Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) has provided 10 CFR 50.69 SSC Categorization Guideline (NEI-00-04) that factors in probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) model insights, as well as deterministic insights, throughmore » an integrated decision-making panel. Employing the PRA to inform deterministic requirements enables an appropriately balanced, technically sound categorization to be established. No FHR currently has an adequate PRA or set of design basis accidents to enable establishing the safety classification of its SSCs. While all SSCs used to comply with the general design criteria (GDCs) will be safety related, the intent is to limit the instrumentation risk significance through effective design and reliance on inherent passive safety characteristics. For example, FHRs have no safety-significant temperature threshold phenomena, thus enabling the primary and reserve reactivity control systems required by GDC 26 to be passively, thermally triggered at temperatures well below those for which core or primary coolant boundary damage would occur. Moreover, the passive thermal triggering of the primary and reserve shutdown systems may relegate the control rod drive motors to the control system, substantially decreasing the amount of safety-significant wiring needed. Similarly, FHR decay heat removal systems are intended to be running continuously to minimize the amount of safety-significant instrumentation needed to

Weather and Climate Impacts on Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-04-01

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has an interest in how adverse weather may influence trucking industry practices, and what climate change might mean for future FMCSA efforts to reduce weather-related crashes. Weather condition...

18 CFR 12.10 - Reporting safety-related incidents.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

...-related incidents. 12.10 Section 12.10 Conservation of Power and Water Resources FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION, DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY REGULATIONS UNDER THE FEDERAL POWER ACT SAFETY OF WATER POWER PROJECTS AND... providing a copy of a clipping from a newspaper article, if available. (4) For the purposes of this...

49 CFR 191.23 - Reporting safety-related conditions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

..., controls, or processes gas or LNG. (4) Any material defect or physical damage that impairs the... strength. (5) Any malfunction or operating error that causes the pressure of a pipeline or LNG facility... structural integrity of an LNG storage tank. (8) Any safety-related condition that could lead to an imminent...

Overall impact of speed-related initiatives and factors on crash outcomes.

PubMed

D'Elia, A; Newstead, S; Cameron, M

2007-01-01

From December 2000 until July 2002 a package of speed-related initiatives and factors took place in Victoria, Australia. The broad aim of this study was to evaluate the overall impact of the package on crash outcomes. Monthly crash counts and injury severity proportions were assessed using Poisson and logistic regression models respectively. The model measured the overall effect of the package after adjusting as far as possible for non-speed road safety initiatives and socio-economic factors. The speed-related package was associated with statistically significant estimated reductions in casualty crashes and suggested reductions in injury severity with trends towards increased reductions over time. From December 2000 until July 2002, three new speed enforcement initiatives were implemented in Victoria, Australia. These initiatives were introduced in stages and involved the following key components: More covert operations of mobile speed cameras, including flash-less operations; 50% increase in speed camera operating hours; and lowering of cameras' speed detection threshold. In addition, during the period 2001 to 2002, the 50 km/h General Urban Speed Limit (GUSL) was introduced (January 2001), there was an increase in speed-related advertising including the "Wipe Off 5" campaign, media announcements were made related to the above enforcement initiatives and there was a speeding penalty restructure. The above elements combine to make up a package of speed-related initiatives and factors. The package represents a broad, long term program by Victorian government agencies to reduce speed based on three linked strategies: more intensive Police enforcement of speed limits to deter potential offenders, i.e. the three new speed enforcement initiatives just described - supported by higher penalties; a reduction in the speed limit on local streets throughout Victoria from 60 km/h to 50 km/h; and provision of information using the mass media (television, radio and billboard) to

Impact of Relational Coordination on Nurse Job Satisfaction, Work Engagement and Burnout: Achieving the Quadruple Aim.

PubMed

Havens, Donna Sullivan; Gittell, Jody Hoffer; Vasey, Joseph

2018-03-01

To explore how relational coordination, known to enhance quality and efficiency outcomes for patients and hospitals, impacts direct care nurse outcomes such as burnout, work engagement, and job satisfaction, addressing the "Quadruple Aim," to improve the experience of providing care. Hospitals are complex organizations in which multiple providers work interdependently, under conditions of uncertainty and time constraints, to deliver safe quality care despite differences in specialization, training, and status. Relational coordination-communicating and relating for the purpose of task integration-is known to improve quality, safety, and efficiency under these conditions, but less is known about its impact on the well-being of direct care providers themselves. Surveys measuring relational coordination among nurses and other types of providers as well as job-related outcomes in 5 acute care community hospitals were completed by direct care RNs. Relational coordination was significantly related to increased job satisfaction, increased work engagement, and reduced burnout. Relational coordination contributes to the well-being of direct care nurses, addressing the Quadruple Aim by improving the experience of providing care.

Screening Electronic Health Record-Related Patient Safety Reports Using Machine Learning.

PubMed

Marella, William M; Sparnon, Erin; Finley, Edward

2017-03-01

The objective of this study was to develop a semiautomated approach to screening cases that describe hazards associated with the electronic health record (EHR) from a mandatory, population-based patient safety reporting system. Potentially relevant cases were identified through a query of the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Reporting System. A random sample of cases were manually screened for relevance and divided into training, testing, and validation data sets to develop a machine learning model. This model was used to automate screening of remaining potentially relevant cases. Of the 4 algorithms tested, a naive Bayes kernel performed best, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.927 ± 0.023, accuracy of 0.855 ± 0.033, and F score of 0.877 ± 0.027. The machine learning model and text mining approach described here are useful tools for identifying and analyzing adverse event and near-miss reports. Although reporting systems are beginning to incorporate structured fields on health information technology and the EHR, these methods can identify related events that reporters classify in other ways. These methods can facilitate analysis of legacy safety reports by retrieving health information technology-related and EHR-related events from databases without fields and controlled values focused on this subject and distinguishing them from reports in which the EHR is mentioned only in passing. Machine learning and text mining are useful additions to the patient safety toolkit and can be used to semiautomate screening and analysis of unstructured text in safety reports from frontline staff.

Impact of the time-out process on safety attitude in a tertiary neurosurgical department.

PubMed

McLaughlin, Nancy; Winograd, Deborah; Chung, Hallie R; Van de Wiele, Barbara; Martin, Neil A

2014-11-01

In July 2011, the UCLA Health System released its current time-out process protocol used across the Health System. Numerous interventions were performed to improve checklist completion and time-out process observance. This study assessed the impact of the current protocol for the time-out on healthcare providers' safety attitude and operating room safety climate. All members involved in neurosurgical procedures in the main operating room of the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center were asked to anonymously complete an online survey on their overall perception of the time-out process. The survey was completed by 93 of 128 members of the surgical team. Overall, 98.9% felt that performing a pre-incision time-out improves patient safety. The majority of respondents (97.8%) felt that the team member introductions helped to promote a team spirit during the case. In addition, 93.5% felt that performing a time-out helped to ensure all team members were comfortable to voice safety concerns throughout the case. All respondents felt that the attending surgeon should be present during the time-out and 76.3% felt that he/she should lead the time-out. Unanimously, it was felt that the review of anticipated critical elements by the attending surgeon was helpful to respondents' role during the case. Responses revealed that although the time-out brings the team together physically, it does not necessarily reinforce teamwork. The time-out process favorably impacted team members' safety attitudes and perception as well as overall safety climate in neurosurgical ORs. Survey responses identified leadership training and teamwork training as two avenues for future improvement. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Factors related to increasing safety belt use in states with safety belt use laws : second annual report to Congress, 1988.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1989-01-01

This report. is the second in a series of four annual reports to the : Congress on provisions of state safety belt use laws and other : programmatic factors related to increasing safety belt use levels. : The first Congressional Report reviewed what ...

Preliminary safety evaluation of an aircraft impact on a near-surface radioactive waste repository

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lo Frano, R.; Forasassi, G.; Pugliese, G.

2013-07-01

The aircraft impact accident has become very significant in the design of a nuclear facilities, particularly, after the tragic September 2001 event, that raised the public concern about the potential damaging effects that the impact of a large civilian airplane could bring in safety relevant structures. The aim of this study is therefore to preliminarily evaluate the global response and the structural effects induced by the impact of a military or commercial airplane (actually considered as a 'beyond design basis' event) into a near surface radioactive waste (RWs) disposal facility. The safety evaluation was carried out according to the Internationalmore » safety and design guidelines and in agreement with the stress tests requirements for the security track. To achieve the purpose, a lay out and a scheme of a possible near surface repository, like for example those of the El Cabril one, were taken into account. In order to preliminarily perform a reliable analysis of such a large-scale structure and to determine the structural effects induced by such a types of impulsive loads, a realistic, but still operable, numerical model with suitable materials characteristics was implemented by means of FEM codes. In the carried out structural analyses, the RWs repository was considered a 'robust' target, due to its thicker walls and main constitutive materials (steel and reinforced concrete). In addition to adequately represent the dynamic response of repository under crashing, relevant physical phenomena (i.e. penetration, spalling, etc.) were simulated and analysed. The preliminary assessment of the effects induced by the dynamic/impulsive loads allowed generally to verify the residual strength capability of the repository considered. The obtained preliminary results highlighted a remarkable potential to withstand the impact of military/large commercial aircraft, even in presence of ongoing concrete progressive failure (some penetration and spalling of the concrete wall

Status of Occupational Health and Safety and Related Challenges in Expanding Economy of Tanzania.

PubMed

Mrema, Ezra J; Ngowi, Aiwerasia V; Mamuya, Simon H D

2015-01-01

Occupational health and safety is related with economic activities undertaken in the country. As the economic activities grow and expand, occupational injuries and diseases are more likely to increase among workers in different sectors of economy such as agriculture, mining, transport, and manufacture. This may result in high occupational health and safety services demand, which might be difficult to meet by developing countries that are prioritizing economic expansion without regard to their impact on occupational health and safety. To describe the status of occupational health and safety in Tanzania and outline the challenges in provision of occupational health services under the state of an expanding economy. Tanzania's economy is growing steadily, with growth being driven by communications, transport, financial intermediation, construction, mining, agriculture, and manufacturing. Along with this growth, hazards emanating from work in all sectors of the economy have increased and varied. The workers exposed to these hazards suffer from illness and injuries and yet they are not provided with adequate occupational health services. Services are scanty and limited to a few enterprises that can afford it. Existing laws and regulations are not comprehensive enough to cover the entire population. Implementation of legislation is weak and does not protect the workers. Most Tanzanians are not covered by the occupational health and safety law and do not access occupational health services. Thus an occupational health and safety services strategy, backed by legislations and provided with the necessary resources (competent experts, financial and technological resources), is a necessity in Tanzania. The existing legal provisions require major modifications to meet international requirements and standards. OHS regulations and legislations need refocusing, revision, and strengthening to cover all working population. Capacities should be improved through training and research

2012 NASA Range Safety Annual Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dumont, Alan G.

2012-01-01

This report provides a NASA Range Safety (NRS) overview for current and potential range users. This report contains articles which cover a variety of subject areas, summaries of various NASA Range Safety Program (RSP) activities performed during the past year, links to past reports, and information on several projects that may have a profound impact on the way business will be conducted in the future. Specific topics discussed in the 2012 NASA Range Safety Annual Report include a program overview and 2012 highlights; Range Safety Training; Independent Assessments; Support to Program Operations at all ranges conducting NASA launch/flight operations; a continuing overview of emerging range safety-related technologies; and status reports from all of the NASA Centers that have Range Safety responsibilities.

Forms of Safety and Their Impact on Health: An Exploration of HIV/AIDS-Related Risk and Resilience Among Trans Women in Lebanon.

PubMed

Kaplan, Rachel L; Wagner, Glenn J; Nehme, Simon; Aunon, Frances; Khouri, Danielle; Mokhbat, Jacques

2015-01-01

Using minority stress theory, the authors investigated risk behaviors of transgender women (trans women) in Lebanon. Using semistructured interviews, the authors explored six areas: relationships with family and friends; openness about gender and sexuality; experiences with stigma; sexual behavior; attitudes and behaviors regarding HIV testing; and perceived HIV-related norms among transgender peers. Participants voiced the importance of different forms of safety: social/emotional, physical, sexual, and financial. Strategies for obtaining safety were negotiated differently depending on social, behavioral, and structural factors in the environment. In this article, we provide study findings from the perspectives of trans women, their exposure to stigma, and the necessary navigation of environments characterized by transphobia.

Impact of fiber source and feed particle size on swine manure properties related to spontaneous foam formation during anaerobic decomposition

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Foam accumulation in deep-pit manure storage facilities is of concern for swine producers because of the logistical and safety-related problems it creates. A feeding trial was performed to evaluate the impact of feed grind size, fiber source, and manure age on foaming characteristics. Animals were f...

Gendered role of appraisals of safety in psychological outcome in relation to trauma.

PubMed

Padmanabhanunni, Anita; Campbell, Jerome; Pretorius, Tyrone B

2017-09-01

This study investigated gender differences in the role of appraisals of safety in the relationship between exposure to violence and trauma-related symptoms among South African adolescents living in low socioeconomic settings. Limited research exists in developing contexts on the role of cognitive appraisals in mitigating outcome following exposure to violence. Given the prevalence of violence in South Africa and the vulnerability of youth, this type of research is valuable in identifying adolescents at risk of negative psychological outcome following exposure, and in informing intervention efforts. Adolescents (N = 498) completed an adapted version of the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (Mollica et al., 1992) and the Safety Index (Ward, Flisher, Zissis, Muller, & Lombard, 2001). The results indicate a significant positive relationship between all violence subscales and trauma-related symptoms, whereas a significant negative relationship was found between sense of safety and trauma-related symptoms. Important gender differences were identified in the role of appraisals of safety, with more effects noted for women than men. For men, the obtained results only demonstrated a health-sustaining role. For women, the results indicated a health-sustaining role, an indirect effect, and a stress-reducing role. These findings stress the necessity of gender-specific interventions. Assessment of psychological trauma, particularly among female adolescents, needs to include measures of cognitive appraisals related to safety. Therapeutic techniques that may be particularly beneficial to adolescent girls are those focusing on promoting sense of safety and targeting dysfunctional threat appraisals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Clinical Evaluation of a Safety-device to Prevent Urinary Catheter Inflation Related Injuries.

PubMed

Davis, Niall F; Cunnane, Eoghan M; Mooney, Rory O'C; Forde, James C; Walsh, Michael T

2018-05-01

To evaluate the feasibility of a novel "safety-valve" device for preventing catheter related urethral trauma during urethral catheterization (UC). To assess the opinions of clinicians on the performance of the safety-valve device. A validated prototype "safety-valve" device for preventing catheter balloon inflation related urethral injuries was prospectively piloted in male patients requiring UC in a tertiary referral teaching hospital (n = 100). The device allows fluid in the catheter system to decant through an activated safety threshold pressure valve if the catheter anchoring balloon is misplaced. Users evaluated the "safety-valve" with an anonymous questionnaire. The primary outcome measurement was prevention of anchoring balloon inflation in the urethra. Secondary outcome measurement was successful inflation of urinary catheter anchoring balloon in the bladder. Patient age was 76 ± 12 years and American Society of Anaesthesiologists grade was 3 ± 1.4. The "safety-valve" was utilized by 34 clinicians and activated in 7% (n = 7/100) patients during attempted UC, indicating that the catheter anchoring balloon was incorrectly positioned in the patient's urethra. In these 7 cases, the catheter was successfully manipulated into the urinary bladder and inflated. 31 of 34 (91%) clinicians completed the questionnaire. Ten percent (n = 3/31) of respondents had previously inflated a urinary catheter anchoring balloon in the urethra and 100% (n = 31) felt that a safety mechanism for preventing balloon inflation in the urethra should be compulsory for all UCs. The safety-valve device piloted in this clinical study offers an effective solution for preventing catheter balloon inflation related urethral injuries. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Archetypes for Organisational Safety

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marais, Karen; Leveson, Nancy G.

2003-01-01

We propose a framework using system dynamics to model the dynamic behavior of organizations in accident analysis. Most current accident analysis techniques are event-based and do not adequately capture the dynamic complexity and non-linear interactions that characterize accidents in complex systems. In this paper we propose a set of system safety archetypes that model common safety culture flaws in organizations, i.e., the dynamic behaviour of organizations that often leads to accidents. As accident analysis and investigation tools, the archetypes can be used to develop dynamic models that describe the systemic and organizational factors contributing to the accident. The archetypes help clarify why safety-related decisions do not always result in the desired behavior, and how independent decisions in different parts of the organization can combine to impact safety.

The impact of the work environment of nurses on patient safety outcomes: a multi-level modelling approach.

PubMed

Kirwan, Marcia; Matthews, Anne; Scott, P Anne

2013-02-01

Patient safety is a priority for health services in all countries. The importance of the nurse's role in patient safety has been established. Effective nurse staffing levels, nurse education levels, and a positive work environment for nurses are factors which are known to impact on patient safety outcomes. This study sought to explore the relationship between the ward environment in which nurses practice and specific patient safety outcomes, using ward level variables as well as nurse level variables. The outcomes were nurse-reported patient safety levels in the wards in which they work, and numbers of formal adverse events reports submitted by nurses in the last year. This cross-sectional quantitative study was carried out within a European FP7 project: Nurse Forecasting: Human Resources Planning in Nursing (RN4CAST) project. 108 general medical and surgical wards in 30 hospitals throughout Ireland. All nurses in direct patient care in the study wards were invited to participate. Data from 1397 of these nurses were used in this analysis. A nurse survey was carried out using a questionnaire incorporating the Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index (PES-NWI). Ethical approval was obtained from the authors' institution and all ethics committees representing the 30 study hospitals. Multilevel modelling was carried out to examine the impact of ward level factors on patient safety. These included proportions of nurses on the ward educated to degree level, and aggregated ward-level mean for PES-NWI scores. The study results support other research findings indicating that a positive practice environment enhances patient safety outcomes. Specifically at ward level, factors such as the ward practice environment and the proportion of nurses with degrees were found to significantly impact safety outcomes. The models developed for this study predicted 76% and 51% of the between-ward variance of these outcomes. The results can be used to enhance patient safety

The Longitudinal Impact of an Internet Safety Decision Aid for Abused Women.

PubMed

Glass, Nancy E; Perrin, Nancy A; Hanson, Ginger C; Bloom, Tina L; Messing, Jill T; Clough, Amber S; Campbell, Jacquelyn C; Gielen, Andrea C; Case, James; Eden, Karen B

2017-05-01

. Internet-based safety planning represents a promising tool to reduce the public health impact of IPV. Copyright © 2017 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Impact of Lead Time and Safety Factor in Mixed Inventory Models with Backorder Discounts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lo, Ming-Cheng; Chao-Hsien Pan, Jason; Lin, Kai-Cing; Hsu, Jia-Wei

This study investigates the impact of safety factor on the continuous review inventory model involving controllable lead time with mixture of backorder discount and partial lost sales. The objective is to minimize the expected total annual cost with respect to order quantity, backorder price discount, safety factor and lead time. A model with normal demand is also discussed. Numerical examples are presented to illustrate the procedures of the algorithms and the effects of parameters on the result of the proposed models are analyzed.

Flightdeck Automation Problems (FLAP) Model for Safety Technology Portfolio Assessment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ancel, Ersin; Shih, Ann T.

2014-01-01

NASA's Aviation Safety Program (AvSP) develops and advances methodologies and technologies to improve air transportation safety. The Safety Analysis and Integration Team (SAIT) conducts a safety technology portfolio assessment (PA) to analyze the program content, to examine the benefits and risks of products with respect to program goals, and to support programmatic decision making. The PA process includes systematic identification of current and future safety risks as well as tracking several quantitative and qualitative metrics to ensure the program goals are addressing prominent safety risks accurately and effectively. One of the metrics within the PA process involves using quantitative aviation safety models to gauge the impact of the safety products. This paper demonstrates the role of aviation safety modeling by providing model outputs and evaluating a sample of portfolio elements using the Flightdeck Automation Problems (FLAP) model. The model enables not only ranking of the quantitative relative risk reduction impact of all portfolio elements, but also highlighting the areas with high potential impact via sensitivity and gap analyses in support of the program office. Although the model outputs are preliminary and products are notional, the process shown in this paper is essential to a comprehensive PA of NASA's safety products in the current program and future programs/projects.

Leader-member exchange: Moderating the health and safety outcomes of job insecurity.

PubMed

Probst, Tahira M; Jiang, Lixin; Graso, Maja

2016-02-01

Job insecurity has been repeatedly linked with poor employee health and safety outcomes. Although research on high quality leader-member exchange (LMX) has demonstrated many beneficial effects, no research to date has examined the extent to which positive LMX might attenuate those adverse health and safety-related consequences of job insecurity. The current study extends research in this area by specifically examining the buffering impact of LMX on the relationship between job insecurity and safety knowledge, reported accidents, and physical health conditions. Furthermore, the study also examines whether positive LMX mitigates the typically seen negative impact of job insecurity on supervisor satisfaction. The hypotheses were tested using survey data collected from 212 employees of a mine located in southwestern United States. As predicted, job insecurity was related to lower levels of supervisor satisfaction, more health ailments, and more workplace accidents, and was marginally related to lower levels of safety knowledge. Results indicated that LMX significantly attenuated these observed relationships. The quality of the dyadic relationship between supervisor and subordinate has a significant impact on the extent to which job insecurity is associated with adverse health and safety outcomes. Practical implications for supervisor behavior and developing high quality LMX are discussed in light of today's pervasive job insecurity. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and National Safety Council. All rights reserved.

Smooth handling: the lack of safety-related consumer information in car advertisements.

PubMed

Wilson, Nick; Maher, Anthony; Thomson, George; Keall, Michael

2007-10-01

To examine the content and trends of safety-related consumer information in magazine vehicle advertisements, as a case study within the worldwide marketing of vehicles. Content analysis of popular current affairs magazines in New Zealand for the 5-year period 2001-2005 was undertaken (n = 514 advertisements), supplemented with vehicle data from official websites. Safety information in advertisements for light passenger vehicles was relatively uncommon with only 27% mentioning one or more of nine key safety features examined (average: 1.7 out of nine features in this 27%). Also included were potentially hazardous features of: speed imagery (in 29% of advertisements), power references (14%), and acceleration data (4%). The speed and power aspects became relatively more common over the 5-year period (p < 0.05 for trend). To enhance informed consumer choice and improve injury prevention, governments should consider regulating the content of vehicle advertisements and vehicle marketing - as already occurs with many other consumer products.

Relative effectiveness of worker safety and health training methods.

PubMed

Burke, Michael J; Sarpy, Sue Ann; Smith-Crowe, Kristin; Chan-Serafin, Suzanne; Salvador, Rommel O; Islam, Gazi

2006-02-01

We sought to determine the relative effectiveness of different methods of worker safety and health training aimed at improving safety knowledge and performance and reducing negative outcomes (accidents, illnesses, and injuries). Ninety-five quasi-experimental studies (n=20991) were included in the analysis. Three types of intervention methods were distinguished on the basis of learners' participation in the training process: least engaging (lecture, pamphlets, videos), moderately engaging (programmed instruction, feedback interventions), and most engaging (training in behavioral modeling, hands-on training). As training methods became more engaging (i.e., requiring trainees' active participation), workers demonstrated greater knowledge acquisition, and reductions were seen in accidents, illnesses, and injuries. All methods of training produced meaningful behavioral performance improvements. Training involving behavioral modeling, a substantial amount of practice, and dialogue is generally more effective than other methods of safety and health training. The present findings challenge the current emphasis on more passive computer-based and distance training methods within the public health workforce.

Relative Effectiveness of Worker Safety and Health Training Methods

PubMed Central

Burke, Michael J.; Sarpy, Sue Ann; Smith-Crowe, Kristin; Chan-Serafin, Suzanne; Salvador, Rommel O.; Islam, Gazi

2006-01-01

Objectives. We sought to determine the relative effectiveness of different methods of worker safety and health training aimed at improving safety knowledge and performance and reducing negative outcomes (accidents, illnesses, and injuries). Methods. Ninety-five quasi-experimental studies (n=20991) were included in the analysis. Three types of intervention methods were distinguished on the basis of learners’ participation in the training process: least engaging (lecture, pamphlets, videos), moderately engaging (programmed instruction, feedback interventions), and most engaging (training in behavioral modeling, hands-on training). Results. As training methods became more engaging (i.e., requiring trainees’ active participation), workers demonstrated greater knowledge acquisition, and reductions were seen in accidents, illnesses, and injuries. All methods of training produced meaningful behavioral performance improvements. Conclusions. Training involving behavioral modeling, a substantial amount of practice, and dialogue is generally more effective than other methods of safety and health training. The present findings challenge the current emphasis on more passive computer-based and distance training methods within the public health workforce. PMID:16380566

Distraction and pedestrian safety: how talking on the phone, texting, and listening to music impact crossing the street.

PubMed

Schwebel, David C; Stavrinos, Despina; Byington, Katherine W; Davis, Tiffany; O'Neal, Elizabeth E; de Jong, Desiree

2012-03-01

As use of handheld multimedia devices has exploded globally, safety experts have begun to consider the impact of distraction while talking, text-messaging, or listening to music on traffic safety. This study was designed to test how talking on the phone, texting, and listening to music may influence pedestrian safety. 138 college students crossed an interactive, semi-immersive virtual pedestrian street. They were randomly assigned to one of four groups: crossing while talking on the phone, crossing while texting, crossing while listening to a personal music device, or crossing while undistracted. Participants distracted by music or texting were more likely to be hit by a vehicle in the virtual pedestrian environment than were undistracted participants. Participants in all three distracted groups were more likely to look away from the street environment (and look toward other places, such as their telephone or music device) than were undistracted participants. Findings were maintained after controlling for demographics, walking frequency, and media use frequency. Distraction from multimedia devices has a small but meaningful impact on college students' pedestrian safety. Future research should consider the cognitive demands of pedestrian safety, and how those processes may be impacted by distraction. Policymakers might consider ways to protect distracted pedestrians from harm and to reduce the number of individuals crossing streets while distracted. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Distraction and Pedestrian Safety: How Talking on the Phone, Texting, and Listening to Music Impact Crossing the Street

PubMed Central

Schwebel, David C.; Stavrinos, Despina; Byington, Katherine W.; Davis, Tiffany; O’Neal, Elizabeth E.; de Jong, Desiree

2011-01-01

As use of handheld multimedia devices has exploded globally, safety experts have begun to consider the impact of distraction while talking, text-messaging, or listening to music on traffic safety. This study was designed to test how talking on the phone, texting, and listening to music may influence pedestrian safety. 138 college students crossed an interactive, semi-immersive virtual pedestrian street. They were randomly assigned to one of four groups: crossing while talking on the phone, crossing while texting, crossing while listening to a personal music device, or crossing while undistracted. Participants distracted by music or texting were more likely to be hit by a vehicle in the virtual pedestrian environment than were undistracted participants. Participants in all three distracted groups were more likely to look away from the street environment (and look toward other places, such as their telephone or music device) than were undistracted participants. Findings were maintained after controlling for demographics, walking frequency, and media use frequency. Distraction from multimedia devices has a small but meaningful impact on college students’ pedestrian safety. Future research should consider the cognitive demands of pedestrian safety, and how those processes may be impacted by distraction. Policymakers might consider ways to protect distracted pedestrians from harm and to reduce the number of individuals crossing streets while distracted. PMID:22269509

Forms of Safety and Their Impact on Health: An Exploration of HIV/AIDS-Related Risk and Resilience Among Trans Women in Lebanon

PubMed Central

KAPLAN, RACHEL L.; WAGNER, GLENN J.; NEHME, SIMON; AUNON, FRANCES; KHOURI, DANIELLE; MOKHBAT, JACQUES

2016-01-01

Using minority stress theory, the authors investigated risk behaviors of transgender women (trans women) in Lebanon. Using semistructured interviews, the authors explored six areas: relationships with family and friends; openness about gender and sexuality; experiences with stigma; sexual behavior; attitudes and behaviors regarding HIV testing; and perceived HIV-related norms among transgender peers. Participants voiced the importance of different forms of safety: social/emotional, physical, sexual, and financial. Strategies for obtaining safety were negotiated differently depending on social, behavioral, and structural factors in the environment. In this article, we provide study findings from the perspectives of trans women, their exposure to stigma, and the necessary navigation of environments characterized by transphobia. PMID:24588138

Evaluation of Key Factors Impacting Feeding Safety in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Matus, Bethany A; Bridges, Kayla M; Logomarsino, John V

2018-06-21

Individualized feeding care plans and safe handling of milk (human or formula) are critical in promoting growth, immune function, and neurodevelopment in the preterm infant. Feeding errors and disruptions or limitations to feeding processes in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are associated with negative safety events. Feeding errors include contamination of milk and delivery of incorrect or expired milk and may result in adverse gastrointestinal illnesses. The purpose of this review was to evaluate the effect(s) of centralized milk preparation, use of trained technicians, use of bar code-scanning software, and collaboration between registered dietitians and registered nurses on feeding safety in the NICU. A systematic review of the literature was completed, and 12 articles were selected as relevant to search criteria. Study quality was evaluated using the Downs and Black scoring tool. An evaluation of human studies indicated that the use of centralized milk preparation, trained technicians, bar code-scanning software, and possible registered dietitian involvement decreased feeding-associated error in the NICU. A state-of-the-art NICU includes a centralized milk preparation area staffed by trained technicians, care supported by bar code-scanning software, and utilization of a registered dietitian to improve patient safety. These resources will provide nurses more time to focus on nursing-specific neonatal care. Further research is needed to evaluate the impact of factors related to feeding safety in the NICU as well as potential financial benefits of these quality improvement opportunities.

Evaluating the Impact of Radio Frequency Identification Retained Surgical Instruments Tracking on Patient Safety: Literature Review.

PubMed

Schnock, Kumiko O; Biggs, Bonnie; Fladger, Anne; Bates, David W; Rozenblum, Ronen

2017-02-22

Retained surgical instruments (RSI) are one of the most serious preventable complications in operating room settings, potentially leading to profound adverse effects for patients, as well as costly legal and financial consequences for hospitals. Safety measures to eliminate RSIs have been widely adopted in the United States and abroad, but despite widespread efforts, medical errors with RSI have not been eliminated. Through a systematic review of recent studies, we aimed to identify the impact of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology on reducing RSI errors and improving patient safety. A literature search on the effects of RFID technology on RSI error reduction was conducted in PubMed and CINAHL (2000-2016). Relevant articles were selected and reviewed by 4 researchers. After the literature search, 385 articles were identified and the full texts of the 88 articles were assessed for eligibility. Of these, 5 articles were included to evaluate the benefits and drawbacks of using RFID for preventing RSI-related errors. The use of RFID resulted in rapid detection of RSI through body tissue with high accuracy rates, reducing risk of counting errors and improving workflow. Based on the existing literature, RFID technology seems to have the potential to substantially improve patient safety by reducing RSI errors, although the body of evidence is currently limited. Better designed research studies are needed to get a clear understanding of this domain and to find new opportunities to use this technology and improve patient safety.

Guidelines for Safety in the Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Unit

PubMed Central

Calderwood, Audrey H.; Chapman, Frank J.; Cohen, Jonathan; Cohen, Lawrence B.; Collins, James; Day, Lukejohn W.; Early, Dayna S.

2014-01-01

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Historically, safety in the gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy unit has focused on infection control, particularly around the reprocessing of endoscopes. Two highly publicized outbreaks where the transmission of infectious agents were related to GI endoscopy have highlighted the need to address potential gaps along the endoscopy care continuum that could impact patient safety. PMID:24485393

2009 NASA Range Safety Annual Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2010-01-01

This year, NASA Range Safety transitioned to a condensed annual report to allow for Secretariat support to the Range Safety Group, Risk Committee. Although much shorter than in previous years, this report contains full-length articles concerning various subject areas, as well as links to past reports. Additionally, summaries from various NASA Range Safety Program activities that took place throughout the year are presented, as well as information on several projects that may have a profound impact on the way business will be done in the future. The sections include a program overview and 2009 highlights; Range Safety Training; Range Safety Policy; Independent Assessments Support to Program Operations at all ranges conducting NASA launch operations; a continuing overview of emerging range safety-related technologies; and status reports from all of the NASA Centers that have Range Safety responsibilities.

The moderating role of safety-specific trust on the relation between safety-specific leadership and safety citizenship behaviors.

PubMed

Conchie, Stacey M; Donald, Ian J

2009-04-01

The authors examined whether safety-specific trust moderates or mediates the relationship between safety-specific transformational leadership and subordinates' safety citizenship behavior. Data from 139 subordinate-supervisor dyads were collected from the United Kingdom construction industry and analyzed using hierarchical regression models. Results showed that safety-specific trust moderated rather than mediated the effects of safety-specific transformational leaders on subordinates' behavior. Specifically, in conditions of high and moderate safety-specific trust, leaders had a significant effect on subordinates' safety citizenship behavior. However, in conditions of low safety-specific trust, leaders did not significantly influence subordinates' safety citizenship behavior. The implications of these findings for general safety theory and practice are discussed.

Compliant flooring to prevent fall-related injuries in older adults: A scoping review of biomechanical efficacy, clinical effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and workplace safety

PubMed Central

Jurkowski, Michal P.; Dymarz, Ania C.; Robinovitch, Stephen N.; Feldman, Fabio; Laing, Andrew C.; Mackey, Dawn C.

2017-01-01

Background Compliant flooring, broadly defined as flooring systems or floor coverings with some level of shock absorbency, may reduce the incidence and severity of fall-related injuries in older adults; however, a lack of synthesized evidence may be limiting widespread uptake. Methods Informed by the Arksey and O’Malley framework and guided by a Research Advisory Panel of knowledge users, we conducted a scoping review to answer: what is presented about the biomechanical efficacy, clinical effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and workplace safety associated with compliant flooring systems that aim to prevent fall-related injuries in healthcare settings? We searched academic and grey literature databases. Any record that discussed a compliant flooring system and at least one of biomechanical efficacy, clinical effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, or workplace safety was eligible for inclusion. Two independent reviewers screened and abstracted records, charted data, and summarized results. Results After screening 3611 titles and abstracts and 166 full-text articles, we included 84 records plus 56 companion (supplementary) reports. Biomechanical efficacy records (n = 50) demonstrate compliant flooring can reduce fall-related impact forces with minimal effects on standing and walking balance. Clinical effectiveness records (n = 20) suggest that compliant flooring may reduce injuries, but may increase risk for falls. Preliminary evidence suggests that compliant flooring may be a cost-effective strategy (n = 12), but may also result in increased physical demands for healthcare workers (n = 17). Conclusions In summary, compliant flooring is a promising strategy for preventing fall-related injuries from a biomechanical perspective. Additional research is warranted to confirm whether compliant flooring (i) prevents fall-related injuries in real-world settings, (ii) is a cost-effective intervention strategy, and (iii) can be installed without negatively impacting workplace

Compliant flooring to prevent fall-related injuries in older adults: A scoping review of biomechanical efficacy, clinical effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and workplace safety.

PubMed

Lachance, Chantelle C; Jurkowski, Michal P; Dymarz, Ania C; Robinovitch, Stephen N; Feldman, Fabio; Laing, Andrew C; Mackey, Dawn C

2017-01-01

Compliant flooring, broadly defined as flooring systems or floor coverings with some level of shock absorbency, may reduce the incidence and severity of fall-related injuries in older adults; however, a lack of synthesized evidence may be limiting widespread uptake. Informed by the Arksey and O'Malley framework and guided by a Research Advisory Panel of knowledge users, we conducted a scoping review to answer: what is presented about the biomechanical efficacy, clinical effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and workplace safety associated with compliant flooring systems that aim to prevent fall-related injuries in healthcare settings? We searched academic and grey literature databases. Any record that discussed a compliant flooring system and at least one of biomechanical efficacy, clinical effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, or workplace safety was eligible for inclusion. Two independent reviewers screened and abstracted records, charted data, and summarized results. After screening 3611 titles and abstracts and 166 full-text articles, we included 84 records plus 56 companion (supplementary) reports. Biomechanical efficacy records (n = 50) demonstrate compliant flooring can reduce fall-related impact forces with minimal effects on standing and walking balance. Clinical effectiveness records (n = 20) suggest that compliant flooring may reduce injuries, but may increase risk for falls. Preliminary evidence suggests that compliant flooring may be a cost-effective strategy (n = 12), but may also result in increased physical demands for healthcare workers (n = 17). In summary, compliant flooring is a promising strategy for preventing fall-related injuries from a biomechanical perspective. Additional research is warranted to confirm whether compliant flooring (i) prevents fall-related injuries in real-world settings, (ii) is a cost-effective intervention strategy, and (iii) can be installed without negatively impacting workplace safety. Avenues for future research are

32 CFR 861.7 - Disclosure of voluntarily provided safety-related information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

...) Processing requests for disclosure of voluntarily provided safety-related information. Requests for public... will protect the information from public disclosure, and that it will not release such information...-related information. 861.7 Section 861.7 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF...

32 CFR 861.7 - Disclosure of voluntarily provided safety-related information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

...) Processing requests for disclosure of voluntarily provided safety-related information. Requests for public... will protect the information from public disclosure, and that it will not release such information...-related information. 861.7 Section 861.7 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF...

32 CFR 861.7 - Disclosure of voluntarily provided safety-related information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

...) Processing requests for disclosure of voluntarily provided safety-related information. Requests for public... will protect the information from public disclosure, and that it will not release such information...-related information. 861.7 Section 861.7 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF...

32 CFR 861.7 - Disclosure of voluntarily provided safety-related information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

...) Processing requests for disclosure of voluntarily provided safety-related information. Requests for public... will protect the information from public disclosure, and that it will not release such information...-related information. 861.7 Section 861.7 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF...

Automating Nuclear-Safety-Related SQA Procedures with Custom Applications

DOE PAGES

Freels, James D.

2016-01-01

Nuclear safety-related procedures are rigorous for good reason. Small design mistakes can quickly turn into unwanted failures. Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory worked with COMSOL to define a simulation app that automates the software quality assurance (SQA) verification process and provides results in less than 24 hours.

Effect of snowboard-related concussion safety education for recognizing possible concussions.

PubMed

Koh, J O

2011-12-01

The aim of this study was to examine the understanding of snowboard-related concussion and to measure the recognition of possible concussion occurrence after an intervention of snowboard-related concussion safety education in snowboarding. Incidence cohort design. 2008-2009 season Gangwon-do Ski resorts, South Korea. A total of 208 university students (female-72; male-136; age-18 to 32) who registered for a snowboarding class and received credit participated in this project. Snowboard-related concussion safety education class was administered for 30 minutes before the snowboard class began. The knowledge of snowboard-related concussion before and after the safety education was evaluated. Concussion data were collected via a self-report case form at the last day of snowboarding class. The incidence of possible concussion and factors associated with concussions were analyzed by χ2 test. The mean score of snowboard-related concussion knowledge improved from fifteen points to eighteen points out of 20 total points possible. Overall the incidence of concussion was 10 per 100 snowboarder-exposures. χ2 tests showed concussion rates to be significantly different in female snowboarders (P=0.00) and in helmet users (P=0.02). The incidence of possible concussion is high among snowboarding class participants. Emphasis should be given for instituting pre-participation balance training, especially for females to reduce falling in snowboarding. To verify the effects of pre-participation balance training and falling results in a concussion, more research is needed in the future.

A theory-driven, longitudinal evaluation of the impact of team training on safety culture in 24 hospitals.

PubMed

Jones, Katherine J; Skinner, Anne M; High, Robin; Reiter-Palmon, Roni

2013-05-01

Effective teamwork facilitates collective learning, which is integral to safety culture. There are no rigorous evaluations of the impact of team training on the four components of safety culture-reporting, just, flexible and learning cultures. We evaluated the impact of a year-long team training programme on safety culture in 24 hospitals using two theoretical frameworks. We used two quasi-experimental designs: a cross-sectional comparison of hospital survey on patient safety culture (HSOPS) results from an intervention group of 24 hospitals to a static group of 13 hospitals and a pre-post comparison of HSOPS results within intervention hospitals. Dependent variables were HSOPS items representing the four components of safety culture; independent variables were derived from items added to the HSOPS that measured the extent of team training, learning and transfer. We used a generalised linear mixed model approach to account for the correlated nature of the data. 59% of 2137 respondents from the intervention group reported receiving team training. Intervention group HSOPS scores were significantly higher than static group scores in three dimensions assessing the flexible and learning components of safety culture. The distribution of the adoption of team behaviours (transfer) varied in the intervention group from 2.8% to 31.0%. Adoption of team behaviours was significantly associated with odds of an individual reacting more positively at reassessment than baseline to nine items reflecting all four components of safety culture. Team training can result in transformational change in safety culture when the work environment supports the transfer of learning to new behaviour.

Unintentional and undetermined firearm related deaths: a preventable death analysis for three safety devices.

PubMed

Vernick, J S; O'Brien, M; Hepburn, L M; Johnson, S B; Webster, D W; Hargarten, S W

2003-12-01

To determine the proportion of unintentional and undetermined firearm related deaths preventable by three safety devices: personalization devices, loaded chamber indicators (LCIs), and magazine safeties. A personalized gun will operate only for an authorized user, a LCI indicates when the gun contains ammunition, and a magazine safety prevents the gun from firing when the ammunition magazine is removed. Information about all unintentional and undetermined firearm deaths from 1991-98 was obtained from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for Maryland, and from the Wisconsin Firearm Injury Reporting System for Milwaukee. Data regarding the victim, shooter, weapon, and circumstances were abstracted. Coding rules to classify each death as preventable, possibly preventable, or not preventable by each of the three safety devices were also applied. There were a total of 117 firearm related deaths in our sample, 95 (81%) involving handguns. Forty three deaths (37%) were classified as preventable by a personalized gun, 23 (20%) by a LCI, and five (4%) by a magazine safety. Overall, 52 deaths (44%) were preventable by at least one safety device. Deaths involving children 0-17 (relative risk (RR) 3.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.1 to 5.1) and handguns (RR 8.1, 95% CI 1.2 to 53.5) were more likely to be preventable. Projecting the findings to the entire United States, an estimated 442 deaths might have been prevented in 2000 had all guns been equipped with these safety devices. Incorporating safety devices into firearms is an important injury intervention, with the potential to save hundreds of lives each year.

Hospital nurses' working conditions in relation to motivation and patient safety.

PubMed

Toode, Kristi; Routasalo, Pirkko; Helminen, Mika; Suominen, Tarja

2015-03-01

There is a lack of empirical knowledge about nurses' perceptions of their workplace characteristics and conditions, such as level of autonomy and decision authority, work climate, teamwork, skill exploitation and learning opportunities, and their work motivation in relation to practice outputs such as patient safety. Such knowledge is needed particularly in countries, such as Estonia, where hospital systems for preventing errors and improving patient safety are in the early stages of development. This article reports the findings from a cross-sectional survey of hospital nurses in Estonia that was aimed at determining their perceptions of workplace characteristics, working conditions, work motivation and patient safety, and at exploring the relationship between these. Results suggest that perceptions of personal control over their work can affect nurses' motivation, and that perceptions of work satisfaction might be relevant to patient safety improvement work.

Contractor-, steward-, and coworker-safety practice: associations with musculoskeletal pain and injury-related absence among construction apprentices.

PubMed

Kim, Seung-Sup; Dutra, Lauren M; Okechukwu, Cassandra A

2014-07-01

This paper sought to assess organizational safety practices at three different levels of hierarchical workplace structure and to examine their association with injury outcomes among construction apprentices. Using a cross-sectional sample of 1,775 construction apprentices, three measures of organizational safety practice were assessed: contractor-, steward-, and coworker-safety practice. Each safety practice measure was assessed using three similar questions (i.e., on-the-job safety commitment, following required or recommended safe work practices, and correcting unsafe work practices); the summed average of the responses ranged from 1 to 4, with a higher score indicating poorer safety practice. Outcome variables included the prevalence of four types of musculoskeletal pain (i.e., neck, shoulder, hand, and back pain) and injury-related absence. In adjusted analyses, contractor-safety practice was associated with both hand pain (OR: 1.27, 95 % CI: 1.04, 1.54) and back pain (OR: 1.40, 95 % CI: 1.17, 1.68); coworker-safety practice was related to back pain (OR: 1.42, 95 % CI: 1.18, 1.71) and injury-related absence (OR: 1.36, 95 % CI: 1.11, 1.67). In an analysis that included all three safety practice measures simultaneously, the association between coworker-safety practice and injury-related absence remained significant (OR: 1.68, 95 % CI: 1.20, 2.37), whereas all other associations became non-significant. This study suggests that organizational safety practice, particularly coworker-safety practice, is associated with injury outcomes among construction apprentices.

Safety intelligence: an exploration of senior managers' characteristics.

PubMed

Fruhen, L S; Mearns, K J; Flin, R; Kirwan, B

2014-07-01

Senior managers can have a strong influence on organisational safety. But little is known about which of their personal attributes support their impact on safety. In this paper, we introduce the concept of 'safety intelligence' as related to senior managers' ability to develop and enact safety policies and explore possible characteristics related to it in two studies. Study 1 (N = 76) involved direct reports to chief executive officers (CEOs) of European air traffic management (ATM) organisations, who completed a short questionnaire asking about characteristics and behaviours that are ideal for a CEO's influence on safety. Study 2 involved senior ATM managers (N = 9) in various positions in interviews concerning their day-to-day work on safety. Both studies indicated six attributes of senior managers as relevant for their safety intelligence, particularly, social competence and safety knowledge, followed by motivation, problem-solving, personality and interpersonal leadership skills. These results have recently been applied in guidance for safety management practices in a White Paper published by EUROCONTROL. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

The Impact of Environment and Occupation on the Health and Safety of Active Duty Air Force Members - Database Development and De-Identification

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-04-01

et al. Work , obesity , and occupational safety and health . Am J Public Health . 2007; 97(3):428-436. 7. Grunberg L, Moore S, Anderson-Connolly R...AFRL-SA-WP-SR-2015-0005 The Impact of Environment and Occupation on the Health and Safety of Active Duty Air Force Members – Database...TITLE AND SUBTITLE The Impact of Environment and Occupation on the Health and Safety of Active Duty Air Force Members – Database Development and De

Parental and Adolescent Perceptions of Neighborhood Safety Related to Adolescents’ Physical Activity in Their Neighborhood

PubMed Central

Esteban-Cornejo, Irene; Carlson, Jordan A.; Conway, Terry L.; Cain, Kelli L.; Saelens, Brian E.; Frank, Lawrence D.; Glanz, Karen; Roman, Caterina G.; Sallis, James F.

2017-01-01

Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine the association between adolescent and parental perceptions of neighborhood safety and adolescents’ physical activity in multiple locations and to investigate the moderating effect of sex within this association. Method This cross-sectional study was conducted with 928 adolescents aged 12 to 16 years old and 1 of their parents. Adolescents and parents reported their perceptions of neighborhood safety (traffic safety, pedestrian safety, crime safety, and stranger danger safety). Adolescents reported how often they were physically active in multiple locations (physical activity in the neighborhood, in parks, and for active transport). Mixed-effects linear regression models were used to investigate these associations while controlling for demographics and the Walkability Index. Results Parent-perceived crime safety was positively associated with adolescents’ physical activity in parks (B = .094, p = .024). Parent-perceived traffic safety was positively associated with adolescents’ reported physical activity in the neighborhood (B = .186, p = .014). Adolescents’ physical activity for active transport was positively associated with parent-perceived traffic safety (B = .179, p = .001), stranger danger safety (B = .110, p = .013), and crime safety (B = .077, p = .035). There were 2 interactions by sex on the relation between adolescent traffic safety perception and parent pedestrian safety perception in the neighborhood and adolescents’ physical activity in parks (i.e., statistically significant only for boys). Conclusions Parents’ perceptions of traffic, stranger danger, and crime safety were all related to adolescents’ active transportation. Multiple safety concerns may be motivating parents to restrict adolescent mobility by walking and bicycling. PMID:27030158

Striving for safety: communicating and deciding in sociotechnical systems

PubMed Central

Flach, John M.; Carroll, John S.; Dainoff, Marvin J.; Hamilton, W. Ian

2015-01-01

How do communications and decisions impact the safety of sociotechnical systems? This paper frames this question in the context of a dynamic system of nested sub-systems. Communications are related to the construct of observability (i.e. how components integrate information to assess the state with respect to local and global constraints). Decisions are related to the construct of controllability (i.e. how component sub-systems act to meet local and global safety goals). The safety dynamics of sociotechnical systems are evaluated as a function of the coupling between observability and controllability across multiple closed-loop components. Two very different domains (nuclear power and the limited service food industry) provide examples to illustrate how this framework might be applied. While the dynamical systems framework does not offer simple prescriptions for achieving safety, it does provide guides for exploring specific systems to consider the potential fit between organisational structures and work demands, and for generalising across different systems regarding how safety can be managed. Practitioner Summary: While offering no simple prescriptions about how to achieve safety in sociotechnical systems, this paper develops a theoretical framework based on dynamical systems theory as a practical guide for generalising from basic research to work domains and for generalising across alternative work domains to better understand how patterns of communication and decision-making impact system safety. PMID:25761155

Unintentional and undetermined firearm related deaths: a preventable death analysis for three safety devices

PubMed Central

Vernick, J; O'Brien, M; Hepburn, L; Johnson, S; Webster, D; Hargarten, S

2003-01-01

Objective: To determine the proportion of unintentional and undetermined firearm related deaths preventable by three safety devices: personalization devices, loaded chamber indicators (LCIs), and magazine safeties. A personalized gun will operate only for an authorized user, a LCI indicates when the gun contains ammunition, and a magazine safety prevents the gun from firing when the ammunition magazine is removed. Design: Information about all unintentional and undetermined firearm deaths from 1991–98 was obtained from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for Maryland, and from the Wisconsin Firearm Injury Reporting System for Milwaukee. Data regarding the victim, shooter, weapon, and circumstances were abstracted. Coding rules to classify each death as preventable, possibly preventable, or not preventable by each of the three safety devices were also applied. Results: There were a total of 117 firearm related deaths in our sample, 95 (81%) involving handguns. Forty three deaths (37%) were classified as preventable by a personalized gun, 23 (20%) by a LCI, and five (4%) by a magazine safety. Overall, 52 deaths (44%) were preventable by at least one safety device. Deaths involving children 0–17 (relative risk (RR) 3.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.1 to 5.1) and handguns (RR 8.1, 95% CI 1.2 to 53.5) were more likely to be preventable. Projecting the findings to the entire United States, an estimated 442 deaths might have been prevented in 2000 had all guns been equipped with these safety devices. Conclusion: Incorporating safety devices into firearms is an important injury intervention, with the potential to save hundreds of lives each year. PMID:14693889

Using naturalistic driving data to explore the association between traffic safety-related events and crash risk at driver level.

PubMed

Wu, Kun-Feng; Aguero-Valverde, Jonathan; Jovanis, Paul P

2014-11-01

There has been considerable research conducted over the last 40 years using traffic safety-related events to support road safety analyses. Dating back to traffic conflict studies from the 1960s these observational studies of driver behavior have been criticized due to: poor quality data; lack of available and useful exposure measures linked to the observations; the incomparability of self-reported safety-related events; and, the difficulty in assessing culpability for safety-related events. This study seeks to explore the relationships between driver characteristics and traffic safety-related events, and between traffic safety-related events and crash involvement while mitigating some of those limitations. The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute 100-Car Naturalistic Driving Study dataset, in which the participants' vehicles were instrumented with various cameras and sensors during the study period, was used for this study. The study data set includes 90 drivers observed for 12-13 months driving. This study focuses on single vehicle run-off-road safety-related events only, including 14 crashes and 182 safety-related events (30 near crashes, and 152 crash-relevant incidents). Among the findings are: (1) drivers under age 25 are significantly more likely to be involved in safety-related events and crashes; and (2) significantly positive correlations exist between crashes, near crashes, and crash-relevant incidents. Although there is still much to learn about the factors affecting the positive correlation between safety-related events and crashes, a Bayesian multivariate Poisson log-normal model is shown to be useful to quantify the associations between safety-related events and crash risk while controlling for driver characteristics. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Contractor-, steward-, and coworker-safety practice: associations with musculoskeletal pain and injury-related absence among construction apprentices

PubMed Central

Dutra, Lauren M.; Okechukwu, Cassandra A.

2013-01-01

Objectives This paper sought to assess organizational safety practices at three different levels of hierarchical workplace structure and to examine their association with injury outcomes among construction apprentices. Methods Using a cross-sectional sample of 1,775 construction apprentices, three measures of organizational safety practice were assessed: contractor-, steward-, and coworker-safety practice. Each safety practice measure was assessed using three similar questions (i.e., on-the-job safety commitment, following required or recommended safe work practices, and correcting unsafe work practices); the summed average of the responses ranged from 1 to 4, with a higher score indicating poorer safety practice. Outcome variables included the prevalence of four types of musculoskeletal pain (i.e., neck, shoulder, hand, and back pain) and injury-related absence. Results In adjusted analyses, contractor-safety practice was associated with both hand pain (OR: 1.27, 95 % CI: 1.04, 1.54) and back pain (OR: 1.40, 95 % CI: 1.17, 1.68); coworker-safety practice was related to back pain (OR: 1.42, 95 % CI: 1.18, 1.71) and injury-related absence (OR: 1.36, 95 % CI: 1.11, 1.67). In an analysis that included all three safety practice measures simultaneously, the association between coworker-safety practice and injury-related absence remained significant (OR: 1.68, 95 % CI: 1.20, 2.37), whereas all other associations became non-significant. Conclusions This study suggests that organizational safety practice, particularly coworker-safety practice, is associated with injury outcomes among construction apprentices. PMID:23748366

Measurement and monitoring of safety: impact and challenges of putting a conceptual framework into practice.

PubMed

Chatburn, Eleanor; Macrae, Carl; Carthey, Jane; Vincent, Charles

2018-03-06

The Measurement and Monitoring of Safety Framework provides a conceptual model to guide organisations in assessing safety. The Health Foundation funded a large-scale programme to assess the value and impact of applying the Framework in regional and frontline care settings. We explored the experiences and reflections of key participants in the programme. The study was conducted in the nine healthcare organisations in England and Scotland testing the Framework (three regional improvement bodies, six frontline settings). Post hoc interviews with clinical and managerial staff were analysed using template analysis. Participants reported that the Framework promoted a substantial shift in their thinking about how safety is actively managed in their environment. It provided a common language, facilitated a more inquisitive approach and encouraged a more holistic view of the components of safety. These changes in conceptual understanding, however, did not always translate into broader changes in practice, with many sites only addressing some aspects of the Framework. One of the three regions did embrace the Framework in its entirety and achieved wider impact with a range of interventions. This region had committed leaders who took time to fully understand the concepts, who maintained a flexible approach to exploring the utility of the Framework and who worked with frontline staff to translate the concepts for local settings. The Measuring and Monitoring of Safety Framework has the potential to support a broader and richer approach to organisational safety. Such a conceptually based initiative requires both committed leaders who themselves understand the concepts and more time to establish understanding and aims than might be needed in a standard improvement programme. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Randomized trial of the impact of a sun safety program on volunteers in outdoor venues.

PubMed

Cheng, Shaowei; Guan, Xin; Cao, Mei; Liu, Yalan; Zhai, Siwen

2011-04-01

A suitable sun safety educational program could help the public avoid sun exposure-induced skin damage. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of a sun safety program on volunteers in outdoor venues and explore the most effective sun safety education method in China. An intervention program was implemented to raise knowledge and behavior regarding sun exposure among volunteers in the outdoor competition venues in Beijing, China. Five intervention methods were used, including class education, free sunscreen samples, pamphlets, posters, and newsletters. The self-administered multiple-choice questionnaires were administered before and after the intervention. Two hundred and eighty-five subjects were enrolled, including 107 males (37.5%) and 178 females (62.5%). The intervention group showed improvement in sun safety knowledge and behavior. Other improvements were achieved in the field of sun safety awareness and intended behavior, with most of the items achieving no statistically significant differences. Subgroup A (multi-component interventions, including class education, free sunscreen samples, and written materials) achieved better results than subgroup B (written materials only) to improve sun safety knowledge and awareness. Sun safety education could improve volunteer 's sun safety knowledge and behavior in the outdoor venues in China. Multi-component interventions proved to be the most effective sun safety education method. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Nurses' Perceptions of the Impact of Work Systems and Technology on Patient Safety during the Medication Administration Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gallagher Gordon, Mary

2012-01-01

This dissertation examines nurses' perceptions of the impacts of systems and technology utilized during the medication administration process on patient safety and the culture of medication error reporting. This exploratory research study was grounded in a model of patient safety based on Patricia Benner's Novice to Expert Skill Acquisition model,…

A Bayesian ridge regression analysis of congestion's impact on urban expressway safety.

PubMed

Shi, Qi; Abdel-Aty, Mohamed; Lee, Jaeyoung

2016-03-01

With the rapid growth of traffic in urban areas, concerns about congestion and traffic safety have been heightened. This study leveraged both Automatic Vehicle Identification (AVI) system and Microwave Vehicle Detection System (MVDS) installed on an expressway in Central Florida to explore how congestion impacts the crash occurrence in urban areas. Multiple congestion measures from the two systems were developed. To ensure more precise estimates of the congestion's effects, the traffic data were aggregated into peak and non-peak hours. Multicollinearity among traffic parameters was examined. The results showed the presence of multicollinearity especially during peak hours. As a response, ridge regression was introduced to cope with this issue. Poisson models with uncorrelated random effects, correlated random effects, and both correlated random effects and random parameters were constructed within the Bayesian framework. It was proven that correlated random effects could significantly enhance model performance. The random parameters model has similar goodness-of-fit compared with the model with only correlated random effects. However, by accounting for the unobserved heterogeneity, more variables were found to be significantly related to crash frequency. The models indicated that congestion increased crash frequency during peak hours while during non-peak hours it was not a major crash contributing factor. Using the random parameter model, the three congestion measures were compared. It was found that all congestion indicators had similar effects while Congestion Index (CI) derived from MVDS data was a better congestion indicator for safety analysis. Also, analyses showed that the segments with higher congestion intensity could not only increase property damage only (PDO) crashes, but also more severe crashes. In addition, the issues regarding the necessity to incorporate specific congestion indicator for congestion's effects on safety and to take care of the

The Impact of System Factors on Quality and Safety in Arterial Surgery: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Lear, R; Godfrey, A D; Riga, C; Norton, C; Vincent, C; Bicknell, C D

2017-07-01

A systems approach to patient safety proposes that a wide range of factors contribute to surgical outcome, yet the impact of team, work environment, and organisational factors, is not fully understood in arterial surgery. The aim of this systematic review is to summarize and discuss what is already known about the impact of system factors on quality and safety in arterial surgery. A systematic review of original research papers in English using MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, and Cochrane databases, was performed according to PRISMA guidelines. Independent reviewers selected papers according to strict inclusion and exclusion criteria, and using predefined data fields, extracted relevant data on team, work environment, and organisational factors, and measures of quality and/or safety, in arterial procedures. Twelve papers met the selection criteria. Study endpoints were not consistent between papers, and most failed to report their clinical significance. A variety of tools were used to measure team skills in five papers; only one paper measured the relationship between team factors and patient outcomes. Two papers reported that equipment failures were common and had a significant impact on operating room efficiency. The influence of hospital characteristics on failure-to-rescue rates was tested in one large study, although their conclusions were limited to the American Medicare population. Five papers implemented changes in the patient pathway, but most studies failed to account for potential confounding variables. A small number of heterogenous studies have evaluated the relationship between system factors and quality or safety in arterial surgery. There is some evidence of an association between system factors and patient outcomes, but there is more work to be done to fully understand this relationship. Future research would benefit from consistency in definitions, the use of validated assessment tools, measurement of clinically relevant endpoints, and adherence to

Safety: Preventive Medicine.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kotula, John R.; Digenakis, Anthony

1985-01-01

Underscores the need for community colleges to practice safety within the institutions and to instruct students in workplace safety procedures and requirements. Reviews Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) regulations and their impact on industry and education. Looks at the legal responsibilities of colleges for safety. (DMM)

Safety-related requirements for photovoltaic modules and arrays. Final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Levins, A.

1984-03-01

Underwriters Laboratories has conducted a study to identify and develop safety requirements for photovoltaic module and panel designs and configurations for residential, intermediate, and large scale applications. Concepts for safety systems, where each system is a collection of subsystems which together address the total anticipated hazard situation, are described. Descriptions of hardware, and system usefulness and viability are included. This discussion of safety systems recognizes that there is little history on which to base the expected safety related performance of a photovoltaic system. A comparison of these systems, as against the provisions of the 1984 National Electrical Code covering photovoltaicmore » systems is made. A discussion of the UL investigation of the photovoltaic module evaluated to the provisions of the Proposed UL Standard for Flat-Plate Photovoltaic Modules and Panels is included. Grounding systems, their basis and nature, and the advantages and disadvantages of each are described. The meaning of frame grounding, circuit grounding, and the type of circuit ground are covered. The development of the Standard for Flat-Plate Photovoltaic Modules and Panels has continued, and with both industry comment and a product submittal and listing, the Standard has been refined to a viable document allowing an objective safety review of photovoltaic modules and panels. How this document, and other UL documents would cover investigations of certain other photovoltaic system components is described.« less

Facilitated Nurse Medication-Related Event Reporting to Improve Medication Management Quality and Safety in Intensive Care Units.

PubMed

Xu, Jie; Reale, Carrie; Slagle, Jason M; Anders, Shilo; Shotwell, Matthew S; Dresselhaus, Timothy; Weinger, Matthew B

Medication safety presents an ongoing challenge for nurses working in complex, fast-paced, intensive care unit (ICU) environments. Studying ICU nurse's medication management-especially medication-related events (MREs)-provides an approach to analyze and improve medication safety and quality. The goal of this study was to explore the utility of facilitated MRE reporting in identifying system deficiencies and the relationship between MREs and nurses' work in the ICUs. We conducted 124 structured 4-hour observations of nurses in three different ICUs. Each observation included measurement of nurse's moment-to-moment activity and self-reports of workload and negative mood. The observer then obtained MRE reports from the nurse using a structured tool. The MREs were analyzed by three experts. MREs were reported in 35% of observations. The 60 total MREs included four medication errors and seven adverse drug events. Of the 49 remaining MREs, 65% were associated with negative patient impact. Task/process deficiencies were the most common contributory factor for MREs. MRE occurrence was correlated with increased total task volume. MREs also correlated with increased workload, especially during night shifts. Most of these MREs would not be captured by traditional event reporting systems. Facilitated MRE reporting provides a robust information source about potential breakdowns in medication management safety and opportunities for system improvement.

Recent findings relating to firefighter safety zones

Treesearch

Bret Butler; Russ Parsons; William Mell

2015-01-01

Designation of safety zones is a primary duty of all wildland firefighters. Unfortunately, information regarding what constitutes an adequate safety zone is inadequately defined. Measurements of energy release from wildland fires have been used to develop an empirically based safety zone guideline. The basis for this work is described here.

How Stereochemistry Considerations can Improve Pesticide Safety

EPA Science Inventory

About 30% of pesticides are chiral molecules and therefore exist as two or more stereoisomers, which can differ significantly in their toxicity, biodegradation, and persistence. Such differences can impact their relative safety to humans and environmental species. Enantiomers, mi...

Openness to experience, work experience and patient safety.

PubMed

Chang, Hao-Yuan; Friesner, Daniel; Lee, I-Chen; Chu, Tsung-Lan; Chen, Hui-Ling; Wu, Wan-Er; Teng, Ching-I

2016-11-01

The purpose of this study is to examine how the interaction between nurse openness and work experience is related to patient safety. No study has yet examined the interactions between these, and how openness and work experience jointly impact patient safety. This study adopts a cross-sectional design, using self-reported work experience, perceived time pressure and measures of patient safety, and was conducted in a major medical centre. The sample consisted of 421 full-time nurses from all available units in the centre. Proportionate random sampling was used. Patient safety was measured using the self-reported frequency of common adverse events. Openness was self-rated using items identified in the relevant literature. Nurse openness is positively related to the patient safety construct (B = 0.08, P = 0.03). Moreover, work experience reduces the relation between openness and patient safety (B = -0.12, P < 0.01). The relationship between openness, work experience and patient safety suggests a new means of improving patient care in a health system setting. Nurse managers may enhance patient safety by assessing nurse openness and assigning highly open nurses to duties that make maximum use of that trait. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

78 FR 29392 - Embedded Digital Devices in Safety-Related Systems, Systems Important to Safety, and Items Relied...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-20

... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [NRC-2013-0098] Embedded Digital Devices in Safety-Related Systems... (NRC) is issuing for public comment Draft Regulatory Issue Summary (RIS) 2013-XX, ``Embedded Digital... requirements for the quality and reliability of basic components with embedded digital devices. DATES: Submit...

Identifying organizational cultures that promote patient safety.

PubMed

Singer, Sara J; Falwell, Alyson; Gaba, David M; Meterko, Mark; Rosen, Amy; Hartmann, Christine W; Baker, Laurence

2009-01-01

Safety climate refers to shared perceptions of what an organization is like with regard to safety, whereas safety culture refers to employees' fundamental ideology and orientation and explains why safety is pursued in the manner exhibited within a particular organization. Although research has sought to identify opportunities for improving safety outcomes by studying patterns of variation in safety climate, few empirical studies have examined the impact of organizational characteristics such as culture on hospital safety climate. This study explored how aspects of general organizational culture relate to hospital patient safety climate. In a stratified sample of 92 U.S. hospitals, we sampled 100% of senior managers and physicians and 10% of other hospital workers. The Patient Safety Climate in Healthcare Organizations and the Zammuto and Krakower organizational culture surveys measured safety climate and group, entrepreneurial, hierarchical, and production orientation of hospitals' culture, respectively. We administered safety climate surveys to 18,361 personnel and organizational culture surveys to a 5,894 random subsample between March 2004 and May 2005. Secondary data came from the 2004 American Hospital Association Annual Hospital Survey and Dun & Bradstreet. Hierarchical linear regressions assessed relationships between organizational culture and safety climate measures. Aspects of general organizational culture were strongly related to safety climate. A higher level of group culture correlated with a higher level of safety climate, but more hierarchical culture was associated with lower safety climate. Aspects of organizational culture accounted for more than threefold improvement in measures of model fit compared with models with controls alone. A mix of culture types, emphasizing group culture, seemed optimal for safety climate. Safety climate and organizational culture are positively related. Results support strategies that promote group orientation and

Impact of Resident Duty Hour Limits on Safety in the ICU: A National Survey of Pediatric and Neonatal Intensivists

PubMed Central

Typpo, Katri V.; Tcharmtchi, M. Hossein; Thomas, Eric J.; Kelly, P. Adam; Castillo, Leticia D.; Singh, Hardeep

2011-01-01

Objective Resident duty-hour regulations potentially shift workload from resident to attending physicians. We sought to understand how current or future regulatory changes might impact safety in academic pediatric and neonatal intensive care units (ICUs). Design Web-based survey Setting US academic pediatric and neonatal ICUs Subjects Attending pediatric and neonatal intensivists Interventions We evaluated perceptions on four ICU safety-related risk measures potentially affected by current duty-hour regulations: 1) Attending physician and resident fatigue, 2) Attending physician work-load, 3) Errors (self-reported rates by attending physicians or perceived resident error rates), and 4) Safety culture. We also evaluated perceptions of how these risks would change with further duty hour restrictions. Measurements and Main Results We administered our survey between February and April 2010 to 688 eligible physicians, of which 360 (52.3%) responded. Most believed that resident error rates were unchanged or worse (91.9%) and safety culture was unchanged or worse (84.4%) with current duty-hour regulations. Of respondents, 61.9% believed their own work-hours providing direct patient care increased and 55.8% believed they were more fatigued while providing direct patient care. Most (85.3%) perceived no increase in their own error rates currently, but in the scenario of further reduction in resident duty-hours, over half (53.3%) believed that safety culture would worsen and a significant proportion (40.3%) believed that their own error rates would increase. Conclusions Pediatric intensivists do not perceive improved patient safety from current resident duty hour restrictions. Policies to further restrict resident duty hours should consider unintended consequences of worsening certain aspects of ICU safety. PMID:22614570

Impact of health education intervention on food safety and hygiene of street vendors: A pilot study.

PubMed

Singh, Ansk Kumar; Dudeja, Puja; Kaushal, Nitin; Mukherji, Sandip

2016-07-01

Street foods are major source of food to millions of people. However, these are frequently associated with food-borne illnesses. It is imperative that street food vendors are educated to maintain hygiene and hence safety of food. With this background, a pilot study was undertaken to assess the impact of health education intervention on food safety and hygiene of street vendors. The aim of this study was to assess impact of health education intervention on food safety of street vendors. It was a before and after study conducted in twenty street vendors of an urban area. Tool based on Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) 2012 was prepared with scoring system to rate hygiene and sanitation of street vendors (score 0-156). Health education was given to all and scores of these vendors on same tool were reassessed after four weeks. Mean age of the study subjects was 35 ± 13.2 years. Highest score attained in BIS tool for food safety was 104 out of 156 (66.6%). No vendor was found to have achieved excellent score. Reasons for poor score were poor condition of vending cart, location, lack personal hygiene and incorrect and unsafe food handling practices. After intervention, it was observed that there was no significant improvement in overall score of vendors. However, scores in domains of personal habits, hygiene and food handling practices improved significantly after intervention (p < 0.05). The street vendors do not meet required standards given by BIS for food safety. Health education alone can only partly improve food safety practices of street vendors.

Children's Hospitals' Solutions for Patient Safety Collaborative Impact on Hospital-Acquired Harm.

PubMed

Lyren, Anne; Brilli, Richard J; Zieker, Karen; Marino, Miguel; Muething, Stephen; Sharek, Paul J

2017-09-01

To determine if an improvement collaborative of 33 children's hospitals focused on reliable best practice implementation and culture of safety improvements can reduce hospital-acquired conditions (HACs) and serious safety events (SSEs). A 3-year prospective cohort study design with a 12-month historical control population was completed by the Children's Hospitals' Solutions for Patient Safety collaborative. Identification and dissemination of best practices related to 9 HACs and SSE reduction focused on key process and culture of safety improvements. Individual hospital improvement teams leveraged the resources of a large, structured children's hospital collaborative using electronic, virtual, and in-person interactions. Thirty-three children's hospitals from across the United States volunteered to be part of the Children's Hospitals' Solutions for Patient Safety collaborative. Thirty-two met all the data submission eligibility requirements for the HAC improvement objective of this study, and 21 participated in the high-reliability culture work aimed at reducing SSEs. Significant harm reduction occurred in 8 of 9 common HACs (range 9%-71%; P < .005 for all). The mean monthly SSE rate decreased 32% (from 0.77 to 0.52; P < .001). The 12-month rolling average SSE rate decreased 50% (from 0.82 to 0.41; P < .001). Participation in a structured collaborative dedicated to implementing HAC-related best-practice prevention bundles and culture of safety interventions designed to increase the use of high-reliability organization practices resulted in significant HAC and SSE reductions. Structured collaboration and rapid sharing of evidence-based practices and tools are effective approaches to decreasing hospital-acquired harm. Copyright © 2017 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The impact of nurse working hours on patient safety culture: a cross-national survey including Japan, the United States and Chinese Taiwan using the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture.

PubMed

Wu, Yinghui; Fujita, Shigeru; Seto, Kanako; Ito, Shinya; Matsumoto, Kunichika; Huang, Chiu-Chin; Hasegawa, Tomonori

2013-10-07

A positive patient safety culture (PSC) is one of the most critical components to improve healthcare quality and safety. The Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPS), developed by the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, has been used to assess PSC in 31 countries. However, little is known about the impact of nurse working hours on PSC. We hypothesized that long nurse working hours would deteriorate PSC, and that the deterioration patterns would vary between countries. Moreover, the common trends observed in Japan, the US and Chinese Taiwan may be useful to improve PSC in other countries. The purpose of this study was to clarify the impact of long nurse working hours on PSC in Japan, the US, and Chinese Taiwan using HSOPS. The HSOPS questionnaire measures 12 sub-dimensions of PSC, with higher scores indicating a more positive PSC. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated using a generalized linear mixed model to evaluate the impact of working hours on PSC outcome measures (patient safety grade and number of events reported). Tukey's test and Cohen's d values were used to verify the relationships between nurse working hours and the 12 sub-dimensions of PSC. Nurses working ≥60 h/week in Japan and the US had a significantly lower OR for patient safety grade than those working <40 h/week. In the three countries, nurses working ≥40 h/week had a significantly higher OR for the number of events reported. The mean score on 'staffing' was significantly lower in the ≥60-h group than in the <40-h group in all the three countries. The mean score for 'teamwork within units' was significantly lower in the ≥60-h group than in the <40-h group in Japan and Chinese Taiwan. Patient safety grade deteriorated and the number of events reported increased with long working hours. Among the 12 sub-dimensions of PSC, long working hours had an impact on 'staffing' and 'teamwork within units' in Japan, the US and Chinese Taiwan.

The application of the psychological contract to workplace safety.

PubMed

Walker, Arlene; Hutton, Dorothy M

2006-01-01

Psychological contracts of safety are conceptualized as the beliefs of individuals about reciprocal safety obligations inferred from implicit or explicit promises. Although the literature on psychological contracts is growing, the existence of psychological contracts in relation to safety has not been established. The research sought to identify psychological contracts in the conversations of employees about safety, by demonstrating reciprocity in relation to employer and employee safety obligations. The identified safety obligations were used to develop a measure of psychological contracts of safety. The participants were 131 employees attending safety training sessions in retail and manufacturing organizations. Non-participant observation was used to collect the data during safety training sessions. Content analysis was used to analyze the data. Categories for coding were established through identification of language markers that demonstrated contingencies or other implied obligations. Direct evidence of reciprocity between employer safety obligations and employee safety obligations was found in statements from the participants demonstrating psychological contracts. A comprehensive list of perceived employer and employee safety obligations was compiled and developed into a measure of psychological contracts of safety. A small sample of 33 safety personnel was used to validate the safety obligations. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: Implications of these findings for safety and psychological contract research are discussed.

Safety-Related Concerns of Parents for Children with Disabilities and Chronic Conditions.

PubMed

Olsen, Lise L; Kruse, Sami; Miller, Anton R; Brussoni, Mariana

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to explore the safety-related concerns of parents of children with a variety of disabilities and chronic conditions. We sought to examine concerns common to parents as they related to their children's delayed development, behavioral difficulties, and chronic conditions. A qualitative approach guided by grounded theory was used. Participants included parents of children between 1 and 5 years with a disability or chronic condition who resided in British Columbia, Canada. Data were collected using in-depth in-person interviews and analysis conducted using constant comparative methods. Three themes were identified that reflected parental safety concerns. These included concerns about: (1) Child's level of understanding about danger; (2) Child interactions with physical environment (concerns about child movement, concerns about ingestions); (3) Child interactions with social environment. Difficult-to-manage behaviors and cognitive limitations exacerbated parents' safety concerns. Parents were found to share safety concerns about movement and ingestions across a range of types of child health conditions. For themes of child movement and child ingestions, findings supported the utility of a noncategorical approach for the design of injury prevention strategies for these types of concerns. Parent concerns about child lack of understanding about risk and social safety concerns were linked to a smaller number of conditions and supported a more tailored approach. Flexible approaches may be needed that can offer both generic and specific information and to meet the needs of parents and clinicians.

Impact of software and hardware technologies on occupational health and safety policies in Saudi Arabian oil refineries.

PubMed

Idreis, Hany M; Siqueira, Carlos E; Levenstein, Charles C

2006-01-01

This article seeks to examine the impact of technology importation on occupational health and safety in both Saudi Arabian and U.S. oil refining industries. Technologies imported to the Saudi oil industry take two forms: hardware (sophisticated equipment to run oil facilities) and software (policies and regulations pertaining to workers' health and safety, and employment rights installed by Aramco's founding multinational companies). This study utilizes qualitative, historically oriented, cross-national case studies to compare and assess workers' health, safety, and rights in Saudi Aramco with its U.S. counterpart, Motiva Enterprises. Two facilities were chosen to conduct field research: the Saudi Aramco oil refinery at Jeddah and Motiva's refinery at Port Arthur, Texas. The Jeddah refinery is fully owned by Saudi Aramco, thus, representing Aramco's health and safety policies and regulations. The Port Arthur refinery serves as a reference case study for U.S. oil refining facilities. The aspects of occupational health and safety in Saudi Aramco--ExxonMobil's joint ventures SAMREF and LUBREF--also are discussed to examine workers' health policies in both companies. The American oil industry made a significant contribution in establishing the Saudi oil industry, with the cooperation of the Saudi government. Despite having outstanding employment benefits schemes in Saudi Aramco, the presence of an organized work force better serves employee participation in Motiva than in Aramco. Safety systems such as Process Safety Management (PSM)--applied in Motiva--partially exist in Aramco to operate hardware technologies safely. Motiva training systems are better through PACE's Triangle of Prevention (TOP). Both companies follow the same pattern of handling occupational injuries and diseases; however, Saudi government agencies (GOSI) are responsible for compensating and treating injured workers. Saudi workers expressed conditional support for the worker committee program

The Projected Impacts to Clark County and Local Governmental Public Safety Agencies Resulting from the Transportation of High-Level Nuclear Waste to Yucca Mountain

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mushkatel, A.H.; Conway, S.; Navis, I.

2006-07-01

This paper focuses on the difficulties of projecting fiscal impacts to public safety agencies from the proposed high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The efforts made by Clark County Nevada, to develop a fiscal model of impacts for public safety agencies are described in this paper. Some of the difficulties in constructing a fiscal model of impacts for the entire 24 year high-level nuclear waste transportation shipping campaign are identified, and a refined methodology is provided to accomplish this task. Finally, a comparison of the fiscal impact projections for public safety agencies that Clark County developed in 2001,more » with those done in 2005 is discussed, and the fiscal impact cost projections for the entire 24 year transportation campaign are provided. (authors)« less

Health and Safety Legislation in Australia: Complexity for Training Remains

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bahn, Susanne; Barratt-Pugh, Llandis

2014-01-01

This paper presents the findings from a study that examined the impact of the National Occupational Health and Safety Strategy 2002-2012 and the harmonisation of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 on Australian training design, delivery and outcomes. There has been a comparative reduction in work related injuries, fatalities and disease, and…

The Ripple Effect of Virginia Tech: Assessing the Nationwide Impact on Campus Safety and Security Policy and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rasmussen, Chris; Johnson, Gina

2008-01-01

This report is the result of a nationwide survey conducted in March 2008 of student life officers and campus safety directors to assess the impact of the April 2007 shootings at Virginia Tech on campus safety and security policy and practice. Discussion areas include: (1) Student Privacy vs. Need-to-Know; (2) Prevention, Mitigation and Recovery;…

The relationship between employees' perceptions of safety and organizational culture.

PubMed

O'Toole, Michael

2002-01-01

With limited resources to help reduce occupational injuries, companies struggle with how to best focus these resources to achieve the greatest reduction in injuries for the optimal cost. Safety culture has been identified as a critical factor that sets the tone for importance of safety within an organization. An employee safety perception survey was conducted, and injury data were collected over a 45-month period from a large ready-mix concrete producer located in the southwest region of the United States. The results of this preliminary study suggest that the reductions in injuries experienced at the company locations was strongly impacted by the positive employee perceptions on several key factors. Management's commitment to safety was the factor with the greatest positive perception by employees taking the survey. This study was set up as a pilot project and did not unitize an experimental design. That weakness reduces the strength of these findings but adds to the importance of expanding the pilot project with an appropriate experimental design. Management leadership has been identified, along with several other factors, to influence employee perceptions of the safety management system. Those perceptions, in turn, appear to influence employee decisions that relate to at-risk behaviors and decisions on the job. The results suggest that employee perceptions of the safety system are related to management's commitment to safety, which, in turn, appear to be related to injury rates. Management should focus on how to best leverage these key factors to more positively impact injury rates within their companies.

Inter-professional in-situ simulated team and resuscitation training for patient safety: Description and impact of a programmatic approach.

PubMed

Zimmermann, Katja; Holzinger, Iris Bachmann; Ganassi, Lorena; Esslinger, Peter; Pilgrim, Sina; Allen, Meredith; Burmester, Margarita; Stocker, Martin

2015-10-29

Inter-professional teamwork is key for patient safety and team training is an effective strategy to improve patient outcome. In-situ simulation is a relatively new strategy with emerging efficacy, but best practices for the design, delivery and implementation have yet to be evaluated. Our aim is to describe and evaluate the implementation of an inter-professional in-situ simulated team and resuscitation training in a teaching hospital with a programmatic approach. We designed and implemented a team and resuscitation training program according to Kern's six steps approach for curriculum development. General and specific needs assessments were conducted as independent cross-sectional surveys. Teamwork, technical skills and detection of latent safety threats were defined as specific objectives. Inter-professional in-situ simulation was used as educational strategy. The training was embedded within the workdays of participants and implemented in our highest acuity wards (emergency department, intensive care unit, intermediate care unit). Self-perceived impact and self-efficacy were sampled with an anonymous evaluation questionnaire after every simulated training session. Assessment of team performance was done with the team-based self-assessment tool TeamMonitor applying Van der Vleuten's conceptual framework of longitudinal evaluation after experienced real events. Latent safety threats were reported during training sessions and after experienced real events. The general and specific needs assessments clearly identified the problems, revealed specific training needs and assisted with stakeholder engagement. Ninety-five interdisciplinary staff members of the Children's Hospital participated in 20 in-situ simulated training sessions within 2 years. Participant feedback showed a high effect and acceptance of training with reference to self-perceived impact and self-efficacy. Thirty-five team members experiencing 8 real critical events assessed team performance with Team

Abdomen Impact Testing of the Hybrid III Rail Safety (H3-RS) Anthropomorphic Test Device

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-09-01

The Hybrid III Rail Safety (H3-RS) anthropomorphic test device (ATD) is a crash test dummy that was developed in the UK to evaluate abdomen and lower thorax injuries that occur when passengers impact workstation tables during train accidents. The H3-...

The Impact of Safety Regulations on the Incidence of Upper-Extremity Power Saw Injuries in the United States.

PubMed

Vosbikian, Michael M; Harper, Carl M; Byers, Ashlyn; Gutman, Adva; Novack, Victor; Iorio, Matthew L

2017-04-01

Over 50,000 power saw-related injuries occur annually in the United States. Numerous safety measures have been implemented to protect the users of these tools. This study was designed to determine which interventions, if any, have had a positive impact on the safety of the consumer or laborer. We queried the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System database for hand and upper-extremity injuries attributed to power saws from 1997 to 2014. Demographic information including age, sex, date of injury, device, location, body part involved, diagnosis, and disposition was recorded. We performed statistical analysis using interrupted time series analysis to evaluate the incidence of injury with respect to specific safety guidelines as well as temporal trends including patients' age. An 18% increase in power saw-related injuries was noted from 1997 (44,877) to 2005 (75,037). From 2006 to 2015 an annual decrease of 5.8% was observed. This was correlated with regulations for power saw use by the Consumer Safety Product Commission (CPSC) and Underwriters Laboratories. Mean age of injured patients increased from 48.8 to 52.9 years whereas the proportion of subjects aged less than 50 years decreased from 52.8% to 41.9%. These trends were most pronounced after the 2006 CPSC regulations. The incidence of power saw injuries increased from 1997 to 2005, with a subsequent decrease from 2006 to 2015. The guidelines for safer operation and improvements in equipment, mandated by the CPSC and Underwriters Laboratories, appeared to have been successful in precipitating a decrease in the incidence of power saw injuries to the upper extremity, particularly in the younger population. The publication of safety regulations has been noted to have an association with a decreased incidence in power saw injuries. Based on this, clinicians should take an active role in their practice as well as in their professional societies to educate and counsel patients to prevent further injury. Copyright

Does safety climate moderate the influence of staffing adequacy and work conditions on nurse injuries?

PubMed

Mark, Barbara A; Hughes, Linda C; Belyea, Michael; Chang, Yunkyung; Hofmann, David; Jones, Cheryl B; Bacon, Cynthia T

2007-01-01

Hospital nurses have one of the highest work-related injury rates in the United States. Yet, approaches to improving employee safety have generally focused on attempts to modify individual behavior through enforced compliance with safety rules and mandatory participation in safety training. We examined a theoretical model that investigated the impact on nurse injuries (back injuries and needlesticks) of critical structural variables (staffing adequacy, work engagement, and work conditions) and further tested whether safety climate moderated these effects. A longitudinal, non-experimental, organizational study, conducted in 281 medical-surgical units in 143 general acute care hospitals in the United States. Work engagement and work conditions were positively related to safety climate, but not directly to nurse back injuries or needlesticks. Safety climate moderated the relationship between work engagement and needlesticks, while safety climate moderated the effect of work conditions on both needlesticks and back injuries, although in unexpected ways. DISCUSSION AND IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: Our findings suggest that positive work engagement and work conditions contribute to enhanced safety climate and can reduce nurse injuries.

Safety and economic impacts of converting two-way frontage roads to one-way : methodology and findings.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-01-01

In the research documented here, researchers develop information to communicate the safety and : economic impacts of converting frontage roads from two-way to one-way. Researchers studied five : locations in Texas where frontage roads were converted ...

Impact of biomarker development on drug safety assessment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Marrer, Estelle, E-mail: estelle.marrer@novartis.co; Dieterle, Frank

2010-03-01

Drug safety has always been a key aspect of drug development. Recently, the Vioxx case and several cases of serious adverse events being linked to high-profile products have increased the importance of drug safety, especially in the eyes of drug development companies and global regulatory agencies. Safety biomarkers are increasingly being seen as helping to provide the clarity, predictability, and certainty needed to gain confidence in decision making: early-stage projects can be stopped quicker, late-stage projects become less risky. Public and private organizations are investing heavily in terms of time, money and manpower on safety biomarker development. An illustrative andmore » 'door opening' safety biomarker success story is the recent recognition of kidney safety biomarkers for pre-clinical and limited translational contexts by FDA and EMEA. This milestone achieved for kidney biomarkers and the 'know how' acquired is being transferred to other organ toxicities, namely liver, heart, vascular system. New technologies and molecular-based approaches, i.e., molecular pathology as a complement to the classical toolbox, allow promising discoveries in the safety biomarker field. This review will focus on the utility and use of safety biomarkers all along drug development, highlighting the present gaps and opportunities identified in organ toxicity monitoring. A last part will be dedicated to safety biomarker development in general, from identification to diagnostic tests, using the kidney safety biomarkers success as an illustrative example.« less

Modeling the safety impacts of driving hours and rest breaks on truck drivers considering time-dependent covariates.

PubMed

Chen, Chen; Xie, Yuanchang

2014-12-01

Driving hours and rest breaks are closely related to driver fatigue, which is a major contributor to truck crashes. This study investigates the effects of driving hours and rest breaks on commercial truck driver safety. A discrete-time logistic regression model is used to evaluate the crash odds ratios of driving hours and rest breaks. Driving time is divided into 11 one hour intervals. These intervals and rest breaks are modeled as dummy variables. In addition, a Cox proportional hazards regression model with time-dependent covariates is used to assess the transient effects of rest breaks, which consists of a fixed effect and a variable effect. Data collected from two national truckload carriers in 2009 and 2010 are used. The discrete-time logistic regression result indicates that only the crash odds ratio of the 11th driving hour is statistically significant. Taking one, two, and three rest breaks can reduce drivers' crash odds by 68%, 83%, and 85%, respectively, compared to drivers who did not take any rest breaks. The Cox regression result shows clear transient effects for rest breaks. It also suggests that drivers may need some time to adjust themselves to normal driving tasks after a rest break. Overall, the third rest break's safety benefit is very limited based on the results of both models. The findings of this research can help policy makers better understand the impact of driving time and rest breaks and develop more effective rules to improve commercial truck safety. Copyright © 2014 National Safety Council and Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Contributions and challenges for worldwide vaccine safety: The Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety at 15 years.

PubMed

Asturias, Edwin J; Wharton, Melinda; Pless, Robert; MacDonald, Noni E; Chen, Robert T; Andrews, Nicholas; Salisbury, David; Dodoo, Alexander N; Hartigan-Go, Kenneth; Zuber, Patrick L F

2016-06-17

In 1999, the Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety (GACVS) was established by the World Health Organization (WHO) to provide independent scientific advice on issues relating to the safety of vaccines and immunization. Fifteen years onward, we conducted a multi-faceted review to evaluate the impact, reach and challenges facing GACVS, including the role GACVS plays in informing global, regional and WHO member state vaccine policy. The methods included measures of organizational structure, citation impact, themes approached, and a discussion by previous and current members to evaluate past, present and future challenges. Given the increasing range of data sources and the deployment of many new vaccines, the Committee is facing the complex task of identifying the best available evidence for recommendations on vaccine safety. To help meet the increased demand for public transparency in decision making, GACVS-structured methodology for evidence-based decisions is evolving. GACVS also promotes best practices and capacity building for timely and accurate risk assessment; risk communications; outreach to help countries maintain and, if needed, rebuild public trust in vaccines; and advocacy for bridging the major gaps in vaccine safety capacity globally. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Australian fly-in, fly-out operations: Impacts on communities, safety, workers and their families.

PubMed

Langdon, Rebecca R; Biggs, Herbert C; Rowland, Bevan

2016-10-17

Australia's mineral, resource and infrastructure sectors continues to expand as operations in rural and remote locations increasingly rely on fly-in, fly-out or drive-in, drive-out workforces in order to become economically competitive. The issues in effectively managing these workforces are becoming more apparent with reported high amounts of turnover and concerns for safety and performance. The issues presented include a range of physical, mental, psychosocial, safety and community challenges. This review aims to consolidate a range of research conducted to communicate potential challenges for industry in relation to a wide variety of issues when engaging and using FIFO/DIDO workforces which includes compressed working schedule design (work schedules), working hours, fatigue, safety performance, employee wellbeing, turnover, psychosocial relationships and community concerns. A comprehensive literature review was performed using EBSCOhost, PubMed and google scholar, with a focus on FIFO or DIDO workforces engaged within the resources sector. Search terms were kept broad in order to capture all national and international research conducted and included: "fly-in, fly-out" "FIFO" "DIDO" "drive-in, drive-out" "mining". There was no date restriction included in the search. Many of the studies were focused on sleep quality, fatigue and the influence of lowered safety performance while at work, presenting an increased risk for health and safety. These issues may be exacerbated for the FIFO workforce when linked to additional research surrounding the extended periods of absence from families influencing workers personal relationships, psychological wellbeing, job satisfaction and the reported high amounts of turnover within the industry. Taken together, this presents a unique implication for the management and continued use of FIFO workforces when considering balancing safety and performance with economic viability of production and operations. The issues of long working

A randomized, controlled intervention of machine guarding and related safety programs in small metal-fabrication businesses.

PubMed

Parker, David L; Brosseau, Lisa M; Samant, Yogindra; Xi, Min; Pan, Wei; Haugan, David

2009-01-01

Metal fabrication employs an estimated 3.1 million workers in the United States. The absence of machine guarding and related programs such as lockout/tagout may result in serious injury or death. The purpose of this study was to improve machine-related safety in small metal-fabrication businesses. We used a randomized trial with two groups: management only and management-employee. We evaluated businesses for the adequacy of machine guarding (machine scorecard) and related safety programs (safety audit). We provided all businesses with a report outlining deficiencies and prioritizing their remediation. In addition, the management-employee group received four one-hour interactive training sessions from a peer educator. We evaluated 40 metal-fabrication businesses at baseline and 37 (93%) one year later. Of the three nonparticipants, two had gone out of business. More than 40% of devices required for adequate guarding were missing or inadequate, and 35% of required safety programs and practices were absent at baseline. Both measures improved significantly during the course of the intervention. No significant differences in changes occurred between the two intervention groups. Machine-guarding practices and programs improved by up to 13% and safety audit scores by up to 23%. Businesses that added safety committees or those that started with the lowest baseline measures showed the greatest improvements. Simple and easy-to-use assessment tools allowed businesses to significantly improve their safety practices, and safety committees facilitated this process.

Hurricane Harvey, Houston's Petrochemical Industry, and US Chemical Safety Policy: Impacts to Environmental Justice Communities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goldman, G. T.; Johnson, C.; Gutierrez, A.; Declet-Barreto, J.; Berman, E.; Bergman, A.

2017-12-01

When Hurricane Harvey made landfall outside Houston, Texas, the storm's wind speeds and unprecedented precipitation caused significant damage to the region's petrochemical infrastructure. Most notably, the company Arkema's Crosby facility suffered a power failure that led to explosions and incineration of six of its peroxide tanks. Chemicals released into the air from the explosions sent 15 emergency responders to the hospital with severe respiratory conditions and led to the evacuation of hundreds of surrounding households. Other petrochemical facilities faced other damages that resulted in unsafe and acute chemical releases into the air and water. What impacts did such chemical disasters have on the surrounding communities and emergency responders during Harvey's aftermath? What steps might companies have taken to prevent such chemical releases? And what chemical safety policies might have ensured that such disaster risks were mitigated? In this talk we will report on a survey of the extent of damage to Houston's oil and gas infrastructure and related chemical releases and discuss the role of federal chemical safety policy in preventing and mitigating the potential for such risks for future storms and other extreme weather and climate events. We will also discuss how these chemical disasters created acute toxics exposures on environmental justice communities already overburdened with chronic exposures from the petrochemical industry.

Enhancing vaccine safety capacity globally: a lifecycle perspective

PubMed Central

Chen, Robert T.; Shimabukuro, Tom T.; Martin, David B.; Zuber, Patrick L.F.; Weibel, Daniel M.; Sturkenboom, Miriam

2015-01-01

Major vaccine safety controversies have arisen in several countries beginning in the last decades of 20th Century. Such periodic vaccine safety controversies are unlikely to go away in the near future as more national immunization programs mature with near elimination of target vaccine-preventable diseases that result in relative greater prominence of adverse events following immunizations, both true reactions and temporally coincidental events. There are several ways in which vaccine safety capacity can be improved in the future to potentially mitigate the impact of future vaccine safety controversies. This paper aims to take a “lifecycle” approach, examining some potential pre- and post-licensure opportunities to improve vaccine safety, in both developed (specifically U.S. and Europe) and low- and middle- income countries. PMID:26433922

Employee Engagement and a Culture of Safety in the Intensive Care Unit.

PubMed

Collier, Susan L; Fitzpatrick, Joyce J; Siedlecki, Sandra L; Dolansky, Mary A

2016-01-01

A descriptive, retrospective design was used to explore the relationship between employee engagement and culture of safety in ICUs within a large Midwestern healthcare system. Results demonstrated a strong positive relationship between total engagement score and total patient safety score (r = 0.645, P < .01) and positive relationships between total engagement score and the 12 safety culture dimensions. These findings have implications for improving managerial strategies relative to employee engagement that may ultimately impact perceptions of a safety culture.

Safety-I, Safety-II and Resilience Engineering.

PubMed

Patterson, Mary; Deutsch, Ellen S

2015-12-01

In the quest to continually improve the health care delivered to patients, it is important to understand "what went wrong," also known as Safety-I, when there are undesired outcomes, but it is also important to understand, and optimize "what went right," also known as Safety-II. The difference between Safety-I and Safety-II are philosophical as well as pragmatic. Improving health care delivery involves understanding that health care delivery is a complex adaptive system; components of that system impact, and are impacted by, the actions of other components of the system. Challenges to optimal care include regular, irregular and unexampled threats. This article addresses the dangers of brittleness and miscalibration, as well as the value of adaptive capacity and margin. These qualities can, respectively, detract from or contribute to the emergence of organizational resilience. Resilience is characterized by the ability to monitor, react, anticipate, and learn. Finally, this article celebrates the importance of humans, who make use of system capabilities and proactively mitigate the effects of system limitations to contribute to successful outcomes. Copyright © 2015 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

2010 NASA Range Safety Annual Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dumont, Alan G.

2010-01-01

this report provides a NASA Range Safety overview for current and potential range users. This report contains articles which cover a variety of subject areas, summaries of various NASA Range Safety Program activities conducted during the past year, links to past reports, and information on several projects that may have a profound impact on the way business will be done in the future. Specific topics discussed in the 2010 NASA Range Safety Annual Report include a program overview and 2010 highlights; Range Safety Training; Range Safety Policy revision; Independent Assessments; Support to Program Operations at all ranges conducting NASA launch/flight operations; a continuing overview of emerging range safety-related technologies; and status reports from all of the NASA Centers that have Range Safety responsibilities. Every effort has been made to include the most current information available. We recommend this report be used only for guidance and that the validity and accuracy of all articles be verified for updates. Once again, the web-based format was used to present the annual report.

Safety in the c-suite: How chief executive officers influence organizational safety climate and employee injuries.

PubMed

Tucker, Sean; Ogunfowora, Babatunde; Ehr, Dayle

2016-09-01

According to social learning theory, powerful and high status individuals can significantly influence the behaviors of others. In this paper, we propose that chief executive officers (CEOs) indirectly impact frontline injuries through the collective social learning experiences and effort of different groups of organizational actors-including members of the top management team (TMT), organizational supervisors, and frontline employees. We found support for our collective social learning model using data from 2,714 frontline employees, 1,398 supervisors, and 229 members of TMTs in 54 organizations. TMT members' experiences within a CEO-driven TMT safety climate was positively related to organizational supervisors' reports of the broader organizational safety climate and their subsequent collective support for safety (reported by frontline employees). In turn, supervisory support for safety was associated with fewer employee injuries at the individual level. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings for workplace safety research and practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Manned space flight nuclear system safety. Volume 6: Space base nuclear system safety plan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

A qualitative identification of the steps required to assure the incorporation of radiological system safety principles and objectives into all phases of a manned space base program are presented. Specific areas of emphasis include: (1) radiological program management, (2) nuclear system safety plan implementation, (3) impact on program, and (4) summary of the key operation and design guidelines and requirements. The plan clearly indicates the necessity of considering and implementing radiological system safety recommendations as early as possible in the development cycle to assure maximum safety and minimize the impact on design and mission plans.

Safety and compliance-related hazards in the medical practice: Part one.

PubMed

Calway, R C

2001-01-01

Safety and risk management hazards are a fact of life for the medical practice, and the costs of these incidents can place the group at significant risk of liability. Good compliance and risk management programs help minimize these incidents, improve staff morale, increase a practice's visibility in the community, and positively affect the practice's financial and operational bottom line performance. Medical practices that implement effective safety and risk management programs can realize savings in staffing costs, operational efficiency, morale, insurance premiums, and improved third-party relationships while at the same time avoiding embarrassing risks, fines, and liability. This article outlines some of the most common safety and risk management-related deficiencies seen in medical practices today. The author explains how to remedy these deficiencies and provides a self-test tool to enable the reader to assess areas within his or her own practice in need of attention.

Impact induced response spectrum for the safety evaluation of the high flux isotope reactor

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chang, S.J.

1997-05-01

The dynamic impact to the nearby HFIR reactor vessel caused by heavy load drop is analyzed. The impact calculation is carried out by applying the ABAQUS computer code. An impact-induced response spectrum is constructed in order to evaluate whether the HFIR vessel and the shutdown mechanism may be disabled. For the frequency range less than 10 Hz, the maximum spectral velocity of impact is approximately equal to that of the HFIR seismic design-basis spectrum. For the frequency range greater than 10 Hz, the impact-induced response spectrum is shown to cause no effect to the control rod and the shutdown mechanism.more » An earlier seismic safety assessment for the HFIR control and shutdown mechanism was made by EQE. Based on EQE modal solution that is combined with the impact-induced spectrum, it is concluded that the impact will not cause any damage to the shutdown mechanism, even while the reactor is in operation. The present method suggests a general approach for evaluating the impact induced damage to the reactor by applying the existing finite element modal solution that has been carried out for the seismic evaluation of the reactor.« less

Protection of children restrained in child safety seats in side impact crashes.

PubMed

Arbogast, Kristy B; Locey, Caitlin M; Zonfrillo, Mark R; Maltese, Matthew R

2010-10-01

The performance of child restraint systems (CRS) in side impact motor vehicle crashes has been under study due to the injury and fatality burden of these events. Although previous research has quantified injury risk or described injured body regions, safety advances require an understanding of injury causation. Therefore, the objective was to delineate injury causation scenarios for CRS-restrained children in side impacts and document probable contact points in the vehicle interior. Two in-depth crash investigation databases, the Crash Injury Research and Engineering Network and the Partners for Child Passenger Safety Study, were queried for rear-seated, CRS-restrained children in side impact crashes who sustained Abbreviated Injury Scale 2+ injury. These cases were reviewed by a multidisciplinary team of physicians and engineers to describe injury patterns, injury causation, and vehicle components that contributed to the injuries. Forty-one occupants (average age, 2.6 years) met the inclusion criteria. Twenty-four were near side to the crash, 7 were far side, and 10 were center seated. The most common injuries were to the skull and brain with an increasing proportion of skull fracture as age increased. Head and spine injuries without evidence of head contact were rare but present. All thoracic injuries were lung contusions and no rib fractures occurred. Near-side head and face contacts points were along the rear vertical plane of the window and the horizontal plane of the window sill. Head and face contact points for center- and far-side occupants were along the edges of the front seat back and front seat head restraint. Head injuries are the target for injury prevention for children in CRS in side impact crashes. Most of these injuries are due to the contact; for near-side occupants, contact with the CRS structure and the door interior, for far- or center-seated occupants, contact with the front seat back. These data are useful in developing both educational and

Sophisticated Calculation of the 1oo4-architecture for Safety-related Systems Conforming to IEC61508

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayek, A.; Bokhaiti, M. Al; Schwarz, M. H.; Boercsoek, J.

2012-05-01

With the publication and enforcement of the standard IEC 61508 of safety related systems, recent system architectures have been presented and evaluated. Among a number of techniques and measures to the evaluation of safety integrity level (SIL) for safety-related systems, several measures such as reliability block diagrams and Markov models are used to analyze the probability of failure on demand (PFD) and mean time to failure (MTTF) which conform to IEC 61508. The current paper deals with the quantitative analysis of the novel 1oo4-architecture (one out of four) presented in recent work. Therefore sophisticated calculations for the required parameters are introduced. The provided 1oo4-architecture represents an advanced safety architecture based on on-chip redundancy, which is 3-failure safe. This means that at least one of the four channels have to work correctly in order to trigger the safety function.

Quantification of the trade-off between force attenuation and balance impairment in the design of compliant safety floors.

PubMed

Glinka, Michal N; Cheema, Kim P; Robinovitch, Stephen N; Laing, Andrew C

2013-10-01

Safety floors (also known as compliant floors) may reduce the risk of fall-related injuries by attenuating impact force during falls, but are only practical if they do not negatively affect balance and mobility. In this study, we evaluated seven safety surfaces based on their ability to attenuate peak femoral neck force during simulated hip impacts, and their influence on center of pressure (COP) sway during quiet and tandem stance. Overall, we found that some safety floors can attenuate up to 33.7% of the peak femoral impact force without influencing balance. More specifically, during simulated hip impacts, force attenuation for the safety floors ranged from 18.4 (SD 4.3)% to 47.2 (3.1)%, with each floor significantly reducing peak force compared with a rigid surface. For quiet stance, only COP root mean square was affected by flooring (and increased for only two safety floors). During tandem stance, COP root mean square and mean velocity increased in the medial-lateral direction for three of the seven floors. Based on the substantial force attenuation with no concomitant effects on balance for some floors, these results support the development of clinical trials to assess the effectiveness of safety floors at reducing fall-related injuries in high-risk settings.

The relationship between resident burnout and safety-related and acceptability-related quality of healthcare: a systematic literature review.

PubMed

Dewa, Carolyn S; Loong, Desmond; Bonato, Sarah; Trojanowski, Lucy; Rea, Margaret

2017-11-09

There has been increasing interest in examining the relationship between physician wellbeing and quality of patient care. However, few reviews have specifically focused on resident burnout and quality of patient care. The purpose of this systematic literature review of the current scientific literature is to address the question, "How does resident burnout affect the quality of healthcare related to the dimensions of acceptability and safety?" This systematic literature review uses a multi-step screening process of publicly available peer-reviewed studies from five electronic databases: (1) Medline Current, (2) Medline In-process, (3) PsycINFO, (4) Embase, and (5) Web of Science. The electronic literature search resulted in the identification of 4638 unique citations. Of these, 10 articles were included in the review. Studies were assessed for risk of bias. Of the 10 studies that met the inclusion criteria, eight were conducted in the US, one in The Netherlands, and one in Mexico. Eight of the 10 studies focused on patient safety. The results of these included studies suggest there is moderate evidence that burnout is associated with patient safety (i.e., resident self-perceived medical errors and sub-optimal care). There is less evidence that specific dimensions of burnout are related to acceptability (i.e., quality of care, communication with patients). The results of this systematic literature review suggest a relationship between patient safety and burnout. These results potentially have important implications for the medical training milieu because residents are still in training and at the same time are asked to teach students. The results also indicate a need for more evidence-based interventions that support continued research examining quality of care measures, especially as they relate to acceptability.

Safety incentive and penalty provisions in Indian construction projects and their impact on safety performance.

PubMed

Hasan, Abid; Jha, Kumar Neeraj

2013-01-01

Safety incentive and penalty (I/P) provisions in construction contracts are one of the most common forms of I/P. Contradictory opinions on the effectiveness of these provisions have been expressed in the literature. Statistics on safety provisions were collected from 32 construction projects, which include both types of contracts - those with safety I/P provisions and those without them. Although inclusion of safety I/P provisions in contracts helps in improving the overall safety performance in construction projects, further scope for improvement still exists. Literature review and structured personal interviews, coupled with a survey based on preliminary questionnaire, revealed that successful formulation and implementation of such provisions are dependent on 25 attributes which need the attention of both clients and contractors. A questionnaire-based survey was conducted to evaluate these attributes. The six factors extracted by carrying out factor analysis are: incentive distribution method, proper labour training, special attention to risky situations, role of safety committee and sub-contractors, specialised works and safety equipments, and right form of I/P. If taken care of, these attributes have the potential to improve the safety performance in construction projects. The results would be useful to clients and contractors in implementing the safety I/P provisions and thereby improving safety performance.

Using micro-simulation to investigate the safety impacts of transit design alternatives at signalized intersections.

PubMed

Li, Lu; Persaud, Bhagwant; Shalaby, Amer

2017-03-01

This study investigates the use of crash prediction models and micro-simulation to develop an effective surrogate safety assessment measure at the intersection level. With the use of these tools, hypothetical scenarios can be developed and explored to evaluate the safety impacts of design alternatives in a controlled environment, in which factors not directly associated with the design alternatives can be fixed. Micro-simulation models are developed, calibrated, and validated. Traffic conflicts in the micro-simulation models are estimated and linked with observed crash frequency, which greatly alleviates the lengthy time needed to collect sufficient crash data for evaluating alternatives, due to the rare and infrequent nature of crash events. A set of generalized linear models with negative binomial error structure is developed to correlate the simulated conflicts with the observed crash frequency in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Crash prediction models are also developed for crashes of different impact types and for transit-involved crashes. The resulting statistical significance and the goodness-of-fit of the models suggest adequate predictive ability. Based on the established correlation between simulated conflicts and observed crashes, scenarios are developed in the micro-simulation models to investigate the safety effects of individual transit line elements by making hypothetical modifications to such elements and estimating changes in crash frequency from the resulting changes in conflicts. The findings imply that the existing transit signal priority schemes can have a negative effect on safety performance, and that the existing near-side stop positioning and streetcar transit type can be safer at their current state than if they were to be replaced by their respective counterparts. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Impact of resident duty hour limits on safety in the intensive care unit: a national survey of pediatric and neonatal intensivists.

PubMed

Typpo, Katri V; Tcharmtchi, M Hossein; Thomas, Eric J; Kelly, P Adam; Castillo, Leticia D; Singh, Hardeep

2012-09-01

Resident duty-hour regulations potentially shift the workload from resident to attending physicians. We sought to understand how current or future regulatory changes might impact safety in academic pediatric and neonatal intensive care units. Web-based survey. U.S. academic pediatric and neonatal intensive care units. Attending pediatric and neonatal intensivists. We evaluated perceptions on four intensive care unit safety-related risk measures potentially affected by current duty-hour regulations: 1) attending physician and resident fatigue; 2) attending physician workload; 3) errors (self-reported rates by attending physicians or perceived resident error rates); and 4) safety culture. We also evaluated perceptions of how these risks would change with further duty-hour restrictions. We administered our survey between February and April 2010 to 688 eligible physicians, of whom 360 (52.3%) responded. Most believed that resident error rates were unchanged or worse (91.9%) and safety culture was unchanged or worse (84.4%) with current duty-hour regulations. Of respondents, 61.9% believed their own work-hours providing direct patient care increased and 55.8% believed they were more fatigued while providing direct patient care. Most (85.3%) perceived no increase in their own error rates currently, but in the scenario of further reduction in resident duty-hours, over half (53.3%) believed that safety culture would worsen and a significant proportion (40.3%) believed that their own error rates would increase. Pediatric intensivists do not perceive improved patient safety from current resident duty-hour restrictions. Policies to further restrict resident duty-hours should consider unintended consequences of worsening certain aspects of intensive care unit safety.

Do you see what I see? Effects of national culture on employees' safety-related perceptions and behavior.

PubMed

Casey, Tristan W; Riseborough, Karli M; Krauss, Autumn D

2015-05-01

Growing international trade and globalization are increasing the cultural diversity of the modern workforce, which often results in migrants working under the management of foreign leadership. This change in work arrangements has important implications for occupational health and safety, as migrant workers have been found to be at an increased risk of injuries compared to their domestic counterparts. While some explanations for this discrepancy have been proposed (e.g., job differences, safety knowledge, and communication difficulties), differences in injury involvement have been found to persist even when these contextual factors are controlled for. We argue that employees' national culture may explain further variance in their safety-related perceptions and safety compliance, and investigate this through comparing the survey responses of 562 Anglo and Southern Asian workers at a multinational oil and gas company. Using structural equation modeling, we firstly established partial measurement invariance of our measures across cultural groups. Estimation of the combined sample structural model revealed that supervisor production pressure was negatively related to willingness to report errors and supervisor support, but did not predict safety compliance behavior. Supervisor safety support was positively related to both willingness to report errors and safety compliance. Next, we uncovered evidence of cultural differences in the relationships between supervisor production pressure, supervisor safety support, and willingness to report errors; of note, among Southern Asian employees the negative relationship between supervisor production pressure and willingness to report errors was stronger, and for supervisor safety support, weaker as compared to the model estimated with Anglo employees. Implications of these findings for safety management in multicultural teams within the oil and gas industry are discussed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Residential Wood Combustion Emissions and Safety Guidebook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Becker, Mimi, Ed.; Barnett, Lucy, Ed.

This seven-part guidebook provides information to assist decision makers and other individuals involved in the residential wood energy fuel cycle. It can be used as a tool for designing or implementing programs, strategies, and policies that encourage, prevent, or mitigate safety or air emission related impacts of residential woodburning equipment…

The impact of a medical procedure service on patient safety, procedure quality and resident training opportunities.

PubMed

Tukey, Melissa H; Wiener, Renda Soylemez

2014-03-01

At some academic hospitals, medical procedure services are being developed to provide supervision for residents performing bedside procedures in hopes of improving patient safety and resident education. There is limited knowledge of the impact of such services on procedural complication rates and resident procedural training opportunities. To determine the impact of a medical procedure service (MPS) on patient safety and resident procedural training opportunities. Retrospective cohort analysis comparing characteristics and outcomes of procedures performed by the MPS versus the primary medical service. Consecutive adults admitted to internal medicine services at a large academic hospital who underwent a bedside medical procedure (central venous catheterization, thoracentesis, paracentesis, lumbar puncture) between 1 July 2010 and 31 December 2011. The primary outcome was a composite rate of major complications. Secondary outcomes included resident participation in bedside procedures and use of "best practice" safety process measures. We evaluated 1,707 bedside procedures (548 by the MPS, 1,159 by the primary services). There were no differences in the composite rate of major complications (1.6 % vs. 1.9 %, p = 0.71) or resident participation in bedside procedures (57.0 % vs. 54.3 %, p = 0.31) between the MPS and the primary services. Procedures performed by the MPS were more likely to be successfully completed (95.8 % vs. 92.8 %, p = 0.02) and to use best practice safety process measures, including use of ultrasound guidance when appropriate (96.8 % vs. 90.0 %, p = 0.0004), avoidance of femoral venous catheterization (89.5 vs. 82.7 %, p = 0.02) and involvement of attending physicians (99.3 % vs. 57.0 %, p < 0.0001). Although use of a MPS did not significantly affect the rate of major complications or resident opportunities for training in bedside procedures, it was associated with increased use of best practice safety process measures.

Impact of nuclear data uncertainty on safety calculations for spent nuclear fuel geological disposal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herrero, J. J.; Rochman, D.; Leray, O.; Vasiliev, A.; Pecchia, M.; Ferroukhi, H.; Caruso, S.

2017-09-01

In the design of a spent nuclear fuel disposal system, one necessary condition is to show that the configuration remains subcritical at time of emplacement but also during long periods covering up to 1,000,000 years. In the context of criticality safety applying burn-up credit, k-eff eigenvalue calculations are affected by nuclear data uncertainty mainly in the burnup calculations simulating reactor operation and in the criticality calculation for the disposal canister loaded with the spent fuel assemblies. The impact of nuclear data uncertainty should be included in the k-eff value estimation to enforce safety. Estimations of the uncertainty in the discharge compositions from the CASMO5 burn-up calculation phase are employed in the final MCNP6 criticality computations for the intact canister configuration; in between, SERPENT2 is employed to get the spent fuel composition along the decay periods. In this paper, nuclear data uncertainty was propagated by Monte Carlo sampling in the burn-up, decay and criticality calculation phases and representative values for fuel operated in a Swiss PWR plant will be presented as an estimation of its impact.

Emotional influences in patient safety.

PubMed

Croskerry, Pat; Abbass, Allan; Wu, Albert W

2010-12-01

The way that health care providers feel, both within themselves and toward their patients, may influence their clinical performance and impact patient safety, yet this aspect of provider behavior has received relatively little attention. How providers feel, their emotional or affective state, may exert a significant, unintended influence on their patients, and may compromise safety. We examined a broad literature across multiple disciplines to review the interrelationships between emotion, decision making, and behavior, and to assess their potential impact on patient safety. There is abundant evidence that the emotional state of the health care provider may be influenced by factors including characteristics of the patient, ambient conditions in the health care setting, diurnal, circadian, infradian, and seasonal variables, as well as endogenous disorders of the individual provider. These influences may lead to affective biases in decision making, resulting in errors and adverse events. Clinical reasoning and judgment may be particularly susceptible to emotional influence, especially those processes that rely on intuitive judgments. There are many ways that the emotional state of the health care provider can influence patient care. To reduce emotional errors, the level of awareness of these factors should be raised. Emotional skills training should be incorporated into the education of health care professionals. Specifically, clinical teaching should promote more openness and discussion about the provider's feelings toward patients. Strategies should be developed to help providers identify and de-bias themselves against emotional influences that may impact care, particularly in the emotionally evocative patient. Psychiatric conditions within the provider, which may compromise patient safety, need to be promptly detected, diagnosed, and managed.

The role of autonomy and social support in the relation between psychosocial safety climate and stress in health care workers.

PubMed

Havermans, Bo M; Boot, Cécile R L; Houtman, Irene L D; Brouwers, Evelien P M; Anema, Johannes R; van der Beek, Allard J

2017-06-08

Health care workers are exposed to psychosocial work factors. Autonomy and social support are psychosocial work factors that are related to stress, and are argued to largely result from the psychosocial safety climate within organisations. This study aimed to assess to what extent the relation between psychosocial safety climate and stress in health care workers can be explained by autonomy and social support. In a cross-sectional study, psychosocial safety climate, stress, autonomy, co-worker support, and supervisor support were assessed using questionnaires, in a sample of health care workers (N = 277). Linear mixed models analyses were performed to assess to what extent social support and autonomy explained the relation between psychosocial safety climate and stress. A lower psychosocial safety climate score was associated with significantly higher stress (B = -0.21, 95% CI = -0.27 - -0.14). Neither co-worker support, supervisor support, nor autonomy explained the relation between psychosocial safety climate and stress. Taken together, autonomy and both social support measures diminished the relation between psychosocial safety climate and stress by 12% (full model: B = -0.18, 95% CI = -0.25 - -0.11). Autonomy and social support together seemed to bring about a small decrease in the relation between psychosocial safety climate and stress in health care workers. Future research should discern whether other psychosocial work factors explain a larger portion of this relation. This study was registered in the Netherlands National Trial Register, trial code: NTR5527 .

Evolution of System Safety at NASA as Related to Defense-in-Depth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dezfuli, Homayoon

2015-01-01

Presentation given at the Defense-in-Depth Inter-Agency Workshop on August 26, 2015 in Rockville, MD by Homayoon Dezfuli. The presentation addresses the evolution of system safety at NASA as related to Defense-in-Depth.

32 CFR 861.7 - Disclosure of voluntarily provided safety-related information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... THE AIR FORCE AIRCRAFT DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE COMMERCIAL AIR TRANSPORTATION QUALITY AND SAFETY REVIEW...-related information voluntarily provided to DOD by an air carrier for the purposes of this Part if DOD determines that— (1) The disclosure of the information would, in the future, inhibit an air carrier from...

Lethal firearm-related violence against Canadian women: did tightening gun laws have an impact on women's health and safety?

PubMed

McPhedran, Samara; Mauser, Gary

2013-01-01

Domestic violence remains a significant public health issue around the world, and policy makers continually strive to implement effective legislative frameworks to reduce lethal violence against women. This article examines whether the 1995 Firearms Act (Bill C-68) had a significant impact on female firearm homicide victimization rates in Canada. Time series of gender-disaggregated data from 1974 to 2009 were examined. Two different analytic approaches were used: the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) modelling and the Zivot-Andrews (ZA) structural breakpoint tests. There was little evidence to suggest that increased firearms legislation in Canada had a significant impact on preexisting trends in lethal firearm violence against women. These results do not support the view that increasing firearms legislation is associated with a reduced incidence of firearm-related female domestic homicide victimization.

Emissions impacts on driver safety

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2007-07-01

The Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration (FMCSA) is concerned that truck drivers exposure to high levels of air pollutants and mobile air toxics for potentially long periods of time, may lead to acute and/or long term cognitive impairments...

78 FR 49735 - Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Dam Safety Study, Lake Lewisville...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-15

... determine appropriate permanent methods for correcting potential problems, interim risk reduction measures... Environmental Impact Statement for Dam Safety Study, Lake Lewisville Dam, Elm Fork Trinity River, Denton County... primary purposes of the project are flood risk management, [[Page 49736

49 CFR 176.704 - Requirements relating to transport indices and criticality safety indices.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 49 Transportation 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Requirements relating to transport indices and... Requirements relating to transport indices and criticality safety indices. (a) The sum of the transport indices..., transport and unloading are to be supervised by persons qualified in the transport of radioactive material...

49 CFR 176.704 - Requirements relating to transport indices and criticality safety indices.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Requirements relating to transport indices and... Requirements relating to transport indices and criticality safety indices. (a) The sum of the transport indices..., transport and unloading are to be supervised by persons qualified in the transport of radioactive material...

GammaKnife surgery: safety and the identity of users.

PubMed

Dinka, David; Nyce, James M; Timpka, Toomas

2005-01-01

In this study we investigated safety-related usability issues of an advanced medical technology, a radiosurgery system. We were interested in which criteria are important for users when a system's usability and safety is to be improved. The data collection was based on interviews and observations at three different sites where the Leksell GammaKnife is used. The analysis was qualitative. The main finding was that the user's identity or professional background has a significant impact both on how he or she views his or her role in the clinical setting, and on how he or she defines what improvements are necessary and general safety issues. In fact, the opinion even of users experienced in safety-related problems was highly influenced by how they related to the technology and its development. None of the users actually considered Leksell GammaKnife as lacking in safety, instead, their assessment was directed towards potential future system improvements. Our findings suggest that the importance of user identity or professional background cannot be neglected during the development of advanced technology. They also suggest that the user feedback should always be related to user background and identity in order to understand how important different issues are for particular users.

The 2007 Projected Impacts to Clark County and Local Government Public Safety Agencies Resulting from the Transportation of High- Level Nuclear Waste to Yucca Mountain

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mushkatel, A.H.; Conway, P.H.D.S.; Navis, I.

2008-07-01

This paper focuses on projecting fiscal impacts to public safety agencies from the proposed high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The efforts made by Clark County Nevada, to develop a fiscal model of impacts for public safety agencies are described in this paper. In addition, the scenarios used in the study are discussed, as well as a discussion of the plume models provided for each community's scenario that result from the efforts of the National Atmospheric Release Advisory Center (NARAC). Some of the difficulties in constructing a fiscal model of impacts for the entire 24 year high-level nuclearmore » waste transportation shipping campaign are identified, and a refined methodology is provided to accomplish this task. Finally, a comparison of the fiscal impact projections for public safety agencies that Clark County developed in 2001, 2005 are discussed, and the fiscal impact cost projections for the entire 24 year transportation campaign are provided. (authors)« less

Impact of traveling to visit friends and relatives on chronic disease management.

PubMed

Gurgle, Holly E; Roesel, David J; Erickson, Tiffany N; Devine, Emily Beth

2013-01-01

Travelers visiting friends and relatives (VFR) are known to be at high risk of acquiring infectious diseases during travel. However, little is known about the impact of VFR travel on chronic diseases. This was a nonrandomized, retrospective observational study. Patients were adult VFR travelers who received care from an internal medical clinic serving immigrants and refugees. The primary objective was to determine the impact of VFR travel on markers of chronic disease management including: blood pressure, glycosylated hemoglobin, body mass index, serum creatinine, and anticoagulation. Of the 110 VFR travelers in our study, N = 48 traveled to Africa and N = 62 traveled to Asia for a mean duration of 59 (range 21-303) days. Of the 433 counseling points discussed at pre-travel visits, 71% were infectious disease prevention, 16% chronic disease related, and 13% travel safety. A total of 63 patients (57%) reported one or more health problems while traveling. Of these, 35 patients (32%) experienced a problem related to a chronic condition. In comparison, 24 (22%) patients experienced an acute infection. Sixty percent of patients were nonadherent to medications during travel. An average increase in diastolic blood pressure of 3.6 mmHg among patients with hypertension was the only statistically significant change in a chronic disease marker when values before and after travel were compared. Subgroup analysis revealed that travel to Africa and nonadherence to medications were also associated with worsening blood pressure control, and patients traveling to Africa experienced a decrease in body mass index. This study identified a high proportion of problems related to chronic conditions experienced during VFR travel, while pre-travel appointments tended to focus on infectious disease prevention. A greater emphasis on medication adherence and chronic disease management during VFR travel is also needed during pre-travel preparations. © 2013 International Society of

The impact of safety organizing, trusted leadership, and care pathways on reported medication errors in hospital nursing units.

PubMed

Vogus, Timothy J; Sutcliffe, Kathleen M

2011-01-01

Prior research has found that safety organizing behaviors of registered nurses (RNs) positively impact patient safety. However, little research exists on the joint benefits of safety organizing and other contextual factors that help foster safety. Although we know that organizational practices often have more powerful effects when combined with other mutually reinforcing practices, little research exists on the joint benefits of safety organizing and other contextual factors believed to foster safety. Specifically, we examined the benefits of bundling safety organizing with leadership (trust in manager) and design (use of care pathways) factors on reported medication errors. A total of 1033 RNs and 78 nurse managers in 78 emergency, internal medicine, intensive care, and surgery nursing units in 10 acute-care hospitals in Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, and Ohio who completed questionnaires between December 2003 and June 2004. Cross-sectional analysis of medication errors reported to the hospital incident reporting system for the 6 months after the administration of the survey linked to survey data on safety organizing, trust in manager, use of care pathways, and RN characteristics and staffing. Multilevel Poisson regression analyses indicated that the benefits of safety organizing on reported medication errors were amplified when paired with high levels of trust in manager or the use of care pathways. Safety organizing plays a key role in improving patient safety on hospital nursing units especially when bundled with other organizational components of a safety supportive system.

Food Safety Program in Asian Countries.

PubMed

Yamaguchi, Ryuji; Hwang, Lucy Sun

2015-01-01

By using the ILSI network in Asia, we are holding a session focused on food safety programs in several Asian areas. In view of the external environment, it is expected to impact the global food system in the near future, including the rapid increase in food demand and in public health services due to population growth, as well as the threats to biosecurity and food safety due to the rapid globalization of the food trade. Facilitating effective information sharing holds promise for the activation of the food industry. At this session, Prof. Hwang shares the current situation of Food Safety and Sanitation Regulations in Taiwan. Dr. Liu provides a talk on the role of risk assessment in food regulatory control focused on aluminum-containing food additives in China. After the JECFA evaluation of aluminum-containing food additives in 2011, each country has carried out risk assessment based on dietary intake surveys. Ms. Chan reports on the activities of a working group on Food Standards Harmonization in ASEAN. She also explains that the ILSI Southeast Asia Region has actively supported the various ASEAN Working Groups in utilizing science to harmonize food standards. Prof. Park provides current research activities in Korea focused on the effect of climate change on food safety. Climate change is generally seen as having a negative impact on food security, particularly in developing countries. We use these four presentations as a springboard to vigorous discussion on issues related to Food Safety in Asia.

Impact of a pilot walking school bus intervention on children's pedestrian safety behaviors: a pilot study

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Walking school buses (WSB) increased children's physical activity, but impact on pedestrian safety behaviors (PSB) is unknown. We tested the feasibility of a protocol evaluating changes to PSB during a WSB program. Outcomes were school-level street crossing PSB prior to (Time 1) and during weeks 4–5...

Food Safety Impacts from Post-Harvest Processing Procedures of Molluscan Shellfish.

PubMed

Baker, George L

2016-04-18

Post-harvest Processing (PHP) methods are viable food processing methods employed to reduce human pathogens in molluscan shellfish that would normally be consumed raw, such as raw oysters on the half-shell. Efficacy of human pathogen reduction associated with PHP varies with respect to time, temperature, salinity, pressure, and process exposure. Regulatory requirements and PHP molluscan shellfish quality implications are major considerations for PHP usage. Food safety impacts associated with PHP of molluscan shellfish vary in their efficacy and may have synergistic outcomes when combined. Further research for many PHP methods are necessary and emerging PHP methods that result in minimal quality loss and effective human pathogen reduction should be explored.

Hot Weather Impacts on New York City Restaurant Food Safety Violations and Operations.

PubMed

Dominianni, Christine; Lane, Kathryn; Ahmed, Munerah; Johnson, Sarah; McKELVEY, Wendy; Ito, Kazuhiko

2018-06-06

Previous studies have shown that higher ambient air temperature is associated with increased incidence of gastrointestinal illnesses, possibly as a result of leaving potentially hazardous food in the temperature danger zone for too long. However, little is known about the effect of hot weather on restaurant practices to maintain safe food temperatures. We examined hot weather impacts on restaurant food safety violations and operations in New York City using quantitative and qualitative methods. We used data from 64,661 inspections conducted among 29,614 restaurants during May to September, 2011 to 2015. We used Poisson time-series regression to estimate the cumulative relative risk (CRR) of temperature-related food safety violations across a range of daily maximum temperature (13 to 40°C [56 to 104°F]) over a lag of 0 to 3 days. We present CRRs for an increase in daily maximum temperature from the median (28°C [82°F]) to the 95th percentile (34°C [93°F]) values. Maximum temperature increased the risk of violations for cold food holding above 5°C (41°F) (CRR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.14, 1.25) and insufficient refrigerated or hot holding equipment (CRR, 2.37; 95% CI, 2.02, 2.79). We also conducted focus groups among restaurant owners and managers to aid interpretation of findings and identify challenges or knowledge gaps that prevent hot weather preparedness. Focus group participants cited refrigeration issues as a common problem during hot weather. Participants expressed the need for more guidance on hot weather and power outages to be delivered concisely. Our findings suggest that hotter temperatures may compromise cold and hot food holding, possibly by straining refrigeration or other equipment. The findings have public health implications because holding potentially hazardous foods in the temperature danger zone allows foodborne pathogens to proliferate and increases risk for foodborne illness. Distribution of simple guidelines that can be easily accessed during

Millwright Apprenticeship. Related Training Modules. 1.1-1.8 Safety.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lane Community Coll., Eugene, OR.

This packet, part of the instructional materials for the Oregon apprenticeship program for millwright training, contains eight modules covering safety. The modules provide information on the following topics: general safety, hand tool safety, power tool safety, fire safety, hygiene, safety and electricity, types of fire and fire prevention, and…

Linking insomnia to workplace injuries: A moderated mediation model of supervisor safety priority and safety behavior.

PubMed

Kao, Kuo-Yang; Spitzmueller, Christiane; Cigularov, Konstantin; Wu, Hao

2016-01-01

This study investigated why and how insomnia can relate to workplace injuries, which continue to have high human and economic costs. Utilizing the self-regulatory resource theory, we argue that insomnia decreases workers' safety behaviors, resulting in increased workplace injuries. Moreover, in order to ultimately derive organizational interventions to alleviate the detrimental impact of insomnia on workplace injuries, we propose that supervisor safety priority can create situational strength that can prevent workers from behaving unsafely despite experiencing insomnia. Our theoretical model was examined and empirically supported using hierarchically nested data collected from supervisors (N = 482) and workers (N = 2,737) in a midsized construction services company. Results were consistent with the proposed conceptual framework; the relationship between insomnia and injuries is explained by the influence of insomnia on safety behaviors. For workers supervised by supervisors with high safety priority, both the relationship between insomnia and safety behaviors and the indirect relationship between insomnia and workplace injuries were weaker. We provide theoretical implications for future safety research and suggest tentative directions for practitioners working to reduce workplace injuries through sleep-oriented interventions. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

[Associations of occupational safety atmosphere and behaviors with unintentional injuries].

PubMed

Xiao, Ya-ni; Huang, Zhi-xiong; Huang, Shao-bin; Cao, Xiao-ou; Chen, Xia-ming; Liu, Xu-hua; Chen, Wei-qing

2012-07-01

To evaluate the associations of perception of safety atmosphere at workplace, occupational safety attitude and behaviors with occupational unintentional injury among manufacturing workers. A cross-sectional study was performed and a self-administered questionnaire was used to inquire socio-demographic characteristics, perceived safety atmosphere, occupational safety attitudes, occupational safety behaviors and occupational unintentional injuries among 10585 manufacturing workers selected from 46 enterprises in Guangdong. Structural equation modeling was applied to assess the relationship of the perception of safety atmosphere at workplace, occupational safety attitude, and occupational safety behaviors with occupational unintentional injury. Among 24 pathways supposed in structural equation model, 20 pathways (except for the attitude toward occupational safety, the attitude toward managers' support, the work posture and individual protection) were significantly related to the occupational unintentional injuries. The further analysis indicated that the perceived safety atmosphere might impact the occupational unintentional injuries by the attitude toward occupational safety and occupational safety behaviors. Workers' perception of safety atmosphere indirectly influenced on occupational unintentional injuries through occupational safety attitudes and occupational safety behaviors.

The impact of systematic occupational health and safety management for occupational disorders and long-term work attendance.

PubMed

Dellve, Lotta; Skagert, Katrin; Eklöf, Mats

2008-09-01

Despite several years of conducting formalized systematic occupational health and safety management (SOHSM), as required by law in Sweden and most other industrialized countries, there is still little evidence on how SOHSM should be approached to have an impact on employees' health. The aim of this study was to investigate the importance of SOHSM, considering structured routines and participation processes, for the incidence of occupational disorders and the prevalence of long-term work attendance among home care workers (HCWs). Municipal human service organizations were compared concerning (a) their structured routines and participation processes for SOHSM and (b) employee health, i.e. the municipal five-year incidence of occupational disorders and prevalence of work attendance among HCWs. National register-based data from the whole population of HCWs (n=154 773) were linked to register-data of occupational disorders and prevalence of long-term work attendance. The top managers and safety representatives in selected high- and low-incidence organizations (n=60) answered a questionnaire about structure and participation process of SOHSM. The results showed that prevalence of long-term work attendance was higher where structure and routines for SOHSM (policy, goals and plans for action) were well organized. Highly structured SOHSM and human resource management were also related to high organizational incidence of reported occupational disorders. Allocated budget and routines related to HCWs' influence in decisions concerning performance of care were also related to long-term work attendance. The participation processes had a weak effect on occupational disorders and work attendance among HCWs. Reporting occupational disorders may be a functional tool to stimulate the development of effective SOHSM, to improve the work environment and sustainable work ability.

Working Safely at Some Times and Unsafely at Others: A Typology and Within-Person Process Model of Safety-Related Work Behaviors.

PubMed

Beus, Jeremy M; Taylor, William D

2017-06-22

Why do individuals choose to work safely in some instances and unsafely in others? Though this inherently within-person question is straightforward, the preponderance of between-person theory and research in the workplace safety literature is not equipped to answer it. Additionally, the limited way in which safety-related behaviors tend to be conceptualized further restricts understanding of why individuals vary in their safety-related actions. We use a goal-focused approach to conceptually address this question of behavioral variability and contribute to workplace safety research in 2 key ways. First, we establish an updated typology of safety-related behaviors that differentiates behaviors based on goal choice (i.e., safe vs. unsafe behaviors), goal-directedness (i.e., intentional vs. unintentional behaviors), and the means of goal pursuit (i.e., commission vs. omission and promotion vs. prevention-focused behaviors). Second, using an expectancy-value theoretical framework to explain variance in goal choice, we establish within-person propositions stating that safety-related goal choice and subsequent behaviors are a function of the target of safety-related behaviors, the instrumentality and resource requirement of behaviors, and the perceived severity, likelihood, and immediacy of the threats associated with behaviors. Taken together, we define what safety-related behaviors are, explain how they differ, and offer propositions concerning when and why they may vary within-persons. We explore potential between-person moderators of our theoretical propositions and discuss the practical implications of our typology and process model of safety-related behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Promising evidence of impact on road safety by changing at-risk behavior process at Union Pacific

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-06-01

Changing At-risk Behavior (CAB) is a safety process that is being conducted at Union Pacifics San Antonio Service Unit with the aim of improving locomotive cab safety related to constraining signals. CAB is an example of a risk reduction method th...

Safety huddles to proactively identify and address electronic health record safety

PubMed Central

Menon, Shailaja; Singh, Hardeep; Giardina, Traber D; Rayburn, William L; Davis, Brenda P; Russo, Elise M

2017-01-01

Objective: Methods to identify and study safety risks of electronic health records (EHRs) are underdeveloped and largely depend on limited end-user reports. “Safety huddles” have been found useful in creating a sense of collective situational awareness that increases an organization’s capacity to respond to safety concerns. We explored the use of safety huddles for identifying and learning about EHR-related safety concerns. Design: Data were obtained from daily safety huddle briefing notes recorded at a single midsized tertiary-care hospital in the United States over 1 year. Huddles were attended by key administrative, clinical, and information technology staff. We conducted a content analysis of huddle notes to identify what EHR-related safety concerns were discussed. We expanded a previously developed EHR-related error taxonomy to categorize types of EHR-related safety concerns recorded in the notes. Results: On review of daily huddle notes spanning 249 days, we identified 245 EHR-related safety concerns. For our analysis, we defined EHR technology to include a specific EHR functionality, an entire clinical software application, or the hardware system. Most concerns (41.6%) involved “EHR technology working incorrectly,” followed by 25.7% involving “EHR technology not working at all.” Concerns related to “EHR technology missing or absent” accounted for 16.7%, whereas 15.9% were linked to “user errors.” Conclusions: Safety huddles promoted discussion of several technology-related issues at the organization level and can serve as a promising technique to identify and address EHR-related safety concerns. Based on our findings, we recommend that health care organizations consider huddles as a strategy to promote understanding and improvement of EHR safety. PMID:28031286

A longitudinal study of clinical peer review's impact on quality and safety in U.S. hospitals.

PubMed

Edwards, Marc T

2013-01-01

Clinical peer review is the dominant method of event analysis in U.S. hospitals. It is pivotal to medical staff efforts to improve quality and safety, yet the quality assurance process model that has prevailed for the past 30 years evokes fear and is fundamentally antithetical to a culture of safety. Two prior national studies characterized a quality improvement model that corrects this dysfunction but failed to demonstrate progress toward its adoption despite a high rate of program change between 2007 and 2009. This study's online survey of 470 organizations participating in either of the prior studies further assessed relationships between clinical peer review program factors, including the degree of conformance to the quality improvement model (the QI model score), and subjectively measured program impact variables. Among the 300 hospitals (64%) that responded, the median QI model score was only 60 on a 100-point scale. Scores increased somewhat for the 2007 cohort (mean pair-wise difference of 5.9 [2-10]), but not for the 2009 cohort. The QI model is expanded as the result of the finding that self-reporting of adverse events, near misses, and hazardous conditions--an essential practice in high-reliability organizations--is no longer rare in hospitals. Self-reporting and the quality of case review are additional multivariate predictors of the perceived ongoing impact of clinical peer review on quality and safety, medical staff perceptions of the program, and medical staff engagement in quality and safety initiatives. Hospital leaders and trustees who seek to improve patient outcomes should facilitate the adoption of this best practice model for clinical peer review.

Underride safety protection: benefit-cost assessment of rear-impact guards for the North Dakota farm truck fleet.

PubMed

Vachal, Kimberly; Tumuhairwe, Esther K; Berwick, Mark

2009-04-01

The North Dakota Legislature recently passed a law exempting the state's agricultural truck fleet from a federal safety program requirement for rear-guard equipment on large trucks. This equipment has been shown to reduce crash severity when a passenger vehicle collides with the rear of the truck. This study uses truck fleet, truck crash, and injury severity data to estimate the public safety benefit derived from passenger-vehicle underride protection during rear-end crashes involving large agricultural trucks in North Dakota. A benefit-cost analysis of crash injury avoidance is developed based on the frequency and severity of rear-end truck collisions in North Dakota between 2001 and 2007. The injury avoidance benefits and commercial vehicle safety grant benefits are estimated to be $11.4 to $20.2 million during the seven-year depreciable truck life. The public safety benefits for rear-impact guards are higher than the estimated lifetime cost for the equipment and maintenance of $8.1 million.

The effect of workers' visibility on effectiveness of intervention programs: supervisory-based safety interventions.

PubMed

Luria, Gil; Zohar, Dov; Erev, Ido

2008-01-01

This paper discusses an organizational change intervention program targeting safety behaviors and addresses important considerations concerning the planning of organizational change. Using layout of the plant as a proxy for ease of daily leader-member interaction, the effect of workers' visibility on the effectiveness of supervisory-based safety (SBS) interventions is examined. Through a reinforcement-learning framework, it is suggested that visibility can affect supervisors' incentive to interact with subordinates regarding safety-related issues. Data were collected during SBS intervention studies in five manufacturing companies. Results suggest a reinforcement cycle model whereby increased visibility generates more frequent exchanges between supervisors and employees, resulting in improved safety behavior among employees. In turn, employees' safer behavior reinforces continued supervisory safety-related interaction. CONCLUSION AND IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: Visibility is an important moderator in supervisory based safety interventions, and can serve to increase workplace safety. Implications of these findings for safety are discussed.

Safety Handbook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Montgomery County Public Schools, Rockville, MD.

Safety policies, procedures, and related information are presented in this manual to assist school personnel in a continuing program of accident prevention. Chapter 1 discusses safety education and accident prevention in general. Chapter 2 covers traffic regulations relating to school safety patrols, school bus transportation, bicycles, and…

Allelic Variation of Risk for Anxiety Symptoms Moderates the Relation Between Adolescent Safety Behaviors and Social Anxiety Symptoms

PubMed Central

Thomas, Sarah A.; Weeks, Justin W.; Dougherty, Lea R.; Lipton, Melanie F.; Daruwala, Samantha E.; Kline, Kathryn

2015-01-01

Social anxiety often develops in adolescence, and precedes the onset of depression and substance use disorders. The link between social anxiety and use of behaviors to minimize distress in social situations (i.e., safety behaviors) is strong and for some patients, this link poses difficulty for engaging in, and benefiting from, exposure-based treatment. Yet, little is known about whether individual differences may moderate links between social anxiety and safety behaviors, namely variations in genetic alleles germane to anxiety. We examined the relation between adolescent social anxiety and expressions of safety behaviors, and whether allelic variation for anxiety moderates this relation. Adolescents (n=75; ages 14–17) were recruited from two larger studies investigating measurement of family relationships or adolescent social anxiety. Adolescents completed self-report measures about social anxiety symptoms and use of safety behaviors. They also provided saliva samples to assess allelic variations for anxiety from two genetic polymorphisms (BDNF rs6265; TAQ1A rs1800497). Controlling for adolescent age and gender, we observed a significant interaction between social anxiety symptoms and allelic variation (β=0.37, t=2.41, p=.02). Specifically, adolescents carrying allelic variations for anxiety evidenced a statistically significant and relatively strong positive relation between social anxiety symptoms and safety behaviors (β=0.73), whereas adolescents not carrying allelic variation evidenced a statistically non-significant and relatively weak relation (β=0.22). These findings have important implications for treating adolescent social anxiety, in that we identified an individual difference variable that can be used to identify people who evidence a particularly strong link between use of safety behaviors and expressing social anxiety. PMID:26692635

General Safety and Waste Management Related to SAM

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The General Safety and Waste Management page offers section-specific safety and waste management details for chemicals, radiochemicals, pathogens, and biotoxins included in EPA's Selected Analytical Methods for Environmental Remediation and Recovery (SAM).

Consensus-based Recommendations for Research Priorities Related to Interventions to Safeguard Patient Safety in the Crowded Emergency Department

PubMed Central

Fee, Christopher; Hall, Kendall; Morrison, J. Bradley; Stephens, Robert; Cosby, Karen; Fairbanks, Rollin (Terry) J.; Youngberg, Barbara; Lenehan, Gail; Abualenain, Jameel; O’Connor, Kevin; Wears, Robert

2012-01-01

This article describes the results of the Interventions to Safeguard Safety breakout session of the 2011 Academic Emergency Medicine (AEM) consensus conference entitled “Interventions to Assure Quality in the Crowded Emergency Department.” Using a multistep nominal group technique, experts in emergency department (ED) crowding, patient safety, and systems engineering defined knowledge gaps and priority research questions related to the maintenance of safety in the crowded ED. Consensus was reached for seven research priorities related to interventions to maintain safety in the setting of a crowded ED. Included among these are: 1) How do routine corrective processes and compensating mechanism change during crowding? 2) What metrics should be used to determine ED safety? 3) How can checklists ensure safer care and what factors contribute to their success or failure? 4) What constitutes safe staffing levels / ratios? 5) How can we align emergency medicine (EM)-specific patient safety issues with national patient safety issues? 6) How can we develop metrics and skills to recognize when an ED is getting close to catastrophic overload conditions? and 7) What can EM learn from experts and modeling from fields outside of medicine to develop innovative solutions? These priorities have the potential to inform future clinical and human factors research and extramural funding decisions related to this important topic. PMID:22168192

Commercial grade item (CGI) dedication of MDR relays for nuclear safety related applications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Das, R.K.; Julka, A.; Modi, G.

1994-08-01

MDR relays manufactured by Potter and Brumfield (P and B) have been used in various safety related applications in commercial nuclear power plants. These include emergency safety features (ESF) actuation systems, emergency core cooling systems (ECCS) actuation, and reactor protection systems. The MDR relays manufactured prior to May 1990 showed signs of generic failure due to corrosion and outgassing of coil varnish. P and B has made design changes to correct these problems in relays manufactured after May 1990. However, P and B does not manufacture the relays under any 10CFR50 Appendix B quality assurance (QA) program. They manufacture themore » relays under their commercial QA program and supply these as commercial grade items. This necessitates CGI Dedication of these relays for use in nuclear-safety-related applications. This paper presents a CGI dedication program that has been used to dedicate the MDR relays manufactured after May 1990. The program is in compliance with current Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) guidelines and applicable industry standards; it specifies the critical characteristics of the relays, provides the tests and analysis required to verify the critical characteristics, the acceptance criteria for the test results, performs source verification to qualify P and B for its control of the critical characteristics, and provides documentation. The program provides reasonable assurance that the new MDR relays will perform their intended safety functions.« less

Discounting the value of safety: effects of perceived risk and effort.

PubMed

Sigurdsson, Sigurdur O; Taylor, Matthew A; Wirth, Oliver

2013-09-01

Although falls from heights remain the most prevalent cause of fatalities in the construction industry, factors impacting safety-related choices associated with work at heights are not completely understood. Better tools are needed to identify and study the factors influencing safety-related choices and decision making. Using a computer-based task within a behavioral economics paradigm, college students were presented a choice between two hypothetical scenarios that differed in working height and effort associated with retrieving and donning a safety harness. Participants were instructed to choose the scenario in which they were more likely to wear the safety harness. Based on choice patterns, switch points were identified, indicating when the perceived risk in both scenarios was equivalent. Switch points were a systematic function of working height and effort, and the quantified relation between perceived risk and effort was described well by a hyperbolic equation. Choice patterns revealed that the perceived risk of working at heights decreased as the effort to retrieve and don a safety harness increased. Results contribute to the development of computer-based procedure for assessing risk discounting within a behavioral economics framework. Such a procedure can be used as a research tool to study factors that influence safety-related decision making with a goal of informing more effective prevention and intervention strategies. Copyright © 2013 National Safety Council and Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Impact of traffic-related air pollution on health.

PubMed

Jakubiak-Lasocka, J; Lasocki, J; Siekmeier, R; Chłopek, Z

2015-01-01

Road transport contributes significantly to air quality problems through vehicle emissions, which have various detrimental impacts on public health and the environment. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of traffic-related air pollution on health of Warsaw citizens, following the basics of the Health Impact Assessment (HIA) method, and evaluate its social cost. PM10 was chosen as an indicator of traffic-related air pollution. Exposure-response functions between air pollution and health impacts were employed. The value of statistical life (VSL) approach was used for the estimation of the cost of mortality attributable to traffic-related air pollution. Costs of hospitalizations and restricted activity days were assessed basing on the cost of illness (COI) method. According to the calculations, about 827 Warsaw citizens die in a year as a result of traffic-related air pollution. Also, about 566 and 250 hospital admissions due to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, respectively, and more than 128,453 restricted activity days can be attributed to the traffic emissions. From the social perspective, these losses generate the cost of 1,604 million PLN (1 EUR-approx. 4.2 PLN). This cost is very high and, therefore, more attention should be paid for the integrated environmental health policy.

EMS helicopter incidents reported to the NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Connell, Linda J.; Reynard, William D.

1993-01-01

The objectives of this evaluation were to: Identify the types of safety-related incidents reported to the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) in Emergency Medical Service (EMS) helicopter operations; Describe the operational conditions surrounding these incidents, such as weather, airspace, flight phase, time of day; and Assess the contribution to these incidents of selected human factors considerations, such as communication, distraction, time pressure, workload, and flight/duty impact.

Estimating the Prevalence of Heat-Related Symptoms and Sun Safety-Related Behavior among Latino Farmworkers in Eastern North Carolina.

PubMed

Kearney, Gregory D; Hu, Hui; Xu, Xiaohui; Hall, Marla B; Balanay, Jo Anne G

2016-01-01

In hot weather, thermal heat generated by the body, combined with environmental heat from the sun, can lead outdoor workers to experience heat-related stress, severe illness, or even death. The aims of this study were to estimate the prevalence of heat-related symptoms and potential risk factors associated with sun safety-related behavior among Latino farmworkers. Data from interviewer-administered questionnaires were collected from a cross-sectional survey among farmworkers (N = 158) from August to September 2013. Data analysis assessed associations between work activities, sun safety behavior, and the prevalence of heat-related illness (HRI) symptoms among workers. Nearly two thirds (72%) of farmworkers experienced at least one HRI symptom and lacked proper cooling methods when working outdoors. Most workers reported wearing long-sleeved shirts (85%), long pants (98%), and baseball caps (93%). The prevalence of having one HRI symptom was 72% and 27% among workers having three or more HRI symptoms. The majority of farmworkers experience symptoms of HRI and are not provided with proper shade protection when working outdoors. Increased emphasis on administrative controls, particularly educating field supervisors and workers on how to avoid and recognize HRI, should be a priority.

Senior charge nurses' leadership behaviours in relation to hospital ward safety: a mixed method study.

PubMed

Agnew, Cakil; Flin, Rhona

2014-05-01

High standards of quality and patient safety in hospital wards cannot be achieved without the active role of the nursing leaders that manage these units. Previous studies tended to focus on the leadership behaviours of nurses in relation to staff job satisfaction and other organizational outcomes. Less is known about the leadership skills of senior charge nurses that are effective for ensuring safety for patients and staff in their wards. The aim of the two studies was to identify the leadership behaviours of senior charge nurses that are (a) typically used and, (b) that relate to safety outcomes. In study one, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 senior charge nurses at an acute NHS hospital. Transcribed interviews were coded using Yukl's Managerial Practices Survey (MPS) framework. In study two, self ratings of leadership (using the MPS) from 15 senior charge nurses (SCN) and upward ratings from 82 staff nurses reporting to them were used to investigate associations between SCNs' leadership behaviours and worker and patient-related safety outcomes. The interviews in study one demonstrated the relevance of the MPS leadership framework for nurses at hospital ward level. The SCNs mainly engaged in relations-oriented (n=370, 49%), and task-oriented (n=342, 45%) behaviours, with fewer change-oriented (n=25, 3%), and lead by example behaviours (n=26, 3%). In demanding situations, more task-oriented behaviours were reported. In study two, staff nurses' ratings of their SCNs' behaviours (Monitoring and Recognizing) were related to staff compliance with rules and patient injuries (medium severity), while the self ratings of SCNs indicated that Supporting behaviours were linked to lower infection rates and Envisioning change behaviours were linked to lower infection and other safety indicators for both patients and staff. This study provides preliminary data on the usability of a standard leadership taxonomy (Yukl et al., 2002), and the related MPS

Evaluation of Safety, Quality and Productivity in Construction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Usmen, M. A.; Vilnitis, M.

2015-11-01

This paper examines the success indicators of construction projects, safety, quality and productivity, in terms of their implications and impacts during and after construction. First safety is considered during construction with a focus on hazard identification and the prevention of occupational accidents and injuries on worksites. The legislation mandating safety programs, training and compliance with safety standards is presented and discussed. Consideration of safety at the design stage is emphasized. Building safety and the roles of building codes in prevention of structural failures are also covered in the paper together with factors affecting building failures and methods for their prevention. Quality is introduced in the paper from the perspective of modern total quality management. Concepts of quality management, quality control, quality assurance and Six Sigma and how they relate to building quality and structural integrity are discussed with examples. Finally, productivity concepts are presented with emphasis on effective project management to minimize loss of productivity, complimented by lean construction and lean Six Sigma principles. The paper concludes by synthesizing the relationships between safety, quality and productivity.

A multilevel examination of affective job insecurity climate on safety outcomes.

PubMed

Jiang, Lixin; Probst, Tahira M

2016-07-01

Previous research has established a causal link between individual perceptions of job insecurity and safety outcomes. However, whether job insecurity climate is associated with safety outcomes has not been studied. The purpose of the current study was to explore the main and cross-level interaction effects of affective job insecurity climate on safety outcomes, including behavioral safety compliance, reporting attitudes, workplace injuries, experienced safety events, unreported safety events, and accident underreporting, beyond individual affective job insecurity. With 171 employees nested in 40 workgroups, multilevel analyses revealed that the negative impacts of individual affective job insecurity on safety outcomes are exacerbated when they occur in a climate of high affective job insecurity. These results are interpreted in light of safety management efforts and suggest that efforts to create a secure climate within one's workgroup may reap safety-related benefits. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Indicators of safety compromise in gastrointestinal endoscopy.

PubMed

Borgaonkar, Mark Ram; Hookey, Lawrence; Hollingworth, Roger; Kuipers, Ernst J; Forster, Alan; Armstrong, David; Barkun, Alan; Bridges, Ron; Carter, Rose; de Gara, Chris; Dube, Catherine; Enns, Robert; Macintosh, Donald; Forget, Sylviane; Leontiadis, Grigorios; Meddings, Jonathan; Cotton, Peter; Valori, Roland

2012-02-01

The importance of quality indicators has become increasingly recognized in gastrointestinal endoscopy. Patient safety requires the identification and monitoring of occurrences associated with harm or the potential for harm. The identification of relevant indicators of safety compromise is, therefore, a critical element that is key to the effective implementation of endoscopy quality improvement programs. To identify key indicators of safety compromise in gastrointestinal endoscopy. The Canadian Association of Gastroenterology Safety and Quality Indicators in Endoscopy Consensus Group was formed to address issues of quality in endoscopy. A subcommittee was formed to identify key safety indicators. A systematic literature review was undertaken, and articles pertinent to safety in endoscopy were identified and reviewed. All complications and measures used to document safety were recorded. From this, a preliminary list of 16 indicators was compiled and presented to the 35-person consensus group during a three-day meeting. A revised list of 20 items was subsequently put to the consensus group for vote for inclusion on the final list of safety indicators. Items were retained only if the consensus group highly agreed on their importance. A total of 19 indicators of safety compromise were retained and grouped into the three following categories: medication-related - the need for CPR, use of reversal agents, hypoxia, hypotension, hypertension, sedation doses in patients older than 70 years of age, allergic reactions and laryngospasm⁄bronchospasm; procedure-related early - perforation, immediate postpolypectomy bleeding, need for hospital admission or transfer to emergency department from the gastroenterology unit, instrument impaction, severe persistent abdominal pain requiring evaluation proven to not be perforation; and procedure-related delayed - death within 30 days of procedure, 14-day unplanned hospitalization, 14-day unplanned contact with a health provider

The architecture of safety: hospital design.

PubMed

Joseph, Anjali; Rashid, Mahbub

2007-12-01

This paper reviews recent research literature reporting the effects of hospital design on patient safety. Features of hospital design that are linked to patient safety in the literature include noise, air quality, lighting conditions, patient room design, unit layout, and several other interior design features. Some of these features act as latent conditions for adverse events, and impact safety outcomes directly and indirectly by impacting staff working conditions. Others act as barriers to adverse events by providing hospital staff with opportunities for preventing accidents before they occur. Although the evidence linking hospital design to patient safety is growing, much is left to be done in this area of research. Nevertheless, the evidence reported in the literature may already be sufficient to have a positive impact on hospital design.

32 CFR 989.27 - Occupational safety and health.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 32 National Defense 6 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Occupational safety and health. 989.27 Section... PROTECTION ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ANALYSIS PROCESS (EIAP) § 989.27 Occupational safety and health. Assess direct and indirect impacts of proposed actions on the safety and health of Air Force employees and...

32 CFR 989.27 - Occupational safety and health.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 32 National Defense 6 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Occupational safety and health. 989.27 Section... PROTECTION ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ANALYSIS PROCESS (EIAP) § 989.27 Occupational safety and health. Assess direct and indirect impacts of proposed actions on the safety and health of Air Force employees and...

32 CFR 989.27 - Occupational safety and health.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 32 National Defense 6 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Occupational safety and health. 989.27 Section... PROTECTION ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ANALYSIS PROCESS (EIAP) § 989.27 Occupational safety and health. Assess direct and indirect impacts of proposed actions on the safety and health of Air Force employees and...

32 CFR 989.27 - Occupational safety and health.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 32 National Defense 6 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Occupational safety and health. 989.27 Section... PROTECTION ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ANALYSIS PROCESS (EIAP) § 989.27 Occupational safety and health. Assess direct and indirect impacts of proposed actions on the safety and health of Air Force employees and...

32 CFR 989.27 - Occupational safety and health.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 32 National Defense 6 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Occupational safety and health. 989.27 Section... PROTECTION ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ANALYSIS PROCESS (EIAP) § 989.27 Occupational safety and health. Assess direct and indirect impacts of proposed actions on the safety and health of Air Force employees and...

A relational leadership perspective on unit-level safety climate.

PubMed

Thompson, Debra N; Hoffman, Leslie A; Sereika, Susan M; Lorenz, Holly L; Wolf, Gail A; Burns, Helen K; Minnier, Tamra E; Ramanujam, Rangaraj

2011-11-01

This study compared nursing staff perceptions of safety climate in clinical units characterized by high and low ratings of leader-member exchange (LMX) and explored characteristics that might account for differences. Frontline nursing leaders' actions are critical to ensure patient safety. Specific leadership behaviors to achieve this goal are underexamined. The LMX perspective has shown promise in nonhealthcare settings as a means to explain safety climate perceptions. Cross-sectional survey of staff (n = 711) and unit directors from 34 inpatient units in an academic medical center was conducted. Significant differences were found between high and low LMX scoring units on supervisor safety expectations, organizational learning-continuous improvement, total communication, feedback and communication about errors, and nonpunitive response to errors. The LMX perspective can be used to identify differences in perceptions of safety climate among nursing staff. Future studies are needed to identify strategies to improve staff safety attitudes and behaviors. Copyright © 2011 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Lunar and Planetary Science XXXV: Impact-Related Deposits

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

The session "Impact-Related Deposits" included:Evidence for a Lightning-Strike Origin of the Edeowie Glass; 57Fe M ssbauer Spectroscopy of Fulgurites: Implications for Chemical Reduction; Ca-Metasomatism in Crystalline Target Rocks from the Charlevoix Structure, Quebec, Canada: Evidence for Impact-related Hydrothermal Activity; Magnetic Investigations of Breccia Veins and Basement Rocks from Roter Kamm Crater and Surrounding Region, Namibia; Petrologic Complexities of the Manicouagan Melt Sheet: Implications for 40Ar-39Ar Geochronology; Laser Argon Dating of Melt Breccias from the Siljan Impact Structure, Sweden: Implications for Possible Relationship to Late Devonian Extinction Events; Lunar Impact Crater, India: Occurrence of a Basaltic Suevite?; Age of the Lunar Impact Crater, India: First Results from Fission Track Dating; The Fluidized Chicxulub Ejecta Blanket, Mexico: Implications for Mars; Low Velocity Ejection of Boulders from Small Lunar Craters: Ground Truth for Asteroid Surfaces; Ejecta and Secondary Crater Distributions of Tycho Crater: Effects of an Oblique Impact; Potassium Isotope Systematics of Crystalline Lunar Spherules from Apollo 16; Late Paleocene Spherules from the North Sea: Probable Sea Floor Precipitates: A Silverpit Provenance Unproven; A Lithological Investigation of Marine Strata from the Triassic-Jurassic Boundary Interval, Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia, Including a Search for Shocked Quartz; Triassic Cratered Cobbles: Shock Effects or Tectonic Pressure?; Regional Variations of Trace Element Composition Within the Australasian Tektite Strewn Field; Cretaceous-Tertiary Boundary Microtektite-bearing Sands and Tsunami Beds, Alabama Gulf Coastal Plain; Sand Lobes on Stewart Island as Probable Impact-Tsunami Deposits; Distal Impact Ejecta, Uppermost Eocene, Texas Coastal Plain; and Continental Impact Debris in the Eltanin Impact Layer.

Worker health and safety and climate change in the Americas: issues and research needs.

PubMed

Kiefer, Max; Rodríguez-Guzmán, Julietta; Watson, Joanna; van Wendel de Joode, Berna; Mergler, Donna; da Silva, Agnes Soares

2016-09-01

SYNOPSIS This report summarizes and discusses current knowledge on the impact that climate change can have on occupational safety and health (OSH), with a particular focus on the Americas. Worker safety and health issues are presented on topics related to specific stressors (e.g., temperature extremes), climate associated impacts (e.g., ice melt in the Arctic), and a health condition associated with climate change (chronic kidney disease of non-traditional etiology). The article discusses research needs, including hazards, surveillance, and risk assessment activities to better characterize and understand how OSH may be associated with climate change events. Also discussed are the actions that OSH professionals can take to ensure worker health and safety in the face of climate change.

Predicting safety culture: the roles of employer, operations manager and safety professional.

PubMed

Wu, Tsung-Chih; Lin, Chia-Hung; Shiau, Sen-Yu

2010-10-01

This study explores predictive factors in safety culture. In 2008, a sample 939 employees was drawn from 22 departments of a telecoms firm in five regions in central Taiwan. The sample completed a questionnaire containing four scales: the employer safety leadership scale, the operations manager safety leadership scale, the safety professional safety leadership scale, and the safety culture scale. The sample was then randomly split into two subsamples. One subsample was used for measures development, one for the empirical study. A stepwise regression analysis found four factors with a significant impact on safety culture (R²=0.337): safety informing by operations managers; safety caring by employers; and safety coordination and safety regulation by safety professionals. Safety informing by operations managers (ß=0.213) was by far the most significant predictive factor. The findings of this study provide a framework for promoting a positive safety culture at the group level. Crown Copyright © 2010. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Impact resistance of materials for guards on cutting machine tools--requirements in future European safety standards.

PubMed

Mewes, D; Trapp, R P

2000-01-01

Guards on machine tools are meant to protect operators from injuries caused by tools, workpieces, and fragments hurled out of the machine's working zone. This article presents the impact resistance requirements, which guards according to European safety standards for machine tools must satisfy. Based upon these standards the impact resistance of different guard materials was determined using cylindrical steel projectiles. Polycarbonate proves to be a suitable material for vision panels because of its high energy absorption capacity. The impact resistance of 8-mm thick polycarbonate is roughly equal to that of a 3-mm thick steel sheet Fe P01. The limited ageing stability, however, makes it necessary to protect polycarbonate against cooling lubricants by means of additional panes on both sides.

Novel safety floors do not influence early compensatory balance reactions in older adults.

PubMed

Wright, Alexander D; Heckman, George A; McIlroy, William E; Laing, Andrew C

2014-01-01

Novel safety flooring systems are a promising approach for reducing fall-related injuries in seniors, as they have been demonstrated to substantially reduce impact severity during falls, while minimally impairing balance control in community-dwelling older women. This pilot study aimed to characterize the potential effects of flooring conditions on dynamic balance control in retirement home-dwellers with more limited mobility. A tether-release paradigm was used to simulate a trip-type perturbation in 15 seniors across five flooring surfaces (three novel safety floors and one carpet compared to institutional-grade resilient rolled-sheeting). Kinetic and kinematic data tracked the displacement profiles of the underfoot centre-of-pressure and whole-body centre-of-mass, which were used to characterize compensatory balance reactions. Difference tests (ANOVA) found that the onset of the compensatory balance reaction was not associated with floor condition, nor were the timing and magnitude of peak centre-of-pressure excursion (minimum margin of safety) and velocity. Accordingly, the minimum margin of safety of the centre-of-mass was not significantly different across floors. Equivalence tests supported these findings. This study provides evidence that the carpet and novel safety floors tested do not negatively influence characteristics of initial dynamic balance responses following a lean-and-release perturbation compared to an institutional-grade resilient rolled-sheeting surface. In combination with reports of substantial force attenuative properties during fall-related impacts, these findings support the promise of novel safety floors as a biomechanically effective strategy for reducing fall-related injuries. Crown Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of safety and health training on work-related injury among construction laborers.

PubMed

Dong, Xiuwen; Entzel, Pamela; Men, Yurong; Chowdhury, Risana; Schneider, Scott

2004-12-01

This study was designed to evaluate the effects of safety and health training on work-related injury in the construction industry. Union health insurance records, union training records, and workers compensation data for 1993 and 1994 were analyzed for more than 8000 construction laborers in Washington State. After controlling for demographic factors, laborers who received safety and health training during the study period were 12% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.75-1.02) less likely than nontrained laborers to file for workers compensation. Among workers 16 to 24 years old, training was associated with a 42% (95% CI = 0.35-0.95) reduction in claims. These findings provide evidence of the effectiveness of safety and health training in preventing occupational injuries among construction laborers, particularly among younger workers. However, the results cover only a limited time and the long-term effects remain unclear.

Civility norms, safety climate, and safety outcomes: a preliminary investigation.

PubMed

McGonagle, Alyssa K; Walsh, Benjamin M; Kath, Lisa M; Morrow, Stephanie L

2014-10-01

Working environments that are both civil and safe are good for business and employee well-being. Civility has been empirically linked to such important outcomes as organizational performance and individuals' positive work-related attitudes, yet research relating civility to safety is lacking. In this study, we link perceptions of civility norms to perceptions of safety climate and safety outcomes. Drawing on social exchange theory, we proposed and tested a model in 2 samples wherein civility norms indirectly relate to safety outcomes through associations with various safety climate facets. Our results supported direct relationships between civility and management safety climate and coworker safety climate. Additionally, indirect effects of civility norms on unsafe behaviors and injuries were observed. Indirect effects of civility norms on unsafe behaviors were observed through coworker safety climate and work-safety tension. Indirect effects of civility norms on injuries were observed through management safety climate and work-safety tension for full-time employees, although these effects did not hold for part-time employees. This study provides initial evidence that researchers and practitioners may want to look beyond safety climate to civility norms to more comprehensively understand the origins of unsafe behaviors and injuries and to develop appropriate preventive interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved).

A prioritization of generic safety issues. Supplement 19, Revision insertion instructions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

1995-11-01

The report presents the safety priority ranking for generic safety issues related to nuclear power plants. The purpose of these rankings is to assist in the timely and efficient allocation of NRC resources for the resolution of those safety issues that have a significant potential for reducing risk. The safety priority rankings are HIGH, MEDIUM, LOW, and DROP, and have been assigned on the basis of risk significance estimates, the ratio of risk to costs and other impacts estimated to result if resolution of the safety issues were implemented, and the consideration of uncertainties and other quantitative or qualitative factors.more » To the extent practical, estimates are quantitative. This document provides revisions and amendments to the report.« less

76 FR 34869 - Safety Zone; Truman-Hobbs Alteration of the Elgin Joliet & Eastern Railroad Drawbridge; Illinois...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-15

... raise any novel legal or policy issues. The safety zone around the bridge project will be relatively... through the safety zone when permitted by the Captain of the Port. Small Entities Under the Regulatory... impact on a substantial number of small entities. The term ``small entities'' comprises small businesses...

Optimizing medication safety in the home.

PubMed

LeBlanc, Raeanne Genevieve; Choi, Jeungok

2015-06-01

Medication safety among community-dwelling older adults in the United States is an ongoing health issue impacting health outcomes, chronic disease management, and aging in place at home. This article describes a medication safety improvement project that aimed to: (1) Increase the ability of participants to manage medications, (2) Identify and make necessary medication changes, (3) Create an accurate up-to-date medication list to be available in the home, and (4) Provide communication between the primary care provider, participant, and case manager. An in-home medication assessment was completed for 25 participants using an evidence-based medication management software system. This process was used to review medications; identify medication-related problems; create a shared medication list; and convey this information to the primary care provider, case manager, and client while addressing needed medication changes. Educational interventions on management and understanding of medications were provided to participants to emphasize the correct use of medications and use of a personal medication record. Outcome improvements included provision of an accurate medication list, early identification of medication-related problems, identification of drug duplication, and identification of medication self-management challenges that can be useful for optimizing medication safety-related home healthcare and inform future interventions.

Concerns related to Safety Management of Engineered Nanomaterials in research environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Groso, A.; Meyer, Th

2013-04-01

Since the rise of occupational safety and health research on nanomaterials a lot of progress has been made in generating health effects and exposure data. However, when detailed quantitative risk analysis is in question, more research is needed, especially quantitative measures of workers exposure and standards to categorize toxicity/hazardousness data. In the absence of dose-response relationships and quantitative exposure measurements, control banding (CB) has been widely adopted by OHS community as a pragmatic tool in implementing a risk management strategy based on a precautionary approach. Being in charge of health and safety in a Swiss university, where nanomaterials are largely used and produced, we are also faced with the challenge related to nanomaterials' occupational safety. In this work, we discuss the field application of an in-house risk management methodology similar to CB as well as some other methodologies. The challenges and issues related to the process will be discussed. Since exact data on nanomaterials hazardousness are missing for most of the situations, we deduce that the outcome of the analysis for a particular process is essentially the same with a simple methodology that determines only exposure potential and the one taking into account the hazardousness of ENPs. It is evident that when reliable data on hazardousness factors (as surface chemistry, solubility, carcinogenicity, toxicity etc.) will be available, more differentiation will be possible in determining the risk for different materials. On the protective measures side, all CB methodologies are inclined to overprotection side, only that some of them suggest comprehensive protective/preventive measures and others remain with basic advices. The implementation and control of protective measures in research environment will also be discussed.

Impact of traditional practices on food safety: a case of acute toxoplasmosis related to the consumption of contaminated raw pork sausage in Italy.

PubMed

Vitale, Maria; Tumino, Giovanni; Partanna, Samanta; La Chiusa, Stella; Mancuso, Giorgio; Giglia, Maria La; Presti, Vincenzo Di Marco Lo

2014-04-01

A case of acute toxoplasmosis in an adolescent girl, almost certainly related to the consumption of raw sausage, is described. The girl suffered of fever and weakness and presented a swollen lymph node in the submandibular region. Serology analysis was positive for Toxoplasma gondii and excluded other infections. Further analysis, with avidity test and immunoblot, confirmed the acute toxoplasmosis. She reported that about a month before the appearance of the symptoms, she had eaten a piece of raw sausage while it was being prepared by her father. We analyzed sausage samples prepared from this same batch that had been frozen for later consumption, and they demonstrated evidence of T. gondii DNA when using a specific nested PCR assay. The sausage was prepared from the meat of a pig that had been backyard raised and slaughtered at home, a traditional practice in rural communities in many countries. The tasting of fresh prepared raw sausage is a common practice throughout Italy, and it could be a major cause for toxoplasmosis as suggested by the results of a questionnaire administered in the province of Palermo, Sicily. Contact with cats and, to a lesser extent, raw salad consumption were also referred to as presumptive causes for the symptomatic cases. Two additional cases of acute toxoplasmosis reported during questionnaire administration were alleged to have been caused by the consumption of fresh sausage made with the meat of a pig raised in the yard. Traditional practices in animal farming, and the processing of meat from animals raised in the backyard or meat from wild game animals, might have a big impact on food safety.

Impact of a community based fire prevention intervention on fire safety knowledge and behavior in elementary school children

PubMed Central

Hwang, V; Duchossois, G P; Garcia‐Espana, J F; Durbin, D R

2006-01-01

The objective of this study was to determine the impact of a community based fire prevention intervention directed only to parents on the fire safety knowledge and behavior in elementary school children. This was a prospective, quasi‐randomized controlled study in which third and fourth grade students from two elementary schools in an urban, poor, minority community completed knowledge/behavior surveys at baseline and following completion of the intervention. The intervention group received an in‐home visit from fire department personnel who installed free lithium smoke detectors and provided a fire escape plan. After accounting for a small difference in baseline summary scores of knowledge and behavior between the control and intervention groups, this study found a modest improvement in fire safety behavior among children whose families received a fire prevention intervention reflecting a change in household fire safety practices. However, there was no significant change in fire safety knowledge. PMID:17018679

77 FR 6411 - Training, Qualification, and Oversight for Safety-Related Railroad Employees

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-07

... equipment is in a service that constitutes a train movement under part 232 of this chapter; [and] (6... Administration 49 CFR Parts 214, 232, and 243 Training, Qualification, and Oversight for Safety-Related Railroad..., 232, and 243 [Docket No. FRA-2009-0033, Notice No. 1] RIN 2130-AC06 Training, Qualification, and...

Analysis of safety impacts of access management alternatives using the surrogate safety assessment model : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-06-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate if the Surrogate Safety Assessment Model (SSAM) could be used to assess the safety of a highway segment or an intersection in terms of the number and type of conflicts and to compare the safety effects of mul...

Manned space flight nuclear system safety. Volume 4: Space shuttle nuclear system transportation. Part 1: Space shuttle nuclear safety

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

An analysis of the nuclear safety aspects (design and operational considerations) in the transport of nuclear payloads to and from earth orbit by the space shuttle is presented. Three representative nuclear payloads used in the study were: (1) the zirconium hydride reactor Brayton power module, (2) the large isotope Brayton power system and (3) small isotopic heat sources which can be a part of an upper stage or part of a logistics module. Reference data on the space shuttle and nuclear payloads are presented in an appendix. Safety oriented design and operational requirements were identified to integrate the nuclear payloads in the shuttle mission. Contingency situations were discussed and operations and design features were recommended to minimize the nuclear hazards. The study indicates the safety, design and operational advantages in the use of a nuclear payload transfer module. The transfer module can provide many of the safety related support functions (blast and fragmentation protection, environmental control, payload ejection) minimizing the direct impact on the shuttle.

Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005.

PubMed

Fassett, William E

2006-05-01

To review Public Law (PL) 109-41-the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (PSQIA)-and summarize key medication error research that contributed to congressional recognition of the need for this legislation. Relevant publications related to medication error research, patient safety programs, and the legislative history of and commentary on PL 109-41, published in English, were identified by MEDLINE, PREMEDLINE, Thomas (Library of Congress), and Internet search engine-assisted searches using the terms healthcare quality, medication error, patient safety, PL 109-41, and quality improvement. Additional citations were identified from references cited in related publications. All relevant publications were reviewed. Summarization of the PSQIA was carried out by legal textual analysis. PL 109-41 provides privilege and confidentiality for patient safety work product (PSWP) developed for reporting to patient safety organizations (PSOs). It does not establish federal mandatory reporting of significant errors; rather, it relies on existing state reporting systems. The Act does not preempt stronger state protections for PSWP. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is directed to certify PSOs and promote the establishment of a national network of patient safety databases. Whistleblower protection and penalties for unauthorized disclosure of PSWP are among its enforcement mechanisms. The Act protects clinicians who report minor errors to PSOs and protects the information from disclosure, but providers must increasingly embrace a culture of interdisciplinary concern for patient safety if this protection is to have real impact on patient care.

78 FR 63233 - National Offshore Safety Advisory Committee; Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-23

... Equipment in Hazardous Areas on Foreign Flag Mobile Offshore Drilling Units. (4) Safety Impact of Liftboat... Equipment in Hazardous Areas on Foreign Flag Mobile Offshore Drilling Units (MODUs); (d) Safety Impact of... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY Coast Guard [Docket No. USCG-2013-0886] National Offshore Safety...

Safety Climate of Commercial Vehicle Operation

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-03-01

Enhancing the safety culture within trucking and motor coach industries has become a key area of concern given the potential impact it has on crashes and overall safety. Many organizations recognize that safety is compromised if the culture within th...

78 FR 54581 - Safety Zone; Perry 200 Fireworks, Presque Isle Bay, Erie, PA

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-05

... any novel legal or policy issues. The safety zone created by this rule will be relatively small and... Port. 2. Impact on Small Entities Under the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601-612), we have considered the impact of this proposed rule on small entities. The Coast Guard certifies under 5 U.S.C. 605(b...

Impacts of Health and Safety Education: Comparison of Worker Activities Before and After Training

PubMed Central

Becker, Paul; Morawetz, John

2014-01-01

Background The International Chemical Workers Union Council (ICWUC) Center for Worker Health and Safety Education in Cincinnati, Ohio, trains workers to protect themselves from hazards due to chemical spills and other chemical exposures. We evaluated whether the ICWUC Hazardous Waste Worker Training Program affects the attitudes and post-training activities, of trained union workers. Methods Detailed survey questionnaires were administered to 55 workers prior to and 14–18 months following training. Surveys queried trainees’ interest and involvement in safety and health, use of information resources, training activities at their worksite, and their attempts and successes at making worksite improvements. Results Post-training, the study population showed an increase in training of other workers, use of resources, attempts at improvements, success rates for those attempting change, and overall success at making improvements. Self-reported interest decreased, and self reported involvement in health and safety did not significantly change. Conclusion The study demonstrates that workers are more willing to attempt to change worksite conditions following training, and that their efficacy at making changes is substantially greater than before they were trained. The study confirms earlier work and strengthens these conclusions by using statistically tested comparisons of impact measures pre- and post-training. PMID:15202126

Do safety checklists improve teamwork and communication in the operating room? A systematic review.

PubMed

Russ, Stephanie; Rout, Shantanu; Sevdalis, Nick; Moorthy, Krishna; Darzi, Ara; Vincent, Charles

2013-12-01

The aim of this systematic review was to assess the impact of surgical safety checklists on the quality of teamwork and communication in the operating room (OR). Safety checklists have been shown to impact positively on patient morbidity and mortality following surgery, but it is unclear whether this clinical improvement is related to an improvement in OR teamwork and communication. A systematic search strategy of MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Google Scholar, and the Cochrane Database for Systematic Reviews was undertaken to obtain relevant articles. After de-duplication and the addition of limits, 315 articles were screened for inclusion by 2 researchers and all articles meeting a set of prespecified inclusion criteria were retained. Information regarding the type of checklist, study design, assessment tools used, outcomes, and study limitations was extracted. Twenty articles formed the basis of this systematic review. All articles described an empirical study relating to a case-specific safety checklist for surgery as the primary intervention, with some measure of change/improvement in teamwork and/or communication relating to its use. The methods for assessing teamwork and communication varied greatly, including surveys, observations, interviews, and 360° assessments. The evidence suggests that safety checklists improve the perceived quality of OR teamwork and communication and reduce observable errors relating to poor team skills. This is likely to function through establishing an open platform for communication at the start of a procedure: encouraging the sharing of critical case-related information, promoting team coordination and decision making, flagging knowledge gaps, and enhancing team cohesion. However, the evidence would also suggest that when used suboptimally or when individuals have not bought in to the process, checklists may conversely have a negative impact on the function of the team. Safety checklists are beneficial for OR teamwork and

Worker health and safety and climate change in the Americas: issues and research needs

PubMed Central

Kiefer, Max; Rodríguez-Guzmán, Julietta; Watson, Joanna; van Wendel de Joode, Berna; Mergler, Donna; da Silva, Agnes Soares

2016-01-01

SYNOPSIS This report summarizes and discusses current knowledge on the impact that climate change can have on occupational safety and health (OSH), with a particular focus on the Americas. Worker safety and health issues are presented on topics related to specific stressors (e.g., temperature extremes), climate associated impacts (e.g., ice melt in the Arctic), and a health condition associated with climate change (chronic kidney disease of non-traditional etiology). The article discusses research needs, including hazards, surveillance, and risk assessment activities to better characterize and understand how OSH may be associated with climate change events. Also discussed are the actions that OSH professionals can take to ensure worker health and safety in the face of climate change. PMID:27991978

Size-Related Changes in Foot Impact Mechanics in Hoofed Mammals

PubMed Central

Warner, Sharon Elaine; Pickering, Phillip; Panagiotopoulou, Olga; Pfau, Thilo; Ren, Lei; Hutchinson, John Richard

2013-01-01

Foot-ground impact is mechanically challenging for all animals, but how do large animals mitigate increased mass during foot impact? We hypothesized that impact force amplitude scales according to isometry in animals of increasing size through allometric scaling of related impact parameters. To test this, we measured limb kinetics and kinematics in 11 species of hoofed mammals ranging from 18–3157 kg body mass. We found impact force amplitude to be maintained proportional to size in hoofed mammals, but that other features of foot impact exhibit differential scaling patterns depending on the limb; forelimb parameters typically exhibit higher intercepts with lower scaling exponents than hind limb parameters. Our explorations of the size-related consequences of foot impact advance understanding of how body size influences limb morphology and function, foot design and locomotor behaviour. PMID:23382967

Social safety, self-rated general health and physical activity: changes in area crime, area safety feelings and the role of social cohesion.

PubMed

Ruijsbroek, Annemarie; Droomers, Mariël; Groenewegen, Peter P; Hardyns, Wim; Stronks, Karien

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to examine whether changes over time in reported area crime and perceived area safety were related to self-rated general health and physical activity (PA), in order to provide support for a causal relationship between social safety and health. Additionally, we investigated whether social cohesion protects the residents against the negative impact of unsafe areas on health and PA. Multilevel logistic regression analyses were performed on Dutch survey data, including 47,926 respondents living in 2974 areas. An increase in area level unsafety feelings between 2009 and 2011 was associated with more people reporting poor general health in 2012 in that area, but was not related to PA. Changes in reported area crime were not related to either poor general health or PA. The social cohesion in the area did not modify the effect of changes in social safety on health and PA. The results suggest that tackling feelings of unsafety in an area might contribute to the better general health of the residents. Because changes in area social safety were not associated with PA, we found no leads that such health benefits were achieved through an increase in physical activity. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Role of Interpersonal Relations in Healthcare Team Communication and Patient Safety: A Proposed Model of Interpersonal Process in Teamwork.

PubMed

Lee, Charlotte Tsz-Sum; Doran, Diane Marie

2017-06-01

Patient safety is compromised by medical errors and adverse events related to miscommunications among healthcare providers. Communication among healthcare providers is affected by human factors, such as interpersonal relations. Yet, discussions of interpersonal relations and communication are lacking in healthcare team literature. This paper proposes a theoretical framework that explains how interpersonal relations among healthcare team members affect communication and team performance, such as patient safety. We synthesized studies from health and social science disciplines to construct a theoretical framework that explicates the links among these constructs. From our synthesis, we identified two relevant theories: framework on interpersonal processes based on social relation model and the theory of relational coordination. The former involves three steps: perception, evaluation, and feedback; and the latter captures relational communicative behavior. We propose that manifestations of provider relations are embedded in the third step of the framework on interpersonal processes: feedback. Thus, varying team-member relationships lead to varying collaborative behavior, which affects patient-safety outcomes via a change in team communication. The proposed framework offers new perspectives for understanding how workplace relations affect healthcare team performance. The framework can be used by nurses, administrators, and educators to improve patient safety, team communication, or to resolve conflicts.

Sex differences in cerebellar mechanisms involved in pain-related safety learning.

PubMed

Labrenz, Franziska; Icenhour, Adriane; Thürling, Markus; Schlamann, Marc; Forsting, Michael; Timmann, Dagmar; Elsenbruch, Sigrid

2015-09-01

Recent studies have suggested that the cerebellum contributes to the central processing of pain, including pain-related learning and memory processes. As a complex experience with multiple emotional and cognitive facets, the response to pain and its underlying neural correlates differ between men and women. However, it remains poorly understood whether and to what extent sex differences exist in the cerebellar contribution to pain-related associative learning processes. In the present conditioning study with experimental abdominal pain as unconditioned stimuli (US), we assessed sex-dependent differences in behavioral and neural responses to conditioned warning and safety cues in healthy volunteers. The results revealed that in response to visual stimuli signaling safety from abdominal pain (CS(-)), women showed enhanced cerebellar activation in lobules I-IV, V, VI, VIIIa, IX and X as well as Crus II and the dentate nucleus, which are mostly representative of somatomotor networks. On the other hand, men showed enhanced neural activation in lobules I-IV, VI, VIIb, VIIIb, IX as well as Crus I and II in response to CS(-), which are representative of frontoparietal and ventral attention networks. No sex differences were observed in response to pain-predictive warning signals (CS(+)). Similarly, men and women did not differ in behavioral measures of conditioning, including conditioned changes in CS valence and contingency awareness. Together, we could demonstrate that the cerebellum is involved in associative learning processes of conditioned anticipatory safety from pain and mediates sex differences in the underlying neural processes. Given the high prevalence of chronic pain conditions in women, these results may contribute to improve our understanding of the acquisition and manifestation of chronic abdominal pain syndromes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Impact of Coworkers’ Safety Violations on an Individual Worker: A Social Contagion Effect within the Construction Crew

PubMed Central

Zhang, Shoujian; Su, Yikun

2018-01-01

This research developed and tested a model of the social contagion effect of coworkers’ safety violations on individual workers within construction crews. Both situational and routine safety violations were considered in this model. Empirical data were collected from 345 construction workers in China using a detailed questionnaire. The results showed that both types of safety violations made by coworkers were significantly related to individuals’ perceived social support and production pressure. Individuals’ attitudinal ambivalence toward safety compliance mediated the relationships between perceived social support and production pressure and both types of individuals’ safety violations. However, safety motivation only mediated the effects of perceived social support and production pressure on individuals’ situational safety violations. Further, this research supported the differences between situational and routine safety violations. Specifically, we found that individuals were more likely to imitate coworkers’ routine safety violations than their situational safety violations. Coworkers’ situational safety violations had an indirect effect on individuals’ situational safety violations mainly through perceived social support and safety motivation. By contrast, coworkers’ routine safety violations had an indirect effect on individuals’ routine safety violations mainly through perceived production pressure and attitudinal ambivalence. Finally, the theoretical and practical implications, research limitations, and future directions were discussed. PMID:29673149

The Impact of Coworkers' Safety Violations on an Individual Worker: A Social Contagion Effect within the Construction Crew.

PubMed

Liang, Huakang; Lin, Ken-Yu; Zhang, Shoujian; Su, Yikun

2018-04-17

This research developed and tested a model of the social contagion effect of coworkers’ safety violations on individual workers within construction crews. Both situational and routine safety violations were considered in this model. Empirical data were collected from 345 construction workers in China using a detailed questionnaire. The results showed that both types of safety violations made by coworkers were significantly related to individuals’ perceived social support and production pressure. Individuals’ attitudinal ambivalence toward safety compliance mediated the relationships between perceived social support and production pressure and both types of individuals’ safety violations. However, safety motivation only mediated the effects of perceived social support and production pressure on individuals’ situational safety violations. Further, this research supported the differences between situational and routine safety violations. Specifically, we found that individuals were more likely to imitate coworkers’ routine safety violations than their situational safety violations. Coworkers’ situational safety violations had an indirect effect on individuals’ situational safety violations mainly through perceived social support and safety motivation. By contrast, coworkers’ routine safety violations had an indirect effect on individuals’ routine safety violations mainly through perceived production pressure and attitudinal ambivalence. Finally, the theoretical and practical implications, research limitations, and future directions were discussed.

Research gaps related to the environmental impacts of electronic cigarettes.

PubMed

Chang, Hoshing

2014-05-01

To consider the research gaps related to the environmental impacts of electronic cigarettes due to their manufacture, use and disposal. Literature searches were conducted through December 2013. Studies were included in this review if they related to the environmental impacts of e-cigarettes. Scientific information on the environmental impacts of e-cigarette manufacturing, use and disposal is very limited. No studies formally evaluated the environmental impacts of the manufacturing process or disposal of components, including batteries. Four studies evaluated potential exposure to secondhand e-cigarette aerosol, an indication of impacts on indoor air quality. A 2010 survey of six e-cigarette models found that none of the products provided disposal instructions for spent cartridges containing nicotine. Notably, some e-cigarette manufacturers claim their e-cigarettes are 'eco-friendly' or 'green', despite the lack of any supporting data or environmental impact studies. Some authors argue that such advertising may boost sales and increase e-cigarette appeal, especially among adolescents. Little is known about the environmental impacts of e-cigarettes, and a number of topics could be further elucidated by additional investigation. These topics include potential environmental impacts related to manufacturing, use and disposal. The environmental impacts of e-cigarette manufacturing will depend upon factory size and the nicotine extracting method used. The environmental impacts of e-cigarette use will include chemical and aerosol exposure in the indoor environment. The environmental impacts of disposal of e-cigarette cartridges (which contain residual nicotine) and disposal of e-cigarettes (which contain batteries) represent yet another environmental concern.

Research gaps related to the environmental impacts of electronic cigarettes

PubMed Central

Chang, Hoshing

2014-01-01

Objective To consider the research gaps related to the environmental impacts of electronic cigarettes due to their manufacture, use and disposal. Methods Literature searches were conducted through December 2013. Studies were included in this review if they related to the environmental impacts of e-cigarettes. Results Scientific information on the environmental impacts of e-cigarette manufacturing, use and disposal is very limited. No studies formally evaluated the environmental impacts of the manufacturing process or disposal of components, including batteries. Four studies evaluated potential exposure to secondhand e-cigarette aerosol, an indication of impacts on indoor air quality. A 2010 survey of six e-cigarette models found that none of the products provided disposal instructions for spent cartridges containing nicotine. Notably, some e-cigarette manufacturers claim their e-cigarettes are ‘eco-friendly’ or ‘green’, despite the lack of any supporting data or environmental impact studies. Some authors argue that such advertising may boost sales and increase e-cigarette appeal, especially among adolescents. Conclusions Little is known about the environmental impacts of e-cigarettes, and a number of topics could be further elucidated by additional investigation. These topics include potential environmental impacts related to manufacturing, use and disposal. The environmental impacts of e-cigarette manufacturing will depend upon factory size and the nicotine extracting method used. The environmental impacts of e-cigarette use will include chemical and aerosol exposure in the indoor environment. The environmental impacts of disposal of e-cigarette cartridges (which contain residual nicotine) and disposal of e-cigarettes (which contain batteries) represent yet another environmental concern. PMID:24732165

Social Media Impact of the Food and Drug Administration's Drug Safety Communication Messaging About Zolpidem: Mixed-Methods Analysis

PubMed Central

Sinha, Michael S; Freifeld, Clark C; Brownstein, John S; Donneyong, Macarius M; Rausch, Paula; Lappin, Brian M; Zhou, Esther H; Dal Pan, Gerald J; Pawar, Ajinkya M; Hwang, Thomas J; Avorn, Jerry

2018-01-01

Background The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issues drug safety communications (DSCs) to health care professionals, patients, and the public when safety issues emerge related to FDA-approved drug products. These safety messages are disseminated through social media to ensure broad uptake. Objective The objective of this study was to assess the social media dissemination of 2 DSCs released in 2013 for the sleep aid zolpidem. Methods We used the MedWatcher Social program and the DataSift historic query tool to aggregate Twitter and Facebook posts from October 1, 2012 through August 31, 2013, a period beginning approximately 3 months before the first DSC and ending 3 months after the second. Posts were categorized as (1) junk, (2) mention, and (3) adverse event (AE) based on a score between –0.2 (completely unrelated) to 1 (perfectly related). We also looked at Google Trends data and Wikipedia edits for the same time period. Google Trends search volume is scaled on a range of 0 to 100 and includes “Related queries” during the relevant time periods. An interrupted time series (ITS) analysis assessed the impact of DSCs on the counts of posts with specific mention of zolpidem-containing products. Chow tests for known structural breaks were conducted on data from Twitter, Facebook, and Google Trends. Finally, Wikipedia edits were pulled from the website’s editorial history, which lists all revisions to a given page and the editor’s identity. Results In total, 174,286 Twitter posts and 59,641 Facebook posts met entry criteria. Of those, 16.63% (28,989/174,286) of Twitter posts and 25.91% (15,453/59,641) of Facebook posts were labeled as junk and excluded. AEs and mentions represented 9.21% (16,051/174,286) and 74.16% (129,246/174,286) of Twitter posts and 5.11% (3,050/59,641) and 68.98% (41,138/59,641) of Facebook posts, respectively. Total daily counts of posts about zolpidem-containing products increased on Twitter and Facebook on the day of the first DSC

Guideline for the utilization of commercial grade items in nuclear safety related applications: Final report. [Contains Glossary

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tulay, M.P.; Yurich, F.J.; Schremser, F.M. Jr.

1988-06-01

This guideline provides direction for the procurement and use of Commercial Grade Items (CGI)in safety-related applications. It is divided into five major sections. A glossary of terms and definitions, an acronym listing, and seven appendices have been included. The glossary defines terms used in this guideline. In certain instances, the definitions may be unique to this guideline. Identification of acronyms utilized in this guideline is also provided. Section 1 provides a background of the commercial grade item issues facing the nuclear industry. It provides a historical perspective of commercial grade item issues. Section 2 discusses the generic process for themore » acceptance of a commercial grade item for safety-related use. Section 3 defines the four distinct methods used to accept commercial grade items for safety-related applications. Section 4 lists specific references that are identified in this guideline. Section 5 is a bibliography of documents that were considered in developed this guideline, but were not directly referenced in the document.« less

A brief review of the occurrence, use, and safety of food-related nanomaterials.

PubMed

Magnuson, Bernadene A; Jonaitis, Tomas S; Card, Jeffrey W

2011-08-01

Nanotechnology and nanomaterials have tremendous potential to enhance the food supply through novel applications, including nutrient and bioactive absorption and delivery systems; ingredient functionality; improved colors and flavors; microbial, allergen, and contaminant detection and control; and food packaging properties and performance. To determine the current state of knowledge regarding the safety of these potential uses of nanomaterials, an appraisal of the published literature on the safety of food-related nanomaterials was undertaken. A method of assessment of reliability of toxicology studies was developed to conduct this appraisal. The review of the toxicology literature on oral exposure to food-related nanomaterials found that the number of studies is limited. Exposure to nanomaterials in the human food chain may occur not only through intentional uses in food manufacturing, but also via uses in agricultural production and carry over from use in other industries. Although a number of analytical methods are useful in physicochemical characterization of manufactured nanomaterials, new methods may be needed to more fully detect and characterize nanomaterials incorporated into foods and in other media. There is a need for additional toxicology studies of sufficient quality and duration on different types of nanomaterials to further our understanding of the characteristics of nanomaterials that affect safety of oral exposure resulting from use in various food applications. © 2011 Institute of Food Technologists®

Interpersonal relationships and safety culture in Brazilian health care organisations.

PubMed

Migowski, Eliana R; Oliveira Júnior, Nery; Riegel, Fernando; Migowski, Sérgio A

2018-06-20

To examine the association between interpersonal relationships, nursing leadership and patient safety culture and the impact on the efficiency of hospitals. Hospitals are still affected by the increased complexity of the treatments offered and by the diverse knowledge of professionals involved, which has made this assistance model ineffective, expensive and unsustainable over time. A qualitative study of 32 professionals from three large hospitals in Southern Brazil was made. Semi-structured interviews, document analysis and analysis of electronic records were used. All the hospitals had infection rates and an average stay higher than their goal. Lack of interpersonal relationships and physicians failing to commit to organisational objectives were demonstrated. Nursing leadership styles are not definitive factors to improving patient safety and efficiency. The flaws in consolidating interpersonal relationships seem to be related to difficulties in consolidating patient safety culture, which prevented hospitals reaching their efficiency indicators. Professionals who work at the patients' bedside should be involved in the development of strategies, in order to commit them to the organisational objectives. The consolidation of interpersonal relationships of nursing professionals can lead to improvements with medical professionals, with positive impacts on patient safety and efficiency. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Cognitive therapy for social anxiety disorder: the impact of the "self-focused attention and safety behaviours experiment" on the course of treatment.

PubMed

Schreiber, Franziska; Heimlich, Christiane; Schweitzer, Clea; Stangier, Ulrich

2015-03-01

Several studies have shown that cognitive therapy is an effective treatment for social anxiety disorder (SAD). However, it remains unclear which of the complex interventions are associated with an anxiety reduction during the course of treatment. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of the intervention referred to as the "self-focused attention and safety behaviours experiment" on treatment outcome. This study was part of a randomized controlled trial including 16 sessions of either individual cognitive therapy (CT) or interpersonal therapy (IPT) for SAD. Of particular importance, a concomitant time-series analysis was used to investigate the impact of the self-focused attention and safety behaviours experiment on subsequent social anxiety (1, 2, 3, and 4 weeks after the intervention) in 32 patients with SAD, who are receiving cognitive treatment. The results revealed a significant reduction of social anxiety after the self-focused attention and safety behaviours experiment during the subsequent month of treatment. The findings of the current study confirm current cognitive theories of SAD and demonstrate the importance of interventions that target self-focused attention and safety behaviour in cognitive therapy for SAD.

Hazard Management Dealt by Safety Professionals in Colleges: The Impact of Individual Factors.

PubMed

Wu, Tsung-Chih; Chen, Chi-Hsiang; Yi, Nai-Wen; Lu, Pei-Chen; Yu, Shan-Chi; Wang, Chien-Peng

2016-12-03

Identifying, evaluating, and controlling workplace hazards are important functions of safety professionals (SPs). The purpose of this study was to investigate the content and frequency of hazard management dealt by safety professionals in colleges. The authors also explored the effects of organizational factors/individual factors on SPs' perception of frequency of hazard management. The researchers conducted survey research to achieve the objective of this study. The researchers mailed questionnaires to 200 SPs in colleges after simple random sampling, then received a total of 144 valid responses (response rate = 72%). Exploratory factor analysis indicated that the hazard management scale (HMS) extracted five factors, including physical hazards, biological hazards, social and psychological hazards, ergonomic hazards, and chemical hazards. Moreover, the top 10 hazards that the survey results identified that safety professionals were most likely to deal with (in order of most to least frequent) were: organic solvents, illumination, other chemicals, machinery and equipment, fire and explosion, electricity, noise, specific chemicals, human error, and lifting/carrying. Finally, the results of one-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) indicated there were four individual factors that impacted the perceived frequency of hazard management which were of statistical and practical significance: job tenure in the college of employment, type of certification, gender, and overall job tenure. SPs within colleges and industries can now discuss plans revolving around these five areas instead of having to deal with all of the separate hazards.

Hazard Management Dealt by Safety Professionals in Colleges: The Impact of Individual Factors

PubMed Central

Wu, Tsung-Chih; Chen, Chi-Hsiang; Yi, Nai-Wen; Lu, Pei-Chen; Yu, Shan-Chi; Wang, Chien-Peng

2016-01-01

Identifying, evaluating, and controlling workplace hazards are important functions of safety professionals (SPs). The purpose of this study was to investigate the content and frequency of hazard management dealt by safety professionals in colleges. The authors also explored the effects of organizational factors/individual factors on SPs’ perception of frequency of hazard management. The researchers conducted survey research to achieve the objective of this study. The researchers mailed questionnaires to 200 SPs in colleges after simple random sampling, then received a total of 144 valid responses (response rate = 72%). Exploratory factor analysis indicated that the hazard management scale (HMS) extracted five factors, including physical hazards, biological hazards, social and psychological hazards, ergonomic hazards, and chemical hazards. Moreover, the top 10 hazards that the survey results identified that safety professionals were most likely to deal with (in order of most to least frequent) were: organic solvents, illumination, other chemicals, machinery and equipment, fire and explosion, electricity, noise, specific chemicals, human error, and lifting/carrying. Finally, the results of one-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) indicated there were four individual factors that impacted the perceived frequency of hazard management which were of statistical and practical significance: job tenure in the college of employment, type of certification, gender, and overall job tenure. SPs within colleges and industries can now discuss plans revolving around these five areas instead of having to deal with all of the separate hazards. PMID:27918474

The local impact of globalization: worker health and safety in Mexico's sugar industry.

PubMed

Lemus-Ruiz, B E

1999-01-01

With the opening of its economy to international trade, the government of Mexico privatized many of its productive holdings, including the state-owned sugar industry. Sugar cane and mill workers had played an important role in the armed struggles of the revolutionary period (1910-1917). Organized into a militant labor union, they had become staunch supporters of the new government in the following decades. Furthermore, in the early years of industrialization, the sugar industry was very important for the Mexican economy, and the union played an active role in the political arena. Since the privatization of the sugar mills, the sugar workers have experienced a dramatic reorganization of the work process, and industry-union relationships are being reshaped. This paper offers an analysis of the impact of the privatization on workers' health and safety. Since the economic and social changes in the work process have a direct impact on the community as a whole, the study also explores these effects.

Investigation of the impact of low cost traffic engineering measures on road safety in urban areas.

PubMed

Yannis, George; Kondyli, Alexandra; Georgopoulou, Xenia

2014-01-01

This paper investigates the impact of low cost traffic engineering measures (LCTEMs) on the improvement of road safety in urban areas. A number of such measures were considered, such as speed humps, woonerfs, raised intersections and other traffic calming measures, which have been implemented on one-way, one-lane roads in the Municipality of Neo Psychiko in the Greater Athens Area. Data were analysed using the before-and-after safety analysis methodology with large control group. The selected control group comprised of two Municipalities in the Athens Greater Area, which present similar road network and land use characteristics with the area considered. The application of the methodology showed that the total number of crashes presented a statistically significant reduction, which can be possibly attributed to the introduction of LCTEMs. This reduction concerns passenger cars and single-vehicle crashes and is possibly due to the behavioural improvement of drivers of 25 years old or more. The results of this research are very useful for the identification of the appropriate low cost traffic engineering countermeasures for road safety problems in urban areas.

Major food safety episodes in Taiwan: implications for the necessity of international collaboration on safety assessment and management.

PubMed

Li, Jih-Heng; Yu, Wen-Jing; Lai, Yuan-Hui; Ko, Ying-Chin

2012-07-01

The major food safety episodes that occurred in Taiwan during the past decade are briefly reviewed in this paper. Among the nine major episodes surveyed, with the exception of a U.S. beef (associated with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease)-related incident, all the others were associated with chemical toxicants. The general public, which has a layperson attitude of zero tolerance toward food safety, may panic over these food-safety-associated incidents. However, the health effects and impacts of most incidents, with the exception of the melamine incident, were essentially not fully evaluated. The mass media play an important role in determining whether a food safety concern becomes a major incident. A well-coordinated and harmonized system for domestic and international collaboration to set up standards and regulations is critical, as observed in the incidents of pork with ractopamine, Chinese hairy crab with nitrofuran antibiotics, and U.S. wheat with malathion. In the future, it can be anticipated that food safety issues will draw more attention from the general public. For unknown new toxicants or illicit adulteration of food, the establishment of a more proactive safety assessment system to monitor potential threats and provide real-time information exchange is imperative. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Innovative Forms Supporting Safe Methods of Work in Safety Engineering for the Development of Intelligent Specializations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gembalska-Kwiecień, Anna

2016-12-01

The article discusses innovative forms of participation of employees in the work safety system. It also presents the advantages of these forms of employees' involvement. The aim of empirical studies was the analysis of their behavior and attitude towards health and safety at work. The issues considered in the article have a significant impact on the improvement of methods of prevention related to work safety and aided the creation of a healthy society.

Relationships between psychological safety climate facets and safety behavior in the rail industry: a dominance analysis.

PubMed

Morrow, Stephanie L; McGonagle, Alyssa K; Dove-Steinkamp, Megan L; Walker, Curtis T; Marmet, Matthew; Barnes-Farrell, Janet L

2010-09-01

The goals of this study were twofold: (1) to confirm a relationship between employee perceptions of psychological safety climate and safety behavior for a sample of workers in the rail industry and (2) to explore the relative strengths of relationships between specific facets of safety climate and safety behavior. Non-management rail maintenance workers employed by a large North American railroad completed a survey (n=421) regarding workplace safety perceptions and behaviors. Three facets of safety climate (management safety, coworker safety, and work-safety tension) were assessed as relating to individual workers' reported safety behavior. All three facets were significantly associated with safety behavior. Dominance analysis was used to assess the relative importance of each facet as related to the outcome, and work-safety tension evidenced the strongest relationship with safety behavior. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Trail impacts and trail impact management related to ecotourism visitation at Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

USGS Publications Warehouse

Farrell, T.A.; Marion, J.L.

2002-01-01

Ecotourism and protected area visitation in Central and South America are largely dependent upon a relatively undisturbed quality of natural resources. However, visitation may impact vegetation, soil, water and wildlife resources, and degrade visitor facilities such as recreation sites and trails. Findings are reported from trail impact research conducted at Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia, Chile. The frequency and magnitude of selected trail impacts and the relative effect of the amount of use, vegetation type, trail position and trail grade are investigated. Findings differed from previous studies in that amount of use was significantly related to both trail width increases and trail erosion. Management actions to minimize trail impacts are offered.

Transport-related impacts of the Northridge Earthquake

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-05-01

This research estimates the transport-related business interruption impacts of the 1994 Northridge earthquake using a spatial allocation model, SCPM (the Southern California Planning Model) and surveys of businesses and individuals. Total business in...

Cabin Safety Issues Related to Pre-Departure and Inflight Issues

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Connell, Linda

2014-01-01

The Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) in a partnership between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), participating carriers, and labor organizations. It is designed to improve the National Airspace System by collecting and studying reports detailing unsafe conditions and events in the aviation industry. Employees are able to report safety issues or concerns with confidentiality and without fear of discipline. Safety reports highlighting the human element in cabin safety issues and concerns.

Participatory design of a preliminary safety checklist for general practice

PubMed Central

Bowie, Paul; Ferguson, Julie; MacLeod, Marion; Kennedy, Susan; de Wet, Carl; McNab, Duncan; Kelly, Moya; McKay, John; Atkinson, Sarah

2015-01-01

Background The use of checklists to minimise errors is well established in high reliability, safety-critical industries. In health care there is growing interest in checklists to standardise checking processes and ensure task completion, and so provide further systemic defences against error and patient harm. However, in UK general practice there is limited experience of safety checklist use. Aim To identify workplace hazards that impact on safety, health and wellbeing, and performance, and codesign a standardised checklist process. Design and setting Application of mixed methods to identify system hazards in Scottish general practices and develop a safety checklist based on human factors design principles. Method A multiprofessional ‘expert’ group (n = 7) and experienced front-line GPs, nurses, and practice managers (n = 18) identified system hazards and developed and validated a preliminary checklist using a combination of literature review, documentation review, consensus building workshops using a mini-Delphi process, and completion of content validity index exercise. Results A prototype safety checklist was developed and validated consisting of six safety domains (for example, medicines management), 22 sub-categories (for example, emergency drug supplies) and 78 related items (for example, stock balancing, secure drug storage, and cold chain temperature recording). Conclusion Hazards in the general practice work system were prioritised that can potentially impact on the safety, health and wellbeing of patients, GP team members, and practice performance, and a necessary safety checklist prototype was designed. However, checklist efficacy in improving safety processes and outcomes is dependent on user commitment, and support from leaders and promotional champions. Although further usability development and testing is necessary, the concept should be of interest in the UK and internationally. PMID:25918338

Inventory of Safety-related Codes and Standards for Energy Storage Systems with some Experiences related to Approval and Acceptance

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Conover, David R.

The purpose of this document is to identify laws, rules, model codes, codes, standards, regulations, specifications (CSR) related to safety that could apply to stationary energy storage systems (ESS) and experiences to date securing approval of ESS in relation to CSR. This information is intended to assist in securing approval of ESS under current CSR and to identification of new CRS or revisions to existing CRS and necessary supporting research and documentation that can foster the deployment of safe ESS.

Associations of Organizational Safety Practices and Culture With Physical Workload, Perceptions About Work, and Work-Related Injury and Symptoms Among Hospital Nurses.

PubMed

Lee, Soo-Jeong; Lee, Joung Hee

The study aim was to examine the relationships of organizational safety practices with nurses' perceptions about job and risk and experiences of work-related injury and symptoms. Nursing professions report high rates of work-related injuries. Organizational safety practices have been linked to workers' safety outcomes and perceptions about work. This study analyzed data from a random sample of 280 California RNs in a cross-sectional statewide survey. Data were collected by both postal and online surveys. Higher perceptions of organizational safety practices (safety climate, ergonomic practices, people-oriented culture) were significantly associated with lower physical workload, lower job strain, higher job satisfaction, lower risk perception, and lower work-related injury and symptom experiences. Ergonomic practices and people-oriented culture were associated with less intention of leaving job. Organizational safety practices may play a pivotal role in improving positive perceptions about jobs, reducing injury risks, and promoting nurse retention.

The Penn State Safety Floor: Part I--Design parameters associated with walking deflections.

PubMed

Casalena, J A; Ovaert, T C; Cavanagh, P R; Streit, D A

1998-08-01

A new flooring system has been developed to reduce peak impact forces to the hips when humans fall. The new safety floor is designed to remain relatively rigid under normal walking conditions, but to deform elastically when impacted during a fall. Design objectives included minimizing peak force experienced by the femur during a fall-induced impact, while maintaining a maximum of 2 mm of floor deflection during walking. Finite Element Models (FEMs) were developed to capture the complex dynamics of impact response between two deformable bodies. Validation of the finite element models included analytical calculations of theoretical buckling column response, experimental quasi-static loading of full-scale flooring prototypes, and flooring response during walking trials. Finite Element Method results compared well with theoretical and experimental data. Both finite element and experimental data suggest that the proposed safety floor can effectively meet the design goal of 2 mm maximum deflection during walking, while effectively reducing impact forces during a fall.

Safety in Acute Pain Medicine-Pharmacologic Considerations and the Impact of Systems-Based Gaps.

PubMed

Weingarten, Toby N; Taenzer, Andreas H; Elkassabany, Nabil M; Le Wendling, Linda; Nin, Olga; Kent, Michael L

2018-05-02

In the setting of an expanding prevalence of acute pain medicine services and the aggressive use of multimodal analgesia, an overview of systems-based safety gaps and safety concerns in the setting of aggressive multimodal analgesia is provided below. Expert commentary. Recent evidence focused on systems-based gaps in acute pain medicine is discussed. A focused literature review was conducted to assess safety concerns related to commonly used multimodal pharmacologic agents (opioids, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, gabapentanoids, ketamine, acetaminophen) in the setting of inpatient acute pain management. Optimization of systems-based gaps will increase the probability of accurate pain assessment, improve the application of uniform evidence-based multimodal analgesia, and ensure a continuum of pain care. While acute pain medicine strategies should be aggressively applied, multimodal regimens must be strategically utilized to minimize risk to patients and in a comorbidity-specific fashion.

Safety climate and attitude as evaluation measures of organizational safety.

PubMed

Isla Díaz, R; Díaz Cabrera, D

1997-09-01

The main aim of this research is to develop a set of evaluation measures for safety attitudes and safety climate. Specifically it is intended: (a) to test the instruments; (b) to identify the essential dimensions of the safety climate in the airport ground handling companies; (c) to assess the quality of the differences in the safety climate for each company and its relation to the accident rate; (d) to analyse the relationship between attitudes and safety climate; and (e) to evaluate the influences of situational and personal factors on both safety climate and attitude. The study sample consisted of 166 subjects from three airport companies. Specifically, this research was centered on ground handling departments. The factor analysis of the safety climate instrument resulted in six factors which explained 69.8% of the total variance. We found significant differences in safety attitudes and climate in relation to type of enterprise.

Safety analysis and review system (SARS) assessment report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Browne, E.T.

1981-03-01

Under DOE Order 5481.1, Safety Analysis and Review System for DOE Operations, safety analyses are required for DOE projects in order to ensure that: (1) potential hazards are systematically identified; (2) potential impacts are analyzed; (3) reasonable measures have been taken to eliminate, control, or mitigate the hazards; and (4) there is documented management authorization of the DOE operation based on an objective assessment of the adequacy of the safety analysis. This report is intended to provide the DOE Office of Plans and Technology Assessment (OPTA) with an independent evaluation of the adequacy of the ongoing safety analysis effort. Asmore » part of this effort, a number of site visits and interviews were conducted, and FE SARS documents were reviewed. The latter included SARS Implementation Plans for a number of FE field offices, as well as safety analysis reports completed for certain FE operations. This report summarizes SARS related efforts at the DOE field offices visited and evaluates the extent to which they fulfill the requirements of DOE 5481.1.« less

Safety and efficacy of glucagon for the relief of acute esophageal food impaction.

PubMed

Weant, Kyle A; Weant, Mallika P

2012-04-01

The safety and efficacy of i.v. glucagon for the relief of acute esophageal food impaction were evaluated. The medical literature was reviewed to identify published trials and case series on the use of i.v. glucagon for the relief of acute esophageal food impaction. Individual case reports and limited case series were excluded from the analysis. This search yielded two retrospective reviews, three prospective reviews, and one randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Only two of the studies analyzed the effect of glucagon alone. Two studies combined this therapy with benzodiazepines, and the other two combined this therapy with an effervescent product and water. Of the two studies that had a control group, one demonstrated no significant difference in the success rate of dislodgement and one showed a nonsignificantly lower success rate in the treatment group. The majority of reports excluded patients with known esophageal strictures and treated a variety of different food-type impactions, making it difficult to determine if the success of this therapy may be tied to a specific subgroup. Few studies documented the adverse effects of this therapy, the most common being nausea and vomiting. Although limited, the available data do not support the use of glucagon for the relief of acute esophageal food impaction. Based on the available data, the use of i.v. glucagon for the relief of acute esophageal food impaction is not supported by the literature. In addition, glucagon has the potential to cause adverse effects and decrease the likelihood of spontaneous resolution.

Safety in the Chemical Laboratory: Impressions of Safety in Universities in the United States of America.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bush, Dick; Renfrew, Malcolm M., Ed.

1979-01-01

This is a report on a study done in 1976 of safety arrangements and procedures in teaching, research, and medical establishments in the United States. The results show that the Occupational Safety & Health Act (OSHA) has not yet had much impact as far as safety in teaching and research is concerned. (BB)

Forging New Cocoa Keys: The Impact of Unlocking the Cocoa Bean’s Genome on Pre-harvest Food Safety

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Forging New Cocoa Keys: The Impact of Unlocking the Cocoa Bean’s Genome on Pre-harvest Food Safety David N. Kuhn, USDA ARS SHRS, Miami FL Sometimes it's hard to see the value and application of genomics to real world problems. How will sequencing the cacao genome affect West African farmers? Thi...

Material & equipment, procurement & maintenance: Impact on blood safety.

PubMed

Emmanuel, Jean C

2010-01-01

Blood Transfusion Safety is dependent on effectively organised and managed blood services, which have adequate financial resources, skilled manpower, appropriate infrastructure and quality management systems in place. 80% of the world's population has access to 20% of the supply blood products, of which little is consistently safe. HIV highlighted the importance of blood safety. The lack of effective blood services in low human development index (LHDI), developing countries, has lead to international funding and capacity building for more than three decades. The initial strategies focused on providing HIV testing reagents to prevention transmission, however this only addresses one part of blood safety. Blood safety is not only dependent on preventing HIV transmission. In many populations there are other infectious agents, which have a higher prevalence. Ensuring the correct blood is provided to the patient depends on: well managed services with effective leadership and adequate budgets; capacity building and retention of skilled experienced staff; availability of laboratory equipment, correctly maintained; blood cold chain systems; procedures for tendering, purchasing and ensuring an unbroken supply of reagents and consumables; and quality management systems. Barriers for simplified effective tendering, procurement and contracting require urgent attention and coordination of all funding organisations to ensure an unbroken supply of reagents. Copyright 2009. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Optimism about safety and group-serving interpretations of safety among pedestrians and cyclists in relation to road use in general and under low light conditions.

PubMed

King, M J; Wood, J M; Lacherez, P F; Marszalek, R P

2012-01-01

Drivers are known to be optimistic about their risk of crash involvement, believing that they are less likely to be involved in a crash than other drivers. However, little comparative research has been conducted among other road users. In addition, optimism about crash risk is conceptualised as applying only to an individual's assessment of his or her personal risk of crash involvement. The possibility that the self-serving nature of optimism about safety might be generalised to the group-level as a cyclist or a pedestrian, i.e., becoming group-serving rather than self-serving, has been overlooked in relation to road safety. This study analysed a subset of data collected as part of a larger research project on the visibility of pedestrians, cyclists and road workers, focusing on a set of questionnaire items administered to 406 pedestrians, 838 cyclists and 622 drivers. The items related to safety in various scenarios involving drivers, pedestrians and cyclists, allowing predictions to be derived about group differences in agreement with items based on the assumption that the results would exhibit group-serving bias. Analysis of the responses indicated that specific hypotheses about group-serving interpretations of safety and responsibility were supported in 22 of the 26 comparisons. When the nine comparisons relevant to low lighting conditions were considered separately, seven were found to be supported. The findings of the research have implications for public education and for the likely acceptance of messages which are inconsistent with current assumptions and expectations of pedestrians and cyclists. They also suggest that research into group-serving interpretations of safety, even for temporary roles rather than enduring groups, could be fruitful. Further, there is an implication that gains in safety can be made by better educating road users about the limitations of their visibility and the ramifications of this for their own road safety, particularly in low

Bricks-and-mortar and patient safety culture.

PubMed

Brandis, Susan; Schleimer, Stephanie; Rice, John

2017-06-19

Purpose Building a new hospital requires a major investment in capital infrastructure. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of bricks-and-mortar on patient safety culture before and two years after the move of a large tertiary hospital to a greenfield site. The difference in patient safety perceptions between clinical and non-clinical staff is also explored. Design/methodology/approach This research uses data collected from the same workforce across two time periods (2013 and 2015) in a large Australian healthcare service. Validated surveys of patient safety culture ( n=306 and 246) were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings Using two-way analysis of variance, the authors found that perceived patient safety culture remains unchanged for staff despite a major relocation and upgrade of services and different perceptions of patient safety culture between staff groups remains the same throughout change. Practical implications A dramatic change in physical context, such as moving an entire hospital, made no measurable impact on perceived patient safety culture by major groups of staff. Improving patient safety culture requires more than investment in buildings and infrastructure. Understanding differences in professional perspectives of patient safety culture may inform organisational management approaches, and enhance the targeting of specific strategies. Originality/value The authors believe this to be the first empirically based paper that investigates the impact of a large investment into hospital capital and a subsequent relocation of services on clinical and non-clinical staff perceptions of patient safety culture.

A Validation Metrics Framework for Safety-Critical Software-Intensive Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-03-01

so does its definition, tools, and techniques, including means for measuring the validation activity, its outputs, and impact on development...independent of the SDLP. When considering the above SDLPs from the safety engineering team’s perspective, there are also large impacts on the way... impact . Interpretation of any actionable metric data will need to be undertaken in the context of the SDLP. 2. Safety Input The software safety

Workers' safety in the construction industry in the southern West Bank of Palestine.

PubMed

Al-Sari, M I; Al-Khatib, I A

2012-10-01

There are few data about safety in the construction industry in Palestine. The main aim of the study was to assess worker's experiences and perceptions of safety at construction sites in Hebron and Bethlehem governorates of the West Bank. A structured questionnaire was completed through direct interviews with 349 construction workers. Of the respondents, 34.6% had experienced work-related accidents, 13.0% and 65.6% indicated that their workplace did not have a first-aid kit or trained first-aid specialist respectively, 35.8% reported that their work sites did not have safety tools and 83.7% had not received safety training. Workers perceived that awareness and training were the most frequent factor affecting workers' safety, with the foreman position having the greatest impact on the workers' safety. Greater enforcement of the current Palestinian safety laws is needed.

Safety Assessment of Dangerous Goods Transport Enterprise Based on the Relative Entropy Aggregation in Group Decision Making Model

PubMed Central

Wu, Jun; Li, Chengbing; Huo, Yueying

2014-01-01

Safety of dangerous goods transport is directly related to the operation safety of dangerous goods transport enterprise. Aiming at the problem of the high accident rate and large harm in dangerous goods logistics transportation, this paper took the group decision making problem based on integration and coordination thought into a multiagent multiobjective group decision making problem; a secondary decision model was established and applied to the safety assessment of dangerous goods transport enterprise. First of all, we used dynamic multivalue background and entropy theory building the first level multiobjective decision model. Secondly, experts were to empower according to the principle of clustering analysis, and combining with the relative entropy theory to establish a secondary rally optimization model based on relative entropy in group decision making, and discuss the solution of the model. Then, after investigation and analysis, we establish the dangerous goods transport enterprise safety evaluation index system. Finally, case analysis to five dangerous goods transport enterprises in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region validates the feasibility and effectiveness of this model for dangerous goods transport enterprise recognition, which provides vital decision making basis for recognizing the dangerous goods transport enterprises. PMID:25477954

Safety assessment of dangerous goods transport enterprise based on the relative entropy aggregation in group decision making model.

PubMed

Wu, Jun; Li, Chengbing; Huo, Yueying

2014-01-01

Safety of dangerous goods transport is directly related to the operation safety of dangerous goods transport enterprise. Aiming at the problem of the high accident rate and large harm in dangerous goods logistics transportation, this paper took the group decision making problem based on integration and coordination thought into a multiagent multiobjective group decision making problem; a secondary decision model was established and applied to the safety assessment of dangerous goods transport enterprise. First of all, we used dynamic multivalue background and entropy theory building the first level multiobjective decision model. Secondly, experts were to empower according to the principle of clustering analysis, and combining with the relative entropy theory to establish a secondary rally optimization model based on relative entropy in group decision making, and discuss the solution of the model. Then, after investigation and analysis, we establish the dangerous goods transport enterprise safety evaluation index system. Finally, case analysis to five dangerous goods transport enterprises in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region validates the feasibility and effectiveness of this model for dangerous goods transport enterprise recognition, which provides vital decision making basis for recognizing the dangerous goods transport enterprises.

Modeling the Relationship between Safety Climate and Safety Performance in a Developing Construction Industry: A Cross-Cultural Validation Study

PubMed Central

Zahoor, Hafiz; Chan, Albert P. C.; Utama, Wahyudi P.; Gao, Ran; Zafar, Irfan

2017-01-01

This study attempts to validate a safety performance (SP) measurement model in the cross-cultural setting of a developing country. In addition, it highlights the variations in investigating the relationship between safety climate (SC) factors and SP indicators. The data were collected from forty under-construction multi-storey building projects in Pakistan. Based on the results of exploratory factor analysis, a SP measurement model was hypothesized. It was tested and validated by conducting confirmatory factor analysis on calibration and validation sub-samples respectively. The study confirmed the significant positive impact of SC on safety compliance and safety participation, and negative impact on number of self-reported accidents/injuries. However, number of near-misses could not be retained in the final SP model because it attained a lower standardized path coefficient value. Moreover, instead of safety participation, safety compliance established a stronger impact on SP. The study uncovered safety enforcement and promotion as a novel SC factor, whereas safety rules and work practices was identified as the most neglected factor. The study contributed to the body of knowledge by unveiling the deviations in existing dimensions of SC and SP. The refined model is expected to concisely measure the SP in the Pakistani construction industry, however, caution must be exercised while generalizing the study results to other developing countries. PMID:28350366

Modeling the Relationship between Safety Climate and Safety Performance in a Developing Construction Industry: A Cross-Cultural Validation Study.

PubMed

Zahoor, Hafiz; Chan, Albert P C; Utama, Wahyudi P; Gao, Ran; Zafar, Irfan

2017-03-28

This study attempts to validate a safety performance (SP) measurement model in the cross-cultural setting of a developing country. In addition, it highlights the variations in investigating the relationship between safety climate (SC) factors and SP indicators. The data were collected from forty under-construction multi-storey building projects in Pakistan. Based on the results of exploratory factor analysis, a SP measurement model was hypothesized. It was tested and validated by conducting confirmatory factor analysis on calibration and validation sub-samples respectively. The study confirmed the significant positive impact of SC on safety compliance and safety participation , and negative impact on number of self-reported accidents/injuries . However, number of near-misses could not be retained in the final SP model because it attained a lower standardized path coefficient value. Moreover, instead of safety participation , safety compliance established a stronger impact on SP. The study uncovered safety enforcement and promotion as a novel SC factor, whereas safety rules and work practices was identified as the most neglected factor. The study contributed to the body of knowledge by unveiling the deviations in existing dimensions of SC and SP. The refined model is expected to concisely measure the SP in the Pakistani construction industry, however, caution must be exercised while generalizing the study results to other developing countries.

Patient safety goals for the proposed Federal Health Information Technology Safety Center.

PubMed

Sittig, Dean F; Classen, David C; Singh, Hardeep

2015-03-01

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology is expected to oversee creation of a Health Information Technology (HIT) Safety Center. While its functions are still being defined, the center is envisioned as a public-private entity focusing on promotion of HIT related patient safety. We propose that the HIT Safety Center leverages its unique position to work with key administrative and policy stakeholders, healthcare organizations (HCOs), and HIT vendors to achieve four goals: (1) facilitate creation of a nationwide 'post-marketing' surveillance system to monitor HIT related safety events; (2) develop methods and governance structures to support investigation of major HIT related safety events; (3) create the infrastructure and methods needed to carry out random assessments of HIT related safety in complex HCOs; and (4) advocate for HIT safety with government and private entities. The convening ability of a federally supported HIT Safety Center could be critically important to our transformation to a safe and effective HIT enabled healthcare system. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Production supervisor impacts on subordinates' safety outcomes: an investigation of leader-member exchange and safety communication

Treesearch

Judd H. Michael; Zhen George Guo; Janice K. Wiedenbeck; Charles D. Ray

2006-01-01

Problem: Supervisors are increasingly important to the functioning of manufacturing operations, in large part due to their role as leaders. While supervisors' relations and communication with their subordinates are known to be important in influencing subordinates' behavior, little is known about how these two factors will impact...

Personal, situational and organizational aspects that influence the impact of patient safety incidents: A qualitative study.

PubMed

Van Gerven, E; Deweer, D; Scott, S D; Panella, M; Euwema, M; Sermeus, W; Vanhaecht, K

2016-07-01

When a patient safety incident (PSI) occurs, not only the patient, but also the involved health professional can suffer. This study focused on this so-called "second victim" of a patient safety incident and aimed to examine: (1) experienced symptoms in the aftermath of a patient safety incident; (2) applied coping strategies; (3) the received versus needed support and (4) the aspects that influenced whether one becomes a second victim. Thirty-one in-depth interviews were performed with physicians, nurses and midwives who have been involved in a patient safety incident. The symptoms were categorized under personal and professional impact. Both problem focused and emotion focused coping strategies were used in the aftermath of a PSI. Problem focused strategies such as performing a root cause analysis and the opportunity to learn from what happened were the most appreciated, but negative emotional responses such as repression and flight were common. Support from colleagues and supervisors who were involved in the same event, peer supporters or professional experts were the most needed. A few individuals described emotional support from the healthcare institution as unwanted. Rendered support was largely dependent on the organizational culture, a stigma remained among healthcare professionals to openly discuss patient safety incidents. Three aspects influenced the extent to which a healthcare professional became a second victim: personal, situational and organizational aspects. These findings indicated that a multifactorial approach including individual and emotional support to second victims is crucial. Copyright © 2016 SECA. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

How Differences Between Manager and Clinician Perceptions of Safety Culture Impact Hospital Processes of Care.

PubMed

Richter, Jason; Mazurenko, Olena; Kazley, Abby Swanson; Ford, Eric W

2017-11-04

Evidenced-based processes of care improve patient outcomes, yet universal compliance is lacking, and perceptions of the quality of care are highly variable. The purpose of this study is to examine how differences in clinician and management perceptions on teamwork and communication relate to adherence to hospital processes of care. Hospitals submitted identifiable data for the 2012 Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Hospital Compare. The dependent variable was a composite, developed from the scores on adherence to acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, and pneumonia process of care measures. The primary independent variables reflected 4 safety culture domains: communication openness, feedback about errors, teamwork within units, and teamwork between units. We assigned each hospital into one of 4 groups based on agreement between managers and clinicians on each domain. Each hospital was categorized as "high" (above the median) or "low" (below) for clinicians and managers in communication and teamwork. We found a positive relationship between perceived teamwork and communication climate and processes of care measures. If managers and clinicians perceived the communication openness as high, the hospital was more likely to adhere with processes of care. Similarly, if clinicians perceived teamwork across units as high, the hospital was more likely to adhere to processes of care. Manager and staff perceptions about teamwork and communications impact adherence to processes of care. Policies should recognize the importance of perceptions of both clinicians and managers on teamwork and communication and seek to improve organizational climate and practices. Clinician perceptions of teamwork across units are more closely linked to processes of care, so managers should be cognizant and try to improve their perceptions.

Safety Education--An Essential Element of Technical Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glazener, Everett R.; Comstock, Thomas W.

1978-01-01

After tracing the background of the safety movement, provisions of recent safety legislation, and the ecological and environmental impact of industrial processes, the author stresses the need for safety education in technical education programs to prepare future employees for industrial safety requirements. (MF)

Safety leadership: extending workplace safety climate best practices across health care workforces.

PubMed

McCaughey, Deirdre; Halbesleben, Jonathon R B; Savage, Grant T; Simons, Tony; McGhan, Gwen E

2013-01-01

Hospitals within the United States consistently have injury rates that are over twice the national employee injury rate. Hospital safety studies typically investigate care providers rather than support service employees. Compounding the lack of evidence for this understudied population is the scant evidence that is available to examine the relationship of support service employees'perceptions of safety and work-related injuries. To examine this phenomenon, the purpose of this study was to investigate support service employees' perceptions of safety leadership and social support as well as the relationship of safety perception to levels of reported injuries. A nonexperimental survey was conducted with the data collected from hospital support service employees (n = 1,272) and examined. (1) relationships between safety leadership (supervisor and organization) and individual and unit safety perceptions; (2) the moderating effect of social support (supervisor and coworker) on individual and unit safety perceptions; and (3) the relationship of safety perception to reported injury rates. The survey items in this study were based on the items from the AHRQ Patient Safety Culture Survey and the U.S. National Health Care Surveys. Safety leadership (supervisor and organization) was found to be positively related to individual safety perceptions and unit safety grade as was supervisor and coworker support. Coworker support was found to positively moderate the following relationships: supervisor safety leadership and safety perceptions, supervisor safety leadership and unit safety grade, and senior management safety leadership and safety perceptions. Positive employee safety perceptions were found to have a significant relationship with lower reported injury rates. These findings suggest that safety leadership from supervisors and senior management as well as coworker support has positive implications for support service employees' perceptions of safety, which, in turn, are

Measuring policy and related effects of a health impact assessment related to connectivity.

PubMed

Bias, Thomas K; Abildso, Christiaan G

2017-02-01

Health Impact Assessments are an important tool to help policymakers perceive the potential positive and negative contributions of decisions to public health. While they have been increasingly used in the United States, studies have not examined intermediate effects. Using key stakeholder interviews, this manuscript examines policy outcomes and other related effects of the HIA 21months after completing a Health Impact Assessment Report around connectivity policy. Further, it reflects on the measurement of these effects as part of the monitoring and evaluation stage of the Health Impact Assessment process. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Impact of Community-Based Outreach on Psychological Distress and Victim Safety in Women Exposed to Intimate Partner Abuse

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center