Search results for: construction health and safety regulations

Authors: Madre Paarlber, Alwiena Blignaut

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Background: Medication administration errors remains a global patient safety problem targeted by the WHO (World Health Organization), yet research on this matter is sparce within the South African context. Objective: The aim was to explore and describe nurses’ (medication administrators) perceptions regarding medication administration safety-related culture, incidence, causes, and reporting in the Gauteng Province of South Africa, and to determine any relationships between perceived variables concerned with medication safety (safety culture, incidences, causes, reporting of incidences, and reasons for non-reporting). Method: A quantitative research design was used through which self-administered online surveys were sent to 768 nurses (medication administrators) (n=217). The response rate was 28.26%. The survey instrument was synthesised from the Agency of Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture, the Registered Nurse Forecasting (RN4CAST) survey, a survey list prepared from a systematic review aimed at generating a comprehensive list of medication administration error causes and the Medication Administration Error Reporting Survey from Wakefield. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to determine the validity and reliability of the survey. Descriptive and inferential statistical data analysis were used to analyse quantitative data. Relationships and correlations were identified between items, subscales and biographic data by using Spearmans’ Rank correlations, T-Tests and ANOVAs (Analysis of Variance). Nurses reported on their perceptions of medication administration safety-related culture, incidence, causes, and reporting in the Gauteng Province. Results: Units’ teamwork deemed satisfactory, punitive responses to errors accentuated. “Crisis mode” working, concerns regarding mistake recording and long working hours disclosed as impacting patient safety. Overall medication safety graded mostly positively. Work overload, high patient-nurse ratios, and inadequate staffing implicated as error-inducing. Medication administration errors were reported regularly. Fear and administrative response to errors effected non-report. Non-report of errors’ reasons was affected by non-punitive safety culture. Conclusions: Medication administration safety improvement is contingent on fostering a non-punitive safety culture within units. Anonymous medication error reporting systems and auditing nurses’ workload are recommended in the quest of improved medication safety within Gauteng Province private hospitals.

Keywords: incidence, medication administration errors, medication safety, reporting, safety culture

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Authors: Nnodi Chinweikpe Akelachi, Adebayo Oladini Kachollom Ifeoma

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Insecurity and the possession of nuclear weapons for non-peaceful purposes constitute a major threat to global peace and security, and this undermines the capacity for sustainable development. In Nigeria, the threat of terrorism is a challenge to national stability. For over a decade, Nigeria has been faced with insecurity ranging from Boko-Haram terrorist groups, kidnapping and banditry. The threat exhibited by this non-state actor poses a huge challenge to nuclear and radiological high risks facilities in Nigeria. This challenge has resulted in the regulatory authority and International stakeholders formulating policies for a good mitigation strategy. This strategy is enshrined in formulated laws, regulations and guides like the repealed Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Act 19 of 1995 (Nuclear safety, Physical Security and Safeguards Bill), the Nigerian Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and Nuclear Facilities, and Nigerian Nuclear Safeguards Regulations of 2021. All this will help Nigeria’s effort to meet its national nuclear security and safeguards obligations. To further enhance the implementation of nuclear security and safeguards system, Nigeria has signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 1970, the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement (INFCIRC/358) in 1988, Additional Protocol in 2007 as well as the Convention on Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and its amendment in 2005. In view of the evolving threats by non-state actors in Nigeria, physical protection security upgrades are being implemented in nuclear and all high-risk radiological facilities through the support of the United States Department of Energy (US-DOE). Also, the IAEA has helped strengthen nuclear security and safeguard systems through the provision of technical assistance and capacity development. Efforts are being made to address some of the challenges identified in the cause of implementing the measures for effective nuclear security and safeguards systems in Nigeria. However, there are eminent challenges in the implementation of the measures within the security and systems in Nigeria. These challenges need to be addressed for an effective security and safeguard regime in Nigeria. This paper seeks to address the challenges encountered in implementing the regulatory and stakeholder measures for effective security and safeguards regime in Nigeria, amongst others.

Keywords: nuclear regulatory body, nuclear facilities and activities, international stakeholders, security and safeguards measures

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Authors: Olalekan Bamidele Aruleba

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This research assessed the impact of manpower training and development in the construction industry. The aim is to determine the effect of training and development on employees for effective organizational growth in the construction industry to identify the training method for each category of employee in the construction industry, challenges to training and development of workers in the construction industry and impact of manpower training and development on employees and employers. Data for the study were obtained through a well-structured questionnaire administered to building professionals in Nigeria construction firm. Eighty (80) questionnaires were distributed among building professionals in three selected local governments within Ondo State and sixty-four (64) were returned. Data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics and ranking. Findings of the study revealed that in house training and in-service training methods were preferred by most construction industry. It concluded that the attitude of top management and lack of fund was seen as the significant challenges militating against training of employees. The study recommended that manpower training and development must be sustained by all stakeholders in the industry in order to improve workers' productivity; the organization should adopt the right method in training each category of employees and carry out the need assessment for training to avoid training wrong employees.

Keywords: construction, development, manpower, training

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Authors: Balarabe Bilyaminu Ismail, Osman Cavus, Fügen Durlu Özkaya

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This study is aimed at determining the level of awareness of chefs and students of food science and technology on food safety in general and allergens in particular. To get appropriate data, a questionnaire comprising of 19 questions covering many food safety issues and allergens in foods were used to collect information for the study through face to face interviews. Interviews were conducted for 284 people in Nigeria and Turkey. Sixty-eight percent of respondents from Turkey; 31.3% were students and 68.7% were chefs. Thirty-one percent of respondents from Nigeria include 33.7% students and 66.3% chefs. The result of the study indicated that most of the findings of scientific studies on food safety issues have not been directly applied by the people working in the food sector. Additionally, the knowledge level of the gastronomy and culinary arts students on food safety and allergens are significantly higher than the restaurant chefs that prepare the food and serve it to the public. The study, therefore, concluded that proper training of food business operators is critical to ensuring the safety of foods and control of allergens.

Keywords: allergens, food safety, questionnaire survey, training

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Authors: Ali Mohammadi

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Every construction that is done, the most important part of attention for employers and contractors is its cost, and they always try to reduce costs so that they can compete in the market, so they estimate the cost of construction before starting their activities. The costs can be generally divided into four parts: the materials used, the equipment used, the manpower required, and the time required. In this article, we are trying to talk about the three items of equipment, manpower, and time, and examine how the use of apps can reduce the cost of construction, while due to various reasons, it has received less attention in the field of app design. Also, because we intend to use these apps in construction and they are used by engineers and experts, we define these apps as engineering apps because the idea of ​​their design must be by an engineer who works in that field. Also, considering that most engineers are familiar with programming during their studies, they can design the apps they need using simple programming software.

Keywords: layout, as-bilt, monitoring, maps

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Authors: Gaofetoge Lenetha, Malerato Moloi, Ntsoaki Malebo

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Microbial contamination of ready-to-eat foods and beverages sold by street vendors has become an important public health issue. In developing countries including South Africa, health risks related to such kinds of foods are thought to be common. Thus, this study assessed knowledge, attitude and practices of street food vendors. Street vendors in the city of Mangaung Metro were investigated in order to assess their knowledge, attitudes and handling practices. A semi-structured questionnaire and checklist were used in interviews to determine the status of the vending sites and associa. ted food-handling practices. Data was collected by means of a face-to-face interview. The majority of respondents were black females. Hundred percent (100%) of the participants did not have any food safety training. However, street vendors showed a positive attitude towards food safety. Despite the positive attitude, vendors showed some non-compliance when it comes to handling food. During the survey, it was also observed that the vending stalls lack basic infrastructures like toilets and potable water that is currently a major problem. This study indicates a need for improvements in the environmental conditions at these sites to prevent foodborne diseases. Moreover, based on the results observed food safety and food hygiene training or workshops for street vendors are highly recommended.

Keywords: food hygiene, foodborne illnesses, food safety, Street foods

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Authors: S. Bellagamba, S. Malinconico, P. De Simone, F. Paglietti

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Until the 1990s, Italy was among the world’s leading producers of raw asbestos fibres and Asbestos Containing Materials (ACM) and one of the most contaminated Countries in Europe. To reduce asbestos-related health effects, Italy has adopted many laws and regulations regarding exposure thresholds, limits, and remediation tools. The Italian Environmental Ministry (MASE) has identified 42 Italian Superfund sites, 11 of which are mainly contaminated by Asbestos. The highest levels of exposure occur during remediation activities in the 42 superfund-sites and during the management of asbestos containing waste in landfills, which requires specific procedures. INAIL-DIT play a role as MASE scientific consultant on issues concerning pollution, remediation, and Asbestos Containing Waste (ACW) management. The aim is to identify the best Emergency Safety Measures, to suggest specific best pratics for remediation through occupational on site monitorings and laboratory analysis. Moreover, the aim of INAIL research is testing the available technologies for working activities and analytical methodologies. This paper describes the remediation of Bagnoli industrial facility (Naples), an Eternit factory which produced asbestos cement products. The remediation has been analyzed, considering a first phase focused on the demolition of structures and plants and a second phase regarding the characterization, screening, removal, and disposal of polluted soils. The project planned the complete removal of all the asbestos dispersed in the soil and subsoil and the recovery of the clean fraction. This work highlights the remediation techniques used and the prevention measures provide for workers and daily life areas protection. This study, considering the high number of asbestos cement factories in the world, can to serve as an important reference for similar situation at European or international scale.

Keywords: safety, asbestos, workers, contaminated sites, hazardous waste

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Authors: Sahar Fahmy Mehanna

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Wild fisheries and aquaculture offer excellent opportunities to decrease hunger and improve nutrition, relieve poverty, create economic growth and guarantee healthier use of natural resources. Employment in fisheries and aquaculture has grown continuously quicker than in the agriculture sector, providing up to 55 million jobs worldwide. Fisheries and aquaculture supplied Egypt with 2.1 million tons of fish in 2021, mostly used as food for people. Fish production in Egypt has grown dramatically in the last three decades, where fish production increased from about 346 thousand tons in 1990 to up to 2.1 million tons in 2021. In contrast to natural resources, which increased by only 30% in the period from 1990 to 2021, aquaculture production increased by 2502% during the same period. The majority of wild fisheries production in Egypt arises from coastal areas, where pollution is one of the main challenges severely affected both the productivity and quality of fish stocks. Our marine resources are at the risk of irreversible loss to habitats, ecological functions, and biodiversity because of overfishing, pollution, destructive fishing methods, climatic changes, unsustainable coastal area development and the competing demands from different industrial uses and human activities. Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing continues to be a big challenge to achieve sustainable fisheries. Furthermore, poor governance, management and practices are a further challenge. Reducing overfishing, stimulating responsible and sustainable fisheries management, applying aquaculture new and friendly practices and conserving the marine environment health are among the government’s best opportunities to provide highly nutritious food to the increasing population in Egypt. The present presentation will discuss the fishery regulations in the Egyptian marine fisheries that taken to maintain, protect and promote the different Egyptian marine environments and to what extent these regulations were effective.

Keywords: egypt, marine fisheries, fishery regulations, fisheries management, Marine ecosystem conservation

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Authors: Akanksha Jain, Santosh J. Passi, William Selvamurthy, Archna Singh

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Heating/frying at elevated temperatures cause numerous physiochemical reactions including oxidative deterioration and trans fatty acid (TFA) formation; however Indian data on these parameters are scanty. The present study was designed to assess the effect of constant heating/frying on formation of TFAs and oxidative stability in groundnut oil. 750 mL of the oil was heated in a large iron karahi (utensil similar to a wok) and freshly cut potato strips were fried constantly at varying temperatures (160ºC, 180ºC, 200ºC, 220ºC, 230ºC). In each case, the oil sample was drawn after one hour and stored at –20ºC until analysed. While TFA was estimated using gas chromatography with flame ionisation detector (AOCS official method Ce 1h–05), other chemical parameters were assessed by AOCS official methods. Oil samples subjected to heating/frying at varying temperatures demonstrated a significant increase in TFAs (p < 0.01) and saturated fatty acids (p < 0.01) while there was a corresponding decrease in cis-unsaturated fatty acids (p < 0.01). Frying process demonstrated greater TFA formation (mean TFA at 160ºC being 0.11±0.01g/100g; at 230ºC it being 2.33±0.05g/100g) as compared to heating alone (mean TFA at 160ºC being 0.07g±0.01/100g; at 230ºC it being 0.47±0.02g/100g), indicating that there was a significant difference in the generation of TFAs during the two thermal treatments (heating vs. frying; p=0.05). With increasing temperatures, acid value, p-anisidine value and total oxidation (TOTOX) value registered a significant increase (p < 0.01); however, peroxide value was found to be inconsistent. Thus, the formation of TFA and various oxidative parameters (except peroxide value) is directly influenced by the temperature of heating/frying. Since TFA formation and poor oxidative stability of oils can pose serious health concerns, food safety agencies/organizations need to devise appropriate policies, stringent food laws/standards and impose necessary safety regulations to curb oil abuse during the process of heating and frying. There is a dire need to raise consumer awareness regarding deleterious health effects of TFA and oxidative deterioration of oils at elevated temperatures employed during heating/frying procedures.

Keywords: cis-unsaturated fatty acid, oxidative stability, saturated fatty acid, trans fatty acid

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Authors: Samuel Nderitu Muchiri, Tracy Wangechi Maina

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Truck drivers face a myriad of challenges in their profession. Enhancements in logistics effectiveness can be pivotal in propelling economic developments. The specific objective of the study was to assess the influence of driver distraction on crash risk. The study is significant as it elucidates best practices that truck drivers can embrace in an effort to enhance road safety. These include amalgamating behaviors that enable drivers to fruitfully execute multifaceted functions such as finding and following routes, evading collisions, monitoring speed, adhering to road regulations, and evaluating vehicle systems’ conditions. The analysis involved an empirical review of ten previous studies related to the research topic. The articles revealed that driver distraction plays a substantial role in road accidents and other crucial road security incidents across the globe. Africa depends immensely on the freight transport sector to facilitate supply chain operations. Several studies indicate that drivers who operate primarily on rural roads, such as those found in Sub-Saharan Africa, have an increased propensity to engage in distracted activities such as cell phone usage while driving. The findings also identified the need for digitalization in truck driving operations, including carrier management techniques such as fatigue management, artificial intelligence, and automating functions like cell phone usage controls. The recommendations can aid policymakers and commercial truck carriers in deepening their understanding of driver distraction and enforcing mitigations to foster road safety.

Keywords: truck drivers, distraction, digitalization, crash risk, road safety

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Authors: Robin Becker, Maike Eilers, Nane Roetmann, Manfred Helmus

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The shortage of junior staff in the construction industry is a problem that will be further exacerbated in the coming years by the retirement of the baby-boom generations (1955-1969) from employment. In addition, the current working conditions in the field of construction management are not attractive for young professionals. A survey of students revealed a desire for an increase in flexibility and an improved work-life balance in everyday working life. Students of civil engineering and architecture are basically interested in a career in construction management but have reservations due to the image of the profession and the current working conditions. A survey among experts from the construction industry shows that the profession can become more attractive. This report provides recommendations for action in the form of working modules to improve the working conditions of employees. If these are taken into account, graduates can be attracted to the profession of construction management, and existing staff can be retained more effectively. The aim of this report is to show incentives for employers to respond to the wishes and needs of their current and future employees to the extent that can be implemented.

Keywords: modern construction management, construction industry, work modules, shortage of junior staff, sustainable personnel management, making construction management more attractive, working time model

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Authors: Mamoon M. Atout

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The Middle East Gulf region has witnessed rapid growth and development in many areas over the last two decades. The development of the real-estate sector, construction industry and infrastructure projects are a major share of the development that has participated in the civilization of the countries of the Gulf. Construction industry projects were planned and managed by different types of experts, who came from all over the world having different types of experiences in construction management and industry. Some of these projects were completed on time, while many were not, due to many accumulating factors. Many accumulated factors are considered as the principle reason for the problem experienced at the project construction stage, which reflected negatively on the project success. Specific causes of delay have been identified by construction managers to avoid any unexpected delays through proper analysis and considerations to some implications such as risk assessment and analysis for many potential problems to ensure that projects will be delivered on time. Construction management implications were adopted and considered by project managers who have experience and knowledge in applying the techniques of the system of engineering construction management. The aim of this research is to determine the benefits of the implications of construction management by the construction team and level of considerations of the techniques and processes during the project development and construction phases to avoid any delay in the projects. It also aims to determine the factors that participate to project completion delays in case project managers are not well committed to their roles and responsibilities. The results of the analysis will determine the necessity of the applications required by the project team to avoid the causes of delays that help them deliver projects on time, e.g. verifying tender documents, quantities and preparing the construction method of the project.

Keywords: construction management, control process, cost control, planning and scheduling

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Authors: Luisa Perez-Mujica

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Traditionally, non-compliance in water regulation has been understood to be attributable to lack of information or knowledge of regulations. In other words, it is confusing behavioural change and education with communication or regulations. However, compliance is a complex response to water regulation factors including 1) knowledge and understanding of regulations; 2) perception that resources are overregulated; 3) presence of regulatory officers in the field; 4) accurate communication of what is being protected; 5) time lag between behavioral change projects and observation of outcomes and 6) how success of behavioral change is measured and evaluated. This paper presents a framework for designing education and behavioral change projects by understanding non-compliance in terms of the interaction of its factors, including a process for prioritizing projects, actions, evaluation and monitoring of outcomes. By taking a systemic approach to compliance, a more directed type of actions can be efficiently identified and prioritized, preventing the reactive nature of education and behavioral change projects.

Keywords: water regulation, compliance, behaviour change, systems thinking

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Authors: Pingshan Chen, Zhiliang Dong

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In order to estimate the post-construction settlement more objectively, the power-polynomial model is proposed, which can reflect the trend of settlement development based on the observed settlement data. It was demonstrated by an actual case history of an embankment, and during the prediction. Compared with the other three prediction models, the power-polynomial model can estimate the post-construction settlement more accurately with more simple calculation.

Keywords: prediction, model, post-construction settlement, soft ground

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Authors: Keisuke Fujioka, Yuta Itoh, Masaru Minagawa, Shunji Kusayanagi

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In this study, building information models of the underground temporary structures and adjacent embedded pipes were constructed to show the importance of the information on underground pipes adjacent to the structures to enhance the productivity of execution of construction. Next, the bar chart used in actual construction process were employed to make the Gantt chart, and the critical pass analysis was carried out to show that accurate information on the arrangement of underground existing pipes can be used for the enhancement of the productivity of the construction of underground structures. In the analyzed project, significant construction delay was not caused by unforeseeable existence of underground pipes by the management ability of the construction manager. However, in many cases of construction executions in the developing countries, the existence of unforeseeable embedded pipes often causes substantial delay of construction. Design change based on uncertainty on the position information of embedded pipe can be also important risk for contractors in domestic construction. So CPM analyses were performed by a project-management-software to the situation that influence of the tasks causing construction delay was assumed more significant. Through the analyses, the efficiency of information management on underground pipes and BIM analysis in the design stage for workability improvement was indirectly confirmed.

Keywords: building-information modelling, construction information modelling, design improvement, infrastructure

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Authors: Pumela Msweli, Dexter L. Ryneveldt

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This paper seeks to shed light on institutional logics and institutionalization processes that influence the successful implementation of financial sector regulations. We use the neo-institutional theory lens to interrogate how the newly promulgated Financial Sector Regulations Act (FSRA) provides for the institutionalisation of the Twin Peaks Model. With the enactment of FSRA, previous financial regulatory institutions were dismantled, and new financial regulators established. In point, the Financial Services Conduct Authority (FSCA) replaced the Financial Services Board (FSB), and accordingly, the Prudential Authority (PA) was established. FSRA is layered with complexities that make it mandatory to co-exist, cooperate, and collaborate with other institutions to fulfill FSRA’s overall financial stability objective. We use content analysis of the financial regulations that established the Twin Peaks Models (TPM) in South Africa and in the Netherlands, to map out the three-stage institutionalization processes: (1) habitualisation, (2) objectification and (3) sedimentation. This allowed for a comparison of how South Africa, as a developing country and Netherlands as a developed country, have institutionalized the Twin Peak model. We provide valuable insights into how differences in the institutional and societal logics of the developing and developed contexts shape the institutionalization of financial regulations.

Keywords: financial industry, financial regulation, financial stability, institutionalisation, habitualization, objectification, sedimentation, twin peaks model

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Authors: Vera Lúcia Raposo

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Medical devices are products used for medical purposes and aimed to operate in the human body, sometimes even inside the human body. Therefore, they can become particularly risky products, and some of the injuries caused by medical devices can have serious effects on the person’s health or body, even leading to death. Because they fit in the category of 'products' as described in Article 2 of Council Directive 85/374/EEC of 25 July 1985, concerning liability for defective products, the liability of the manufacturer of medical devices follows the rules of strict liability as long as one of the defects covered by the directive is at stake. The directive is not concerned with the product’s efficiency, but instead with the product’s safety, although in what regards medical devices (the same being valid for drugs) the two concepts frequently go together, and a lack of efficiency can result in a lack of safety. In the particular case of medical devices, the most debatable defects are the ones related with erroneous or non-existing information and the so-called development defects. This paper analyses how directive 85/374/EEC applies to medical devices, which defects are covered by its regulation, and which criteria can be used to evaluate the product’s safety. Some issues are still to be clarified, even though the decisions from the European Court of Justice and from national courts are valuable tools to understand the scope of directive 85/374/EEC in what regards medical devices.

Keywords: medical devices, producer’s liability, product safety, strict liability

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Authors: Wiwat Kittinaraporn, Napat Harnpornchai, Sutja Boonyachut

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This paper deals with the application of a novel neural network technique, so-called Support Vector Machine (SVM). The objective of this study is to explore the variable and parameter of forecasting factors in the construction industry to build up forecasting model for construction quantity in Thailand. The scope of the research is to study the non-residential construction quantity in Thailand. There are 44 sets of yearly data available, ranging from 1965 to 2009. The correlation between economic indicators and construction demand with the lag of one year was developed by Apichat Buakla. The selected variables are used to develop SVM models to forecast the non-residential construction quantity in Thailand. The parameters are selected by using ten-fold cross-validation method. The results are indicated in term of Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE). The MAPE value for the non-residential construction quantity predicted by Epsilon-SVR in corporation with Radial Basis Function (RBF) of kernel function type is 5.90. Analysis of the experimental results show that the support vector machine modelling technique can be applied to forecast construction quantity time series which is useful for decision planning and management purpose.

Keywords: forecasting, non-residential, construction, support vector machines

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Authors: Olusegun Akinsiku, Olukayode Oyediran, Koleola Odusami

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A construction project is usually made up of a variety of stakeholders whose interests may positively or negatively impact on the outcome of the project execution. The variability of project stakeholders is apparent in their cultural differences, professional background and ethics, and differences in ideas. The need for the effectiveness of construction teams has been investigated as this is an important aspect to meeting client’s expectations in the construction industry. This study adopts a cross-sectional descriptive survey with the purpose of identifying the critical success factors (CSFs) associated with the team effectiveness of construction projects stakeholders, their relationship and the effects on construction project performance. The instrument for data collection was a designed questionnaire which was administered to construction professionals in the construction industry in Lagos State, Nigeria using proportionate stratified sampling. The highest ranked identified CSFs include “team trust”, “esprit de corps among members” and “team cohesiveness”. Using factor analysis and considering the effects of team cohesiveness on project performance, the identified CSFs were categorized into three groups namely cognitive attributes, behavior and processes attributes and affective attributes. All the three groups were observed to have a strong correlation with project performance. The findings of this study are useful in helping construction stakeholders benchmark the team effectiveness factors that will guarantee project success.

Keywords: construction, critical success factors, performance, stakeholders, team effectiveness

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Authors: Ali Sagiroglu, Sema Noyan Alacali, Guray Arslan

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This paper presents a study on the influence of the safety factor in the concrete contribution to shear strength of high-strength concrete (HSC) beams according to TS500. In TS500, the contribution of concrete to shear strength is obtained by reducing diagonal cracking strength with a safety factor of 0.8. It was investigated that the coefficient of 0.8 considered in determining the contribution of concrete to the shear strength corresponds to which value of failure probability. Also, the changes in the reduction factor depending on different coefficients of variation of concrete were examined.

Keywords: reinforced concrete, beam, shear strength, failure probability, safety factor

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Authors: Witthaya Mekhum, Waleerak Sittisom

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This research investigated the effect on occupational health safety and environment at work from metal handicraft using Rattanakosin local wisdom focusing on pollution, accidents, and injuries from work. The sample group in this study included 48 metal handicraft workers in 5 communities by using questionnaires and interview to collect data. The evaluation form TISI 18001 was used to analyze job safety analysis (JSA). The results showed that risk at work reduced after applying the developed model. Banbu Community produces alloy bowl rubbed with stone. The high risk process is melting and hitting process. Before the application, the work risk was 82.71%. After the application of the developed model, the work risk was reduced to 50.61%. Banbart Community produces monk’s food bowl. The high risk process is blow pipe welding. Before the application, the work risk was 93.59%. After the application of the developed model, the work risk was reduced to 48.14%. Bannoen Community produces circle gong. The high risk process is milling process. Before the application, the work risk was 85.18%. After the application of the developed model, the work risk was reduced to 46.91%. Teethong Community produces gold leaf. The high risk process is hitting and spreading process. Before the application, the work risk was 86.42%. After the application of the developed model, the work risk was reduced to 64.19%. Ban Changthong Community produces gold ornament. The high risk process is gold melting process. Before the application, the work risk was 67.90%. After the application of the developed model, the work risk was reduced to 37.03%. It can be concluded that with the application of the developed model, the work risk of 5 communities was reduced in the 3 main groups: (1) Work illness reduced by 16.77%; (2) Pollution from work reduced by 10.31%; (3) Accidents and injuries from work reduced by 15.62%.

Keywords: occupational health, safety, local wisdom, Rattanakosin

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Authors: Pradeep Jawale, Sharad Supare, Sachin Kumar Jain, Nagesh Walke

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One can witness the constant development and redevelopment of cities throughout the world. Construction equipment vehicles (CEVs) are commonly used on the construction site. However, noise pollution from construction sites due to the use of CEV has become a major problem for many cities. The construction equipment employed, which includes excavators and bulldozers, is one of the main causes of these elevated noise levels. The construction workers possibly will face a potential risk to their auditory health and well-being due to the noise levels they are exposed to. Different countries have imposed exterior and operator noise limits for construction equipment vehicles, enabling them to control noise pollution from CEVs. In this study, the operator ear level noise of the identified vehicle is higher than the benchmark vehicle by 8 dB(A). It was a tough time for the NVH engineer to beat the interior noise level of the benchmark vehicle. Initially, the noise source identification technique was used to identify the dominant sources for increasing the interior noise of the test vehicle. It was observed that the transfer of structure-borne and air-borne noise to the cabin was the major issue with the vehicle. It was foremost required to address the issue without compromising the overall performance of the vehicle. Surprisingly, the steering pump and radiator fan were identified as the major dominant sources than typical conventional sources like powertrain, intake, and exhaust. Individual sources of noise were analyzed in detail, and optimizations were made to minimize the noise at the source. As a result, the significant noise reduction achieved inside the vehicle and the overall in-cab noise level for the vehicle became a new benchmark in the market.

Keywords: interior noise, noise reduction, CEV, noise source identification

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Authors: Emine Laarouchi, Daniela Cancila, Laurent Soulier, Hakima Chaouchi

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Cyber-Physical Systems as drones proved their efficiency for supporting emergency applications. For these particular applications, travel time and autonomous navigation algorithms are of paramount importance, especially when missions are performed in urban environments with high obstacle density. In this context, however, safety properties are not properly addressed. Our ambition is to optimize the system safety level under autonomous navigation systems, by preserving performance of the CPS. At this aim, we introduce genetic algorithms in the autonomous navigation process of the drone to better infer its trajectory considering the possible obstacles. We first model the wished safety requirements through a cost function and then seek to optimize it though genetics algorithms (GA). The main advantage in the use of GA is to consider different parameters together, for example, the level of battery for navigation system selection. Our tests show that the GA introduction in the autonomous navigation systems minimize the risk of safety lossless. Finally, although our simulation has been tested for autonomous drones, our approach and results could be extended for other autonomous navigation systems such as autonomous cars, robots, etc.

Keywords: safety, unmanned aerial vehicles , CPS, ACPS, drones, path planning, genetic algorithms

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Authors: Özlem Turan, Şule Turhan

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About 1 billion people in the world are suffering from hunger. Approximately 1.3 billion tons of produced food is wasted each year as well. While the waste of industrialized countries is 670 million tons per year, the waste per year in developing countries is estimated as 630 million tons. When evaluated in this respect, the importance of sustainability and food security can be seen clearly. Food safety is defined as taking the necessary measures and eliminating all risk arising from food. The goal of sustainable food security is, protection of consumer health, development of safe food and beverages trade nationally and internationally and to ensure reliable fair trade schemes. In this study, this study will focus on sustainable food systems and food security, by examining the food wastage and losses from environmental and economic point of views and the precautions that need to be taken will be discussed.

Keywords: food, food safety, food systems, sustainability

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Authors: Omid Adibi, Nategheh Najafpour, Bijan Farhanieh, Hossein Afshin

Abstract:

Energy transmission pipelines are one of the most vital parts of each country which several strict laws have been conducted to enhance the safety of these lines and their vicinity. One of these laws is the safety distance around high pressure gas pipelines. Safety distance refers to the minimum distance from the pipeline where people and equipment do not confront with serious damages. In the present study, safety distance around high pressure gas transmission pipelines were determined by using numerical methods. For this purpose, gas leakages from cracked pipeline and created jet fires were simulated as continuous ignition, three dimensional, unsteady and turbulent cases. Numerical simulations were based on finite volume method and turbulence of flow was considered using k-ω SST model. Also, the combustion of natural gas and air mixture was applied using the eddy dissipation method. The results show that, due to the high pressure difference between pipeline and environment, flow chocks in the cracked area and velocity of the exhausted gas reaches to sound speed. Also, analysis of the incident radiation results shows that safety distances around 42 inches high pressure natural gas pipeline based on 5 and 15 kW/m² criteria are 205 and 272 meters, respectively.

Keywords: gas pipelines, incident radiation, numerical simulation, safety distance

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Authors: João Gago dos Santos, Paulo Pereira Almeida

Abstract:

The present study intends to deepen and understand the reasons that led to the decline and disappearance of wooden construction systems in Portugal, for that reason, its use in history must be analyzed. It is observed that this material was an integral part of the construction systems in Europe and Portugal for centuries, and it is possible to conclude that its decline happens with the appearance of hybrid construction and later with the emergence and development of reinforced concrete technology. It is also verified that wood as a constructive element, and for that reason, an element of development had great importance in national construction, with its peak being the Pombaline period, after the 1755 earthquake. In this period, the great scarcity of materials in the metropolis led to the import wood from Brazil for the reconstruction of Lisbon. This period is linked to an accentuated exploitation of forests, resulting in laws and royal decrees aimed at protecting them, guaranteeing the continued existence of profitable forests, crucial to the reconstruction effort. The following period, with the gradual loss of memory of the catastrophe, resulted in a construction that was weakened structurally as a response to a time of real estate speculation and great urban expansion. This was the moment that precluded the inexistence of the use of wood in construction. At the beginning of the 20th century and in the 30s and 40s, with the appearance and development of reinforced concrete, it became part of the great structures of the state, and it is considered a versatile material capable of resolving issues throughout the national territory. It is at this point that the wood falls into disuse and practically disappears from the new works produced.

Keywords: construction history, construction in portugal, construction systems, wood construction

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Authors: K. C. Iyer, Yogita Manan Bindal, Sumit Kumar Bakshi

Abstract:

Disputes and litigation are becoming inherent to the construction industry in India, and despite construction being one of the major drivers of growth, there have not been many reforms in the government construction contracts. Many of the disputes arising from the government contracts, can be avoided by the proper drafting of contracts and their administration. This study aims to 1) identify the best practices in the construction contract as reviewed from the research papers and additional literature on contract management, 2) obtain perspectives from the industry experts on the implementation of these best practices with regards to likely challenges and relative benefits for implementing the best practices in construction contracts. The best practices for disputes arising due to delay events have been identified through extensive literature survey. The industry perspective is gathered by way of a questionnaire survey to understand the applicability of the identified best practices, the benefits that are likely to be obtained and the challenges that are likely to be faced in the implementation of these practices. The study concludes with the recommended best practices that can be implemented based on the perspectives obtained from the survey. The findings of the study can be used by the industry professionals while drafting construction contracts with a view to avoid disputes related to delay events.

Keywords: best practices, construction contract, delay, dispute avoidance

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Authors: Mojtaba Valinejadshoubi, Ashutosh Bagchi, Osama Moselhi

Abstract:

Structures such as buildings, bridges, dams, wind turbines etc. need to be maintained against various factors such as deterioration, excessive loads, environment, temperature, etc. Choosing an appropriate monitoring system is important for determining any critical damage to a structure and address that to avoid any adverse consequence. Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) has emerged as an effective technique to monitor the health of the structures. SHM refers to an ongoing structural performance assessment using different kinds of sensors attached to or embedded in the structures to evaluate their integrity and safety to help engineers decide on rehabilitation measures. Ability of SHM in identifying the location and severity of structural damages by considering any changes in characteristics of the structures such as their frequency, stiffness and mode shapes helps engineers to monitor the structures and take the most effective corrective actions to maintain their safety and extend their service life. The main objective of this study is to review the overall SHM process specifically determining the natural frequency of an instrumented simply-supported concrete beam using modal testing and finite element model updating.

Keywords: structural health monitoring, natural frequency, modal analysis, finite element model updating

Procedia PDF Downloads 332

Authors: Phan Nghiem Vu, Le Tuan Vu, Ta Quang Tai

Abstract:

The optimal construction design used during the execution of a construction project is a key factor in determining high productivity and customer satisfaction, however, this management process sometimes is carried out without care and the systematic method that it deserves, bringing negative consequences. This study proposes a knowledge management (KM) approach that will enable the intelligent use of experienced and acknowledged engineers to improve the management of construction design works for a project. Then a knowledge-based application to support this decision-making process is proposed and described. To define and design the system for the application, semi-structured interviews were conducted within five construction consulting organizations with the purpose of studying the way that the method’ optimizing process is implemented in practice and the knowledge supported with it. A system of an optimizing construction design works (OCDW) based on knowledge was developed then validated with construction experts. The OCDW was liked as a valuable tool for construction design works’ optimization, by supporting organizations to generate a corporate memory on this issue, reducing the reliance on individual knowledge and also the subjectivity of the decision-making process. The benefits are described as provided by the performance support system, reducing costs and time, improving product design quality, satisfying customer requirements, expanding the brand organization.

Keywords: optimizing construction design work, construction consultant organization, knowledge management, knowledge-based application

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Authors: Muksalmina

Abstract:

Transportation plays an important role in people's daily activities but is often marred by traffic accidents. In Indonesia, traffic accidents are the third leading cause of death after coronary heart disease and tuberculosis, according to the World Health Organization (2013). Several roads in East Aceh District are strategic access points for economic growth in the Aceh region. There were 446 traffic accidents in 2023, which is the highest case in the last five years. This study aims to analyze black spot locations on national roads in East Aceh District and evaluate road safety deficiencies in the area. The research methodology began by selecting the locations with the highest accident rates based on data from East Aceh Police from 2019-2023. Next, Average Daily Traffic (ADT) was measured by projecting population growth data. The analysis of road safety deficiencies included measurements of road geometrics, traffic signs and markings, and traffic volumes at black spot locations. The study results showed deficiencies in lane width, shoulder width, and inadequate road safety facilities at several locations. Recommendations for improvements include increasing lane and shoulder widths and adding signs and markings to improve safety. This study is expected to serve as a reference for the government and relevant stakeholders in improving traffic safety in East Aceh District.

Keywords: black spot, traffic accident, severity index, road safety

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