Worker safety issues in night‐time highway construction

2005 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 487-501 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Arditi ◽  
Mehmet Ayrancioglu ◽  
Jonathan Jingsheng Shi
Keyword(s):  
Highway Construction ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
National Standards ◽  
Worker Safety ◽  
Department Of Transportation ◽  
Night Time ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Safety Issues ◽  
Work Area ◽  
Departments Of Transportation

PurposeThe research presented in this paper aims to investigate highway construction/maintenance professionals' perceptions of the effects of night‐time construction conditions on worker visibility and of issues associated with safety vests in night‐time activities.Design/methodology/approachThe research was conducted by administering a questionnaire survey to Illinois Department of Transportation operations personnel, resident engineers, contractors, and construction/maintenance professionals involved in night‐time construction in the Departments of Transportation of states other than Illinois.FindingsIt was found that most accidents in night‐time construction work areas are caused by the condition of the vehicle operator, that accidents are caused by through‐traffic and construction equipment operating inside the work area, and that the poor visibility of the workers plays an important role in accidents.Research limitations/implicationsA national survey (rather than mostly Illinois personnel) would certainly increase the sample size and therefore allow researchers to validate the findings of this study and to conduct extensive statistical analyses.Practical implicationsNight‐time construction/maintenance operations on highways may be hazardous for both drivers and construction personnel because of poor visibility at night. It is recommended that the design of safety vests adhere to existing standards issued by the American National Standards Institute and the International Safety Equipment Association. It is particularly important to ensure adequate performance in wet weather conditions.Originality/valueIf safety vests are perceived by workers to be effective, the frequency and severity of night‐time accidents can be reduced and labor productivity can be enhanced.

The importance of public support in the implementation of green transportation in smart cities using smart vehicle bicycle communication transport

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 997-1011
Author(s):  
Ning Li ◽  
Parthasarathy R. ◽  
Harshila H. Padwal
Keyword(s):  
Smart Cities ◽  
Optimization Technique ◽  
Public Support ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Transport Systems ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Signaling Systems ◽  
Traffic Conditions ◽  
Green Transportation ◽  
Smart Vehicle

Purpose Smart mobility is a major guideline in the development of Smart Cities’ transport systems and management. The issue of transition into green, secure and sustainable transport modes, such as using bicycles, should be implemented in this case, along with the subjectivism of management. Design/methodology/approach The proposed technology reflects the Smart Bicycle vehicle model, which tracks cyclists and weather conditions and turns to electric motors in critical circumstances. Findings This reduces the physical load and battery consumption of cyclists which affects the Smart Cities’ ecology positively. Originality/value In Smart Vehicle Bicycle Communication Transport, the vehicle movement optimization technique is used for traffic scenarios to analyze traffic signaling systems that give better results in variable and dense traffic conditions.

scholarly journals Discovery of a Novel Class of Orally Active Antifungal β-1,3-d-Glucan Synthase Inhibitors

2011 ◽  
Vol 55 (11) ◽  
pp. 5099-5106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott S. Walker ◽  
Yiming Xu ◽  
Ilias Triantafyllou ◽  
Michelle F. Waldman ◽  
Cara Mendrick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Candida Glabrata ◽  
Pharmacokinetic Data ◽  
Morphological Response ◽  
Glucan Synthase ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Safety Issues ◽  
Spontaneous Mutants ◽  
Orally Active

ABSTRACTThe echinocandins are a class of semisynthetic natural products that target β-1,3-glucan synthase (GS). Their proven clinical efficacy combined with minimal safety issues has made the echinocandins an important asset in the management of fungal infection in a variety of patient populations. However, the echinocandins are delivered only parenterally. A screen for antifungal bioactivities combined with mechanism-of-action studies identified a class of piperazinyl-pyridazinones that target GS. The compounds exhibitedin vitroactivity comparable, and in some cases superior, to that of the echinocandins. The compounds inhibit GSin vitro, and there was a strong correlation between enzyme inhibition andin vitroantifungal activity. In addition, like the echinocandins, the compounds caused a leakage of cytoplasmic contents from yeast and produced a morphological response in molds characteristic of GS inhibitors. Spontaneous mutants ofSaccharomyces cerevisiaewith reduced susceptibility to the piperazinyl-pyridazinones had substitutions inFKS1. The sites of these substitutions were distinct from those conferring resistance to echinocandins; likewise, echinocandin-resistant isolates remained susceptible to the test compounds. Finally, we present efficacy and pharmacokinetic data on an example of the piperazinyl-pyridazinone compounds that demonstrated efficacy in a murine model ofCandida glabratainfection.

Agricultural marketing and food safety in China: a utility perspective

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
David L. Ortega ◽  
Colin G. Brown ◽  
Scott A. Waldron ◽  
H. Holly Wang
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Numerical Data ◽  
Marketing System ◽  
Agricultural Marketing ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Safety Issues ◽  
Time Form ◽  
Made In ◽  
Chinese Food

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore Chinese food safety issues by analysing select incidents within he Chinese agricultural marketing system. Design/methodology/approach – A marketing utility framework is utilized to discuss some of the major food safety incidents in China and potential solutions are explored. Findings – The paper finds that food safety issues arise from problems of asymmetric information which leads to the profit seeking behaviour of agents distorting rather than enhancing the creation of one of the four types or marketing utility (time, form, place and possession). Additionally, structural causes found within the Chinese food marketing system have contributed to the food safety problems. Research limitations/implications – This is not an empirical research with numerical data. Originality/value – This study is one of the first to address Chinese food safety problems from an agricultural marketing utility perspective. Key anecdotes are used to support the claims made in this study.

Retrofit of Aerodynamic Cable Instability on a Cable-Stayed Bridge: Case Study

2000 ◽  
Vol 1740 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niket M. Telang ◽  
Charles M. Minervino ◽  
Paul G. Norton
Keyword(s):  
Large Amplitude ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Mobile Bay ◽  
Department Of Transportation ◽  
Light Rain ◽  
Wind Speeds ◽  
Cable Stays ◽  
Large Amplitude Vibrations

Elegantly poised over the Mobile River, the twin pylons and the semi-harped cable stays of the Cochrane Bridge subtly complement the vast and undulating landscape of the Mobile Bay as the bridge carries US Route 90 over the Mobile River in Alabama. In February 1998, light rain drizzled on the bridge, and a weather station nearby recorded wind speeds of about 48 km/h (30 mph). Under these seemingly mild weather conditions, the normally immobile cable stays started to vibrate, and within moments, these nascent vibrations reached amplitudes of more than 1.2 m (4 ft). Alarmed by this event, the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) took immediate action to ensure the continued safety and serviceability of the bridge. A team of consultants was selected by ALDOT to investigate mitigation measures for the large-amplitude cable-stay vibrations. The fast-tracked comprehensive program planned and implemented to inspect, test, document, and evaluate the effects of the large-amplitude vibrations and the recommendation of retrofit measures that would limit future occurrences of such cable-stay vibrations on the Cochrane Bridge are described in detail.

scholarly journals Sensor-Based Safety Performance Assessment of Individual Construction Workers

Sensors ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. 3897 ◽  
Author(s):  
JeeWoong Park ◽  
Yong K. Cho ◽  
Ali Khodabandelu
Keyword(s):  
Risk Model ◽  
Tracking System ◽  
Field Tests ◽  
Safety Performance ◽  
Worker Safety ◽  
Well Test ◽  
Construction Sites ◽  
Monitoring Method ◽  
Safety Issues ◽  
Automated Method

Over the last decade, researchers have explored various technologies and methodologies to enhance worker safety at construction sites. The use of advanced sensing technologies mainly has focused on detecting and warning about safety issues by directly relying on the detection capabilities of these technologies. Until now, very little research has explored methods to quantitatively assess individual workers’ safety performance. For this, this study uses a tracking system to collect and use individuals’ location data in the proposed safety framework. A computational and analytical procedure/model was developed to quantify the safety performance of individual workers beyond detection and warning. The framework defines parameters for zone-based safety risks and establishes a zone-based safety risk model to quantify potential risks to workers. To demonstrate the model of safety analysis, the study conducted field tests at different construction sites, using various interaction scenarios. Probabilistic evaluation showed a slight underestimation and overestimation in certain cases; however, the model represented the overall safety performance of a subject quite well. Test results showed clear evidence of the model’s ability to capture safety conditions of workers in pre-identified hazard zones. The developed approach presents a way to provide visualized and quantified information as a form of safety index, which has not been available in the industry. In addition, such an automated method may present a suitable safety monitoring method that can eliminate human deployment that is expensive, error-prone, and time-consuming.

A new IR and sprinkler based embedded controller directed robotic arm for automatic cleaning of solar panel

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 905-921
Author(s):  
Manish Kumar Ghodki ◽  
Akhilesh Swarup ◽  
Yash Pal
Keyword(s):  
Pulse Width Modulation ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Solar Panel ◽  
Performance Ratio ◽  
Robotic Arm ◽  
Pv System ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Average Value ◽  
Ir Sensor ◽  
Embedded Controller

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to design and develop an IR and sprinkler based embedded controller operated robotic arm for automatic dust removal system to mitigate the dust effect on the solar panel surface, since dust accumulation normally affected by real weather conditions is one of the serious concern for the deterioration of photovoltaic (PV) system output. Design/methodology/approach The system is a wet cleaning device which provides a cheap silicon rubber-based wiping operation controlled by the pulse width modulation-operated motors of robotic arm. The IEEE 1149.1-compliant mixed signal-embedded platform of C8051F226DK is involved to command the complete system. Findings A prototype of 30 WP system is capable of producing an inspiring average value of 11.26 per cent in energy increase, 13.63 per cent in PV module efficiency and 85.20 per cent in performance ratio of the system after 73 days of cleaning in summer season. In addition, a total of 1,617.93 W power; 1,0516.55 Wh energy; and 350.55 KWh/KWP final yield was found during the entire cleaning period. Originality/value A novel technique of the implementation of IR sensor and sprinkler in dust mitigation is proposed in this paper. The IR sensor is used as a versatile object which can manage the robotic arm setting and control the automatic switching between cleaning and charging, as well as identify the thermal condition of solar panel for overheating.

International benchmarking for performance improvement in construction safety and health

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 916-936 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lance W. Saunders ◽  
Andrew P McCoy ◽  
Brian M. Kleiner ◽  
Helen Lingard ◽  
Tracy Cooke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Construction Safety ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Worker Safety ◽  
Potential Hazard ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Project Lifecycle

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to advance knowledge on the advantages of integrating safety earlier in the construction project lifecycle. Design/methodology/approach – A case study approach is used to collect data from construction sites in the USA, which performs poorly in construction safety and health, and Australia (AU), which performs well in construction safety and health. Qualitative data are collected to determine how and when safety is considered in the project lifecycle in both countries, and then the results are benchmarked to determine the benefits of addressing safety earlier in the process. Findings – Data show that addressing a potential hazard earlier in the project lifecycle has performance benefits in terms of the level of hazard control. Research limitations/implications – The processes that are identified as possibly explaining the performance difference are just based on qualitative data from interviews. Targeted research addressing the relationship between these processes and safety outcomes is an opportunity for further research. Practical implications – The case study data are used to identify specific processes that are used in AU that might be adopted in the USA to improve performance by integrating safety earlier into the decision-making process. Social implications – This paper highlights the advantages of integrating safety as a decision factor early in the process. Worker safety is not just an issue in the construction industry, and thus the findings are applicable to all industries in which worker safety is an issue. Originality/value – This paper advances the safety in design literature by quantitatively supporting the link between when a hazard is addressed and performance. It also links the results to specific processes across countries, which advances the literature because most research in this area to data is within a single country.

scholarly journals Fathers experiences of sleeping problems in children with autism

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 100-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol Ann Potter
Keyword(s):  
Sleep Onset ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Night Time ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sleeping Problems ◽  
Significant Public Health ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of fathers in the management of sleeping problems in children with autism and their perspectives of the impact of these difficulties on family life. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews with 25 UK-based fathers of children with autism were undertaken. Findings Two-thirds of fathers reported that their children experienced severe sleeping problems in the areas of bed-time resistance, sleep onset and night-time waking. Fathers were significantly involved in the management of these difficulties and reported a range of associated deleterious impacts on the family, including significant negative effects on paternal and maternal health, father’s employment, couple relationship and sibling experiences. Research limitations/implications The interview sample cannot be said to be representative of all fathers of children with autism since the backgrounds of those taking part were relatively homogeneous in respect of ethnicity, marital status and level of education. Practical implications Improvements in effective, family-centred provision are urgently needed which employ a co-parenting, gender-differentiated methodology. Social implications Given the severity and frequency of difficulties, sleeping problems in children with autism should be viewed as a significant public health concern. Originality/value This is one of the first studies, qualitative or quantitative, to explore the role and perspectives of fathers of children with autism in the important area of sleep management.

scholarly journals An investigation into factors causing delays in highway construction projects in iraq

2018 ◽  
Vol 162 ◽  
pp. 02035
Author(s):  
Bevian I. Al Hadithi
Keyword(s):  
Construction Projects ◽  
Highway Construction ◽  
Rank Correlation ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
Total Delay ◽  
Occurrence Data ◽  
Political Realities ◽  
Political Decisions

The highways sector is a prominent sector in any country’s economy because of its impact on the well-being and safety of its citizens. The transport sector has an impact on social improvement and investment in the nation on the illustration that allows access to markets, production, jobs, health and other social services.This study investigates the causes of delay of highway construction projects in Iraq, which is frequent occurrence. Data was collected using questionnaires which were distributed to the key project participants; contractors, owners and consultants. The data were analyzed using the Frequency index and Spearman‟s rank correlation. The top seven causes of project delays were observed to be political decisions and political realities, the economic crisis of the country, delays in materials test of and obtaining the results, delay in monthly payments of contractor, failure treatment of the delays when implementing the project, the effects of weather, rain and high temperatures, delay in activities during implementation. It is recommended to establish an appropriate number of laboratories and adopt the field laboratory mechanism for the external and remote screens. Owners should give special attention to pay progress payment to contractors on time. The competent contractor who has prior experience in implementing the high projects should be selected. The contractor must take into consideration the weather conditions when preparing the time plan necessary to implement the project. The project management should identify these reasons and deal with them quickly in order to reduce the total delay of the project.

scholarly journals Predicting the effect of decompression sickness on survival following submarine tower escape

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoff A.M. Loveman ◽  
Joel J.E. Edney
Keyword(s):  
Subject Matter ◽  
Decompression Sickness ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Subject Matter Expert ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Probability Of Survival ◽  
Predicted Probability ◽  
Standard Probability ◽  
Current Advice

Purpose The purpose of the present study was the development of a methodology for translating predicted rates of decompression sickness (DCS), following tower escape from a sunken submarine, into predicted probability of survival, a more useful statistic for making operational decisions. Design/methodology/approach Predictions were made, using existing models, for the probabilities of a range of DCS symptoms following submarine tower escape. Subject matter expert estimates of the effect of these symptoms on a submariner’s ability to survive in benign weather conditions on the sea surface until rescued were combined with the likelihoods of the different symptoms occurring using standard probability theory. Plots were generated showing the dependence of predicted probability of survival following escape on the escape depth and the pressure within the stricken submarine. Findings Current advice on whether to attempt tower escape is based on avoiding rates of DCS above approximately 5%–10%. Consideration of predicted survival rates, based on subject matter expert opinion, suggests that the current advice might be considered as conservative in the distressed submarine scenario, as DCS rates of 10% are not anticipated to markedly affect survival rates. Originality/value According to the authors’ knowledge, this study represents the first attempt to quantify the effect of different DCS symptoms on the probability of survival in submarine tower escape.

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