Changes in air quality in‐taxis and in working conditions of taxi drivers pre‐ and post‐lockdown, during the COVID‐19 pandemic in the Paris area

Indoor Air ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Hachem ◽  
Lynda Bensefa‐Colas ◽  
Isabelle Momas
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Taxi Drivers ◽  
Paris Area

Masculinity and Precarity: Male Migrant Taxi Drivers in South China

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 493-508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne YP Choi
Keyword(s):  
Working Conditions ◽  
Social Reproduction ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
State Regulation ◽  
Urban China ◽  
Taxi Drivers ◽  
Male Migrant ◽  
Service Jobs ◽  
Urban Migrant ◽  
Taxi Industry

This article examines how male rural-to-urban migrant taxi drivers’ experience of a loss of control over their working conditions and increasing financial insecurity are driven by state regulation and market reorganization of the taxi industry, and their status as second class citizens in urban China. Precarity, as explored in this article, speaks to feelings of disempowerment, a profound sense of livelihood insecurity and a crisis of social reproduction that has resulted from workplace reorganization that marginalizes workers. The findings contribute to the study of precarity and masculinity by first unpacking how masculine identities are built around men’s access to masculine service niches and their control over working conditions in these niches. It then shows how precariousness negates these male workers’ sense of self by simultaneously taking away the control that distinguishes their work from factory employment and female-dominated service jobs; and undermining their capacity to meet the provider norm.

The impact of working conditions on the health of taxi drivers in an urban metropolis

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 671-686
Author(s):  
Husayn Marani ◽  
Brenda Roche ◽  
Laura Anderson ◽  
Minnie Rai ◽  
Payal Agarwal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Health Management ◽  
Primary Care Providers ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Taxi Drivers ◽  
Targeted Interventions ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThis descriptive qualitative study explores how working conditions impact the health of taxi drivers in Toronto, Canada.Design/methodology/approachDrivers were recruited between September 2016 and March 2017. A total of 14 semi-structured qualitative interviews and one focus group (n = 11) were conducted. Transcripts were analyzed inductively through a socioecological lens.FindingsThe findings of this study are as follows: drivers acknowledged that job precariousness (represented by unstable employment, long hours and low wages) and challenging workplace conditions (sitting all day and limited breaks) contribute to poor physical/mental health. Also, these conditions undermine opportunities to engage in health-protective behaviors (healthy eating, regularly exercising and taking breaks). Drivers do not receive health-enabling reinforcements from religious/cultural networks, colleagues or their taxi brokerage. Drivers do seek support from their primary care providers and family for their physical health but remain discreet about their mental health.Research limitations/implicationsAs this study relied on a convenience sample, the sample did not represent all Toronto taxi drivers. All interviews were completed in English and all drivers were male, thus limiting commentary on other experiences and any gender differences in health management approaches among drivers.Practical implicationsGiven the global ubiquity of taxi driving and an evolving workplace environment characterized by growing competition, findings are generalizable across settings and may resonate with other precarious professions, including long-haul truck operators and Uber/Lyft drivers. Findings also expose areas for targeted intervention outside the workplace setting.Originality/valueHealth management among taxi drivers is understudied. A fulsome, socioecological understanding of how working conditions (both within and outside the workplace) impact their health is essential in developing targeted interventions to improve health outcomes.

scholarly journals SELECTION AND JUSTIFICATION OF COMFORTABLE MICROCLIMATE PARAMETERS FOR OFFICE PREMISES

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (48) ◽  
pp. 49
Author(s):  
G. Khimicheva ◽  
O. Dziuba
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
International Standards

The paper analyzes the requirements of international standards for the parameters that determine the comfortable working conditions in office premises, in particular when working with the computer. It has been proposed to determine the microclimate of office premises by four parameters and it is shown that one of the promising methods is a method based on the calculation of two indicators that specify the degree of comfort, taking into account the requirements of potential consumers. The application of the proposed methods and approaches allows to reasonably choose the microclimate parameters (temperature, humidity, air quality, and electrical radiation) that affect the life and health of the worker.Keywords: microclimate parameters, international standards, comfortable working conditions, office premises.

Impact of the transport of aerosols from the free troposphere towards the boundary layer on the air quality in the Paris area

2008 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 390-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Augustin Colette ◽  
Laurent Menut ◽  
Martial Haeffelin ◽  
Yohann Morille
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Free Troposphere ◽  
Paris Area

scholarly journals Modelling and assimilation of lidar signals over Greater Paris during the MEGAPOLI summer campaign

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 3511-3532 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Wang ◽  
K. N. Sartelet ◽  
M. Bocquet ◽  
P. Chazette
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Data Assimilation ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Interpolation Method ◽  
Optimal Interpolation ◽  
Atmospheric Conditions ◽  
Model Aerosol ◽  
Paris Area ◽  
Lidar Observations

Abstract. In this study, we investigate the ability of the chemistry transport model (CTM) Polair3D of the air quality modelling platform Polyphemus to simulate lidar backscattered profiles from model aerosol concentration outputs. This investigation is an important preprocessing stage of data assimilation (validation of the observation operator). To do so, simulated lidar signals are compared to hourly lidar observations performed during the MEGAPOLI (Megacities: Emissions, urban, regional and Global Atmospheric POLlution and climate effects, and Integrated tools for assessment and mitigation) summer experiment in July 2009, when a ground-based mobile lidar was deployed around Paris on-board a van. The comparison is performed for six different measurement days, 1, 4, 16, 21, 26 and 29 July 2009, corresponding to different levels of pollution and different atmospheric conditions. Overall, Polyphemus well reproduces the vertical distribution of lidar signals and their temporal variability, especially for 1, 16, 26 and 29 July 2009. Discrepancies on 4 and 21 July 2009 are due to high-altitude aerosol layers, which are not well modelled. In the second part of this study, two new algorithms for assimilating lidar observations based on the optimal interpolation method are presented. One algorithm analyses PM10 (particulate matter with diameter less than 10 μm) concentrations. Another analyses PM2.5 (particulate matter with diameter less than 2.5 μm) and PM2.5–10 (particulate matter with a diameter higher than 2.5 μm and lower than 10 μm) concentrations separately. The aerosol simulations without and with lidar data assimilation (DA) are evaluated using the Airparif (a regional operational network in charge of air quality survey around the Paris area) database to demonstrate the feasibility and usefulness of assimilating lidar profiles for aerosol forecasts. The evaluation shows that lidar DA is more efficient at correcting PM10 than PM2.5, probably because PM2.5 is better modelled than PM10. Furthermore, the algorithm which analyses both PM2.5and PM2.5–10 provides the best scores for PM10. The averaged root-mean-square error (RMSE) of PM10 is 11.63 μg m−3 with DA (PM2.5 and PM2.5–10), compared to 13.69 μg m−3 with DA (PM10) and 17.74 μg m−3 without DA on 1 July 2009. The averaged RMSE of PM10 is 4.73 μg m−3 with DA (PM2.5 and PM2.5–10), against 6.08 μg m−3 with DA (PM10) and 6.67 μg m−3 without DA on 26 July 2009.

scholarly journals Covid-19 and Precarity in South Africa’s Minibus Taxi Industry

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. p1
Author(s):  
Dr. Siyabulela C. Fobosi
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Unemployment Insurance ◽  
Insurance Fund ◽  
Taxi Drivers ◽  
Employment Conditions ◽  
Level 1 ◽  
Taxi Industry ◽  
Difficult Times

This article considers covid-19 and precarity in South Africa’s minibus taxi industry. Covid-19 and the resulting national lockdown interrupted the operations of the industry (like other businesses) in South Africa. During the lockdown (from level 5 to level 1), some taxi operators complained that the lockdown resulted in them losing profit. Taxi drivers also complained that they are making less money through taxi fares (noting that each day they give collected fares to taxi owners and keep some of the money for petrol). The labour inspectors of the Department of Employment and Labour (DOEL) continue to find it difficult to exercise their role of inspecting working conditions in the industry. Despite the fact that the DOEL issued a Sectoral Determination for the taxi industry (Basic Condition of Employment Act 95 of 1997, Sectoral Determination 11: Taxi Sector 2005), which specifies basic employment conditions, the industry is still predominantly informal and employees have no job protection. Taxi drivers remain exempt from job-related benefits such as the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), which makes it impossible for them to benefit during difficult times such as Covid-19 and unemployment. Therefore, the virus and the lockdown revealed further the precariousness of taxi drivers and the concerns around making profit by taxi owners.

scholarly journals The Influence of a Ventilation on the Level of Carbon Dioxide in a Classroom at a Higher University / Wpływ Wentylacji Na Poziom Ditlenku Węgla W Pomieszczeniu Uczelni Wyższej

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Cichowicz ◽  
Henryk Sabiniak ◽  
Grzegorz Wielgosińsk
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Ventilation System ◽  
Systems Design ◽  
Closed Area ◽  
Upper Limit ◽  
Ventilation Systems

Abstract Carbon dioxide can affect on human mood and working conditions in closed area. Knowledge about the level of air pollutants concentration in the room, should be a guideline to design a properly working ventilation system. For years carbon dioxide, appearing during human breathing, was not taken into consideration as a factor determining the process of ventilation systems design. At present the assessment of air quality in closed rooms is performed on the basis of measurement of concentration of carbon dioxide metabolically produced by humans that can be referred to the so-called hygienic minimum, eg the upper limit of CO2 concentration equal to 1000 ppm (0.1%).

scholarly journals Modelling and assimilation of lidar signals over Greater Paris during the MEGAPOLI summer campaign

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 27115-27161
Author(s):  
Y. Wang ◽  
K. N. Sartelet ◽  
M. Bocquet ◽  
P. Chazette
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Atmospheric Conditions ◽  
Chemistry Transport Model ◽  
Model Aerosol ◽  
Paris Area ◽  
The Vertical Distribution ◽  
Lidar Observations ◽  
Different Levels ◽  
New Algorithms

Abstract. In this study, we investigate the ability of the chemistry transport model (CTM) Polair3D of the air quality modelling platform Polyphemus of simulating lidar backscattered profiles from model aerosol concentration outputs. To do so, simulated lidar signals are compared to hourly lidar observations performed during the MEGAPOLI (Megacities: Emissions, urban, regional and Global Atmospheric POLlution and climate effects, and Integrated tools for assessment and mitigation) summer experiment in July 2009, where a ground-based mobile lidar was deployed around Paris on-board a van. The comparison is performed for six different measurement days, 1, 4, 16, 21, 26 and 29 July 2009, corresponding to different levels of pollution and different atmospheric conditions. Polyphemus correctly reproduces the vertical distribution of aerosol optical properties and their temporal variability. In the second part of this study, two new algorithms for assimilating lidar observations are presented. The aerosol simulations without and with lidar data assimilation are evaluated using the Airparif (a regional operational network in charge of air quality survey around the Paris area) database to demonstrate the feasibility and the usefulness of assimilating lidar profiles for aerosol forecasts.

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