Environmental Design Strategies for Building Egress

The events of September 2001, 2001, plus the events' technical and political aftermath have helped to identify an unfortunate lack of research into building evacuation. The relative dearth of research is ironic given evacuation's central role in mitigation for a range of emergencies and its prominence in environmental design requirements in building codes and standards. The field of human factors has much to offer, for example, in a philosophical or strategic focus on human-centered design as well in more-prosaic issues such as exit stair width and handrail provision. Much of the available research addresses fairly low-level ergonomic issues such as exit stair width in relation to egress capacity and the impact on evacuation time. in addition to more-sophisticated research into the relatively simple issues, ahead lies more-difficult research relating to strategic issues and the provision of information to building occupants in emergencies, occupants' situational awareness generally, and the many social interactions—in seldom-considered environmental contexts—that are at the heart of major evacuations of large buildings such as in the case of the World Trade Center.

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Wrestling with 9/11: Immigrant Perceptions and Perceptions of Immigrants

MIGRATION LETTERS ◽

10.33182/ml.v3i2.63 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 107-124 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Caroline Brettell

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Immigration Policy ◽

Asian Indians ◽

World Trade Center ◽

The United States ◽

Fort Worth ◽

Foreign Born ◽

Immigrant Populations ◽

Trade Center ◽

The Impact

Soon after 9/11 a research project to study new immigration into the Dallas Fort Worth metropolitan area got under way. In the questionnaire that was administered to 600 immigrants across five different immigrant populations (Asian Indians, Vietnamese, Mexicans, Salvadorans, and Nigerians) between 2003 and 2005 we decided to include a question about the impact of 9/11 on their lives. We asked: “How has the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 affected your position as an immigrant in the United States?” This article analyzes the responses to this question, looking at similarities and differences across different immigrant populations. It also addresses the broader issue of how 9/11 has affected both immigration policy and attitudes toward the foreign-born in the United States.

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Student Perspectives on the Impact of the World Trade Center Disaster: A Longitudinal Qualitative Study

Social Work Research ◽

10.1093/swr/31.2.121 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 31 (2) ◽

pp. 121-126 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

M. M. Matthieu ◽

K. Conroy ◽

S. Lewis ◽

A. Ivanoff ◽

E. R. Blackmore

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Study ◽

World Trade ◽

World Trade Center ◽

Student Perspectives ◽

World Trade Center Disaster ◽

The World ◽

Trade Center ◽

The Impact

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Assessing the Impact of Governmental Regulations on the IT Industry

Computer Security, Privacy and Politics ◽

10.4018/978-1-59904-804-8.ch003 ◽

2008 ◽

pp. 36-54 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Sushma Mishra ◽

Amita Goyal Chin

Keyword(s):

Institutional Theory ◽

World Trade ◽

World Trade Center ◽

Business Organizations ◽

September 11Th ◽

It Industry ◽

The World ◽

Institutional Forces ◽

Trade Center ◽

The Impact

Given the recent monumental events including the September 11th attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon as well as the Enron and MCI WorldCom debacles, people have witnessed, and more readily accepted, a significant increase in governmental authority, leading to a dramatic upsurge in the number of governmental regulations imposed on business organizations and society. Neo institutional theory suggests that such significant institutional forces may gravitate an otherwise highly disparate IT industry towards industry wide homogenization.

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Investigating the Impact of Healthcare Environmental Design on Staff Security: A Systematic Review

HERD Health Environments Research & Design Journal ◽

10.1177/1937586720921407 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 193758672092140

Author(s):

Soheyla MohammadiGorji ◽

Sheila J. Bosch ◽

Shabboo Valipoor ◽

Giuliano De Portu

Keyword(s):

Behavioral Health ◽

Physical Environment ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Environmental Design ◽

Health Facilities ◽

Design Strategies ◽

Ambient Conditions ◽

Environmental Interventions ◽

Healthcare Facilities ◽

The Impact

Objective: To systematically review the literature regarding the role of the physical environment in preventing or mitigating aggressive behavior toward healthcare professionals in acute care, outpatient, and psychiatric/behavioral health facilities. Background: Globally, the incidence of violence against healthcare professionals is alarming. Poor environmental design has been identified as a risk factor of violence toward employees. The design of the physical setting in which healthcare is provided may moderate the incidence and severity of violence against healthcare workers. Methods: We conducted electronic database searches of PubMed and CINAHL through November 2018. Result: Findings were organized according to four categories identified in the literature regarding crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) including natural surveillance, access control, territoriality, and other CPTED elements. Fifteen studies (published between 1991 and 2017) met the inclusion criteria. Of the 15 studies, 4 incorporated environmental interventions. In the 11 remaining studies, physical environment attributes (i.e., layout, location, ambient conditions, equipment) were among the factors affecting violent incidents and staff security. Most study settings were hospital-based (11, with 10 of those specifically focused on emergency departments), followed by behavioral health facilities (4 studies). Design-focused recommendations, such as providing a second door in a triage room and a sub-waiting area inside the treatment zone, were summarized according to CPTED categories. Conclusion: This review suggests that the physical environment in healthcare facilities may affect the incidence of violence by patients or visitors against staff. Further research is needed to identify environmental design strategies that may protect the safety of healthcare professionals.

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Post-traumatic stress disorder and the association with overweight, obesity, and weight change among individuals exposed to the World Trade Center disaster, 2003–2016

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291720001208 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Erin Takemoto ◽

Katherine R. Van Oss ◽

Shadi Chamany ◽

Jennifer Brite ◽

Robert Brackbill

Keyword(s):

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽

Traumatic Stress ◽

Weight Change ◽

Stress Disorder ◽

World Trade Center ◽

Post Traumatic Stress ◽

The World ◽

Trade Center ◽

Post Traumatic ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background Among Veterans, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been shown to be associated with obesity and accelerated weight gain. Less is known among the general population. We sought to determine the impact of PTSD on body mass index (BMI) and weight change among individuals with exposure to the World Trade Center (WTC) disaster. Methods We examined individuals from the WTC Health Registry. PTSD symptoms were assessed on multiple surveys (Waves 1–4) using the PTSD Checklist-Specific. Three categories of post-9/11 PTSD were derived: no, intermittent, and persistent. We examined two outcomes: (1) Wave 3 BMI (normal, overweight, and obese) and (2) weight change between Waves 3 and 4. We used multivariable logistic regression to assess the association between PTSD and BMI (N = 34 958) and generalized estimating equations to assess the impact of PTSD on weight change (N = 26 532). Sex- and age-stratified analyses were adjusted for a priori confounders. Results At Wave 3, the observed prevalence of obesity was highest among the persistent (39.5%) and intermittent PTSD (36.6%) groups, compared to the no PTSD group (29.3%). In adjusted models, persistent and intermittent PTSD were consistently associated with a higher odds of obesity. Weight gain was similar across all groups, but those with persistent and intermittent PTSD had higher estimated group-specific mean weights across time. Conclusions Our findings that those with a history of PTSD post-9/11 were more likely to have obesity is consistent with existing literature. These findings reaffirm the need for an interdisciplinary focus on physical and mental health to improve health outcomes.

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Adaptive FE-Meshfree-Modelling for Impacts of Liquid Filled Vessels on Thin Walled Structures

Applied Mechanics and Biomedical Technology ◽

10.1115/imece2003-55189 ◽

2003 ◽

Author(s):

Stefan Hiermaier ◽

Martin Sauer

Keyword(s):

Numerical Simulation ◽

Fluid Flow ◽

World Trade ◽

Fluid Dynamic ◽

World Trade Center ◽

Meshfree Methods ◽

Trade Center ◽

Thin Walled ◽

Break Up ◽

The Impact

A principal approach to simulate the airplane impact and the collapse of World Trade Center North Tower has been shown by Quan and Birnbaum [4]. Using the general purpose hydrocode AUTODYN the impact damage, fire induced strength reduction and progressive collapse were investigated. Both for the fuel propagation after tank break up and the thermodynamic burn processes assumptions have been taken. It is the aim of this paper to focus on the numerical aspects of simulating the fluid propagation after vessel break up. The release of a fluid out of a broken vessel after impact is not easily represented in a numerical simulation as the fluid flow and its interaction with structures can not be modelled using Lagrangian type element formulations. These elements, typically applied for structural analyses, fail under massive deformation and usually need then to be taken out of the simulation. Typical fluid dynamic discretization methods, so called Eulerian grids, would have to cover the whole space potentially being reached by the fluid flow and are therefore inefficient in a large three dimensional simulation. As an alternative method a coupled discretization using Lagrange elements and Lagrange type meshfree methods is proposed here. Meshfree methods have been introduced to structural dynamics more then ten years ago specifically to simulate processes including large deformation [1]. Originally developed as pure meshfree code, the EMI SOPHIA [3] provides now a new form of adaptivity that allows for more efficiency and accuracy. This is achieved by the use of finite elements as long as deformation is capable for the elements. At definable strain or failure thresholds any element can be transformed into one or more meshfree particles. This way, mass and volume of the original elements are conserved. As the particles interact with each other as well as with the remaining elements, all physical processes can be modelled continuously. The purpose of this study was to contribute to numerical simulation of the airplane impacts into the World Trade Center. It includes impact simulations of cylindrical vessels filled with water against thin walled rectangular shaped bars. It shows that coupled discretizations and specifically an adaptive FE-meshfree discretization offer the flexibility needed to gain both accuracy and efficiency in the simulation.

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Roadmap for the Protection of Disaster Research Participants: Findings from the World Trade Center Evacuation Study

Prehospital and Disaster Medicine ◽

10.1017/s1049023x00005306 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 22 (6) ◽

pp. 486-493 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Kristine A. Qureshi ◽

Robyn R.M. Gershon ◽

Elizabeth Smailes ◽

Victoria H. Raveis ◽

Bridgette Murphy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

World Trade ◽

World Trade Center ◽

Psychological Injury ◽

Emotional Trauma ◽

Disaster Research ◽

Research Participants ◽

The World ◽

Trade Center ◽

The Individual ◽

The Impact

AbstractIntroduction:This report addresses the development, implementation, and evaluation of a protocol designed to protect participants from inadvertent emotional harm or further emotional trauma due to their participation in the World Trade Center Evacuation (WTCE) Study research project. This project was designed to identify the individual, organizational, and structural (environmental) factors associated with evacuation from the World Trade Center Towers 1 and 2 on 11 September 2001.Methods:Following published recommended practices for protecting potentially vulnerable disaster research participants, protective strategies and quality assurance processes were implemented and evaluated, including an assessment of the impact of participation on study subjects enrolled in the qualitative phase of the WTCE Study.Results:The implementation of a protocol designed to protect disaster study participants from further emotional trauma was feasible and effective in minimizing risk and monitoring for psychological injury associated with study participation.Conclusions:Details about this successful strategy provide a roadmap that can be applied in other post-disaster research investigations.

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Transformations of Citizenship: The Case of Contemporary Europe

Government and Opposition ◽

10.1111/1477-7053.00110 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 37 (4) ◽

pp. 439-465 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Seyla Benhabib

Keyword(s):

National Security ◽

World Trade ◽

Geneva Convention ◽

World Trade Center ◽

Safe Haven ◽

The World ◽

The Status ◽

Trade Center ◽

The Many ◽

Second Twin

In The Mid-Morning Hours Of 11 September 2001, Shortly After the second Twin Tower of the World Trade Center had collapsed, amidst the fog surrounding us all – who, when, why – I heard a brief item of news on the radio. Canada had closed its airspace to all American planes still en route; since US airports were also closed for several hours on that day, these pilots would have no choice but to return to their destinations or to circle the airs in search of ‘safe haven’. This news was not repeated. Canada eventually did permit US airplanes to land and many transatlantic passengers found safety in Iceland's Reykjavik airport for a period of time, up to several days in some cases.This small incident is one among the many in recent years that have made increasingly transparent the fragility of the territorially bounded and state-centric international order. For a few brief hours, the passengers of the airplanes that could not obtain landing permission were like refugees without first admittance claims. The same logic that permits states to deny first admittance to certain refugees and asylees, and often contrary to the Geneva Convention on the Status of Refugees, was operative in this instance as well. Invoking national security concerns, the USA's closest neighbour could, even if briefly, follow the imperatives of sovereign statehood and close its airspace as well as landing privileges to passengers who had now become ‘refugees in orbit‘ in the heavens.

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Case Study on Evacuation Rates within the World Trade Center Towers on September 11, 2001

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting ◽

10.1177/154193120504901903 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 49 (19) ◽

pp. 1767-1770

Author(s):

Jeff D. Colwell ◽

Rajiv K. Mongia ◽

Ali Reza

Keyword(s):

World Trade ◽

World Trade Center ◽

Time History ◽

September 11 ◽

Building Evacuation ◽

The World ◽

Data Points ◽

The Media ◽

Accurate Position ◽

Trade Center

While movement of people in crowds and fire drills has been studied by numerous investigators, little data exist for real fire evacuations. This is largely due to the difficulty in establishing an accurate position-time history for the evacuees. The evacuation of the World Trade Center North and South Towers on September 11, 2001 was unique in that major, catastrophic events occurred at distinct times during the evacuation. In this paper, 14 evacuation case studies are presented in which the evacuee reported their position at these known points in time to the media. From this position-time history, the descent rate of these evacuees could be determined. These descent rates are not necessarily representative of the evacuation population in general, but they do provide some distinct data points which are of value to the fire protection and building evacuation community in assessing evacuation from high-rise buildings.

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