scholarly journals Are super-long escalators safe? Lessons learned from the Langham Place escalator incident in Hong Kong

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-57
Author(s):  
A H W NGAN ◽  
K W SIU
Keyword(s):  
Safety Factor ◽  
Time Window ◽  
Fatigue Cracks ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Metal Fatigue ◽  
Sudden Failure ◽  
Drive Chain ◽  
The Common ◽  
The Government

Super-long escalators that are increasingly used in mega-cities take up a large number of passengers, and so their risk of sudden failure draws serious attention. As a case study, on 25 March 2017, an escalator with a 21 m elevation in Hong Kong’s Langham Place had its main drive chain suddenly snapped by metal fatigue, causing the escalator to reverse at an accelerating speed. A number of passengers were injured. In this paper, two issues will be discussed: (1) whether metal fatigue of the main drive chain can be detected with conventional protocols, and (2) what safety factor is needed to prevent metal fatigue. Analysis shows that initial fatigue cracks in escalator drive chains may not be easily detected with the commonly adopted maintenance protocol. Also, the time window from the emergence of clear signs of fatigue failure to the sudden snapping of the drive chain may be as short as weeks or even days, versus the common safety inspection intervals of six months. The safety factor to prevent metal fatigue of the drive chain should be at least 7, whereas lower values are currently allowed. It is suggested that the government should review the legal requirements to meet the recommended value.

The Duty to Consult and Accommodate Aboriginal Peoples: A Primer for Ontario Surveyors Working in Resources Development

GEOMATICA ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.W. Roger Townshend ◽  
Michael McClurg
Keyword(s):  
Resource Development ◽  
Aboriginal Peoples ◽  
Resource Extraction ◽  
Government Decision ◽  
The Common ◽  
The Government ◽  
Aboriginal Law ◽  
Natural Resource Development ◽  
Common Understanding

Aboriginal law has developed to require Aboriginal peoples to be “consulted and accommodated” if their rights may be impacted by a government decision, including a government permit or approval of a project of a private proponent. For example, hunting rights often exist throughout a First Nation’s treaty or traditional territory (i.e. far beyond the limits of reserves), and the duty to consult and accommodate can be triggered by mining and other resource development. Contrary to the common understanding of some of those unfamiliar with this area of law, this duty applies not only to activities undertaken under federal authorization, but also to those under provincial authorization. The Crown’s “duty to consult and accommodate” Aboriginal peoples has become a central theme in the discussion of natural resource development in Canada. In response to various decisions of Canadian courts, the Government of Ontario significantly overhauled its Mining Act in 2009 to provide for some consultation with Aboriginal communities. Those changes came in to effect in the spring of 2013. This paper will describe the constitutional duty to consult as it has been described and elaborated on by courts in Canada and some of the implications it has for resource extraction in Ontario. It will then undertake a case study discussing Ontario’s attempt to respond to its duty to consult by amending the Mining Act regime. Finally, the paper will consider the flaws in the Mining Act and the reasons that exploration companies and surveyors working for them should be prudent and pro-active when undertaking intrusive activities in the traditional territories of Aboriginal peoples.

scholarly journals Rooting out Poverty: People, Passion, and Place at Station 20 West

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 95-104
Author(s):  
Lisa Erickson ◽  
Isobel Findlay ◽  
Colleen Christopherson-Cote
Keyword(s):  
Inner City ◽  
Common Good ◽  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Community Knowledge ◽  
Campus Engagement ◽  
The Common Good ◽  
The Common ◽  
The Impact

This case study summarizes and discusses our project exploring the impact of co-location, connectedness, and community-campus collaboration in addressing the root causes of poverty and our efforts to build capacities in Saskatoon. The site of this study is Station 20 West, a community enterprise centre in the heart of Saskatoon’s inner city that opened in the fall of 2012 as a result of community knowledge, participation, and determination to act for the common good. We share our findings, lessons learned, and project team reflections which underscore the connectedness of poverty reduction and reconciliation, the importance of including those with lived and diverse experience in community-campus engagement (CCE), and the hallmarks of good CCE.

Lean Six Sigma competitiveness for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME): an action research in the Indian context

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shreeranga Bhat ◽  
E.V. Gijo ◽  
Anil Melwyn Rego ◽  
Vinayambika S. Bhat
Keyword(s):  
Success Factors ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Lean Six Sigma ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Novice Users ◽  
The Government ◽  
Medium Enterprises ◽  
Tools And Techniques

PurposeThe aim of the article is to ascertain the challenges, lessons learned and managerial implications in the deployment of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) competitiveness to micro, small and medium Enterprises (MSME) in India and to establish doctrines to strengthen the initiatives of the government.Design/methodology/approachThe research adopts the Action Research methodology to develop a case study, which is carried out in the printing industry in a Tier III city using the LSS DMAIC (Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control) approach. It utilizes LSS tools to deploy the strategy and to unearth the challenges and success factors in improving the printing process of a specific batch of a product.FindingsThe root cause for the critical to quality (CTQ) characteristic, turn-around-time (TAT) is determined and the solutions are deployed through the scientifically proven data-based approach. As a result of this study, the TAT reduced from an average of 1541.2–1303.36 min, which in turn, improved the sigma level from 0.55 to 2.96, a noteworthy triumph for this MSME. The company realizes an annual savings of USD 12,000 per year due to the success of this project. Top Management Leadership, Data-Based Validation, Technical Know-how and Industrial Engineering Knowledge Base are identified as critical success factors (CSFs), while profitability and on-time delivery are the key performance indicators (KPIs) for the MSME. Eventually, the lessons learned and implications indicate that LSS competitiveness can be treated as quality management standards (QMS) and quality tools and techniques (QTT) to ensure competitive advantage, sustainable green practices and growth.Research limitations/implicationsEven though the findings and recommendations of this research are based on a single case study, it is worth noting that the case study is executed in a Tier III city along with novice users of LSS tools and techniques. This indicates the applicability of LSS in MSME and thus, the modality adopted can be further refined to suit the socio-cultural aspects of India.Originality/valueThis article illustrates the deployment of LSS from the perspective of novice users, to assist MSME and policymakers to reinforce competitiveness through LSS. Moreover, the government can initiate a scheme in line with LSS competitiveness to complement the existing schemes based on the findings of the case study.

scholarly journals Indoor Air Quality in Naturally Ventilated Classrooms. Lessons Learned from a Case Study in a COVID-19 Scenario

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 8446
Author(s):  
Alberto Meiss ◽  
Héctor Jimeno-Merino ◽  
Irene Poza-Casado ◽  
Alfredo Llorente-Álvarez ◽  
Miguel Ángel Padilla-Marcos
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
The Public ◽  
Simple Protocol ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Ventilation Strategies ◽  
The Government

This paper describes the implementation of a series of ventilation strategies in a nursery and primary school from September 2020, when the government decided to resume the students’ face-to-face activity in the middle of a COVID scenario. Air quality and hygrothermal comfort conditions were analysed before the pandemic and compared for different ventilation configurations in a post-COVID scenario. Ventilation strategies included the protocols issued by the Public Administration, while others were developed based on the typological configuration and use of the school. Results revealed that it is advisable to implement certain strategies that reduce the risk of infection among the occupants of the spaces, without a significant decrease in hygrothermal comfort. Given the importance of maintaining better IAQ in the future within classrooms, and regarding the pre-COVID situation, these strategies may be extended beyond this pandemic period, through a simple protocol and necessary didactic package to be assumed by both teachers and students of the centre.

scholarly journals Numerical Games and Official's Achievements

2006 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 149
Author(s):  
Qingyu Ma
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Political System ◽  
County Level ◽  
Senior Leaders ◽  
Average Income ◽  
Common People ◽  
Local Officials ◽  
The Common ◽  
The Government

This case study describes the conditions under which some local Chinese officials may use annual statistics work to overstate their achievements in order to earn praise and promotions.Dan Jiangjou, a county-level city in Hubei province o China, reported that the average income of its villagers steadily increase since 1996. For this the county officials were praised and rewarded time and again. But behind this achievenet lies the plot o stretching the veracity of the numbers.This paper examines weaknesses in the system that have permitted the officials to falsely report the statistics: Agricultural statistics data is not derived from an independent agency; the measure of economic growth in the countryside is too closely tied to the measure of the achievement of the government officals; and the present political system is one of excessive centralization, keeping the professional future of the local officials under the control of the more senior leaders, as opposed to the common people who have elected them. These three factors have worked together to create a numbers game in Dan Jiangkou City. 

Public policy and operational alignment in light of public service retrenchment – lessons learned from Canada

2015 ◽  
Vol 83 (3) ◽  
pp. 443-462 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karine Levasseur ◽  
Andrea Rounce
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Public ◽  
Management Perspective ◽  
The Government ◽  
Government Of Canada ◽  
One Year

This article examines the Strategic and Operating Review (SOR) process used by the Government of Canada through a strategic management perspective. Initiated by the Harper government in the 2011 Budget as a one-year process, SOR is expected to secure savings of CDN$4 billion by 2014–15 from the CDN$80 billion operating budget of departments. Our article assesses to what degree the strategic operational cuts support the public policy priorities of the Harper government. Points for practitioners Using Canada as a case study to understand how budgetary cuts are handled, this article provides an opportunity to consider how policy makers align operational cuts with public policy priorities. While the budget cuts in this case study are operational in nature, they require direction from central government to support – not undermine – public policy priorities.

Soft and Hard Technologies in Technology Education

2015 ◽  
pp. 378-391
Author(s):  
Kin Wai Michael Siu ◽  
Yi Lin Wong
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Technology Education ◽  
Social Factors ◽  
Future Trend ◽  
Balanced Approach ◽  
Common Misconception ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Common ◽  
The Government

There is a common misconception that technology is limited to physical devices (i.e., hard technology). However, technology also includes soft technology, which is concerned with human and social factors. The emphasis on hard technology has prevented technology education from widening its scope and thus catering to the needs of a changing society. This chapter first briefly identifies the common definitions of soft and hard technologies. It then argues that technology education should emphasize both hard and soft technologies. Through a case study of Hong Kong, the chapter identifies the issues surrounding the inclusion of soft technology in the technology curriculum. The issues comprise the outdated perceptions of the government and schools with respect to technology, teachers' backgrounds, and students' abilities. The chapter then proposes recommendations and suggestions for resolving these issues. The future trend of an all-round and balanced approach toward hard and soft technology in technology education is discussed.

Soft and Hard Technologies in Technology Education

2014 ◽  
pp. 625-638
Author(s):  
Kin Wai Michael Siu ◽  
Yi Lin Wong
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Technology Education ◽  
Social Factors ◽  
Future Trend ◽  
Balanced Approach ◽  
Common Misconception ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Common ◽  
The Government

There is a common misconception that technology is limited to physical devices (i.e., hard technology). However, technology also includes soft technology, which is concerned with human and social factors. The emphasis on hard technology has prevented technology education from widening its scope and thus catering to the needs of a changing society. This chapter first briefly identifies the common definitions of soft and hard technologies. It then argues that technology education should emphasize both hard and soft technologies. Through a case study of Hong Kong, the chapter identifies the issues surrounding the inclusion of soft technology in the technology curriculum. The issues comprise the outdated perceptions of the government and schools with respect to technology, teachers' backgrounds, and students' abilities. The chapter then proposes recommendations and suggestions for resolving these issues. The future trend of an all-round and balanced approach toward hard and soft technology in technology education is discussed.

Implementing Infrastructure-Related Education Technology Solutions at the Government Primary and Secondary School Level

2013 ◽  
pp. 343-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camille Dickson-Deane ◽  
W. Andrew Deane
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Instructional Design ◽  
Change Management ◽  
Education System ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
School Level ◽  
Funding Agencies ◽  
Secondary School Level ◽  
The Government

Advances in technology and the increased competitiveness of the world’s economy have changed the landscape for developing countries. One of the primary steps many countries have taken to be competitive is to infuse technology into the education system, using funds provided by international funding agencies. This case study discusses the SITUP project, which uses technology to enhance a portion of the education system in a developing country. These enhancements include infusion of technology into the delivery systems, introducing skill-based efficiencies for educators and general infrastructure-related access. The case highlights the importance of team buy-in, clearly identifying change management and general reporting processes and, most importantly, including all stakeholders through each phase of the project. Vendor-related solutions, lack of instructional design methodologies, creating processes, and identifying appropriate risks are some of the challenges discussed. Lessons learned and recommendations for similar projects that occur within difficult economic and political climates are presented.

scholarly journals A Right to Vote: A Case Study in Nursing Advocacy for Public Policy Reform

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 64-72
Author(s):  
Abram Oudshoorn
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Voting Rights ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Policy Advocacy ◽  
Healthy Public Policy ◽  
Nursing Advocacy ◽  
The Government ◽  
Government Of Canada ◽  
Politically Active

In February 2014, the Government of Canada under Stephen Harper introduced the ‘Fair Elections Act’. This reform to the elections act removed provisions for access to voting for individuals lacking certain forms of identification. Noting that this would have a disproportionate impact on people experiencing homelessness, nursing advocates joined with other activists to try to prevent then subsequently overturn this legislation. The purpose of this paper is to explore the 93rd competency of the College of Nurses of Ontario, “Advocates and promotes healthy public policy and social justice,” by unpacking a case example of advocacy for voting rights. This paper addresses the challenges faced by nurses in doing public policy advocacy and concludes with lessons learned. Fulfilling our college mandated requirement to be politically active means ensuring that public policies are just, equitable, and reflective of the progressive values of Nursing.

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