scholarly journals Thermal Condition and Air Quality Investigation in Commercial Airliner Cabins

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 7047
Author(s):  
Nu Yu ◽  
Yao Zhang ◽  
Mengya Zhang ◽  
Haifeng Li
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Thermal Environment ◽  
Thermal Conditions ◽  
Pressure Change ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Exposure Limit ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
The Us ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Co2

Cabin air quality and thermal conditions have a direct impact on passenger and flight crew’s health and comfort. In this study, in-cabin thermal environment and particulate matter (PM) exposures were investigated in four China domestic flights. The mean and standard deviation of the in-cabin carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations in two tested flights are 1440 ± 111 ppm. The measured maximum in-cabin carbon monoxide (CO) concentration is 1.2 ppm, which is under the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) permissible exposure limit of 10 ppm. The tested relative humidity ranges from 13.8% to 67.0% with an average of 31.7%. The cabin pressure change rates at the end of the climbing stages and the beginning of the descending stages are close to 10 hPa·min−1, which might induce the uncomfortable feeling of passengers and crew members. PM mass concentrations were measured on four flights. The results show that PM concentrations decreased after the aircraft cabin door closed and were affected by severe turbulences. The highest in-cabin PM concentrations were observed in the oldest aircraft with an age of 13.2 years, and the waiting phase in this aircraft generated the highest exposures.

scholarly journals Underground Mine Refuge Alternatives Heat Mitigation

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lincan Yan ◽  
David Yantek ◽  
Timothy Lutz ◽  
Jeffrey Yonkey ◽  
Justin Srednicki
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Thermal Conditions ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Mine Safety ◽  
Apparent Temperature ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Adverse Conditions ◽  
Air Supply ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Co2

Abstract In case of an emergency in an underground coal mine, miners who fail to escape from the mine can enter a refuge alternative (RA) for protection from adverse conditions, such as high carbon monoxide levels. One of the main concerns with the use of both portable and built-in-place (BIP) RAs, especially for hot or deep mines, is the interior temperature rise due to the occupants' metabolic heat and the heat released by devices such as the carbon dioxide (CO2) scrubbing system. The humidity within the RA will also increase through occupants' respiration and perspiration and from the chemical reaction within the CO2 scrubbing system. Heat and humidity buildup can subject the occupants to hazardous thermal conditions. To protect RA occupants, Mine Safety and Health Administration regulations mandate a maximum apparent temperature of 95 °F within an occupied RA. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) tested both an air-conditioned borehole air supply (BAS) and a cryogenic air supply for RAs in the NIOSH Experimental Mine in Bruceton, PA. The BAS was tested on a 60-person BIP RA, while the cryogenic air supply was tested on a 30-person BIP RA and a portable 23-person tent-type RA. Multiple tests were conducted with both air supplies to assess their ability to cool RAs. The test results show that the BAS and the cryogenic air supply were able to maintain the apparent temperature within the tested RAs under the 95 °F limit. The BAS and the cryogenic air supply are potential RA heat mitigation strategies that mines could use to prevent heat/humidity buildup within RAs.

scholarly journals COVID-19: US federal accountability for entry, spread, and inequities—lessons for the future

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (11) ◽  
pp. 995-1006 ◽  
Author(s):  
William P. Hanage ◽  
Christian Testa ◽  
Jarvis T. Chen ◽  
Letitia Davis ◽  
Elise Pechter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Safety ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Worldwide Population ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
The Us ◽  
Working Age ◽  
Community Transmission ◽  
Race Ethnicity ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe United States (US) has been among those nations most severely affected by the first—and subsequent—phases of the pandemic of COVID-19, the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2. With only 4% of the worldwide population, the US has seen about 22% of COVID-19 deaths. Despite formidable advantages in resources and expertise, presently the per capita mortality rate is over 585/million, respectively 2.4 and 5 times higher compared to Canada and Germany. As we enter Fall 2020, the US is enduring ongoing outbreaks across large regions of the country. Moreover, within the US, an early and persistent feature of the pandemic has been the disproportionate impact on populations already made vulnerable by racism and dangerous jobs, inadequate wages, and unaffordable housing, and this is true for both the headline public health threat and the additional disastrous economic impacts. In this article we assess the impact of missteps by the Federal Government in three specific areas: the introduction of the virus to the US and the establishment of community transmission; the lack of national COVID-19 workplace standards and enforcement, and lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) for workplaces as represented by complaints to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) which we find are correlated with deaths 16 days later (ρ = 0.83); and the total excess deaths in 2020 to date already total more than 230,000, while COVID-19 mortality rates exhibit severe—and rising—inequities in race/ethnicity, including among working age adults.

Interior Thermal Environment of a 6-Person Metal-Type Refuge Alternative (RA)

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lincan Yan ◽  
David Yantek ◽  
Mark Klein ◽  
Peter Bissert
Keyword(s):  
Air Temperature ◽  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Thermal Environment ◽  
Mine Safety ◽  
Apparent Temperature ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
Metal Type ◽  
Final Rule

In 2008, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) published a final rule on Refuge Alternatives (RAs) for Underground Coal Mines [1]. The rule states that RAs should be “capable of sustaining trapped miners for 96 hours” and that RAs “can also be used to facilitate escape by sustaining trapped miners until they receive communications regarding escape options.” One of the main concerns with the use of RAs is heat and humidity buildup inside of them. The accumulation of heat and humidity could result in miners suffering heat stress or even death. MSHA regulations require that the apparent temperature in an occupied RA must not exceed 95°F. To investigate the thermal issues for occupied RAs, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducted several tests on mobile RAs. In this paper, the test setup on a 6-person metal-type RA is described and the test results are presented. The test results show that the average measured air temperature within the RA increased by 9.0°C (16°F) and the relative humidity (RH) approached 91 %RH at the end of the 96-hour test. The test results were also compared to predictions from a thermal simulation model of the tested RA. The model predicted the average air temperature inside the RA at the end of 96 hours to within 0.4°C (0.8°F) of the average measured air temperature. Furthermore, two sets of test data with different heat inputs were used to cross-check the model validity.

scholarly journals Current understanding and future directions for an occupational infectious disease standard

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (9) ◽  
pp. 703-710
Author(s):  
Corey Boles ◽  
Justine Parker ◽  
Laura Hallett ◽  
John Henshaw
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
State Government ◽  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Occupational Safety And Health ◽  
Business Continuity ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Effective Strategies ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
The Us

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has demonstrated a need for an infectious disease standard that will promote a safe and healthy work environment and assure business continuity. The current pandemic has revealed gaps in workplace preparedness and employee protections to microbial exposures. Federal and state government agencies have responded by providing interim guidelines and stop-gap measures that continue to evolve and vary in approach and required controls. This interim and inconsistent approach has resulted in confusion on the part of businesses as they work toward reopening during the pandemic and uncertainty as to the efficacy of required or suggested controls. Moving forward, the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration, with guidance from the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, should establish consistent and effective strategies through a nationwide standard to address the potential microbial exposures in the workplace. Such a standard will require effective worker protections from infectious diseases and assure business continuity.

scholarly journals The Effect of Workplace Inspections on Worker Safety

ILR Review ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 72 (3) ◽  
pp. 718-748 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ling Li ◽  
Perry Singleton
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Worker Safety ◽  
Fuzzy Regression ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Specific Targeting ◽  
Safety Regulations ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
Baseline Case ◽  
The Us ◽  
Case Rate

The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) enforces safety regulations through workplace inspections. The authors estimate the effect of inspections on worker safety by exploiting a feature of OSHA’s Site-Specific Targeting plan. The program targeted establishments for inspection if their baseline case rate exceeded a cutoff. This approach generated a discontinuous increase in inspections, which the authors exploit for identification. Using the fuzzy regression discontinuity model, they find that inspections decrease the rate of cases that involve days away from work, job restrictions, and job transfers in the calendar year immediately after the inspection cycle. They find no effect for other case rates or in subsequent years. Effects are most evident in manufacturing and less evident in health services, the largest two-digit industries represented in the data.

Heat Mitigation for Underground Coal Mine Refuge Alternatives Using Cryogenic Air or Borehole Air Supplies

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lincan Yan ◽  
David Yantek ◽  
Timothy Lutz ◽  
Jeffrey Yonkey ◽  
Justin Srednicki
Keyword(s):  
Coal Mine ◽  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Thermal Conditions ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Mine Safety ◽  
Apparent Temperature ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Underground Coal Mine ◽  
Air Supply ◽  
Safety And Health

In case of an emergency in an underground coal mine, miners who fail to escape from the mine can enter a refuge alternative (RA) for protection from adverse conditions, such as high carbon monoxide levels. One of the main concerns with the use of both portable and built-in-place (BIP) RAs, especially for hot or deep mines, is the interior temperature rise due to the occupants’ metabolic heat and the heat released by devices such as the carbon dioxide (CO2) scrubbing system. The humidity within the RA will also increase through occupants’ respiration and perspiration, and from the chemical reaction within the CO2 scrubbing system. Heat and humidity buildup can subject the occupants to hazardous thermal conditions. To protect RA occupants, Mine Safety and Health Administration regulations mandate a maximum apparent temperature of 95°F within an occupied RA. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) tested both an air conditioned borehole air supply (BAS) and a cryogenic air supply for RAs in the NIOSH Experimental Mine in Bruceton, PA. The BAS was tested on a 60-person BIP RA, while the cryogenic air supply was tested on a 30-person BIP RA and a portable 23-person tent-type RA. Multiple tests were conducted with both air supplies to assess their ability to cool RAs. The test results show that the BAS and the cryogenic air supply were able to maintain the apparent temperature within the tested RAs under the 95°F limit. The BAS and the cryogenic air supply are potential RA heat mitigation strategies that mines could use to prevent heat/humidity buildup within RAs.

Evaluation of the Risk Reduction Effectiveness in OSHA’s Workplace Atmosphere Sampling Activities

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy M. Gernand
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Population Distribution ◽  
The United States ◽  
Industrial Sector ◽  
Occupational Safety And Health ◽  
Worker Safety ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Exposure Limit ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Safety And Health

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in the United States is responsible for the promulgation and enforcement of rules to protect and enhance worker safety in most medium and large commercial enterprises. To that end, the agency has collected and processed more than 240,000 atmospheric samples of chemicals and aerosols in a variety of workplaces in the past 30 years. Though the agency spends more than $500 million per year even in the face of increasing overall employment, there exist only targeted evaluations of OSHA sampling activity for specific issues like formaldehyde or silica in the published literature. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of this effort including assessment of the hazard potential distribution of sampled workplace atmospheres for all recorded pollutants over the time period from 1984 to 2011, the budgetary requirements of this activity over time in comparison to the assessed risk, and an evaluation of the probable effectiveness of such activity given changes in US industrial employment over that time period. The effectiveness of the sampling program is assessed according to specific criteria including the probability of detecting exceedances of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recommended exposure limit (REL) for individual pollutants, the trend in the overall hazard level of detected atmospheres, the coverage of industries by worker population, and the cost-efficiency of the program in identifying hazardous atmospheres. Special attention is given to lead, toluene, and various mineral- and metal-based particulate matter, which have all seen new rules implemented in the recent past. Findings show that the number of samples per employed person has decreased markedly since the beginning of the study period and become less aligned with the changes in population distribution among US regions, however the probability of detecting a hazardous level of a chemical or aerosol pollutant has increased. Extrapolations of this information and the associated changes in industrial sector employment indicate that US workplace atmospheres are marginally less hazardous at the end of the study period than they were at the beginning.

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