scholarly journals Best Practices for the Finance Section function within the Incident Command System

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve Gosser ◽  
Robert Chambers ◽  
Kip Radigan
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Incident Type ◽  
Incident Command ◽  
Response Planning ◽  
Hands On ◽  
Energy Companies ◽  
Section Function

ABSTRACT Today most energy companies have very sophisticated Emergency Response plans and training, covering a multitude of incident scenarios, including but not limited to oil spills, plant explosions, and yes, even pandemics. However, regardless of incident type that preparation rarely extends to the Finance Section itself let alone up the Risk & Insurance ladder. Those missing pieces could mean that these same companies are also missing opportunities to spend less and save $$. This paper explores best practices concepts of mitigating overall incident response risks specifically with respect to ICS – Finance Section responsibilities. The information and data for Part 1 of this report has been collected through interviews, internet research, and many years of hands-on experience. Originally designed to be included in a single report a specifically designed industry survey, the completion of which was thwarted by the COVID pandemic, will be published at a later date as Part 2. Significant findings include the facts that oil spills seem to be increasingly and overwhelmingly expensive and that relatively few organizations seem to understand or analyze the potential for more favorable results that could be gained by a properly trained and functioning Finance Section. Based on these findings, the authors conclude that there are a number of low-cost measures that could be incorporated into response planning efforts to enable responsible party to realize cost savings.

scholarly journals Swift Water Oil Spill Response Techniques

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim Gunter ◽  
Ty Farrell
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Safety Management ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Organizational Structures ◽  
American Petroleum Institute ◽  
Hazard Identification ◽  
Incident Command ◽  
Oil Spill Response

ABSTRACT Swift water oil spill response (SWSR) has many different aspects that present more of a challenge than slow moving or static water oil spills. The American Petroleum Institute (API)/Association of Oil Pipelines (AOPL) Emergency Response Work Group's inland SWSR Guide will be a compilation of industry best practices describing initial spill response management and operational tactics in these uniquely challenging conditions. This paper will summarize the API Guide which focuses on the highest priorities of spill response including people, environment, and assets. The intended audience for this paper are responders that have baseline spill response knowledge. Operations managers will be able to use the API Guide to develop timely Incident Command System (ICS) 201 briefs, organizational structures, and Incident Action Plan (IAP) operational work assignments. Safety of responders will be emphasized, particularly site safety, and personal protective equipment (PPE). Site safety and job specific hazard identification best practices will inform responders, managers, and Incident Commanders of the important aspects of overall safety management. Site evaluation topics will cover the following areas: access, staging area, boat launches, shoreline composition, and wildlife considerations. Response strategies involving equipment for containment and recovery will be described for effective SWSR. Additional factors that must be considered include riverbed composition, current velocity, flow pattern, water depth, water course width, and obstructions. There is a limited amount of literature on the unique response techniques of SWSR developed by industry groups or governmental agencies.

scholarly journals Costs and Cost-Effectiveness of User-Testing of Health Professionals’ Guidelines to Reduce the Frequency of Intravenous Medicines Administration Errors by Nurses in the United Kingdom: A Probabilistic Model Based on Voriconazole Administration

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew D. Jones ◽  
Bryony Dean Franklin ◽  
D. K. Raynor ◽  
Howard Thom ◽  
Margaret C. Watson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Medication Error ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Credible Interval ◽  
Probability Of Detection ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Decision Analytic Model ◽  
Published Data ◽  
User Testing

Abstract Aim In the UK, injectable medicines are often prepared and administered by nurses following the Injectable Medicines Guide (IMG). Our earlier study confirmed a higher frequency of correct administration with user-tested versus standard IMG guidelines. This current study aimed to model the cost-effectiveness of user-testing. Methods The costs and cost-effectiveness of user-testing were explored by modifying an existing probabilistic decision-analytic model. The adapted model considered administration of intravenous voriconazole to hospital inpatients by nurses. It included 11 error types, their probability of detection and level of harm. Model inputs (including costs) were derived from our previous study and other published data. Monte Carlo simulation using 20,000 samples (sufficient for convergence) was performed with a 5-year time horizon from the perspective of the 121 NHS trusts and health boards that use the IMG. Sensitivity analyses were undertaken for the risk of a medication error and other sources of uncertainty. Results The net monetary benefit at £20,000/quality-adjusted life year was £3,190,064 (95% credible interval (CrI): −346,709 to 8,480,665), favouring user-testing with a 96% chance of cost-effectiveness. Incremental cost-savings were £240,943 (95% CrI 43,527–491,576), also favouring user-tested guidelines with a 99% chance of cost-saving. The total user testing cost was £6317 (95% CrI 6012–6627). These findings were robust to assumptions about a range of input parameters, but greater uncertainty was seen with a lower medication error risk. Conclusions User-testing of injectable medicines guidelines is a low-cost intervention that is highly likely to be cost-effective, especially for high-risk medicines.

scholarly journals Automated Residential Energy Audits Using a Smart WiFi Thermostat-Enabled Data Mining Approach

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 2500
Author(s):  
Abdulrahman Alanezi ◽  
Kevin P. Hallinan ◽  
Kefan Huang
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Model Development ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Measured Temperature ◽  
Single Family ◽  
Furnace Efficiency ◽  
Heating And Cooling ◽  
Data Mining Approach ◽  
Energy Auditing ◽  
Energy Audits

Smart WiFi thermostats, when they first reached the market, were touted as a means for achieving substantial heating and cooling energy cost savings. These savings did not materialize until additional features, such as geofencing, were added. Today, average savings from these thermostats of 10–12% in heating and 15% in cooling for a single-family residence have been reported. This research aims to demonstrate additional potential benefit of these thermostats, namely as a potential instrument for conducting virtual energy audits on residences. In this study, archived smart WiFi thermostat measured temperature data in the form of a power spectrum, corresponding historical weather and energy consumption data, building geometry characteristics, and occupancy data were integrated in order to train a machine learning model to predict attic and wall R-Values, furnace efficiency, and air conditioning seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER), all of which were known for all residences in this study. The developed model was validated on residences not used for model development. Validation R-squared values of 0.9408, 0.9421, 0.9536, and 0.9053 for predicting attic and wall R-values, furnace efficiency, and AC SEER, respectively, were realized. This research demonstrates promise for low-cost data-based energy auditing of residences reliant upon smart WiFi thermostats.

Fabrication of hydrophobic NiFe2O4@poly(DVB-LMA) sponge via Pickering emulsion template method for oil/water separation

Soft Matter ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caimei Zhao ◽  
Lei Chen ◽  
Chuanming Yu ◽  
Binghua Hu ◽  
Haoxuan Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spills ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Pickering Emulsion ◽  
Template Method ◽  
Water Separation ◽  
Environment Friendly ◽  
Oil Water Separation ◽  
Oil Water ◽  
Cost Efficient

Super-hydrophobic porous absorbent is a convenient, low-cost, efficient and environment-friendly material in the treatment of oil spills. In this work, a simple Pickering emulsion template method was employed to fabricate...

Otta Seals and Gravseals as Low-Cost Surfacing Alternatives for Low-Volume Roads: Experiences in South Africa

2003 ◽  
Vol 1819 (1) ◽  
pp. 338-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Oloo ◽  
Rob Lindsay ◽  
Sam Mothilal
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Low Volume Roads ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
Traffic Volumes ◽  
Low Volume ◽  
To Come

The geology of the northeastern part of the province of KwaZulu–Natal, South Africa, is predominantly alluvial with vast deposits of sands. Suitable gravel sources are hard to come by, which results in high graveling and regraveling costs brought about by long haul distances and accelerated gravel loss. Most gravel roads carry fewer than 500 vehicles per day of which less than 10% are heavy vehicles. The high cost of regraveling has led to consideration of upgrading such roads to surfaced standard, even though traffic volumes do not justify upgrading. Traditional chip seals are expensive and cannot be economically justified on roads that carry fewer than 500 vehicles per day. The KwaZulu–Natal Department of Transport is actively involved in efforts to identify cost-effective alternative surfacing products for low-volume roads. Field trials were conducted with Otta seals and Gravseals, which have been used successfully in other countries, as low-cost surfacing products for low-volume roads. The Otta seal is formed by placing graded aggregates on a relatively thick film of soft binder that, because of traffic and rolling, works its way through the aggregates. Gravseal consists of a special semipriming rubberized binder that is covered by a graded aggregate. Both Otta seals and Gravseals provide relatively flexible bituminous surfaces suitable for low-volume roads. Cost savings are derived mainly from the broad aggregate specifications, which allow for the use of marginal materials.

scholarly journals Semi-Active Magnetic Levitation System for Education

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 5330
Author(s):  
Gisela Pujol-Vázquez ◽  
Alessandro N. Vargas ◽  
Saleh Mobayen ◽  
Leonardo Acho
Keyword(s):  
Pid Control ◽  
Magnetic Levitation ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Control Scheme ◽  
Hands On ◽  
Levitation System ◽  
Magnetic Levitation System ◽  
And Control ◽  
Active Control Strategy ◽  
Cost Components

This paper describes how to construct a low-cost magnetic levitation system (MagLev). The MagLev has been intensively used in engineering education, allowing instructors and students to learn through hands-on experiences of essential concepts, such as electronics, electromagnetism, and control systems. Built from scratch, the MagLev depends only on simple, low-cost components readily available on the market. In addition to showing how to construct the MagLev, this paper presents a semi-active control strategy that seems novel when applied to the MagLev. Experiments performed in the laboratory provide comparisons of the proposed control scheme with the classical PID control. The corresponding real-time experiments illustrate both the effectiveness of the approach and the potential of the MagLev for education.

A Framework for Engineering Dissection Exercise Creation and Implementation

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen M. Hart ◽  
Steven B. Shooter ◽  
Charles J. Kim
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Reverse Engineering ◽  
Engineering Education ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Rigorous Approach ◽  
Engineering Activity ◽  
Hands On ◽  
Different Levels

Hands-on product dissection and reverse engineering exercises have been shown to have a positive impact on engineering education, and many universities have incorporated such exercises in their curriculum. The CIBER-U project seeks to examine the potential to utilize cyberinfrastructure to enhance these active-learning exercises. We have formulated a framework for product dissection and reverse engineering activity creation to support a more rigorous approach to assessing other exercises for satisfaction of the CIBER-U project goals and adapting the best practices. This framework is driven by the fulfillment of learning outcomes and considers the maturity of students at different levels. Prototype exercises developed with the framework are presented. The approach is sufficiently general that it can be applied to the consideration and adaption of other types of exercises while ensuring satisfaction of the established goals.

scholarly journals Textbook Alternative Incentive Programs at U.S. Universities: A Review of the Literature

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 105-123
Author(s):  
Ashley Lierman
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
The United States ◽  
Design Development ◽  
Impact Measurement ◽  
Grant Programs ◽  
Incentive Programs ◽  
Financial Investments ◽  
Faculty Time ◽  
The Cost

Objective – This article reviews current literature on incentive grant programs for textbook alternatives at universities and their libraries. Of particular interest in this review are common patterns and factors in the design, development, and implementation of these initiatives at the programmatic level, trends in the results of assessment of programs, and unique elements of certain institutions’ programs. Methods – The review was limited in scope to studies in scholarly and professional publications of textbook alternative incentive programs at universities within the United States of America, published within ten years prior to the investigation. A comprehensive literature search was conducted and then subjected to analysis for trends and patterns. Results – Studies of these types of programs have reported substantial total cost savings to affected students compared to the relatively small financial investments that are required to establish them. The majority of incentive programs were led by university libraries, although the most successful efforts appear to have been broadly collaborative in nature. Programs are well-regarded by students and faculty, with benefits to pedagogy and access to materials beyond the cost savings to students. The field of replacing textbooks with alternatives is still evolving, however, and the required investment of faculty time and effort is still a barrier, while inconsistent approaches to impact measurement make it difficult to compare programs or establish best practices. Conclusion – Overall, the literature shows evidence of significant benefits from incentive programs at a relatively low cost. Furthermore, these programs are opportunities to establish cross-campus partnerships and collaborations, and collaboration seems to be effective at helping to reduce barriers and increase impact. Further research is needed on similar programs at community colleges and at higher education institutions internationally.

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