Examining the potential of damage in threat zones around LPG storage sphere in Hassi R’Mel city, Algeria

Purpose This study aims to determine the maximum extent of damage in the threat zones, the result of a catastrophic failure in one liquefied petroleum gas storage sphere, located in storage and transfer center in Hassi R’Mel city, Algeria. Design/methodology/approach To reach the desired results, we relied on ALOHA® v. 5.4.7 software (Areal Locations of Hazardous Atmospheres) for accidents simulation, and on Google Earth as an output tool to show results on the city map. Findings The results prove that the city of Hassi R’Mel is almost completely threatened by thermal effects resulting from a boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion phenomenon, which can reach a distance of 3.9 km. Originality/value Determining the extent to which the damages resulting from an industrial accident may reach is of great importance in preventing industrial hazards, as well as in decision-making in the field of urbanization.

Appropriate Smart Factory : Demonstration of Applicability to Industrial Safety

As industrial safety increases, various industrial accident prevention technologies using smart factory technology are being studied. However, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which account for the majority of industrial accidents, are having difficulties in preventing industrial accidents by applying these smart factory technologies due to practical problems. In this study, customized monitoring and warning systems for each type of industrial accident were developed and applied to the actual field. Through this, we demonstrated industrial accident prevention technology through appropriate smart factory technology used by SMEs. A customized monitoring system using vision, current, temperature, and gas sensors was established for the four major disaster types: worker body access, short circuit and overcurrent, fire and burns due to high temperature, and emission of hazardous gas. In addition, a notification method suitable for each work environment was applied so that the monitored risk factors could be recognized quickly, and real-time data transmission and display enabled workers and managers to understand the disaster risk effectively. Through the application and demonstration of these appropriate smart factory technologies, the spread of these industrial safety technologies is to be discussed.

Suggestion of an Improved Evaluation Method of Construction Companies’ Industrial Accident Prevention Activities in South Korea

Workers in the construction industry are constantly exposed to dangers during work that can lead to death or disability. Despite recent advances in construction technology, the presence of these risks for workers has become an unresolved social problem. In particular, most companies often recognize that it is necessary to mitigate against risks posed to worker only after an accident has occurred. Recently, there has been an increasing demand for the development of new safety technologies and policy proposals to ensure the safety of workers during construction or work. However, the right solution is not coping after an accident but preventing it, and this must be accompanied by voluntary efforts by the company. To work toward such solutions, Korea is implementing an evaluation of construction companies’ industrial accident prevention activities without legal regulations or coercion to encourage voluntary accident prevention activities by companies. The purpose of this study is to propose an effective improvement direction for the system implemented by the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency. First, by analyzing the details of the system and the data of the evaluation results, the system’s effectiveness and rationality are reviewed, and steps for improvement are determined. Next, an evaluation model is proposed considering the size of the company to be evaluated and the level of safety and health, and its validity is verified through a survey of construction workers. Finally, a plan to induce the voluntary participation of construction companies in this system and the role of the supervisory authority are presented. This study is expected to serve as an important example of an effective safety policy model by encouraging companies’ voluntary efforts to prevent accidents in the construction industry and raise the level of potential safety and health awareness.

ANALYSIS OF PHYSIOLOGICAL SIGNALS ON THE WEARABLE ASSIST SUIT FOR REPETITIVE AGRICULTURAL TASK

Musculoskeletal disorders are the most common among farmers and farming constitutes the highest industrial accident rate. To prevent these, we developed a smart auxiliary workwear and investigated its effectiveness through human impact assessment experiments. In our method, the actuator of the waist elastic band was released when there was no need to directly adjust the length with the strength support of the waist, and the elastic band was held once the motion using the waist strength disappeared. To examine the performance, 15 workers were recruited; before the experiment, they were subjected to a basic fitness evaluation to examine their general characteristics. The lumbar peak torques before and after wearing the designed work clothes were measured using the Biodex System III to determine their lumbar assistance power, which was confirmed to have increased by approximately 17%. In addition, electromyographic comparison of the amount of muscle used before and after the wearing revealed that the muscle use was reduced by 26.41% and 19.38% after wearing the work clothes when the weight was lifted in the stooping and squatting postures, respectively. Based on these results, it can be stated that the proposed smart assistive work clothes could contribute to reduced muscle usage required for work and lessen related weariness by supporting the waist, and thus, would greatly help farmers in preventing musculoskeletal disorders.