Safety Programs (safety + program)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Prevention of dog bites: Evaluation of a brief educational intervention program for preschool children

JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 1 2003
Fiona Wilson
Dog bites are an underestimated societal problem. Victims suffer injuries, both physical and emotional, that sometimes end in death, and the economic cost to the community is high. The most frequent victims are children, many of whom are bitten at home. Current interventions, primarily aimed at the control of dogs in public areas, appear unlikely to reduce the incidence of dog bites within this group. In this study, parents' beliefs about their children's behavior around familiar and strange dogs were investigated using a questionnaire. The impact of a brief educational dog safety program on 192 kindergarten children (M = 4.68 years of age) was then evaluated. The questionnaire data revealed that many children engage in unsafe behaviors around dogs, and that parents are largely unaware of the dangers associated with such behaviors. The dog safety program resulted in a significant increase in the ability of children to identify high risk situations for up to 4 weeks, with the benefits being even greater in those children whose parents were also given information regarding safe behaviors around dogs. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]


The process safety guerrilla: Giving your company a future, even if it does not want one,,

PROCESS SAFETY PROGRESS, Issue 3 2010
Scott Berger
Abstract You understand well that a strong process safety program not only prevents incidents but also improves overall operational discipline, quality, efficiency, and profitability. Unfortunately, your management thinks that process safety is some kind of hippie environmentalist thing that will shave a few dollars off quarter-over-quarter growth. If only you could implement the kind of transformative program demonstrated by the Center for Chemical Process Safety founding companies and other industry leaders, unfortunately, you're not at a sufficient level to champion such a transition, and the people at that level are not even in the ballpark, never mind willing to step up to the plate. Some day, maybe soon, the plant will go up in flames, and along with it will go your 401(k) and the livelihoods of your family, friends, and neighbors. Now is the time for the downtrodden to rise up. How? By implementing the time-honed guerrilla strategies used throughout the generations by those who lack the power of position. These strategies include theft, gangs, subterfuge, sabotage, arson, assassination, official corruption, and others. Well, not really. But these "crimes" do suggest legal and effective ways of building a stronger process safety program from the bottom up. This article will summarize ways that clever and persistent "process safety guerillas" have precipitated positive change at their companies. © 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog 2010 [source]


Improving operating discipline through the successful implementation of a mandated behavior-based safety program

PROCESS SAFETY PROGRESS, Issue 3 2010
Bruce K. Vaughen
Abstract This article describes the improvement of a manufacturing site's safety performance that can be attributed, in part, to the successful implementation of a mandated behavior-based safety (BBS) program. As has been discussed in prior articles, improving operating discipline (improving the conduct of operations) will contribute to reducing process safety, health and environmental risks. The BBS program implementation, with its expectation that each employee complete and submit at least one safety observation a month, coincided with several other significant safety initiatives. These other initiatives required employee involvement from all levels of the organization, including implementing process safety management elements, implementing the site's "principles of operation," and performing daily job safety analyses. This article will describe how the site's BBS observation program has evolved over the last decade, how several human-related issues were overcome, and provides specific examples of some of the changes implemented as a result of the observations. In conclusion, this article shows how direct management involvement and support and increased personnel involvement has improved safety awareness, knowledge, and commitment to help reduce manufacturing risks. "You can observe a lot just by watching.",Yogi Berra © 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog, 2010 [source]


The use of the Pareto shape parameter as a leading indicator of process safety performance

PROCESS SAFETY PROGRESS, Issue 3 2009
Fred Henselwood
Abstract Metrics addressing process safety incident performance typically focus on frequency and severity statistics. Often, these lagging metrics are not overly sensitive to actual performance, making trending and forecasting difficult. This article presents the results from a statistical study of a large incident dataset where changes in the Pareto shape parameter were observed as a function of time. This approach has been found to give far better insight into process safety performance than traditional incident metrics and readily relates back to concepts such as the "incident triangle" and "layers of protection." Through the application of this approach, trends within process safety incident performance have been observed earlier, and more accurate forecasting has allowed for the identification of anomalies. In turn, these critical observations have allowed for the better structuring and targeting of process safety programs. Although incident data are generally considered as a lagging indicator, this approach has clearly reduced the lag time associated with this type of data and has given valuable insight into the current status of process safety performance. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog 2009 [source]


Positive association between ambient temperature and salmonellosis notifications in New Zealand, 1965,2006

AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Issue 2 2010
Emma Britton
Abstract Objective: To investigate the temporal relationship between the monthly count of salmonellosis notifications and the monthly average temperature in New Zealand during the period 1965,2006. Methods: A negative binomial regression model was used to analyse monthly average ambient temperature and salmonellosis notifications in New Zealand between 1965 and 2006. Results: A 1°C increase in monthly average ambient temperature was associated with a 15% increase in salmonellosis notifications within the same month (IRR 1.15; 95% CI 1.07 , 1.24). Conclusion: The positive association found in this study between temperature and salmonellosis notifications in New Zealand is consistent with the results of studies conducted in other countries. New Zealand is projected to experience an increase in temperature due to climate change. Therefore, all other things being equal, climate change could increase salmonellosis notifications in New Zealand. Implications: This association between temperature and salmonellosis should be considered when developing public health plans and climate change adaptation policies. Strategically, existing food safety programs to prevent salmonellosis could be intensified during warmer periods. As the association was strongest within the same month, focusing on improving food handling and storage during this time period may assist in climate change adaptation in New Zealand. [source]


Cars before Kids: Automobility and the Illusion of School Traffic Safety

CANADIAN REVIEW OF SOCIOLOGY/REVUE CANADIENNE DE SOCIOLOGIE, Issue 2 2010
SYLVIA PARUSEL
La sécurité routière constitue une question d'intérêt public très discutée, et ses pratiques fortement débattues exigent une analyse sociologique et l'attention systématique des politiques publiques. Dans cette étude, les auteurs analysent les programmes de sécurité routière dans les écoles primaires de Vancouver, en Colombie-Britannique. Ils illustrent comment de tels programmes supposent une politique de la responsabilité visant grandement les enfants et les parents pour en faire des personnes sécuritaires sur la route dans un environnement institutionnel qui ne fournit pourtant aux programmes qu'un soutien et des fonds sporadiques pour administrer les risques de la circulation. Alors que ce contexte de programmes de sécurité routière à l'école aide à maintenir une certaine « illusion de sécurité», elle ne remet pas fondamentalement en question la structure dominante actuelle de la mobilité et les problèmes qui y sont inhérents. Traffic safety is a contested public issue and highly negotiated practice that requires sociological analysis and systematic public policy attention. In our case study, we examine elementary school traffic safety programs in Vancouver, British Columbia. We illustrate how such programs assume a politics of responsibility that largely targets children and parents for traffic safekeeping within an institutional environment that gives programs only sporadic support and funding to manage traffic risks. While this context of school traffic safety programs helps to maintain an "illusion of safety," it does not challenge the current auto-dominant mobility structure and its inherent problems. [source]


3133: Planar patch-clamping in human corneal endothelial cells: a new tool for clinical application?

ACTA OPHTHALMOLOGICA, Issue 2010
S MERGLER
Purpose Identification of apoptotic or damaged human corneal endothelial cells (HCECs) is limited to morphological evaluation such as phase contrast microscopy and vital staining. The molecular mechanisms of corneal endothelial cell loss are not fully understood. Special investigations in cellular signalling and ion channel research are necessary to elucidate the mechanisms of corneal cell loss. In this context, it is known that this cell loss is often caused by apoptosis in oxidative stress. Methods Automated planar patch-clamp has become common in drug development and safety programs because it enables efficient and systematic testing of compounds against ion channels during voltage-clamp. A particularly successful automated approach is based on planar patch-clamp chips and this is the basis for the technology used here. Routine intracellular or extracellular perfusion opens possibilities for studying the regulation and pharmacology of ion channels. Previously, these studies were available only to highly skilled and dedicated experimenters. Results Notable, definite ion channel activities could be demonstrated by conventional as well as by planar patch-clamp in HCECs for the first time. In particular, temperature-sensing transient receptor potential (TRP)-like non-selective cation channel currents as well as capsaicin-sensitive ion channel currents could be detected. The expression of TRPV1-3 ion channels in HCEC could also be confirmed by RT-PCR, Western blot analysis and fluorescence cell imaging. Conclusion The administration of this novel measuring technology opens new perspectives in the investigation of the physiology of HCEC. The findings may have direct clinical implication (eye banking procedures, keratoplasty). [source]