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1
Ahmed, Giuma A. A. "Development of a health safety and environment (HSE) performance review. Methodology for the oil and gas industry in Libya." Thesis, University of Bradford, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10454/12461.
Full textAbstract:
The oil and gas industry in Libya has suffered a number of health and safety accidents including environmental disasters due to the nature of the work involved and the hazardous materials it handles in all facets of exploration and production. Such issues have hitherto not received due attention by the Libyan Authorities. The fact that strict HSE assessment standards are neither well-defined nor established in Libya is not helpful. Furthermore, oil and gas industry in new free Libya has suffered immensely during the 2011 Arab Spring and its rebuilding poses a number of critical HSE challenges.
The purpose of the research is to develop and validate a HSE Performance Review Methodology for Libyan oil and gas industry based on clearly defined and measurable aspects for assessment. The thesis starts by performing a comprehensive literature review on all aspects of HSE including universal standards. The review indicates that there is a gap in respect of semi-qualitative methods for assessing HSE performance commensurate with other disciplines. The thesis then identifies four key research problems in the context of Libyan oil and gas industries. Based on these problems, an empirical research was conducted and included three distinct Stages.
Stage 1 consisted of a pilot study based on an interview questionnaire with 15 experienced HSE professionals working in oil and gas companies in Libya to help identify key issues pertaining to HSE assessment. Data analysis results for Stage 2 have been used to derive a list of 12 main groups of HSE questions which have then been tested on 84 HSE professionals working in Libya stemming from 35 medium and large oil and gas companies. Modal distribution analyses have been performed to scope down the number of HSE performance factors, which would then be used in Stage 3 of the empirical research. This consisted of issuing the same 84 interviewees with a questionnaire requesting their assessment of how Critical, Important and Less Important were the 60 factors identified. Central Tendency, Variation Ratios and Indices of Diversity were used to successfully analyse the data.
With the QAA Subject Review in mind as a potential model for the sought methodology, and a mapping of the four research problems with data analysis results from Stages 1, 2 and 3; six HSE Performance Review Aspects emerged: Prevention, Surveillance, Response, Achievements, Resource and HSE Management and Enhancement – judged and graded using a 1 to 4 scale.
The HSE Performance Review methodology has been validated by direct application to five comprehensive studies starting from the self-assessment document written by the companies, an extensive review visit by peer-assessors and a final report showing grades, benchmarks and shortcomings. Lessons learned from the validation exercise have been used to revise the definition of the six Aspects and used to propose an appropriate implementation plan in Libya. The results of the validation exercise are very encouraging and readily confirm that the methodology can be applied to other industry sectors.
2
Mobli, Nasim, and Pillamari Prasad Ramlubhai. "Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace : A study on Emotional Intelligence in Workers’ Occupational Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) in the workplace." Thesis, Jönköping University, Internationella Handelshögskolan, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-50384.
Full textAbstract:
Work-related accidents emerge from potential hazards that can cause different negative outcomes in different situations. Human errors are specific actions that can either directly (active errors) or indirectly (latent errors) cause an accident in the workplace. Nowadays in order to establish an applicable system in the way of maintenance and preferment of a work environment without any accidents that are trying to develop the HSE system. In fact, this management system has been using as a significant tool to control and improve the performance of health and safety and the environment in all development programs of industries and organizations. In this term, one of the important perspectives of HSE management is Emotional Intelligence which deals with the management’s ability and safety performance in the workplace. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between Emotional Intelligence and Occupational Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) management in the workplace, to reduce industrial incidents of human factors. Therefore, there is a requirement for a better understanding of how Emotional Intelligence factors influence health and safety performance in the workplace. A qualitative study has been done to achieve this purpose. In this case, data has been collected through eight semi-structured interviews with HSE managers and officers that participated from different industries around the world. The main focus of this collection data was extracting the perspectives of the individual’s views. Afterward, to create a theory, the data has been analyzed according to different steps for a grounded analysis regarding discovering how the Emotional Intelligence factors of employees impact their health and safety performance in the workplace. The results of this study have shown that there are mainly two areas to study which are key roles of Emotional Intelligence in safety performance and key roles for effective Healthy, Safety, and Environment management. It has shown that the key roles of Emotional Intelligence in safety performance is being able to manage your own and being able to deal with other’s emotions. Besides, key roles for effective Healthy, Safety, and Environment management only three factors have been important to improve the safety act which is being able to make the correct decision in the emergency situation’ and ability to prevent incidents at the workplace as well as the level of perception of risk. These results demonstrated that strong factors of Emotional Intelligence are vital to improve the health and safety performance at the workplace and the improvement of these abilities should be approached for the workplace.
3
Ahmed, Giuma Alarbi Abulgasem. "Development of a health safety and environment (HSE) performance review : methodology for the oil and gas industry in Libya." Thesis, University of Bradford, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10454/12461.
Full textAbstract:
The oil and gas industry in Libya has suffered a number of health and safety accidents including environmental disasters due to the nature of the work involved and the hazardous materials it handles in all facets of exploration and production. Such issues have hitherto not received due attention by the Libyan Authorities. The fact that strict HSE assessment standards are neither well-defined nor established in Libya is not helpful. Furthermore, oil and gas industry in new free Libya has suffered immensely during the 2011 Arab Spring and its rebuilding poses a number of critical HSE challenges. The purpose of the research is to develop and validate a HSE Performance Review Methodology for Libyan oil and gas industry based on clearly defined and measurable aspects for assessment. The thesis starts by performing a comprehensive literature review on all aspects of HSE including universal standards. The review indicates that there is a gap in respect of semi-qualitative methods for assessing HSE performance commensurate with other disciplines. The thesis then identifies four key research problems in the context of Libyan oil and gas industries. Based on these problems, an empirical research was conducted and included three distinct Stages. Stage 1 consisted of a pilot study based on an interview questionnaire with 15 experienced HSE professionals working in oil and gas companies in Libya to help identify key issues pertaining to HSE assessment. Data analysis results for Stage 2 have been used to derive a list of 12 main groups of HSE questions which have then been tested on 84 HSE professionals working in Libya stemming from 35 medium and large oil and gas companies. Modal distribution analyses have been performed to scope down the number of HSE performance factors, which would then be used in Stage 3 of the empirical research. This consisted of issuing the same 84 interviewees with a questionnaire requesting their assessment of how Critical, Important and Less Important were the 60 factors identified. Central Tendency, Variation Ratios and Indices of Diversity were used to successfully analyse the data. With the QAA Subject Review in mind as a potential model for the sought methodology, and a mapping of the four research problems with data analysis results from Stages 1, 2 and 3; six HSE Performance Review Aspects emerged: Prevention, Surveillance, Response, Achievements, Resource and HSE Management and Enhancement – judged and graded using a 1 to 4 scale. The HSE Performance Review methodology has been validated by direct application to five comprehensive studies starting from the self-assessment document written by the companies, an extensive review visit by peer-assessors and a final report showing grades, benchmarks and shortcomings. Lessons learned from the validation exercise have been used to revise the definition of the six Aspects and used to propose an appropriate implementation plan in Libya. The results of the validation exercise are very encouraging and readily confirm that the methodology can be applied to other industry sectors.
4
Hassan, Syed Ahmed. "Health, safety and environmental practices in the construction sector of Pakistan." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för geovetenskaper, 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-183327.
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Many south Asian countries are deficient in appropriate documentation, legislation and surveillance related to occupational health and safety (OHS). All these countries have high OHS incidence rate and labourers working in these countries are constantly exposed to occupational accidents and diseases. Although occupational accidents and work-related concerns have been in debate for a long time, no concrete moves have been taken, making situations worse and posing consistent coercions to an increasing labour force. The current research was carried out to examine the main hazards faced by construction workers in Pakistan and the response of health, safety and environment (HSE) department in plummeting these hazards and in certaining sustainability in construction companies in Pakistan. Workers working in the construction industry are incessantly bared to unsafe working conditions and have to confront several kind of hazards. This embraces exposure to sound, dust and toxic substances, issues of ergonomics, stress etc. This study employed a comprehensive fact-finding design. Data was harbored using interviews, academic articles and reports from international and national organisations. Employer, administration and labourers all lack knowledge about OHS issues in Pakistan. The majority of the labourers are unskilled, uninformed and unregistered. There are no native directives, which are coupled with both OHS and the construction industry. There is an absence of safety ethics, and neither reporting nor monitoring is conducted in the construction business. Companies see HSE issues as an economic burden which will eventually end up mounting production costs. Labourers don’t follow safety instructions; they don’t wear personal protective equipment (PPE), they reckon wearing this equipment would cause obstruction in their work and would influence their productivity. The use of PPE is essential in the construction activity, as it is considered as the last line of defence. All this has affected the construction industry tremendously collectively in terms of financial loss, human loss and image loss, and injury incidence rates have increased alarmingly. Implementation of sustainable development is a core responsibility of an HSE department. Dearth of HSE means lack of sustainability in the construction sector. Today, sustainability is an important aspect of development. It means that development should not only be economically feasable but also socially and environmentally viable both for current and future generations. There is much need to formulate new strict policy and laws or to amend old ones, laws which are effective and practical in promoting HSE and sustainability norms in the construction sector of Pakistan. The main hazards that are faced by construction workers are falling from height, lifting activity and electrocution. HSE departments play a chief role in minimizing worksite accidents and in promoting sustainable development in work settings. For ensuring sustainable practices on construction sites, HSE departments formulate integrated working policy, keeping in mind social, environmental and econmical aspects and considering inputs from all stakeholders. In addition, they look for innovative green technologies and green materials which are more environmental friendly, economical and require less energy.
5
Forbes, Vanessa J. "Structural system reliability framework for fixed offshore platforms." Thesis, University of Surrey, 2000. http://epubs.surrey.ac.uk/844459/.
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This research has arisen from recent changes in attitudes to offshore safety. To help demonstrate structural safety to the Health and Safety Executive, operators are increasingly using structural system reliability assessments. While significant developments have been achieved in this area, there are still a number of uncertainties associated with such assessments. Unresolved technical issues also introduce significant variability in the results. The aim of this project is to develop a framework for system reliability, which will set a basis for moving towards more consistent reliability assessments. An extensive review study was undertaken first to establish the state of the art in the area of structure system reliability analysis of offshore structures. Based on the findings of this study, a generic system reliability framework was developed which was then developed further for specific application to fixed offshore platforms. These initial studies identified some of the key technical issues that required further investigation. The subsequent offshore application and sensitivity study, using a representative fixed platform model, concentrated on these issues and in particular on the effects of foundation parameters on ultimate strength and their interaction with other key parameters in determining the resistance function. The effect of foundation parameters and different modelling methods on system strength and reliability of fixed offshore platforms, which has largely been neglected in the past, was also investigated. The response surface methodology was developed for system reliability assessment of offshore structures incorporating the effect of foundation reliability. The findings were then used to revise the framework and provide more comprehensive account of key steps in the process of system reliability assessment. Some guidelines on the application of the response surface technique to fixed platform assessment were developed. In addition, an initial screening tool was also proposed for assessing the level of complexity required for the resistance model of the reliability assessment. The presentation of the reliability framework provides a comprehensive account of the various steps, methods and decisions associated with system reliability analysis. The framework, which can be used in both the design and reassessment of structures, can provide a basis for moving towards more consistent reliability assessments. Recommendations on areas that require further research are also presented.
6
Martinez, Vazquez Elizabeth. "HSE-MS set up for a new organization in the Offshore Oil & Gas Industry." Master's thesis, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, 2018. http://amslaurea.unibo.it/16672/.
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The participation of a new Rosetti’s Nigerian subsidiary in a new business project for the most important Oil Company in Nigeria, requires the setting of a new HSE Management System (HSE-MS), which considers Nigerian legal requirements, different type of hazards, risks and opportunities as well to the employment of local personnel.
The purpose of this thesis is to identify, define and stablish the main requirements to consider in a new country when a new HSE-MS for an organization, which provides Engineering, Procurement and Construction services to the Offshore Oil & Gas Industry as Rosetti Marino Group, must to be implemented. This involves the identification of external and internal factors at specific conditions for understanding the context and needs of the HSE-MS organization to identify additional hazards and risks that under different conditions would be irrelevant or even not considered.
For that purpose, in this work are considered the International Standards ISO 45001 “Occupational health and safety management system” and ISO 14001 “Environmental management systems”, as well to IOGP Standards, contractual requirements and previously experience of Rosetti Marino in other countries in this field.
The set-up of the HSE-MS for three different countries (Kazakhstan, Mexico and Nigeria), will be compared to have a better understanding on how these internal and external factors could affect and change the planning and implementation of it.
In the case of Kazakhstan, it will be described the HSE-MS that is already implemented at Kazakhstan Caspian Offshore Industries LLP (KCOI), which is another Subsidiary of Rosetti’s Group. This to compare it with the ones to be implemented at Nigeria and the hypothetical case of Mexico.
7
Sirrs, Christopher. "Health and safety in the British regulatory state, 1961-2001 : the HSC, HSE and the management of occupational risk." Thesis, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (University of London), 2016. http://researchonline.lshtm.ac.uk/2572268/.
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This thesis engages with recent historical scholarship on occupational health and safety by analysing the conditions that shaped the development of British health and safety regulation between 1961 and 2001. Drawing upon a rich vein of archival material as well as oral history interviews, the thesis focuses on the role played by two regulatory bodies, the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) and Health and Safety Executive (HSE), in generating and enforcing this framework of laws and standards. The thesis illuminates two major historical trends. Firstly, it explores the gradual transformation of the British state in its role as health and safety regulator. Since 1974, the focus of British regulation has been to promote ‘self-regulation’ by employers and employees, and the thesis analyses the ways in which HSC/E has attempted to foster a ‘safety culture’ in British industry, in the context of social, political and economic pressures. Secondly, the thesis analyses the evolution of risk in health and safety regulation, from implicit assumptions and practices in policymaking and enforcement, to the formal demand for all employers to conduct written risk assessments. In so doing, the thesis reconciles various paradoxes. One such paradox is that while the role of the British state in regulating health and safety has ostensibly ‘rolled back’ (e.g. via deregulation), health and safety has in another sense ‘crept forward’, extending beyond the workplace to intervene in public safety and environmental issues. Another paradox is that while British health and safety legislation has been ostensibly ‘successful’ in reducing fatal workplace accidents, it has come under unprecedented public and political scrutiny in recent years. Examining the evolution of health and safety against an extensive theoretical background (e.g. the ‘risk society’), 16 the thesis explains how health and safety has become increasingly central to our work and public lives.
8
Alizadeh, Vahid. "Safety considerations for the choice of drilling mud in offshore operations." Master's thesis, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, 2020. http://amslaurea.unibo.it/20322/.
Full textAbstract:
Oil could be considered as one of the most noteworthy resources in the modern era. It does not only prescribe politics and relations among countries but also provide the raw material that moves a great number of other industries and generally the rest of the world. Oil is extracted from the earth by drilling wells, to reach the oil reservoirs. Drilling is the first and foremost aspect of a successful oil and gas producing procedure. This activity needs the use of a drilling fluid known as “mud”, which consists of complex mixtures of hydrocarbons. Specific detail and careful attention must be given to the safety and environmental parameters of this essential component for the drilling operation. In this thesis, a review and classification of main properties, exact components and safety factors of some commercial drilling muds are analyzed, aiming at choosing the appropriate drilling fluids according to safety, cost efficiency and environmental aspects.
9
Kennedy, Jean. "Food safety challenges in the domestic environment." Thesis, University of Ulster, 2005. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.422195.
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Mo, Yuen Kwan. "Deterministic ethernet in a safety critical environment." Thesis, University of Warwick, 2014. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/72807/.
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This thesis explores the concept of creating safety critical networks with low congestion and latency (known as critical networking) for real time critical communication (safety critical environment). Critical networking refers to the dynamic management of all the application demands in a network within all available network bandwidth, in order to avoid congestion. Critical networking removes traffic congestion and delay to provide quicker response times. A Deterministic Ethernet communication system in a Safety Critical environment addresses the disorderly Ethernet traffic condition inherent in all Ethernet networks. Safety Critical environment means both time critical (delay sensitive) and content critical (error free). Ethernet networks however do not operate in a deterministic fashion, giving rise to congestion. To discover the common traffic patterns that cause congestion a detailed analysis was carried out using neural network techniques. This analysis has investigated the issues associated with delay and congestion and identified their root cause, namely unknown transmission conditions. The congestion delay, and its removal, was explored in a simulated control environment in a small star network using the Air-field communication standard. A Deterministic Ethernet was created and implemented using a Network Traffic Oscillator (NTO). NTO uses Critical Networking principles to transform random burst application transmission impulses into deterministic sinusoid transmissions. It is proved that the NTO has the potential to remove congestion and minimise latency. Based on its potential, it is concluded that the proposed Deterministic Ethernet can be used to improve network security as well as control long haul communication.
11
Britton, Ashlie Rae. "Safety-Specific Person-Environment Fit: Relation with Safety Behaviors, Job Attitudes, and Strain." Bowling Green State University / OhioLINK, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1416214729.
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Crawley, Francis Kynoch. "Optimisation and modelling of offshore safety and environment." Thesis, University of Strathclyde, 2004. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.288601.
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Chikono, Nathan Nomore. "Leadership Practices that Improve the Workplace Safety Environment." Thesis, Walden University, 2017. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10259015.
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Inadequate leadership is the reason workplace accidents in the mining industry remain high, making the industry one of the most hazardous operational activities in the world. Unsafe leadership practices may result in death or injury to workers. A group of 30 mining company leaders from 3 gold mines in Zimbabwe revealed an exception to these hazardous practices, however, notable through their outstanding safety improvement records. To better understand what these practitioners were doing, this multicase study research design explored their strategies to improve the workplace safety environment in the mines. Data were collected using audio-recorded semistructured interviews and document analyses. Shewhart’s plan-do-check-act conceptual framework anchored the study. Data analysis followed the thematic data analytic approach involving classification, coding, and interpretation to identify common themes. The following themes emerged: planning and organizing, leading, and risk management. The findings indicate that the business leaders created a safe work environment by planning the work to be performed; how the task would be executed; and when, where, and who performed the task. The results of study also indicate that leaders designed the work environment, trained, empowered, and equipped employees with the relevant skills, and provided appropriate technology and personal protective equipment to improve workplace safety. Finally, the research findings indicate that leaders embedded risk management principles and practices in every process or activity, and continuously learned from each event to create a safe work environment. The findings promote social change by encouraging safe behavior and risk-based thinking and practices in the workforce and the community.
14
Loewen, Laura June. "Perceived safety from crime in the outdoor environment." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 1991. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/30830.
Full textAbstract:
Past research reports a number of environmental characteristics which can influence perceived safety in the outdoor public environment. Appleton's Prospect and Refuge Theory attempts to explain how the environment can affect people's feelings of perceived safety by its offering (or not) of the ability to see without being seen. According to Appleton, it is this ability which is the basis of all other activities and thus a place which offers a view and possible hiding places will be perceived to be attractive because it fulfils survival needs. The purpose of this research was to discover, first, which environmental characteristics people will name as being important when they are not prompted to consider any particular ones, and second, how those characteristics will affect feelings of perceived safety when presented visually and how they might interact with each other. Findings showed that subjects most often mentioned "light", "access to help", and "open space" as contributing to perceived safety in the outdoor environment. These three features can be seen to fit Prospect and Refuge Theory in that light and open space offer a good view and access to help offers unambiguous refuge. When tested in an experimental setting, the three features interact to create a number of possible environments some of which are considered to be safer than others: The situations which contained all three of the features (thus offered a balance of the values of each) were rated as being safer than situations which offered one or two of the features and compromised the other(s) and situations in which none of the three features was represented. Design implications and future research are discussed.Arts, Faculty of
Psychology, Department of
Graduate
15
Didla, Shama. "Influence of leadership and safety climate on employee safety compliance and citizenship behaviours." Thesis, Available from the University of Aberdeen Library and Historic Collections Digital Resources, 2008. http://digitool.abdn.ac.uk:80/webclient/DeliveryManager?application=DIGITOOL-3&owner=resourcediscovery&custom_att_2=simple_viewer&pid=25498.
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Side, Jonathan. "Offshore safety, environmental and fishery resource protection." Thesis, Heriot-Watt University, 1986. http://hdl.handle.net/10399/1073.
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Abdi, Yusuf Isse Muna. "Identifying Patient Safety and The Healthcare Environment in Puntland, Somalia." Thesis, KTH, Skolan för kemi, bioteknologi och hälsa (CBH), 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-232039.
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Independent on where in the world one is, patient safety is regarded as one of the most important aspects in the healthcare industry. On the contrary, depending on where you are, the patient safety will differ and is therefore location dependent. The patient safety in a developing country will therefore be evaluated in a different way compared to a developed country. This study, therefore aimed to identify the patient safety in Puntland, Somalia and with it, its healthcare environment in the hospitals. The goal was to identify the main factors that affected the patient safety. To investigate this, a field study to the region of interest was made and subsequently interviews with staff at the site were conducted as well as observations in the concerned hospitals. The obtained results were analysed using the method of Qualitative Content Analysis. At a later stage, the results could be thematized into four categories; “Need”, “Device”, “Training” and “Knowledge”, which pinpointed the main issues. The study show that there was a common transversal issue of a inherent lack of devices, training and knowledge which in turn could severely affect the patients and their safety in ways such as misdiagnosis, delayed treatment and in worst cases death. Furthermore, it was evident that rather than the lack of actual devices, the absence of knowledge was more prevalent.Oberoende på var än i världen man befinner sig, anses patientsäkerhet vara en av de viktigaste aspekterna i sjukvården. Å andra sidan, helt beroende på var man befinner sig kommer patientsäkerheten skilja sig och är därför lägesberoende. Patientsäkerheten i ett utvecklingsland kommer därför uppfattas på ett annat sätt i jämförelse med ett I-land. Denna studie syftar till att identifiera patientsäkerheten i Puntland, Somalia och med det dess vårdmiljö i sjukhusen. Målet var att identifiera huvudfaktorerna som påverkar patientsäkerheten. För att undersöka detta utfördes en fältstudie i den valda regionen Puntland, därefter gjordes intervjuer med personal på plats i sjukhusen och dessutom utfördes observationer. De erhållna resultaten analyserades med hjälp av metoden “Qualitative Content Analysis”. Vid ett senare skede tematiseras resultaten till fyra kategorier; “Behov”, “Apparat”, “Utbildning” och “Kunskap”, vilka visade på de huvudsakliga problemen. Studien visade slutligen på att det fanns ett gemensamt genomgående problem av brist på apparater, utbildning och kunskap, vilket i sin tur skulle kunna påverka patienter och deras säkerhet på sätt såsom feldiagnoser, försenad behandling och i värsta fall döden. Vidare fastställdes att snarare än bristen på apparater, var avsaknaden av kunskap mer påtaglig.
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Dong, Wenfang. "ATC constraints and modelling in global ATM environment." Thesis, Cranfield University, 2011. http://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/5637.
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The United Kingdom’s Civil Aviation Authority published the national aviation
forecast in 2008. The forecast predicts that domestic traffic will increase by
3.5% per year, and that international traffic will grow, on average, by 4.5%
during 2010-2020. Based on this prediction, the traffic density will increase
dramatically in the future, and airspace will be more and more congested.
Usually, there are two potential solutions to deal with this situation: improving
the ability of air traffic flow management is one solution; reducing the separation
minimum of aircraft is another solution. However, this thesis focuses on the
second solution, based on constraints of communication, navigation and
surveillance systems (CNS). Cont?d.
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True, Richard A. "Safety in the Educational Environment: Rural District Administrator Perceptions of School Safety in Northeast Tennessee Public Schools." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2020. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/3839.
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A qualitative research study was conducted to identify, describe, and understand the perceptions of administrators of public school districts in northeast Tennessee regarding school safety. Using a semi-structured interview process, the researcher identified emerging themes regarding the factors most associated with safe school districts, the factors most associated with unsafe school districts, the items identified as needed to improve safety, and the topics identified as future safety issues at the school and district level. Through such study, the researcher was able to develop an understanding regarding the overall safety of school districts in northeast Tennessee and the specific components that lead to the existence of safe school environments.
Public school administrators in northeast Tennessee have positive perceptions regarding the overall safety of school districts, indicate a high level of awareness and a climate of safety preparedness, and believe that safety has improved due to the presence of increased funding. They perceive the factors most associated with safe school districts are the presence of law enforcement in the school environment, adequate preparation and safety-related professional development, and adequate financial resources for safety-related measures. Factors associated with unsafe environments include inconsistent adherence to safety-related processes and procedures, lack of appropriate physical security and access control, and the age, design, and current condition of physical facilities. Administrators cite the need for additional training, professional development, and resources for safety improvements, as well as identifying increasing mental health concerns and technology security as the most pressing needs facing school districts.
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Farmer, Ruan Alexander. "Improving occupational health and safety in a petrochemical environment through culture change / R.A. Farmer." Thesis, North-West University, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10394/4444.
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In spite of the vast technological progress and improvement in the standard of
management systems within hazardous industries around the world, occupational
health and safety incidents and fatalities continue to devastate thousands of lives
each year.
Throughout the last decade, significant improvement has been achieved in the
reduction of health and safety incident rates across the South African petrochemical
environment. However, a persistent roller-coaster fatality rate still prevails. Recent
studies have shown that in order to conquer the relentless battle in realizing
sustainable world-class health and safety performance, an organisation has to move
beyond the traditional compliance orientated safety focus towards an interdependent
safety culture in which safety is ubiquitous and embedded in the hearts of all
employees.
The root causes of more and more occupational health and safety incidents are no
longer as a result of mechanical or systems failure, but instead originate from the
attitude, values and beliefs of management and employees with regard to the
significance of safety, also known as the safety culture. This has ignited a rising
interest in the concept of safety culture among organisations because of the positive
impact on occupational health and safety in reducing the potential for fatalities,
injuries and workplace incidents.
Hence the primary objective of this study is to determine the maturity of the current
safety culture in the South African petrochemical environment by identifying
particular culture shortfalls which could lead to hesitant progress towards the desired
interdependent state. In order to reach this objective, three secondary objectives
have also been set. Firstly, an understanding of the concept of organisational culture
and safety culture is crucial. In simple terms, organisational culture can be described
as the shared values, assumptions and beliefs in an organisation that ultimately
direct employee behaviour. Organisational culture is characterised by three layers
known as artefacts, espoused values and basic assumptions. These layers represent the manifestation of the organisational culture and vary in terms of outward
visibility and resistance to change. Understanding and analysing these layers
provide the reasons why employees behave in certain ways. Safety culture is a subset
of organisational culture; in other words, it is the manifestation of the
organisation?s attitude, values and commitment in regard to the importance of health
and safety. Companies which have developed effective safety cultures have
demonstrated unequivocal results in closing the elusive health and safety
performance gap.
Secondly, the fundamental components conducive of an effective safety culture were
explored. These components include management and employee commitment to
health and safety, accountability and involvement, communication and trust, risk
awareness and compliance, competency and learning and finally recognition. Most
of the components can be assigned to the artefact level or a combination of the level
of artefacts and espoused values with only a small number more appropriately
associated with the level of basic assumptions. The effectiveness within each of
these areas ultimately dictates the nature of the safety culture and the success in
preventing health and safety incidents.
The focus of the last secondary objective was to determine the development stages
leading to an effective safety culture known as an interdependent safety culture.
Each of these stages represents the degree of maturity of the attitudes and
commitment of management and employees in relation to the ongoing health and
safety improvement in the organisation. The DuPont model suggests that in a
reactive safety culture, safety is merely a natural instinct with no real perceived value
for the individual or organisation. Moving towards a dependent safety culture,
employees start to value safety but only so they do not get caught. The next stage
called an independent safety culture is characterised by self preservation. In this
stage, the mindset of employees changed towards an attitude of ?I do things safe so
I do not get hurt?. In the final stage known as interdependent safety culture,
employees embrace safety as a personal virtue not only for their own safety but also
in contribution to the safety of their peers. In such a culture it is employees? desire to
do things safely so that no-one gets hurt. An empirical study was conducted through a quantitative research approach in the
form of a safety climate questionnaire. The target population consisted of first-line
managers and non-managerial personnel within the production; maintenance;
laboratory; technical, and the safety, health and environment departments in a
petrochemical organisation.
In light of the results emanating from the empirical study it can be concluded that an
overall positive perception was observed towards the selected safety culture
components indicative through the mean response scores above the neutral scale of
3. Older and more experienced employees demonstrated a more positive response
to the safety compared to younger employees. However, several distinctive safety
culture shortcomings were also identified. In the current safety culture, health and
safety is sometimes overlooked due to productivity or cost implications. Employees
tend to withhold safety related information to themselves as a culture of guilt prevails
and mere compliance to safety standards is considered adequate. Solutions to
health and safety problems are most of a short-term nature and do not address the
root cause.
It therefore provides evidence that the organisation under evaluation has not yet
reached the desired safety culture maturity stage of interdependence. Although the
study population is limited to a single organisation, the shortfalls identified could
relate to the larger petrochemical environment and thus could explain the recent
fluctuating health and safety performance. This assumption, however, can only be
validated through further research within a much greater sample size inclusive of
more than one organisation in the petrochemical environment.
It is thus clear that the existing safety culture within the petrochemical organisation
could lead to potential health and safety incidents if the shortcomings are not
appropriately addressed.Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.
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Noonan, Daniel Richard. "Security through Design in the Public Environment." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/51592.
Full textAbstract:
The following thesis project is an investigation in the topic of security through design.
The study sought a site and program susceptible to attack in the public environment in
order to design an appropriate response to the inherent tension from those attributes. The
work represents an architectural reaction to the engineered assessments and solutions
that permeate the post 9/11 world. The seemingly indiscriminate deployment of bollards,
planters, and jersey barriers choke the representation of openness and freedom as well as
the perception of safety from contemporary cities and buildings.
My personal design approach attempts to re-present a constraint through the experience
of a user to celebrate the inherent potential of that perceived limitation. The presented
solution has embraced security and other "limiting" considerations in the dialogue of
design beyond base utilitarian functions. Acknowledging "security through design"
solutions in this context requires consideration of various building archetypes and
particular sites as independent design variables. The vehicle for this research was found
as an institute to counter terrorism located in the Washington D.C. region.Master of Architecture
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Birkbeck, David. "Investigating the relationship between LMX, safety climate and the components of safety performance in a high accident environment." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2010. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/investigating-the-relationship-between-lmx-safety-climate-and-the-components-of-safety-performance-in-a-high-accident-environment(e0dacaa6-21b4-4171-b388-9e542146ac4f).html.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis presents two distinct, but linked, studies. Study 1 contrasted interactive [group] brainstorming against its nominal [individual] counterpart. Previous research has pointed to the productivity advantages of nominal brainstorming in terms of idea production rate [ideation], leading theorists to predict 'the end of interactive brainstorming'. Yet interactive brainstorming has remained the most popular means of ideation within organizations. Central to this research is the thesis that previous studies (a) failed to follow the instructions of the concept originator, Osborn (1953) and (b) used samples and conditions that were not representative of the organizations using brainstorming. Using a total of 10 groups sourced from a UK construction company, participants were asked to brainstorm ideas to improve organizational safety performance. Data produced indicated an equal average number of ideas generated, 30 for interactive, 30.2 for nominal, and an equal number of themes generated, 6.6 for interactive, 6.6 for nominal. Along with ideas and themes, post session group cohesion and process satisfaction levels were measured. Results indicated significantly higher levels of cohesion (t (73.75)=2.35, P<.05) and satisfaction (t (71.07)=4.74, P<.001) for the interactive condition over its nominal counterpart. Implications for research in this area are discussed.Study 2 consisted of two strands of research. The utility of interactive brainstorming, demonstrated in Study 1, highlighted its potential as a means of improving participation in safety. This formed the first area of research. The second area of research concerned the design and analysis of a working model in which Leader Member Exchange (LMX) and safety climate were identified as antecedents, compliance and participation as components and self report near miss/accident involvement as outcomes of safety performance. This model, and the potential utility of brainstorming as a means of improving participation, was tested using a longitudinal methodology. Study participants, sourced from the Refuse Collections division of a UK Local Authority, were asked to complete a questionnaire. LMX was measured using Graen and Uhl-Bien's (1995) LMX-7 scale, safety climate using Glendon and Litherland's (2001) questionnaire whilst measures of compliance and participant were sourced from Neal and Griffin (2006). This produced 101 respondents. Following this, brainstorming sessions were conducted with employees to produce safety improvement ideas. Questionnaires were redistributed seven months later and produced 104 respondents. Results indicated no improvement in participation over the period allocated, however, the measures of antecedents, components and outcomes of safety performance produced a number of significant findings. LMX was found to exhibit a direct relationship with accident involvement, however, analysis revealed the fluctuating mediating roles of compliance and participation in this relationship. Safety climate was found to moderate the relationship between LMX, compliance and participation. Although high levels of safety climate corresponded to higher levels of compliance and participation, LMX was seen to improve compliance and participation only in low climate environments, with this relationship reverse in positive safety climates. This finding is contrary to similar research in this area and the implications for future theory are discussed.
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Mueller, Jessica Anne. "Safety evaluation of a medic's work environment during rural emergency response." Thesis, Montana State University, 2011. http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/2011/mueller/MuellerJ0511.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of emergency medical service working conditions, and to develop recommendations to aid in minimizing harmful actions and behaviors inherent in EMS work. The naturalistic data collected in this study allowed researchers to perform analysis in a rural emergency driving environment to identify contributing factors to attending medic behavior, severity of biomechanical forces experienced in the driver and patient compartment, and an evaluation of emergency medical response safety culture. Based upon research findings, the project includes development of a series of environmental, ergonomic, policy, or training recommendations to mitigate circumstances that cause potentially unsafe operations in the driver's and patient's compartment of the ambulance. This study used naturalistic data and video, survey responses, focus groups, and agency patient care records to analyze the rural medics' working environment during emergency patient transportation. Accelerometer data was analyzed for 102 separate emergency transports to provide descriptive statistics relevant to whole-body vibration experienced by the medics during patient care. Five years of patient care records were analyzed to identify specific patient illnesses and medical procedures associated with traveling in emergency response mode. Restraint compliance rates were collected for both self-reported (21.5% restrained) and observed (2.6% restrained) data collection methods. Focus groups identified factors influencing medics' choice to be unrestrained, characterized by a reduced ability to provide patient care, the belief that restraint devices will cause harm to the medics, and the belief that the restraint devices are ineffective in a crash situation. Finally, reach analysis was conducted to highlight the procedures and equipment retrieval which require the medics to assume positions resulting in awkward and unstable postures during transport. The results of this study will add to the growing body of knowledge surrounding the behaviors of EMS workers in a real work setting, will aid in understanding the complexities of EMS safety culture, and can be applied toward different aspects of EMS work such as driver or medic training.
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Addy, Naa Adoley. "Aviation : the new order (deregulation, the environment, health, safety and security." Thesis, McGill University, 2002. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=32791.
Full textAbstract:
Various aspects of the airline industry will have to be considered. In determining what the way forward should be, the very essence of airline transport must be laid bare. The industry will have to be classified, does it qualify as a global public good, or is it a mixed public/private commodity? What are the ill effects that this good has yielded as its by products? The aviation industry as a branch of global transportation will be examined in order to classify it. Methods of managing public goods effectively will be briefly considered. Following this will be an analysis of aviation development, the events preceding and following deregulation, the most significant player in the aviation world. Various perspectives and forms of regulation will be considered. References will be made to strict government regulation, deregulation and self regulation. This will lead to a consideration of other matters pertinent to the aviation industry e.g. health, safety, security, environmental aspects and how these should be managed. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
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John, Godfaurd A. "A virtual environment for safety-integrated site layout design and organisation." Thesis, Teesside University, 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.410910.
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De, Vries ID, and SR Kockott. "Towards a risk assessment model for the road traffic environment." Southern African Journal of Criminology, 2010. http://encore.tut.ac.za/iii/cpro/DigitalItemViewPage.external?sp=1001169.
Full textAbstract:
After World War II, which lasted from 1939 to 1945, the economies of many countries worldwide
experienced a boom period. Many people were able to buy private motor vehicles. A
consequence of this, however, was that the number of road traffic accidents in these countries
has also increased dramatically. From reports over decades it became clear that traffic safety
programs that were implemented did not have the desired effect. To evaluate success, countries
normally used accident rates or indices based on mathematical formulas. Rates and indices were
and are still used to compare accident situations among countries – normally on an annual
basis. It seems that motorised countries try to determine a “winner” by recording the lowest
accident rates and indices in a specific year. The approaches followed are uncoordinated. In
addition to trend analysis, the municipal police managers or road transport and traffic safety
fraternity authorities in the various countries could also focus on risk analysis. Risk analysis is
used in the industry with its many role players and security and safety can be promoted through
this approach in a more scientific manner. Although risks are normally formulated in terms of
probability theory, a Risk Score Value model could be of further benefit to road traffic
managers. The Risk Score Value could be used to assist authorities to conduct cost effectiveness
studies and to prioritize and optimise countermeasures in a holistic integrated manner with a
view to reduce road operation risks to an acceptable level.
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Sears, R. W. "Business jet safety and accident study." Thesis, Cranfield University, 2013. http://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/8567.
Full textAbstract:
As world transport has grown in complexity, so has public pressure for safe
flight. The scheduled airline industry has a consistently good safety record.
Unfortunately, the business jet industry has not kept pace with the airline safety
statistics and lags far behind. During safety surveys and reports over the past 5
years there has been increasing comment and concern over the perceived
safety standards of business jets operations compared with normal scheduled
airline services. The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has reported that based
on flight hours flown, the fatal accident rate for smaller jet aircraft below 15
tonnes was twice that for large passenger aircraft (CAA 2006a). The CAA also
identified that the majority of the accidents occur during the approach and
landing phase of the flight.
There is however, a lack of research concerning business jet operations. Due to
the unique and varied style of operations, business jet flights have many factors
that differentiate it from normal scheduled airline operations. Business jet
accidents have been reported but they have not been further investigated for
any overall causes. The study described in this thesis, a Grounded Theory
analysis of accident data was conducted to develop a model of the factors that
contributed to the accidents. The model that was developed demonstrated that
Pilot skills, Command and Crew Resource management are the key central
elements, with the ground organisations such as engineering and ground
operations personnel as a contributory influence.
As piloting skills were determined as a key factor in the accident statistics and
the accident model, a simulator trial was also conducted to assess the manual
flying skill levels of business jet pilots. The trial was both a challenging manual
flying task and a profile that is included as part of the Pilot Skill test prior to the
issue of a commercial pilot’s licence. The simulator trial confirmed that although
all the pilots were correctly tested and certified commercial pilots, a significant
proportion did not fly an accurate airspeed on approach within the CAA
examination tolerances.
The simulator trial data and the grounded theory model found that there are
concerns for the piloting skills of business jet pilots in their ability to fly an
accurate airspeed on approach.
The results from this investigation yield findings concerning the piloting skill and
accuracy of the business jet pilots that had not previously been identified. The
results also emphasise the need to include adequate testing and supervision
during business jet operations. It is recommended that further research be
conducted to evaluate actual piloting skill and accuracy during the licence skill
test.
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Weatherford, Barbara H. "Patient Safety: A Multi-Climate Approach to the Nursing Work Environment: A Dissertation." eScholarship@UMMS, 2011. https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/gsn_diss/20.
Full textAbstract:
The purpose of this study was to explore Zohar’s Multi-Climate Framework for Occupational Safety to determine the effects of staff nurse perceptions of safety priorities in their organization (safety climate) and their work ownership climate (Magnet Hospital designation) on safety citizenship behaviors viewed as in role or extra role. Safety citizenship behaviors are described as behaviors that go beyond the job description to ensure safety. Participants from a convenience sample of three Magnet designated community hospitals in New England completed three scales (Zohar’s Safety Climate Questionnaire, Essentials of Magnetism II and the Safety Citizenship Role Definitions Scale) representing the study variables via an online survey platform. Multivariate analysis of covariance informed the results. Findings include a positive unadjusted relationship between safety climate and work ownership climate (rs=.492, pF (1, 86) = 8.4, p=.005, N=92), controlling for work ownership climate and hospital. Implications include support for a continued focus on better understanding the importance of a positive nursing work environment, a characteristic shared by Magnet designated hospitals, on the presence of safety citizenship behaviors in the acute care environment. A professional work environment should be considered as an important factor in reducing errors in the acute care setting.
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Anderson, Helene M. "Effective Communication and Teamwork Improve Patient Safety." ScholarWorks, 2017. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/4196.
Full textAbstract:
Work environment influences the effectiveness of care for patients in any healthcare setting. It is even more important in settings such as the neonatal ICU (NICU) where this project took place. When the environment is not healthy, communication may suffer and result in poor patient outcomes and, family, patient, and staff dissatisfaction. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to understand how the implementation of the TeamSTEPPS program, for nurses in the NICU, could impact the safety culture as measured by the AACN Healthy Work Environment (HWE) tool. Lewin's professional practice change theory and the AHRQ change model were used to guide the project. The previously validated HWE survey, made up of 6 standards including communication, and leadership was provided to 71 NICU nurses with only 41 completing the baseline survey and 4 weeks later, 31 completing the post intervention survey after the TeamSTEPPS training. An independent t test was used to examine baseline and post TeamSTEPPS intervention HWE results against the HWE benchmark. Results indicated that post intervention scores met the benchmark although scores did not meet the benchmark prior to the intervention. Data were also analyzed with a paired t test to determine the significance of the improvement in the pre to post intervention results. Three of the 6 HWE standards, skilled communication (p = .004), adequate staffing (p = .002), and authentic leadership (p < .001) reached significant levels post TeamSTEPPS training compared to the pre TeamSTEPPS scores. Through the use of TeamSTEPPS training communication improved and the potential for improvement in patient safety promotes positive social change.
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Ford, Michael Thomas. "Implications of psychological distance for the structure and motivation of safety at work." Fairfax, VA : George Mason University, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/1920/3222.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (Ph.D.)--George Mason University, 2008.Vita: p. 123. Thesis director: Lois E. Tetrick. Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology. Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Aug. 28, 2008). Includes bibliographical references (p. 114-122). Also issued in print.
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Augustsson, Svante. "Human and Robot Interaction basedon safety zones in a shared work environment." Thesis, Högskolan Väst, Avd för automation och datateknik, 2013. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hv:diva-5606.
Full textAbstract:
The work explores the possibility to increase the automation along a production line by introducing robots without reducing the safety of the operator. The introduction of a robot to a workstation often demands a redesign of the workstation and traditionally the introduction of physical safety solutions that can limit the access to the work area and object on the production line. This work aims to find a general solution that can be used not only in the construction industry, but also in other types of industries to allow for an increased Human and Robot Interaction (HRI) without physical safety solution. A concept solution of a dynamic and flexible robot cell is presented to allow for HRI based on safety zones in a shared work environment. The concepts are based on one robot and the usage of a 3D camera system allowing for the design of virtual safety zones, used to control the HRI. When an operator approaches the robots work area and triggers a safety zone the robot stops its work and moves away from the operator. Based on the safety requirements and triggered zones the robot will continue to work in a new area or wait until the operator leaves the work area and then continue with the interrupted work task. This will allow the operator and the robot to work together, where the operator location controls the robots workspace. Testing and validation of the presented concept showed that the wanted functionality could be obtained. It also showed limitations to the equipment and the system used during tests and raised additional aspects of the safety for HRI. Of the detected limitations the most crucial when looking at up-time for the production line, is the camera system need of a relatively dust free environment, good and constant lighting. For the safety of the system the limitation lies in the size and placing of the safety zones in combination with the disturbance from surrounding equipment. The presented concept has proven to work, and can be applied not only for the construction industry but for all industries with manufacturing alongside production lines with large components.
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Bialas, Brian Henry. "Safety in petroleum movement : is enough being done to protect the environment?" Thesis, Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School, 1991. http://hdl.handle.net/10945/28511.
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Abdymomunov, Azamat. "Application of system safety framework in hybrid socio-technical environment of Eurasia." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/70794.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (S.M. in Engineering and Management)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, System Design and Management Program, 2011.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 91-93).
The political transformation and transition of post-Soviet societies have led to hybrid structures in political, economic and technological domains. In such hybrid structures the roles of government, state enterprise, private business and civil society are not clearly defined. These roles shift depending on formal and informal interests, availability and competition for limited resources, direct and indirect financial benefits, internal and external agendas. In an abstract sense, a hybrid is "anything derived from heterogeneous sources, or composed of elements of different or incongruous kinds" (Hybrid). If transition is a process from one state to another, hybrid is a state unto itself. In the context of this thesis Hybrid Socio-Technical Environment means the co-existence of different institutions and policies, state and private business entities, old and new technologies, managerial models and practices of planning and market economies, collectivist and individualist value systems. Rapid technological progress, coupled with shifts in political and economic structures, may produce long-lasting disturbances in a society. Such disturbances are result of the hybrid society's contradictory nature. Some of these disturbances appear in the form of large-scale systemic accidents, such as the Sayano-Shushenskaya Hydroelectric Power Station accident. The rigid and outdated Soviet socio-technical system was broken down into multiple independent systems and subsystems to increase operational flexibility, with very limited capital investment. A twenty-year transition period (1990-2010), proved the survivability of the Soviet system, which was able to perform its primary functions even with partial capacity. However, recent large-scale accidents are clear signs that the system is stretching beyond its limits. Changes in the socio-technical landscape (multiple stakeholders and variety of interests) suggest that the traditional approaches of Reliability Theory, with its inward focus, may not be an effective tool in identifying emerging challenges. The outward-focused System theory approach takes into consideration key characteristics of the changing hybrid socio-technical landscape, as well as motivations of multiple stakeholders. The research concludes that insufficient capital investment and backlog in maintenance shifts are key systemic factors that allow migration of organizational behavior from a safe to an unsafe state. Additional analysis has to be conducted to prove this conclusion.
by Azamat Abdymomunov.
S.M.in Engineering and Management
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Larsson, Per, and Bawan Mahmoud. "Work environment and safety on the construction site - a matter of mindset." Thesis, Linköpings universitet, Kommunikations- och transportsystem, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-142884.
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Olyckor och tillbud hör till vardagen inom byggbranschen och är något som sker dagligen. I Sverige rapporteras det tusentals olyckor varje år, varav ett tiotal är dödsolyckor. Strängare krav på arbetsmiljö och säkerhet ute på byggarbetsplatserna är utmaningar som branschen ställs inför, samtidigt som behovet av en snabbare produktionstakt ökat under de senaste åren. Studien belyser vikten av förhållningssättet till den egna säkerheten samt hur detta kan påverkas för att bidra till ett förhöjt säkerhetstänk och i förlängningen en säkrare byggarbetsplats. Som grund till detta har säkerhetsklimat och några av de vanligaste arbetsmetoderna som rör arbetsmiljö- och säkerhet undersökts. För att söka svar på studiens frågeställningar har en litteraturstudie i kombination med fallstudier gjorts. I den inledande litteraturstudien studerades tidigare studier och artiklar på området samt information om gällande lagar och regler. Fallstudien bygger främst på intervjuer och enkäter utförda med personer som på olika sätt berörs av ämnet, samt dokumentstudie där arbetssätt och rutiner undersökts. Fallstudien genomfördes i samarbete med NCC Building Östergötland. Studiens resultat visar att en av de största utmaningarna i arbetsmiljöarbetet är att säkerställa kommunikationen av arbetsmiljö- och säkerhetsrelaterade frågor. Inte minst med tanke på den ökande internationalisering som pågår i byggbranschen. Att synliggöra och utbilda om arbetsmiljöfrågor beskrivs som centrala för att påverka inställningen och säkerhetsklimatet. Även känslan av delaktighet och att tillåtas vara med och påverka spelar en stor roll för att kunna utveckla arbetsmiljöarbetet. Åtgärdsförslag som studien kommit fram till berör till stor del redan existerande rutiner och hur dessa kan utvecklas. På ett mer visionärt plan diskuteras möjligheten till en branschgemensam standard när det gäller arbetsmiljö- och säkerhetsfrågor.
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Burns, Calvin George. "The role of trust in safety culture." Thesis, University of Aberdeen, 2004. http://digitool.abdn.ac.uk:80/webclient/DeliveryManager?pid=165707.
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A deficient safety culture has been implicated in a number of organisational accidents from a range of high hazard industries. Despite its implications for safety, many questions about safety culture remain unanswered. In order to contribute to the literature on this topic, this thesis set out to investigate the role of trust in safety culture. The oil and gas industry was chosen as the context for study due to the hazardous nature of its work, the industry’s focus on continuous improvement in safety performance and the interest shown by oil companies in participating in safety research. Leading models of safety culture have stressed the importance of trust in developing and maintaining patterns of safe behaviours at work. This thesis proposed a new model of safety culture based on dual attitudes about trust. This model states that explicit attitudes about trust are part of safety climate and that implicit attitudes about trust comprise some of the basic underlying assumptions that are the deepest level of safety culture. In order to test this model, this thesis developed a method to measure implicit attitudes about trust in an industrial setting. Using this method, two studies of dual attitudes about trust were conducted at different UK gas plants. In both of these studies, different patterns of results were found for measures of explicit and implicit attitudes about trust for workmates, supervisors and the plant leadership, respectively. These findings support the proposed model suggest that explicit and implicit attitudes about trust are separate constructs that may influence different types of safety behaviours. Positive relationships were found between measures of explicit attitudes about trust and self-report items about safety behaviours like reporting incidents and challenging unsafe acts. These findings were taken as a step toward validating the proposed model.
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Sattineni, A. "A decision support framework for site safety monitoring using RFID and BIM." Thesis, University of Salford, 2014. http://usir.salford.ac.uk/32893/.
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Supervision of construction workers on a site is crucial to ensure construction worker safety, to maintain the quality of work performed and to maintain acceptable levels of productivity. The act of supervision itself requires the site superintendent to physically monitor workers in an environment that is constantly changing throughout the various phases of construction. This can be a complicated task on a medium to large building site with several trades working simultaneously on multiple floors or areas. There exists a need for construction superintendents to know the location of construction workers within a site. Academicians and industry professionals have demonstrated the use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Tags in construction applications in the past few years. RFID tags have successfully been used to track construction materials, equipment and tools. Studies indicate that the use of RFID tags in construction improves the overall process of construction. Building information modeling (BIM) technology is emerging as the industry standard in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) sector. BIM is being used as a comprehensive design, management, visualization, communication and facility maintenance and management tool. This research presents the creation of a decision support framework for site supervision based on monitoring construction workers by combining RFID technology with BIM. A conceptual decision support framework to monitor site safety was developed by interviewing site superintendents. Conducting a web-based questionnaire of construction industry professionals validated the framework. A proof-of-concept virtual prototype was created to track the movement of construction workers using RFID and BIM. The procedures undertaken to create the conceptual framework and the virtual prototype are described in the thesis.
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Rakel, Horst. "Risk, safety and corporate culture : managing occupational hazards in the modern business environment." Thesis, University of East Anglia, 2003. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.273466.
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Ferguson, Cynthia Tara. "Interpersonal Safety of Active Duty Women in the Deployed Environment of Bagram Afghanistan." ScholarWorks, 2015. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/261.
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In the United States Armed Forces, 30% of women in the military suffer physical assault each year; in 2009, there were 22 reported cases of sexual assault in the U.S. Central Command. Aggravated assault, gang violence, sexual assault, homicide, and suicide can damage the morale of military personnel at a deployed site and collectively cost millions of dollars over time. Interpersonal violence in the United States military is destructive to the military system and directly diminishes mission readiness. This study was designed to illuminate the environmental, cultural, and political influences that affect interpersonal safety among military women in the deployed environment of Afghanistan with the goal of discovering mechanisms to improve interpersonal safety for that population. Grounded theory was used to analyze data obtained from U.S. military women in Bagram, Afghanistan and their environment concerning interpersonal safety. This information was used to generate a relational social theory based on themes, patterns, and relationships; the theory of US Military Interpersonal Safety, Violence Prevention, and Response. This theory is intended to improve interpersonal safety as well as prevent and counter violence in the deployed setting. Applying this theory is expected to promote better assessment, development, implementation, and evaluation of violence prevention and response healthcare programs meant to mitigate violence and assist military members who have been victims of violence. This study promotes positive social change by identifying precursors of interpersonal violence in a deployed environment and creating a strong foundation for understanding how to prevent interpersonal violence and create response programs to address this issue.
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Wu, Siyuan. "Investigating Lighting Quality: Examining the Relationship between Perceived Safety and Pedestrian Lighting Environment." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/48170.
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Pedestrian lighting design is a very important part of urban lighting design. Appropriately designed pedestrian lighting can provide people with sense of safety and improve their quality of life. However, the exploration of people's needs and perceptions of pedestrian lighting is neglected. Most of the existing design guidelines are generated from designer centered perspectives.
This study aims at creating new perspectives in pedestrian lighting study. In this study, lighting quality is investigated through a behavioral science approach by examining the relationship between the lighting attributes and people's perceived safety. Primary research objectives include identifying important attributes of the lighting environment, examining their influence on people's perceived safety, and exploring the impacts of pedestrian's individual characteristics in this perceptual process. In order to fulfill the research objectives, this thesis comprises an online survey that aims to discover the environmental perceptions of the people from Virginia Tech towards the nighttime pedestrian footpath scenes of the campus.
The findings from the online survey indicate that important lighting attributes influencing people's perceived safety are identified as: uniformity, facial recognition, concealment and perceived brightness. The findings further indicate that some environmental context attributes, environmental perception attributes, and socio-demographic attributes also significantly influence people's perceived safety. Several design guidelines are provided for future lighting design practice.Master of Landscape Architecture
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Karlsson, Julia. "Using graphical attributes to influence the perception of safety in a 3D environment." Thesis, Blekinge Tekniska Högskola, Institutionen för kreativa teknologier, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:bth-12901.
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Context. Most games make use of graphics to create an environment that fits the mood they wish to convey. To use a game's graphical attributes such as colour, shape and texture to their utmost ability, knowing how these are perceived could help. Objective. This paper tries to determine how graphical attributes such as colour, texture, and shapes affect the perceived safety of a path inside a 3d environment. Method. To reach the objective, an experiment was conducted with 20 participants. The experiment was a two-alternative forced-choice (2AFC) test of 38 pairs of images, where each pair contained two versions of a tunnel entrance scene rendered using different graphical attributes. Each difference was based around either colour (warm and cold colour schemes), shape (round, wide, angular and thin), or texture (rugged, neutral and sterile). Results. The experiment generated results that varied compared to the expected results. For instance, the wider shapes were seen as safer compared to the thinner shapes, as was the same result with rounder shapes being perceived safer than angular shapes. Although a few preferred the cold colour scheme, the warmer colour scheme was seen as safer by the majority. While expected to be perceived as less safe than neutral textures but more than the rugged ones, the sterile texture was actually most commonly seen as safe. Conclusions. The main conclusion that was made is that colour, texture and shape can be applied to change the perception of safety in a scene. However, when opposing attributes are used in combination, the result might be based on how dominant the attribute is. The dominance of the graphical attributes could be an interesting topic for future work.
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Khosravi, Sara, and Sara Khosravi. "Location-Based System to Improve Pedestrian Safety in a Connected Vehicle Technology Environment." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/626306.
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People with vision impairment have various challenges in wayfinding, navigation, and crossing signalized intersections. They often face physical and information barriers that impede their mobility and undermine their safety along a trip. Visually impaired people usually use a white cane as their primary aid when crossing urban traffic intersections. In order to improve their mobility, safety and accessibility, it is important to provide an assistive system to help them in intersection navigation and to provide information regarding the surrounding environment. While assistive systems have been developed to help visually impaired pedestrians to navigate and find their way, using these systems may be inconvenient. Furthermore, none of the currently available systems provide communication between the users and traffic signal controller that can help them request pedestrian crossing signal timing. Emerging connected vehicle technologies can provide a solution to assist visually impaired people and address their challenges.
Conflicts between vehicles and vulnerable road users (VRUs) often result in injuries and fatalities. A situational awareness system could be based on wireless communications between vehicles and VRUs for the exchange of situational awareness information. Compared to the radar-based and vision-based systems, the wireless-based system. can improve VRUs’ safety, especially in non-line-of-sight (NLOS) situations. In particular, it can be very helpful when drivers are making a right or left turn where there is a pedestrian in a crosswalk and visibility conditions are poor.
The Smart Walk Assistant (SWA) system was designed, developed, and tested during the research of this dissertation. It includes two wireless communication pathways; pedestrian-to-infrastructure (P2I) and pedestrian-to-vehicle (P2V). The first communication pathway enables users to send a pedestrian signal request to the traffic signal controller and receive traffic signal status. The second communication pathway enables pedestrians and vehicles to exchange information, including location, speed, and heading, that can be used to detect possible conflict between pedestrian and vehicles and provide conflict alerts. The SWA system may be especially beneficial to pedestrians with disability (e.g., blind or visually impaired pedestrians) who would benefit from active support to safely cross streets at signalized intersections.
Developing a reliable situational awareness system for pedestrians is much more challenging than for vehicles because a vehicle’s movement is more predictable and usually remains in the lane in the road. In order to provide better location-based services for pedestrians, a position accuracy is needed of, at most, the width of a crosswalk or sidewalk. The SWA system includes a method to estimate a pedestrian’s position. The algorithm is based on integrating Map-Matching and an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) in a connected vehicle environment to provide precise location information.
The system architecture for the SWA application was developed to be applicable for both a simulation environment and a real world traffic system. Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation environment is developed and calibrated to mimic the real world. Comprehensive testing and assessment of the system and algorithms are conducted in simulation as well as field test networks.
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Zerbo, Michael J. Gustin Scott A. Brinkerhoff Eri W. Govea Ernest. "Cost avoidance analysis, Safe Schools Environment Program City of Salinas, California /." Monterey, Calif. : Springfield, Va. : Naval Postgraduate School ; Available from National Technical Information Service, 2003. http://library.nps.navy.mil/uhtbin/hyperion-image/03Dec%5FZerbo%5FMBA.pdf.
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Thesis (M.B.A.)--Naval Postgraduate School, December 2003."MBA professional report"--Cover. Joint authors: Scott A. Gustin, Eri W. Brinkerhoff, Jr., Ernest Govea. Thesis advisor(s): Kenneth J. Euske, Mary A. Malina. Includes bibliographical references (p. 37-38). Also available online.
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Bamzar, Roya. "Ensuring elderly mobility : environmental and safety issues." Doctoral thesis, KTH, Urbana och regionala studier, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-207794.
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The aim of this thesis is to provide a better understanding of the issues of safe mobility for the elderly population in Sweden. This is achieved first by assessing the geography and patterns of elderly falls at the county level and then by conducting a detailed survey with residents in senior housing to investigate the relationship between indoor and/or outdoor environmental characteristics and elderly safety. Safety is regarded as a multidimensional concept that involves risk of falls, crime victimization and elderly people’s perception of their overall safety. Using a case study approach, the study also assesses the types of outdoor places where most crimes against the elderly take place and the types of places most feared by them. The study adapts a set of qualitative and quantitative methods to capture the nature of the phenomena; trends, patterns and frameworks that support the analysis and implications of the results for both research and practice. The findings show that elderly falls in Sweden vary geographically and exhibit gender, age, environmental, and socio-economic differences. The mobility of the older population is influenced by their perceived safety in indoor and outdoor environments. Certain features of apartment layout and furniture arrangement are identified as potential causes of falls. Older adults’ perception of safety exhibits a distance-decay effect from their senior housing building. Distance decay indicates that safety is deemed highest closest to their homes and decreases as the distance increases. There are indications that older adults take longer routes and increase their mobility because they are fearful at certain spots in their neighbourhood. The thesis concludes with a discussion of the results and implications for both research and policy making at the local and county levels. QC 20170602
My doctoral project was funded byLars Erik LundbergScholarship Foundation.
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Nihlén, Fahlquist Jessica. "Moral responsibility and the ethics of traffic safety." Doctoral thesis, KTH, Filosofi, 2008. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-4670.
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The general aim of this thesis is to present and analyse traffic safety from an ethical perspective and to explore some conceptual and normative aspects of moral responsibility. Paper I presents eight ethical problem areas that should be further analysed in relation to traffic safety. Paper II is focused on the question of who is responsible for traffic safety, taking the distribution of responsibility adopted through the Swedish policy called Vision Zero as its starting point. It is argued that a distinction should be made between backwardlooking and forward-looking responsibility and that Vision Zero should be understood in terms of this distinction. Paper III discusses responsibility ascriptions in relation to public health problems like obesity and lung cancer. It is argued that what makes discussions about who is responsible for such problems complicated is that we have two aims when ascribing responsibility to someone. First, we want responsibility ascriptions to be fair and morally justified. Second, we also want to achieve progress and solve problems through ascribing responsibility to someone. It is argued that the two aims influence debates concerning who is responsible for problems like obesity and lung cancer and that we should attempt at striking a balance that is both perceived as fair and that is efficient. Paper IV discusses two potential arguments against the suggestion that alcohol interlocks should be mandatory in all cars, namely 1) that it displaces the responsibility of individual drivers, and 2) that it constitutes a paternalistic interference with drivers. The first objection is found unconvincing, while the second only has limited bite and may be neutralized if paternalism is accepted for the sake of greater net liberty. It is argued that if technological development can make mandatory interlocks cost-efficient, the policy seems a commendable public health measure. In Paper V, the question discussed is to what extent individuals should be ascribed moral responsibility for the environmentally damaging consequences of their actions. It is argued that responsibility depends on the reasonableness of the alternatives open to an individual when acting. The lack of reasonable alternatives should reduce the degree of individual responsibility.QC 20100831
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Buck, Michael Anthony. "Proactive Personality and Big Five Traits in Supervisors and Workgroup Members: Effects on Safety Climate and Safety Motivation." PDXScholar, 2011. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/268.
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In 2009 there were 3.28 million non-fatal occupational injuries and illnesses (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010). Of these injuries and illnesses, 965,000 resulted in lost days from work. In addition there were 4,340 workplace fatalities. Given the number of occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities, and the associated direct and indirect costs, organizations have sought to improve safety at work. Safety climate and safety motivation are two variables hypothesized to affect safety behaviors and safety outcomes. Safety climate refers to the shared perceptions of workgroup members, of the organizations' commitment to safety as evidenced by heir immediate supervisors' pattern of implementing safety policies and procedures (Zohar, 2003). Therefore, the workgroup supervisor plays an major role in the development of safety climate. Social exchange theory and previous studies of leadership styles and safety suggest that supervisors who convey concern for subordinates' well-being increase workers' motivation to reciprocate by increasing their safe behaviors at work. However, no research to date has examined the relationship between supervisors' personality and workers perceptions of safety climate, or the effect of Big Five trait-level variables on workers safety motivation. In this study I hypothesize that supervisors' proactive personality and three Big Five traits will be positively related to workers' safety climate perceptions. In addition, I hypothesize that four Big Five traits in workers will be positively related to workers safety motivation. Finally, I hypothesize that group-level safety climate will be significantly related to individual-level safety motivation after controlling for workers' personality. Participants in this study were maintenance and construction workers from a municipal city bureau, in 28 workgroups, totaling 146 workers and 28 supervisors. Workgroup sizes vary but averaged 6.21 members, including the supervisor. The data were collected in small groups (paper-and-pencil) and electronically (on-line); workers and supervisors answered questionnaire items on personality variables, safety climate, safety motivation, safety behaviors, and safety outcomes. In addition, archival data on safety outcomes were collected. The data were analyzed using a combination of multiple regression, multi-level modeling, and path analysis to test hypotheses and answer research questions. Both proactive personality and Big Five traits in supervisors accounted for incremental variance in aggregated workgroup safety climate over controls. In addition, workgroup safety climate and individual workers' cautiousness were significant predictors of workgroup safety motivation in a hierarchical linear model. At the individual level of the model, only the traits of cautiousness and morality were significant predictors of individual safety motivation. Tests of the Neal and Griffin (2004) model showed that safety motivation partially mediated the relationship between individual safety climate and safety participation behaviors. In addition, safety motivation fully mediated the relationships between morality and both safety compliance and safety participation behaviors. Finally, safety motivation partially mediated the relationship between cautiousness and both safety compliance and safety participation behaviors. The results suggest that supervisor personality can have an effect on the on workgroup safety climate perceptions. In addition, this study provided evidence that Big Five traits are useful predictors of the antecedents of accidents and injuries. Suggestions for training managers and future research are also discussed.
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Dixon, W. S. "Quantitative tool for measuring safety culture on busy construction sites in Great Britain." Thesis, University of Salford, 2014. http://usir.salford.ac.uk/33209/.
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This thesis is aimed at developing an academically robust, cost effective tool / procedure for measuring safety culture that is easily administered on a busy construction site in Great Britain. This researcher works as a safety manager on construction sites and is typically employed on multi-million pound new build projects for blue-chip clients. These sites typically employ between 1-3,000 workers. Keeping workers safe is challenging and important, not only from the legal and ethical perspectives but also to ensure the companies reputations. To this end all of the companies and clients that this researcher has worked for in the last 15 years have been keen and vocal in their attempts to improve the safety culture on site. The researcher has witnessed large sums of money being spent in an attempt to make such improvements. Typically, companies wish to see tangible results after having invested money in order to facilitate change or improvements. Investing money to improve the site safety culture should be no different. This is where the difficulties arise and where a gap in knowledge has been identified by this research.
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Ali, Mohammad Wijayanuddin bin. "Development of risk assessment framework for major accident hazards to the environment." Thesis, University of Sheffield, 1997. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.267203.
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Mikkelsen, Hans Tore. "Framework Factors with Critical Influence on Safety, Health and Environment in the Mining Industry." Doctoral thesis, Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet, Institutt for geologi og bergteknikk, 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:no:ntnu:diva-17664.
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Torrent-Moreno, Marc. "Inter-vehicle communications : achieving safety in a distributed wireless environment : challenges, systems and protocols /." Karlsruhe : Univ.-Verl. Karlsruhe, 2007. http://www.uvka.de/univerlag/volltexte/2007/263/.
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Colombo, Monique. "Beneficial properties and safety of lactic acid bacteria isolated from the dairy production environment." Universidade Federal de Viçosa, 2017. http://www.locus.ufv.br/handle/123456789/11610.
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Bactérias ácido lácticas (BAL) foram isoladas do ambiente de produção de leite e avaliadas quanto ao potencial benéfico. Testes preliminares e análise por PCR foram aplicados para selecionar e identificar através de sequenciamento de rRNA 16S 15 cepas de BAL: Lactobacillus (n = 11; Lb. casei MSI1, Lb. casei MSI5, Lb. casei MRUV1, Lb. casei MRUV6, Lb. acidophilus MVA3, Lb. nagelli MSIV4, Lb. harbinensis MSI3, Lb. harbinensis MSIV2, Lb. fermentum SIVGL1, Lb. plantarum MLE5 e Lb. plantarum MSI2), Pediococcus (n = 2; P. pentosaceus MLEV8 e P. acidilactici MSI7) e Weissella (n = 2; W. paramesenteroides MRUV3 e W. paramesenteroides MSAV5). Todas as linhagens selecionadas apresentaram resistência ao baixo pH e à presença de sais biliares. O teste API ZYM foi realizado para caracterizar a atividade enzimática entre as cepas e foi observada elevada atividade β-galactosidase em 13 delas. Todas as cepas apresentaram alta taxa de sobrevivência ao suco gástrico e as condições intestinais simulados, capacidade de auto-agregação e co- agregação com micro-organismos indicadores e alta hidrofobicidade da superfície celular. A maioria das cepas foi positiva para os genes de adesão map e EFTu. Os resultados de deconjugação de sais biliares mostraram forte desconjugação para todas as cepas. Todas as cepas mostraram bons resultados para assimilar lactose. Após esta etapa de caracterização do potencial benéfico, as 15 BAL foram avaliadas quanto ao potencial de virulência e de resistência antimicrobiana. A produção de fatores de virulência (hemólise, gelatinase, lipase, desoxirribonuclease e aminas biogênicas: lisina, tirosina, histidina e a ornitina) foi avaliada por métodos fenotípicos, a 25 °C e 37 °C, bem como a resistência a 17 antibióticos. Os isolados foram também submetidos à análise de PCR para identificar a presença de 49 genes associados a fatores de virulência. Nenhuma das cepas apresentou atividade hemolítica, produção de gelatinase, lipase, desoxirribonuclease e aminas biogênicas. Das 15 cepas selecionadas, para 12 tipos de antibióticos no método de difusão em disco, todas as amostras foram resistentes à oxacilina e sulfa/trimetoprim, 14 foram resistentes a gentamicina, 11 foram resistentes a clindamicina, nove cepas foram resistentes à vancomicina, oito cepas para rifampicina, cinco foram resistentes a eritromicina, quatro foram resistentes à tetraciclina, duas cepas foram resistentes à ampicilina, uma cepa foi resistente ao cloranfenicol e nenhuma apresentou resistência ao imipenem. Para um teste quantitativo do antibiograma, 5 antibióticos em fitas Etest® (bioMérieux) foram selecionados. Todas as 15 cepas foram resistentes à vancomicina, duas para rifampicina, uma para gentamicina e uma para o cloranfenicol. Em relação aos genes relacionados com virulência, 19 dos 49 genes testados estavam presentes em algumas cepas. Após a caracterização do potencial virulento das 15 BAL, estas foram avaliadas quanto ao potencial tecnológico para aplicação na indústria de laticínios. Todas as cepas apresentaram capacidade de acidificação, atingindo valores de pH entre 0.73 e 2.11 em 24 horas: Lb. casei MRUV6 apresentou maior capacidade de acidificação (pH 2.11 após 24 h). Dez cepas foram capazes de produzir diacetil a 37 °C, com exceção de Lb. casei MSI1, Lb. harbinensis MSI3, Lb. fermentum SIVGL1, Lb. plantarum MLE5 e W. paramesenteroides MRUV3. Todas as cepas foram capazes de produzir exopolissacarídeos, e apenas duas cepas apresentaram atividade proteolítica (Lb. casei MSI5 e W. paramesenteroides MSAV5). Com base nessa caracterização, Lb. casei MRUV6 foi selecionado para produzir o leite fermentado, armazenado a 4 °C e 10 °C e monitorado até 35 dias de vida útil. As amostras foram submetidas a métodos fenotípicos e moleculares para avaliar a presença de Lb. casei MRUV6 (plaqueamento convencional e RT-PCR, verificando a expressão de gapdh, um gene housekeeping) e verificar a expressão do gene bsh, relacionado à resistência à sais biliares (RT-PCR). A população de Lb. casei MRUV6 se apresentou estável durante todo o período de armazenamento a 4 °C e 10 °C a níveis em torno de 9.9 log UFC/g e também pelo monitoramento da expressão do controle endógeno GAPDH. No entanto, o gene bsh não foi expresso durante o período de armazenamento. O estudo demonstrou o potencial uso da cepa de Lb. casei MRUV6 isolada de um ambiente lácteo para a produção de um produto lácteo fermentado e sua estabilidade durante o armazenamento a 4 °C e 10 °C. Todos os isolados do estudo apresentaram características benéficas, segurança para utilização em alimentos e potencial tecnológico para utilização na indústria de laticínios. Além disso, os mesmos podem ainda ser submetidos a estudos adicionais para avaliações in vivo e realizar a caracterização como probióticos.
Lactic acid bacteria isolated from dairy environment were evaluated for beneficial potential. Preliminary screening and PCR analysis were applied to select and identified through 16s rRNA sequencing 15 LAB strains: Lactobacillus (n = 11; Lb. casei MSI1, Lb. casei MSI5, Lb. casei MRUV1, Lb. casei MRUV6, Lb. acidophilus MVA3, Lb. nagelli MSIV4, Lb. harbinensis MSI3, Lb. harbinensis MSIV2, Lb. fermentum SIVGL1, Lb. plantarum MLE5 and Lb. plantarum MSI2), Pediococcus (n = 2; P. pentosaceus MLEV8 and P. acidilactici MSI7) and Weissella (n = 2; W. paramesenteroides MRUV3 and W. paramesenteroides MSAV5). All selected strains showed resistance to acidic pH and to presence of bile salt. API ZYM test characterized enzymatic activity of the strains and high β-galactosidase activity was observed in 13 strains. All strains presented high values for survival rate to simulated gastric and intestinal conditions, ability to auto and co-aggregate with indicators microorganisms and high cell surface hydrophobicity. Most of the strains were positive for map and EFTu beneficial genes. Strong bile salts deconjugation was applied for all strains and all strains showed good results for assimilating lactose. After this first part of the study, the 15 BAL were evaluated for potential virulence and antimicrobial resistance. The production of virulence factors (hemolysis, gelatinase, lipase, deoxyribonuclease and biogenic amines: lysine, tyrosine, histidine and ornithine) was assessed by phenotypic methods at 25 °C and 37 °C, as well as the resistance to 17 antimicrobials. The isolates were also subjected to PCR to identify the presence of 49 genes associated with virulence factors. None of the strains presented hemolytic activity or the production of gelatinase, lipase, deoxyribonuclease and tested biogenic amines. Of the 15 selected cultures, for 12 types of antibiotics in the disc diffusion method, all strains were resistant for oxacillin and sulfa/trimethoprim, 14 were resistant to gentamicin, 11 were resistant to clindamycin, nine strains were resistant to vancomycin, eight strains to rifampicin, five were resistant to erythromycin, four were resistant to tetracycline, two strains were resistant to ampicillin, one strain was resistant to chloramphenicol and none was resistant for imipenem. For a quantitative test of the antibiogram, five antibiotics were selected in Etest ® strips (bioMérieux). All 15 strains were resistant to vancomycin, two for rifampicin, one for gentamicin and one for chloramphenicol. Regarding the virulence related genes, 19 genes from 49 tested were present in some strains. Results showed that five cultures showed the presence of the int gene, four cultures showed the presence of the ant(4')-Ia gene, three cultures were positive for vanC2, cpd and tdc, two cultures for vanA, tet(K), tet(S), ermA, bcrR, mur-2ed, asa1 and ccf, and one culture was positive for vanC1, ermB, aph(3')-IIIa, aac(6’)-le-aph(2”)-Ia, bcrB and hyl. After characterizing the virulent potential of the 15 BAL, these strains were evaluated for the technological potential for application in the dairy industry. All strains presented acidification capacity, reaching pH values between 0.73 and 2.11 in 24 hours: Lb. casei MRUV6 presented the highest acidification ability (pH 2.11 after 24 h). Ten strains were able to produce diacetyl at 37 °C, except by Lb. casei MSI1, Lb. harbinensis MSI3, Lb. fermentum SIVGL1, Lb. plantarum MLE5 and W. paramesenteroides MRUV3. All strains were able to produce exopolysaccharides, and only two strains presented proteolytic activity (Lb. casei MSI5 and W. paramesenteroides MSAV5). Based on this characterization, Lb. casei MRUV6 was selected for producing fermented milk, stored at 4 °C and 10 °C and monitored until 35 days of shelf life. Samples were subjected to phenotypical and molecular methods to quantify the presence of Lb. casei MRUV6 (conventional plating and RT-PCR, by checking the expression of gapdh, a housekeeping gene) and to verify the expression of bsh gene, related to resistance to bile salts (RT-PCR). Lb. casei MRUV6 population was stable during storage period at 4 and 10 °C at levels around 9.9 log CFU/g, and by monitoring the expression of gapdh gene. However, bsh gene was not expressed during storage period. The study demonstrated the potential use of the beneficial strain Lb. casei MRUV6 isolated from a dairy environment for the production of a fermented milk product, and its stability during storage at 4 and 10 °C. All isolates from the study presented beneficial characteristics, safety for use in food and technological potential for use in the dairy industry. In addition, they may further be subjected to further studies for in vivo evaluations and characterization as probiotics.