scholarly journals Risk Assessment Using Fuzzy TOPSIS and PRAT for Sustainable Engineering Projects

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 615 ◽  
Author(s):  
G.K. Koulinas ◽  
O.E. Demesouka ◽  
P.K. Marhavilas ◽  
A.P. Vavatsikos ◽  
D.E. Koulouriotis
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Real Data ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Fuzzy Topsis ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Sustainable Engineering ◽  
Social Sphere ◽  
Safety Risks ◽  
Risk Managers

In this study, we propose a safety risk assessment process using the fuzzy extension of the technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) for assigning priorities to risks in worksites, in order to promote the health, safety and well-being of workers, issues that are embedded within the concept of sustainability, specifically belonging to the social sphere of sustainability. The multicriteria method works in cooperation with a simple quantitative risk analysis and assessment process, the proportional risk assessment technique (PRAT), the functionality of which is based on real data. The efficiency of this approach is validated through treating a construction project example in Greece, and the results are compared with real fatal and non-fatal accidents data for the years 2014–2016. This integrated multicriteria approach can be used by risk managers as a tool for assessing safety risks and making informed decisions about the manner that a constraint budget would be spent in order to maximize health and safety in workplace.

scholarly journals A Methodology for Harmonizing Safety and Health Scales in Occupational Risk Assessment

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 4849
Author(s):  
Zuzhen Ji ◽  
Dirk Pons ◽  
John Pearse
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Public Health Perspective ◽  
Chronic Health ◽  
Risk Assessment Method

Successful implementation of Health and Safety (H&S) systems requires an effective mechanism to assess risk. Existing methods focus primarily on measuring the safety aspect; the risk of an accident is determined based on the product of severity of consequence and likelihood of the incident arising. The health component, i.e., chronic harm, is more difficult to assess. Partially, this is due to both consequences and the likelihood of health issues, which may be indeterminate. There is a need to develop a quantitative risk measurement for H&S risk management and with better representation for chronic health issues. The present paper has approached this from a different direction, by adopting a public health perspective of quality of life. We have then changed the risk assessment process to accommodate this. This was then applied to a case study. The case study showed that merely including the chronic harm scales appeared to be sufficient to elicit a more detailed consideration of hazards for chronic harm. This suggests that people are not insensitive to chronic harm hazards, but benefit from having a framework in which to communicate them. A method has been devised to harmonize safety and harm risk assessments. The result was a comprehensive risk assessment method with consideration of safety accidents and chronic health issues. This has the potential to benefit industry by making chronic harm more visible and hence more preventable.

Note on the regulation of veterinary medical devices in the EU: A review of the current situation and its impact on animal health and safety

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-43
Author(s):  
H Potockova ◽  
P Kusnierik ◽  
J Dohnal
Keyword(s):  
Veterinary Medicine ◽  
Medical Devices ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Current Situation ◽  
Safety And Efficacy ◽  
Safety Risks ◽  
Health And Safety Risks ◽  
The Eu

Medical devices form a large heterogeneous group of products ranging from simple tools to medical testing and implants, the safety and efficacy of which are strictly regulated in all developed countries. Thanks to the health and cost benefits, medical devices have also found their way into veterinary medicine but, surprisingly, the regulation of these products is far less complex or, in some cases, missing altogether. Given the complexity and potential hazards of certain veterinary devices, the current state of affairs may lead to health and safety risks, both for animals and personnel involved. This review is the first to systematically map the current situation in the EU, revealing health and safety risks in practice for both animals and personnel involved and discussing them in a broader context. Only six out of the EU's 28 member states (Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, and Slovakia) were found to have at least a degree of regulation of veterinary devices. As a result, a single product may be regulated as a veterinary medicinal product, a veterinary medical device or not be regulated at all, depending on the particular EU member state in question. As things stand, veterinary medicine makes use of all kinds of medical devices, including human products, regardless of their regulatory status and (pre-market) control. However, the use of such devices may influence the health and well-being of animals. Several measures are therefore suggested to attain the required levels of safety and efficacy surveillance for veterinary medical devices without creating excessive administration.

Comparison of Human Health and Safety Loss due to Corroded Gas Pipeline Failure in Rural and Urban Areas: A Case Study in Malaysia

2015 ◽  
Vol 227 ◽  
pp. 221-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norhamimi Mohd Hanafiah ◽  
Libriati Zardasti ◽  
Yahaya Nordin ◽  
Norhazilan Md Noor ◽  
Ahmad A. Safuan
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Quantitative Risk Assessment ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
Consequence Assessment ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Pipeline Failure

Consequence assessment is an integral part of the risk assessment process. There are many types of consequences loss due to pipeline failure such as asset loss, environmental loss, production loss, and human health and safety loss (HHSL). This paper studies the comparison of HHSL between rural and urban areas due to pipeline failure subject to corrosion. The damage area of the explosion was calculated using Aloha software by considering the details of the selected sites such as atmospheric and topographical conditions. The HHSL was calculated using a mathematical equation of quantitative risk assessment in terms of the number of fatalities or injuries or both. The results of the assessments from rural and urban areas were then compared with one another to identify any significant dissimilarity. This study shows that there was a possibility to improve the decisive value of risk by implementing the proposed approach in consequence assessment in Malaysia.

scholarly journals An Integrated Approach to Risk Assessment for Special Line Shunting Via Fuzzy Theory

Symmetry ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 599 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huafeng Zhang ◽  
Quanxin Sun
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Safety Management ◽  
Fuzzy Theory ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Risk Levels ◽  
Fishbone Diagram ◽  
Human Management ◽  
Assessment Techniques ◽  
Risk Managers

Railway special line shunting safety is a complicated systemic topic, which is full of uncertainty and dynamic; safety is determined by numerous aspects, including human, management, environmental, and equipment factors. Many railway risk assessment techniques currently used are comparatively mature tools. However, in many circumstances, the application of these tools gives unsatisfactory results because the risk data are incomplete or involve high levels of uncertainty. Because risk assessment technology has its own applicability that it may not suitable for the three sub-processes of risk assessment, it is difficult to obtain ideal effects by using a single tool in the risk assessment process. This paper presents an integrated approach for conducting special-line shunting risk assessment, using fishbone diagram analysis, fuzzy reasoning approaches, and a fuzzy analytical hierarchy tool, which can evaluate both qualitative and quantitative risk data efficiently and effectively. The outcomes of risk assessment are represented as risk degrees and risk levels, providing railway safety risk managers and engineers with tools to improve their safety management standards. A case study is used to demonstrate the proposed methodology. The results reveal that the proposed model can effectively and efficiently assess risks associated with a special-line shunting system, yielding more reliable and realistic solutions.

scholarly journals A Comparison of Safety, Health, and Well-Being Risk Factors Across Five Occupational Samples

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ginger C. Hanson ◽  
Anjali Rameshbabu ◽  
Todd E. Bodner ◽  
Leslie B. Hammer ◽  
Diane S. Rohlman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Call Center ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Construction Workers ◽  
Data Repository ◽  
Parks And Recreation ◽  
Lost Work ◽  
Safety Risks ◽  
National Norms ◽  
Health And Well Being

Objective: The aim of this study was to present safety, health and well-being profiles of workers within five occupations: call center work (N = 139), corrections (N = 85), construction (N = 348), homecare (N = 149), and parks and recreation (N = 178).Methods: Baseline data from the Data Repository of Oregon's Healthy Workforce Center were used. Measures were compared with clinical healthcare guidelines and national norms.Results: The prevalence of health and safety risks for adults was as follows: overweight (83.2%), high blood pressure (16.4%), injury causing lost work (9.9%), and reported pain (47.0%). Young workers were least likely to report adequate sleep (46.6%). Construction workers reported the highest rate of smoking (20.7%). All of the adult workers reported significantly lower general health than the general population.Conclusion: The number of workers experiencing poor safety, health and well-being outcomes suggest the need for improved working conditions.

scholarly journals Alignment of the Safety Assessment Method with New Zealand Legislative Responsibilities

Safety ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dirk J. Pons
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Systems Engineering ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Internal Communication ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Legislative Framework ◽  
Minor Injuries

Need—National legislative health and safety (H&S) frameworks impose requirements but grant self-management to organisations. Consequently variability arises in management systems, and some organisations struggle to achieve successful implementation. The risk assessment process is key to the H&S management system, and could benefit from greater consistency and better external alignment with the legislative framework of the jurisdiction. Approach—The harm categories in the New Zealand (NZ) Act were adapted into a consequence scale. A non-linear scale was developed for the consequence axis to represent the disproportional nature of catastrophic harm outcomes compared to minor injuries. A hazard assessment process was devised based on systems engineering methods. Organisational decision-criteria were derived from the communications requirement in the Act, and these thresholds linked to expected treatments. Originality—A method is providing for aligning risk assessments with a national legislative framework, and integrating the technical aspects of risk assessment with the management processes. The approach also more explicitly includes recovery actions in contrast to existing methods where prevention dominates. Regarding the management aspects, it shows how thresholds may be defined relative to the legislation, to give clear expectations regarding treatment and internal communication, thereby assisting executives (‘officers’ in terms of the NZ Act) meet their duties.

scholarly journals An Approach to Health and Safety Assessment in Industrial Parks

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 3646
Author(s):  
Fco. Javier García-Gómez ◽  
Cristina González-Gaya ◽  
Víctor Fco. Rosales-Prieto
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Safety Assessment ◽  
Safety Management ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Fundamental Aspect ◽  
Know How ◽  
Industrial Parks ◽  
Design Construction

Safety is a fundamental aspect to take into account in the design, construction and operation of industrial parks. Therefore, it is important to know how to deal with safety in this type of facility, and how to deal with risk analysis. This document provides information related to the industrial park risk assessment process to improve the health and safety of workers in these places. A search and consultation of references related to occupational health and safety management systems is carried out, and it is found that, although there is adequate protection, both in relation to the safety of workers in industrial parks and the safety of personnel outside the facilities, it is helpful to establish a health and safety risk assessment to identify hazards and hazardous events, evaluate associated risks, and select techniques or strategies (opportunities) to manage those risks after prioritization. Following the implementation of the selected techniques, their effectiveness can then be monitored in order to avoid incidents. This document can be a model for future implementation of a health and safety management system based in ISO 45001:2018.

scholarly journals Psychosocial Risk Prevention in a Global Occupational Health Perspective. A Descriptive Analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (14) ◽  
pp. 2470 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Chirico ◽  
Tarja Heponiemi ◽  
Milena Pavlova ◽  
Salvatore Zaffina ◽  
Nicola Magnavita
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Workplace Violence ◽  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Psychosocial Risk ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Workplace Health ◽  
Psychosocial Hazards

This study aimed to find out which countries around the world require psychosocial hazards and workplace violence to be assessed by employers through a mandatory occupational risk assessment process and to compare the type of legislation between countries. We systematically searched the International Labour Office (ILO) “LEGOSH” database for documents published during the period between December 2017 and February 2018. The search included 132 countries, of which 23 were considered as developed and 109 as developing according to the United Nations. Our review showed that most countries (85, i.e., 64%) have not included mandatory psychosocial risk assessment and prevention in their national occupational safety and health legislation. Moreover, we found differences between developed and developing countries, showing that developed countries more frequently have legislative measures. Within developed countries, we also found differences between countries following the Scandinavian model of workplace health and safety culture and other countries. Moreover, in many countries, workplace violence was prohibited only if it involves an offence to moral or religious customs. In conclusion, the marked difference in psychosocial hazards and workplace violence regulations among countries leads to unequal levels of workers’ protection, with adverse effects on global health.

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