Girish Narayan Prajapati, Wenxue Chen, Hani S. Mitri
This review paper explores the mechanisms and factors influencing the corrosion of rockbolts, particularly in aggressive underground mining environments characterized by high humidity, fluctuating temperatures, and corrosive chemical agents. The study also highlights the role of chloride ions and sulfide inclusions in initiating and propagating corrosion. Additionally, the review explores the emergence of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) rockbolts as a viable alternative, offering insights into their non-corrosive properties, lightweight nature, and high tensile strength. The comparative analysis between traditional steel rockbolts and FRP alternatives reinforces the potential for FRP rockbolts to enhance the longevity and safety of mining support structures, while also considering the practical implications of their implementation in the mining industry.
This study investigated safety management performance in small- and medium-sized private coal mining enterprises (SMPCMEs) through an integrated application of the 24Model accident causation theory and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). Analyzing 40 sudden incidents (2013–2023), we examined six key factors—organizational, individual, and external dimensions—to identify nonlinear risk pathways. Results revealed four critical failure types—Internally Balanced (cultural–behavioral–environmental collapse), Safety Culture–Deficient (institutional hollowing), Cultural–External Environment (policy-implementation paradox), and External Environment–Integrated (technological-regulatory failure)—that collectively explained 83% of performance variance. Tailored strategies, including IoT-based real-time monitoring and AI-driven inspections, are proposed to transition from fragmented interventions to systemic governance. These findings provide actionable insights for enhancing safety resilience in high-risk mining sectors.
Industrial safety. Industrial accident prevention, Medicine (General)
(1) Background: The dynamic nature of workplaces highlights the urgent need for effective strategies to promote a safe working environment and enhance workers’ well-being. These strategies must address both organizational safety performance and individual safety behaviors. (2) Methods: This study employed the job demands-resources (JD-R) model to examine the impact of workplace factors on safety behaviors and organizational safety performance among 3255 manufacturing companies. The data utilized in this study originate from the 10th Occupational Safety and Health Status Survey by the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute (KOSHA). (3) Results: Occupational stressors involving physical and psychological risks (job demand) significantly reduced employees’ adherence to safety practices while increasing workplace diseases and accidents. Conversely, when job resources were effectively mobilized to bolster individual resources, safety behaviors improved, and the incidence of workplace diseases and accidents decreased. Middle managers’ safety competency emerged as a critical moderating factor in these relationships, amplifying the positive impact of job resources. (4) Conclusions: The results highlight the necessity of managing physical and emotional hazards while enhancing middle managers’ abilities to promote workplace safety. A multidimensional approach is essential for preventing workplace accidents and improving safety outcomes. Implementing a comprehensive stress management system is particularly vital to safeguarding workers in the manufacturing industry.
Industrial safety. Industrial accident prevention, Medicine (General)
Introduction: In 21st century, computers are crucial devices in universities’ official operations. In academic institutions, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are leading causes of decreased productivity, absenteeism, disability, and illness. Office staff who use computers extensively are vulnerable to occupational MSDs. This study aims to determine risk factors of MSDs among computer users in a public university. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 320 respondents among computer users working in all departments in Universiti Sains Malaysia Health Campus using random sampling. Tools used were a self-administered questionnaire containing questions on socio-demographical data, Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire (CMDQ) for assessing musculoskeletal disorder and observation and Rapid Office Strain Assessment (ROSA) to assess office equipment and quantify exposure to risk factors in office work environment. Results: Response rate was 92% and 86.2% of respondents reported work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs). The most prevalent MSD was lower back, 62.8% of MSD cases, followed by right shoulder (53.4%), hip/buttock (46.4%), and left shoulder (45.3%).Older age was significantly associated with WRMSDs (OR=6.944, CI:1.238-39.017, p=0.0.028) and with neck MSDs (OR=3.908, CI:1.342-11.377, p=0.012), while female gender was significantly associated with neck MSDs (OR=2.042, CI:1.199-3.475, p=0.009) and with upper arm MSDs (OR=1.791, CI:1.091-2.941, p=0.021). Older age was significantly associated with upper arm MSDs (OR=3.303, CI:1.006-10.849, p=0.049), while those with healthy and overweight were significantly associated with upper arm MSDs (OR=0.092, CI:0.010-0.814, p=0.046), (OR=0.127, CI:0.014-1.123, p=0.032), respectively. Conclusion: The prevalence of reported WRMSDs and MSDs at neck and upper arm were associated with socio-demographic background and high duration of computer use; 12.2% of workstation presented musculoskeletal discomfort risk.
Spyridon Damilos, Dionisis Semitekolos, Stratos Saliakas
et al.
Carbon fibre-reinforced polymers (CFRPs) are a lightweight alternative solution for various applications due to their mechanical and structural properties. However, debonding at the fibre–matrix interface is an important failure mechanism in composite materials. Proposed solutions include using nano-scale reinforcements to strengthen and toughen structural composites. This study covers a comprehensive approach for evaluating occupational hazards during the sizing of 6k carbon fibres using multi-walled functionalized carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and few-layer graphene (FLG) at a pilot scale. Material hazard and exposure banding showed elevated risks of exposure to nanomaterials during the sizing process, while a ‘what-if’ process hazard analysis allowed for the evaluation of hazard control options against the hypothetical process failure scenarios of human error and utilities malfunctioning. On-site measurements of airborne particles highlighted that using MWCNTs or FLG as a sizing agent had negligible effects on the overall exposure potential, and higher micro-size particle concentrations were observed at the beginning of the process, while particle size distribution showcased high concentrations of particles below 50 nm. This analysis provides a thorough investigation of the risks and potential exposure to airborne hazardous substances during CF sizing while providing insights for the effective implementation of a safe-by-design strategy for designing targeted hazard control systems.
Industrial safety. Industrial accident prevention, Medicine (General)
Nur Septia Handayani, Berliana Devianti Putri, Iwan Muhamad Ramdan
Introduction: In Indonesia, over 1000 healthcare workers have died due to COVID-19. Healthcare workers face increased workloads and negative perceptions, including discrimination and verbal or physical violence, which may impact their quality of life. Health-related quality of life encompasses both physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) health components. This study aims to analyze the health-related quality of life of healthcare workers who are obliged to service during the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia and occupational health and safety factors based on the workplace location risk zone. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted involving 149 healthcare workers from several areas of Indonesia as representatives from the red and orange risk zones. Health-related quality of life was measured using the SF-36 questionnaire. Differences in health-related quality of life scores were analyzed using Mann-Whitney test base on COVID-19 risk Zone and PPE availability. Results: Healthcare workers in the lower-risk (orange zone) exhibited better mental health scores (MCS 75±15.5) compared to those in the high-risk zone (red zone) (MCS 66.2±15.2). Additionally, those who received a complete set of PPE from their workplace had better health-related quality of life scores workplace (MCS 76.9±14.2, PCS 77±16) than those who lacked such provision (MCS 73±17.6, PCS 82±13.4). Furthermore, healthcare workers with access to PCR testing at their workplace tended to have higher quality of life scores than those who only had access to rapid testing. Conclusion: These findings highlight how the Health System addresses the pandemic, particularly regarding the health and safety of healthcare workers
Saniya Prof. Samina Anjum1, Iqra Sheikh2, Anshu Aafreen3
et al.
Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) is widely used for domestic and industrial applications, but leakage can pose serious safety hazards, including fire accidents and health risks. This project aims to develop an LPG leakage detection system that enhances safety by detecting gas leaks and providing timely alerts. The system employs an MQ-6 gas sensor to detect the presence of LPG in the air. When leakage is detected, an alert mechanism is triggered using a buzzer, LED indicators, and an SMS notification via a GSM module for remote awareness. The system is controlled by a microcontroller (such as Arduino or Raspberry Pi) for efficient operation. This project offers a cost effective and reliable solution to prevent gas related accidents, ensuring safety in households and industries. The project contributes to fire prevention, safety automation, and smart home security. It is cost-effective, reliable, and scalable for various applications, making it a crucial innovation in household and industrial safety systems.
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is a highly demanded energy carrier widely used in industry and transportation. However, its transportation and storage are associated with a number of potential emergencies due to the physicochemical properties of the substance. LNG is a high-energy fuel that, when leaked and mixed with air, can form explosive mixtures, necessitating strict compliance with safety regulations at all stages of operation. The primary causes of accidents during LNG transportation include human errors, violations of safety regulations, equipment wear and degradation, as well as the phenomenon of "rollover"—a rapid evaporation of gas inside a storage tank, leading to a sudden pressure increase and potential structural failure of the containment system. According to statistical data, up to 95% of accidents in the oil and gas industry are related to explosions, with 42.5% involving liquefied hydrocarbon gases. These figures highlight the need for effective risk analysis methods and accident prevention strategies. This study describes the application of an interactive interface for modeling the consequences of an LNG explosion at a gas station. The computational scenario considered an explosion involving 40,000 kg of LNG, followed by an analysis of thermal impact zones. Additionally, the probability of thermal exposure at a distance of 1,000 m was calculated to be 0%, confirming that this zone remains unaffected. The key fireball parameters were also determined - diameter: 170.5 m, fireball rise height: 85.2 m, burn duration: 22.8 seconds. To assess the impact of an accident on the surrounding environment, a visualization of the affected zones was generated using a city map. This visualization enabled the identification of potential threats to infrastructure and the population in the event of an accident at an LNG refueling station. The proposed analytical approach can be utilized in industrial safety systems to develop accident prevention measures and emergency response plans. To minimize accident risks during LNG transportation and operation, the following measures are recommended: compliance with international safety standards and the use of certified equipment, regular inspections and technical maintenance of storage tanks and pipelines, personnel training in handling cryogenic materials and emergency response protocols, implementation of monitoring systems and predictive diagnostics for early leak detection and equipment failure prevention. The interactive LNG explosion modeling interface used in this study can be used for analyzing the consequences of industrial accidents and their impact on infrastructure, developing safety strategies for LNG storage and transportation facilities, personnel training and emergency response drills for first responders. Thus, the proposed computational modeling approach, based on advanced numerical methods and data visualization, enhances the safety of facilities handling liquefied natural gas and minimizes the likelihood of catastrophic consequences in case of accidents. Keywords: liquefied natural gas (LNG), LNG transportation risks, explosion modeling, fireball phenomenon, thermal radiation, accident impact analysis.
This study conducted an exploratory survey to examine how risk assessment has been perceived and operated in industrial sites after the enforcement of the Serious Accident Punishment Act, and to derive practical implications for improving its effectiveness. A survey of 202 workers in manufacturing, construction, service, and transportation and telecommunications industries in Gyeongsangbuk-do and Daegu showed that many respondents were aware of the system, although understanding and participation tended to be lower in small workplaces and non-manufacturing sectors. Risk assessment appeared to be partially established in large companies and manufacturing industries, but it was still carried out in a formal and procedural manner in many cases. More than half of the respondents evaluated its safety improvement effects positively, yet lack of education, complexity of techniques, formalized operation, and insufficient participation were repeatedly identified as factors reducing effectiveness. Workers suggested “visiting education,” “strengthening supervision,” “fostering safety culture,” and “introducing mobile evaluation tools” as key improvements. The real-time evaluation, education, and feedback functions of mobile-based applications were viewed as a promising alternative for enhancing on-site implementation. These findings suggest that customized education, digital risk management systems, and strengthened organizational safety culture may help shift risk assessment from a formal requirement to a more practical prevention mechanism.
Abstract The unsafe behavior of construction workers has been widely recognized as the key contributor to accidents in the construction industry. Studies claim that cognitive factors are the antecedents of safety behaviors. The construction industry is stressful. Although the interaction between stress and unsafe behaviors has been reported, it remains unclear how stress induces unsafe behaviors by construction workers. Current study aims to reveal the mechanism through which stress affects unsafe behavior using mixed research methods. Over five hundred quantitative data were collected from construction workers through questionnaire survey to develop structural equation models for the interactions between stress, cognition factors and safety behaviors. Five focus group studies for real projects were also conducted to collect qualitative data from over forty participants in order to empirically validate the results. The final Stress–Cognition–Safety model for construction workers confirmed that: 1) all five cognitive factors (safety awareness, safety knowledge, subjective norm, safety attitude, and perceived behavioral control) are influenced by at least one type of stress; 2) stress indirectly affects the unsafe behaviors of construction workers through three cognitive factors (safety awareness, subjective norm, and safety attitude); and 3) both physical and emotional stress directly induce unsafe behaviors. Practical recommendations, such as inclusion of stress management seminars into on-site safety training, regular safety inspection and effective communication, are made to address stress and safety issues. This study uncovers stress–cognition–safety interactions, enhancing current understanding of relevant knowledge and existing industrial practices regarding safety management and accident prevention in the stressful construction industry.
Muhammad Iman Tsalatsa Raihan Tjahjono, Adhitya Ryan Ramadhani
Introduction: An oil and gas refinery operates various equipment with specific functions for different processes. Each piece of equipment has potential hazards that can damage the equipment and injure or kill workers. This study focuses on the hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) export facility from the jetty loading area at an oil and gas company that processes flammable liquid using various equipment. Methods: The HAZOP method determined the hazardous spots, and the probability of each equipment failure corresponding to the system was also determined using fault tree analysis (FTA). Furthermore, every event tree analysis (ETA) output probability was also determined. The probability and radius of pool fire varied for different leak hole scenarios. The final steps are individual risk per annum and potential loss of life to measure the risk level of the system. Results: Based on HAZOP deviation scenarios, every operating equipment can potentially cause a pool fire. In FTA, scenarios were developed based on different leakage hole sizes, ranging from 1-3 mm, 3-10 mm, 10-50 mm, 150 mm, and >150 mm. The results indicated that leakage could occur across all operating equipment. Similarly, the ETA applied the same bore size scenarios. The consequence analysis yielded a worst-case outcome of pool fire and a best-case outcome of un-ignited fluid release. Subsequently, the pool fire output was modeled using ALOHA, which resulted in three heat flux zones: the red zone (10 kW/m²), the orange zone (5 kW/m²), and the yellow zone (2 kW/m²). Smaller leak holes had a higher probability but smaller pool fire radius. The initial risk of the export facility was unacceptable. Furthermore, insufficient safeguards contribute significantly to the resulting high-risk level. Two mitigations were implemented: adding safeguards and reducing worker hours. Conclusion: The final results showed that for every piece of equipment, the overall risk of the export facility became acceptable after mitigation..
Ali Bahadır Küçükarslan, Mustafa Köksal, Ismail Ekmekci
This study endeavors to prioritize occupational health and safety (OHS) accomplishments across ten forest management directorates in a specified province of Turkey, utilizing multi-criteria decision-making techniques (MCDMT). In a rigorous evaluation across four applied methodologies, the alternative P5 (amount of risk before measures) consistently exhibited superior performance. A notable emphasis of this research lies in the employment of a sophisticated OHS performance model, developed herein, to critically assess the OHS performance within these forest management directorates. In our evaluations, static variables such as land use and land cover, slope, vegetation type, soil characteristics, and distance from highways and human settlements were considered. Similarly, dynamic variables including temperature, wind speed and direction, and humidity were also factored in. Our findings corroborate the substantial ramifications, both tangible and intangible, of workplace accidents, hence underscoring the imperativeness of extensive, inter-industrial research initiatives geared towards effective accident prevention. This research is particularly focused on fortifying accident prevention measures in the arena of occupational health and safety during forest fires—an area with substantial economic and social implications, and of escalating importance in light of the expanding prominence of clean energy sources. Specifics pertaining to the forest fire rate within the studied directorates, as well as the criteria bearing the most and least impact as determined by this study, will be explicated in the full text, accompanied by their corresponding percentage values. Through the employment of Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (F-AHP), and the Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluations (PROMETHEE) method, this study demonstrates the efficacy of MCDMTs in assessing and categorizing OHS performance, hence contributing valuable insights to managers, OHS experts, and future research undertakings. In conclusion, this research concentrates on the formulation of employee-centric occupational health and safety systems, with a specific emphasis on forest fires. The proposed OHS performance index model represents a tool of exceptional potential in the evaluation of performance measurement, while addressing uncertainties across diverse sectors. This underscores the urgency of addressing health and sustainability issues within economic, social, and ecological domains through the rigorous examination and implementation of effective OHS practices.
Salwa Sofri, D. M. Reddy Prasad, Mohammad Hazwan Bin Azri
et al.
Continuous process safety (PS) development is the key to maintaining a good PS system, and its competency plays a substantial role. However, PS incompetency can still be demonstrated in several process-related accidents, particularly major catastrophic incidents. To mitigate this gap, universities’ PS education is analysed. Because PS is an important element of chemical engineering (CE), this study seeks to identify the most prevalent PS subjects taught in the top 300 Quacquarelli Symonds ranking (2019) universities. Findings indicate that PS education remains insufficiently addressed in undergraduate CE curricula over the years. Twelve common topics, i.e., human factors; management of hazards, incidents, and risk; design; fire and explosion; legislation and standards; sustainability; process control; economics; toxicology; and software are identified. Notably, sustainability is acknowledged to be a new common PS topic, depicting its demand for industrial evolution. Ultimately, strengthening the collaboration between universities and industries is required to develop graduates’ PS competency. Abbreviations: ALARP: as low as reasonably practicable; CAD: computer-aided design; CE: chemical engineering; ETA: event tree analysis; FTA: fault tree analysis; FMEA: failure mode and effect analysis; HAZAN: hazard analysis; HAZID: hazard identification; HAZOP: hazard and operability; HSE: health, safety and environment; HYSYS: Hyprotech Systems; LCA: life cycle analysis; LOPA: layer of protection analysis; MS: Microsoft; ORP: occupational risk prevention; PC: personal computer; PHA: process hazard analysis; PS: process safety; PSM: process safety management; QS: Quacquarelli Symonds; SMS: safety management system.
Commercial deployment of maritime autonomous surface ships (MASSs) is close to becoming a reality. Although MASSs are fully autonomous, the industry will still allow remote operations centre (ROC) operators to intervene if a MASS is facing an emergency the MASS cannot handle by itself. A human-centred design for the associated emergency response systems will require attention to the ROC operator workplace, but also, arguably, to the behaviour-shaping constraints on the engineers building these systems. There is thus a need for an engineer-centred design of engineering organisations, influenced by the current discourse on human factors. To contribute to the discourse, think-aloud protocol interviewing was conducted with well-informed maritime operators to elicit fundamental demands on cognition and collaboration by maritime autonomy emergency response systems. Based on the results, inferences were made regarding both design factors and methodological choices for future, early phase <i>engineering</i> of emergency response systems. Firstly, engineering firms have to improve their informal gathering and sharing of information through gatekeepers and/or organisational liaisons. To avoid a too cautious approach to accountability, this will have to include a closer integration of development and operations. Secondly, associated studies taking the typical approach of exposing relevant operators to new design concepts in scripted scenarios should include significant <i>flexibility</i> and <i>less focus on realism</i>.
Industrial safety. Industrial accident prevention, Medicine (General)
Problem statement. The article analyzes the situation in some countries of the world and Ukraine related to insurance accidents. It is shown what causes of accidents prevail and what they are connected with. The necessity of a large-scale teaching in the educational institutions, connected with the labor protection, accidents prevention, accidents insurance has been analyzed in order to provide the future specialists with the full understanding of possible problems at work and ability to handle them. The relevance of international cooperation in the field of labor protection, accident prevention and the system of insurance against accidents and occupational diseases is considered. The purpose of the article. Analysis of the legislation and scientific research on the development for field of protection against accidents at work and occupational diseases, and to provide a brief description of the European countries legislation on assistance to workers in the insured event case. Conclusions. The analysis of development tendencies for social insurance against accidents and occupational diseases by the example of EU countries and Ukraine has fulfilled. It shows the importance of preventive insurance programme creation, which includes implementing regulatory measures by incorporating labor protection norms into social insurance programs against accidents and occupational diseases; strengthening monitoring of occupational safety both in the enterprise and at national level; eliminating the informal economy by applying the International Labor Organization standards. More attention should also be focused to injury prevention, training workers, training students − future workers and managers, providing them with more educational services in disciplines that can provide knowledge on the preservation of life and workers health.
The adoption of real-time object detection systems via video streaming analysis is currently exploited in several contexts, from security monitoring to safety prevention. In industrial environments, proper usage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is paramount to ensure workers’ safety. However, the use of some types of PPE, such as helmets, is often neglected by workers, especially in indoor areas. Thus, in order to reduce the risks of accidents, real-time video streaming-based monitoring systems may be used to monitor areas in which workers operate and alert them not to wear PPEs via acoustic alarms or visual signals. In case of a remote analysis, there are potential issues related to the high rate of data streams to be transported and analyzed and workers’ privacy. In this work, we propose an embedded smart system for real-time PPE detection based on video streaming analysis and deep learning models. We discuss the deployment of different versions of the YOLOv4 network fine-tuned using a public PPE dataset. In the end, we assess the performance of the proposed system in terms of accuracy and latency and of the overall PPE detection procedure.
N. Kh. Abdrakhmanov, A. V. Fedosov, N. V. Vadulina
et al.
Introduction. The article discusses the problems of limited assessment of occupational risk using the existing Fine-Kinney method, which does not take into account the results of a special assessment of working conditions, therefore the authors propose an improved methodology for assessing occupational risk taking into account the working conditions indicator.Problem Statement. The purpose of this study is to analyze the existing methods of assessing professional risks, analyze the labor protection system at the drilling enterprise, and develop a methodology for assessing professional risks for the drilling enterprise.Theoretical Part. The existing methods for assessing professional risks and the enterprise standard were used as basic information.Conclusion. The improved technique will reduce the degree of risk, prevent accidents at work and generally be used at other enterprises.
Introduction. The paper considers the issues of modernization in the field of fire safety. It is noted that insufficient attention is paid to the tasks of fire safety management of the protected objects, and this negatively affects the overall level of security in the regions. The most relevant and effective method of improving the fire safety of the protected objects is the active introduction of robotics and artificial intelligence.Problem Statement. The objectives of this study are to develop proposals to improve fire prevention and fire protection systems, as well as to create a set of measures aimed at ensuring fire safety.Theoretical Part. The works of scientists on the topic of this study are used as basic information. The system of fire safety organization, legal regulation and state measures in the field of fire safety have been studied.Conclusions. The results of the study can be used in practice to ensure the fire safety of the protected objects, as well as for further scientific research.