Enforcement Of Safety Regulations Research Articles

Analysis of Dog Ownership Pattern and the Spread of Rabies Disease in Sierra Leone

How people own and manage dogs in Sierra Leone has significant implications for public health, animal welfare, and community safety. This study comprehensively analyzes dog ownership patterns and safety management standards in Sierra Leone to better understand the dynamics between human animals and dogs in Serra Leone. Objectives: This research aimed to determine the pet owners’ patterns in Sierra Leone to develop a standard, functional, and safe management for dogs based on peculiar social, economic, and cultural considerations. Methods: This research employs a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews. A stratified random sampling technique is used to select households. Surveys are conducted to collect data on age and patterns of dog ownership, tribes and religion, and awareness of responsible pet ownership. To explore safety management standards and challenges, in-depth interviews are conducted with key informants, including dog owners, farmers, hunters, women, men, public health officials, and community leaders. Results: Findings indicate that dog ownership is widespread among the Mende, Temne, and Limba in Sierra Leone. The age, sex, sources of dogs, purpose, tribe, and religion. Socio-economic factors, such as hunting security and income, influence the likelihood of dog ownership. The people lack knowledge regarding responsible pet ownership practices and zoonotic disease transmission. Safety management standards for dogs are inconsistent, with feeding, care, and treatment disparities. Challenges include limited access to veterinary services, inadequate public awareness, and a lack of enforcement of safety regulations. Conclusion: This study sheds light on the complex interplay between dog ownership, public health, and safety management in Sierra Leone. It underscores the need for targeted education and awareness campaigns to promote responsible pet ownership. Improving dog ownership practices can enhance community safety, protect public health, and ensure the welfare of humans and dogs in Sierra Leone.

Approaches to the Effective Prevention of Road Traffic Injuries in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review

Introduction: Road traffic injuries (RTI) are projected to become the 7th leading cause of mortality worldwide by the year 2030. It is projected that 90% of the global road traffic injury burden will be borne by Low and Middle-Income countries (LMICs), including sub-Saharan Africa. We undertook a systematic literature review to assess the effectiveness of implemented traffic injury prevention initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa. Methodology: A systematic review of the English literature was undertaken per the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. Studies were identified by searching the electronic databases Embase, Pubmed, Medline, The Cochrane Library and an additional review of reference lists. In addition, published studies from 1990 to 2020 were extracted and analysed. Results: The literature search generated 638 articles. Twenty-two duplicates were removed, and after title and abstract screening and full-text screening, 22 articles were retained. The interventions were broadly categorised into education, enforcement, Legislation, speed control, road safety and combined interventions. Conclusion: Combined multi-faceted injury prevention strategies are most effective in Sub-Saharan Africa. Enforcement of safety regulations ensures compliance and sustainability of prevention interventions. Speed control measures are useful in calming vehicular speeds, but poor design and citing can endanger road users. Road safety, education and Legislation have little to no effect when implemented alone; however, when combined with other measures, they can lead to significant reductions in road traffic injuries and fatalities.

Safety regulation enforcement and production safety: The role of penalties and voluntary safety management systems

Scholars, government, and the public expect that legal enforcement should be an effective means to prevent a firm's future safety violation behavior in daily productions. However, the literature provides limited insights into whether safety regulation enforcement is effective in helping firms reduce future safety violations. Therefore, this study examines the relationship between occupational health and safety enforcement and a firm's future violation behavior. We carried out a regression analysis based on a panel sample of 2965 listed United States manufacturers with 4474 violation records issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. We find limited effectiveness of enforcement. Our results indicate that although past violation experiences are negatively correlated with subsequent repeat violations (violations of the same clause), they are positively correlated with non-repeat violations (violations of a different clause) and the number of overall violations (the sum of both). The factors that can reinforce effectiveness are also explored in this study. Our analyses show that the effectiveness of safety regulation enforcement is significantly enhanced when reinforced by stringent penalties and Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series 18001 certifications. This study contributes to the literature on the operational safety and policy–operations interaction. We challenge conventional wisdom by proposing that regulatory pressures do not necessarily improve firms' overall social responsibility practices in terms of worker health and safety. We also discuss the implications of this for the occupational health and safety (OHS) management practice.

Investigating The Causes Of Accident In Construction Site In Wolaita Zone, Southern Ethiopia

Construction industry is an important part of the economy in most countries; often seen as a driver of economic growth especially in developing countries. Typically, construction industry contributes significantly to gross domestic products in most developing countries[3]. However, the construction site in Wolaita zone continues to fail to fulfill this fundamental role due to the increased accidents and health hazards. This paper explores the various safety and control measures (SCM) of accidents in building site to minimize accidents’ occurrence and consequent waste generation. A research thesis, consisting of a literature review and a field study were used to achieve the research objectives. The field survey involves a designed questionnaire that was administered through convenience sampling technique within Wolaita zone and descriptive analysis tools were used for the analysis. The field survey reveals different control measures in place and their rate of usage on building site. On the other hand, the literature survey sheds light on the types of accidents on building site and their respective control measures with methodologies for accidents’ preventions. Recommendations based on the findings of the two surveys are outlined in the paper. accidents are caused by a wide range of factors, some of which are: -Lack of awareness of safety regulations; Lack of enforcement of safety regulations; Poor regard for safety by people involved in construction projects; Engaging incompetent personnel; non-vibrant professionalism; Mechanical failure of construction machinery/equipment; Physical and emotional stress; and Chemical impairment Major causes of accidents identified in this research associated with construction projects include inadequate supervision, use of incompetent personnel and use of inappropriate construction techniques. Among the recommendations made for minimizing and/or avoiding re-occurrence of accidents are review of the existing regulations, enforcement, sensitization and training.

An Assessment of Safety Culture in Building Construction Project (A Case Study of Federal Secretariat Construction and Management Office, Sano Gaucharan, Kathmandu)

The construction industry is a very dangerous industry. Safe and healthy working condition in construction is created with safety practices. Safety is one of the major performance indicators of any construction project. The overall objective of the research was to assess safety culture in building construction project undertaken by Federal Secretariat Construction and Management Office, Sano Gaucharan, Kathmandu. To meet the objective, primary data were collected. Questionnaire survey and field observations were done to collect primary data. Data were analyzed using MS Excel and SPSS and results were analyzed and discussed. From this research, it was found that knowledge of workers about safety practice was satisfactory. However they were found to be unaware about contractual provision about safety. Basic safety culture like provision of drinking water, first aid kits, etc. was found to be well practiced. However safety culture provision likesafety training, safety meeting and appointment of safety engineer were not found to be practiced. Workers safety responsibilities, use of PPE, good house keeping, increment of budget on safety facilities, arrangement of safety training and education, enforcement of safety regulations, appointment of safety engineer, equipment and tool inspection, inspection of safety provision before commencement of works, construction safety plan, construction safety meeting and incident investigation significantly contribute for prevention and control of accidents.

Investigating Chemical Safety Awareness and Practices in Nigerian Schools

Chemical safety, a practice of protecting humans and the environment in which they work and live from the deleterious effects of chemical substances, was investigated in this study in Nigerian secondary schools. Using a mixed-method survey, we investigated the awareness level and implementation of the best practices of chemical safety by 1246 senior secondary school chemistry students. Students in rural schools were found to have a lower level of awareness of chemical safety compared to the students in urban schools. Statistically significant differences were found in all except one of the awareness measures—washing hands before practicals and after leaving the chemistry lab. Urban students were more in breach of chemical safety practices than students in rural schools. Most of the observed differences were statistically significant (p < 0.001). Interview (qualitative) data from 20 students show four emerging themes to explain the findings, including a low level of chemistry laboratory resourcing, poor chemical safety training of the teachers, inadequacies in safety tools, charts, and kits, and weak enforcement of safety regulations. Based on the data from the study, recommendations were made for bolstering the awareness level of students in chemical safety and their chemical safety practices. These include the incorporation of chemical safety in the core curriculum, requiring quality assurance entities to enforce resourcing of basic safety equipment to schools, government-directed workshops on the need for chemical safety, and requiring teachers to provide chemical hazards information to students.

Perceptions of Health and Safety among Workers in the Automotive Repair Industry in Dubai (United Arab Emirates): A Cross-sectional Exploratory Study

&lt;strong&gt;Background:&lt;/strong&gt; Protection of workers against work-related injuries and illnesses is a growing public health concern. The increasing number of expatriate workers in Dubai has highlighted the need for greater emphasis on occupational health and safety, particularly since unintentional injuries were reported to be the second most common cause of death in the United Arab Emirates. &lt;strong&gt;Objectives:&lt;/strong&gt; This cross-sectional study explores safety practices and health perceptions of workers in the automotive repair industry, in the light of the Health Belief Model. &lt;strong&gt;Materials and Methods:&lt;/strong&gt; The study included 35 automotive repair industry workers, selected by convenience sampling from an automotive workshop in Dubai. Primary data was collected though a structured interview and walk-through survey. &lt;strong&gt;Results&lt;/strong&gt;: Only 10% of the workers had received occupational health and safety training from employers. Though the highest perceived hazardous exposure was to carbon monoxide fumes (62.9%), but the majority did not consider the severity of this exposure high enough to be of concern. This discrepancy in perceived vulnerability despite perceived exposure reflects the lack of awareness on severity of exposure to physical and chemical hazards in the car repair shop. A significant relation was seen between cumulative perceptions to exposure to hazards and marital status of the workers, with married workers perceiving greater exposure to hazards at the workplace. Protective equipment was considered important by 83% of the participants but only 54.5% reported using them. &lt;strong&gt;Conclusion:&lt;/strong&gt; There is a dire need for targeted occupational health awareness training and enforcement of safety regulations to ensure the safety of workers in the automotive repair industry.

Enabling Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) towards an emerging smart energy system

The increasing penetration of renewable energy on the transmission and distribution power network is driving the adoption of two-way power flow control, data and communications needed to meet the dependency of balancing generation and load. Thus, creating an environment where power and information flow seamlessly in real time to enable reliable and economically viable energy delivery, the advent of Internet of Energy (IoE) as well as the rising of Internet of Things (IoT) based smart systems.The evolution of IT to IoT has shown that an information network can be connected in an autonomous way via routers from operating system (OS) based computers and devices to build a highly intelligent eco-system. Conceptually, we are applying the same methodology to the IoE concept so that Energy Operating System (EOS) based assets and devices can be developed into a distributed energy network via energy gateway and self-organized into a smart energy eco-system. This paper introduces a laboratory based IIoT driven software and controls platform developed on the NICE Nano-grid as part of a NICE smart system Initiative for Shenhua group. The goal of this effort is to develop an open architecture based Industrial Smart Energy Consortium (ISEC) to attract industrial partners, academic universities, module supplies, equipment vendors and related stakeholder to explore and contribute into a test-bed centric open laboratory template and platform for next generation energy-oriented smart industry applications.In the meanwhile, ISEC will play an important role to drive interoperability standards for the mining industry so that the era of un-manned underground mining operation can become the reality as well as increasing safety regulation enforcement.

THE LEGACIES OF STATE CORPORATISM IN KOREA: REGULATORY CAPTURE IN THE SEWOL FERRY TRAGEDY

AbstractRegarding the causes of the Sewol ferry accident that claimed 304 lives in April 2014, some scholars have blamed neoliberal reforms such as deregulation and privatization for the safety regulatory failure. Others have highlighted the role of industry influence and corruption. Our analysis shows that regulatory capture was the crucial causal factor; moreover, this capture was institutionalized from the state-corporatist arrangements of the authoritarian period rather than reflecting new arrangements under the democratic era or corruption per se. The delegation of the critical safety regulation enforcement to the shipping industry association was not introduced as a neoliberal reform but in the context of state corporatism of the Park Chung-hee regime. Democratic governments continued to protect the monopoly of the lucrative Incheon–Jeju ferry business, contrary to neoliberal logic. The legacies of state corporatism persist despite post-financial crisis reform.

The Legacies of State Corporatism in Korea: Regulatory Capture in the Sewol Ferry Tragedy

Regarding the causes of the Sewol ferry accident that claimed 304 lives in April 2014, some scholars have blamed neoliberal reforms such as deregulation and privatization for the safety regulatory failure. Others have highlighted the role of industry influence and corruption. Our analysis shows that regulatory capture was the crucial causal factor; moreover, this capture was institutionalized from the state-corporatist arrangements of the authoritarian period rather than reflecting new arrangements under the democratic era or corruption per se. The delegation of the critical safety regulation enforcement to the shipping industry association was not introduced as a neoliberal reform but in the context of state corporatism of the Park Chung-hee regime. Democratic governments continued to protect the monopoly of the lucrative Incheon-Jeju ferry business, contrary to neoliberal logic. The legacies of state corporatism persist despite post-financial crisis reform.

Towards a High Reliable Enforcement of Safety Regulations - A Workflow Meta Data Model and Probabilistic Failure Management Approach

Today’s companies are able to automate the enforcement of Environmental, Health and Safety (EH&amp;S) duties through the use of workflow management technology. This approach requires to specify activities that are combined to workflow models for EH&amp;S enforcement duties. In order to meet given safety regulations these activities are to be completed correctly and within given deadlines. Otherwise, activity failures emerge which may lead to breaches against safety regulations. A novel domain-specific workflow meta data model is proposed. The model enables a system to detect and predict activity failures through the use of data about the company, failure statistics, and activity proxies. Since the detection and prediction methods are based on the evaluation of constraints specified on EH&amp;S regulations, a system approach is proposed that builds on the integration of a Workflow Management System (WMS) with an EH&amp;S Compliance Information System. Main principles of the failure detection and prediction are described. For EH&amp;S managers the system shall provide insights into the current failure situation. This can help to prevent and mitigate critical situations such as safety enforcement measures that are behind their deadlines. As a result a more reliable enforcement of safety regulations can be achieved.

The impact of safety climate on safety related driving behaviors

This study explored the impact of safety climate, age and tenure as a driver on safety related driving behaviors among 290 company drivers in Ghana. The study found a negative relationship between safety climate and studied work-related behaviors: speeding, rule violation, inattention and driving whiles tired. The study also found that age significantly predicted the extent to which drivers engaged in safety related driving behaviors. The results showed that young drivers (aged 20–35 years) engage more in risky driving behaviors relative to adult drivers (aged 36–60 years). The study also found that the tenure of a driver did not significantly affect work-related driver behaviors. The findings from this study suggests that in the quest to reduce safety related traffic accidents and its resulting consequences such as injuries, absenteeism and deaths, a critical organizational variable that organizations can use to mitigate this canker is commitment to and strict adherence to safety practices and regulations. By extension, the findings suggest, Ghana’s commitment to safety practices and enforcement of safety regulations and policies among others can help the country win the battle against road accidents.

Occupational Accident Patterns and Prevention Measures in Construction Sites in Nairobi County Kenya

Construction accidents don’t just happen, they are initiated by unsafe acts, unsafe conditions or both. The construction industry in Kenya plays a vital role in achieving social and economic development goals, providing shelter, infrastructure, and employment. A study was carried out to identify the common accidents in construction sites and to examine the characteristics of the injured and deceased workers and evaluate factors that cause these accidents in Nairobi County, Kenya. The study cross examined data from Directorate of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) from Nairobi County ranging from 2010-2014. The study also utilized on-site questionnaires that were administered to 60 contractors in 9 administrative regions in Nairobi County. They constituted all class NCA2 contractors in the county as well as a few NCA3 and NCA4 contractors. Some 41 questionnaires were returned. Accidents were classified by the age of workers, time and month of the accident, location of an accident, causes of accident and management factors affecting the accident. The study established that 65% of all reported accidents occurred to workers below 37 years old. The accidents peaked between tea break (10am), lunch break (1pm) and after lunch (3pm) and during the months of June and July. The study determined that most construction site injuries were as a result of workers falling from heights (37%), being hit by falling objects (28%) and accidents occurring as a result of workers operating equipment (20%). Relative Importance (R. I) index of construction hazards were calculated for 24 factors contributing to construction site accidents. The top five hazards identified were: (1) reluctance to provide resources for safety (0.820); (2) lack of staff training (0.814); (3) lack of a safety policy and enforcement of safety regulations (0.795); (4) poor safety consciousness among workers (0.766); and (5) lack of strict operational procedures (0.756) in construction sites. The study concluded that in order to improve safety in the construction industry, each company should have a health and safety policy which is to be implemented in each contract. Furthermore, construction companies need to provide workers with the necessary Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), such as safety belts, retaining belts, safety ropes, and safety harness, and catch nets to prevent workers from being hit by falling materials and to secure them against falling from heights.

Connecting occupational safety awareness, legislation, implementation and enforcement within the Ghanaian industrial economy

Aim: The high incidence of workplace injuries and fatalities in Ghana raises concerns about potential disconnection between occupational safety legislations and their efficient enforcement within the Ghanaian industrial economy. This paper therefore sought to examine the extent to which legitimate occupational legislations are implemented and enforced and monitored in Ghanaian Industrial economy. Materials and Method: The study respondents were 70 comprising 50 workers (10 from each of the five departments in Pioneer Food Cannery), 3 Top management members, 5 Departmental heads, 5 Supervisors from the Safety department, 5 members of the Plant Safety Team and 2 officials from the Department of Factories Inspectorate in the Tema Industrial Area selected by simple random and purposive sampling methods. In-depth Interviews, key informant interviews and direct field observations were used to collect primary data in 2014/2015 and thematically analysed n 2015. Results: Though management had put in place some policies, mechanisms and regulations including the provision of personal protective equipment, the institution of safety committees, the supervision and enforcement of the mechanisms and policies in place was ineffective and inefficient as the safety department had only five supervisors.. Also the Department of Factories Inspectorate is woefully resourced in terms of personnel and logistics leading to poor inspection and enforcement of safety regulations. Conclusions: The paper posits that, there is a disconnection between occupational health and safety laws and their enforcement at the industrial level and calls for proper resourcing of the agencies responsible with enforcement.

Strategies for Overcoming Barriers to Improving Safety in Small Construction Organisations

The majority of organisations in the construction industry are small organisations, how ever their safety performance is still far behind their larger counterparts. Therefore, it is important to focus on improving safety performance of small organisations so that the overall industry performance may be improved. Using a questionnaire survey, this research collected data from construction organisations based in New South Wales, Australia. Data analysis results have identified key barriers faced by small organisations when implementing safety. These barriers include the use of lowest bid price to evaluate tender submissions, lack of safety commitment from construction clients, and fierce competition. The analysis results have also revealed potential strategies for overcoming the barriers, such as including safety as an indicator in tender evaluation, more effective safety regulation enforcement by inspection and linking safety performance with insurance premium and licencing system, and subsidising safety training for small organisations. Improving safety performance in this sector cannot be done in isolation. The government, clients, and large organisations have important roles to play to change the norms and culture in the industry so that small organisations are supported in their effort to improve their safety performance.

Improving Safety Among Small Organisations in the Construction Industry: Key Barriers and Improvement Strategies

The construction industry has always been considered as one of the most dangerous industrial sectors. Large organisations have demonstrated good safety performance because they have the resources and leverage to develop and implement robust safety management systems. However, safety among small organisations is still far behind their larger counterparts and this issue is crucial because the majority of organisations in the construction industry are small organisations. Therefore, it is important to focus improvement efforts on safety performance of small organisations so that the overall industry performance may be improved. Using a questionnaire survey, this research collected data from construction organisations based in New South Wales, Australia. Data analysis results have identified key barriers faced by small organisations when implementing safety. These barriers include the use of lowest bid price to evaluate tender submissions, lack of safety commitment from construction clients, and fierce competition. The analysis results have also revealed potential strategies to address the barriers, such as including safety as an indicator in tender evaluation, more effective safety regulation enforcement by inspection and linking safety performance with insurance premium and licensing system, and subsidising safety training for small organisations. Improving safety performance in this sector cannot be done in isolation. The government, clients, and large organisations have important roles to play to change the norms and culture in the industry so that small organisations are supported in their effort to improve their safety performance.

Historical and Contemporary Challenges to Occupational Safety and Health in Latvia

This paper addresses the historical and contemporary challenges created for occupational safety and health in the EU member state of Latvia, which joined the European Union in 20It examines the historical background for the determinants of workplace health and safety in Latvia as a former Soviet republic, and thereafter, following independence from the USSR in 1991, as an open-market neoliberal economy. These divergent contexts have set a problematic trajectory of reactive path dependency with respect to the regulation of occupational safety and health.With the onset of the economic and financial crisis of 2008 onwards, Latvia suffered a particularly sharp economic downturn. We suggest that previous limited advances made in the management of occupational safety and health at the workplace level since accession to the European Union may have been undermined. Ever since the crisis, business and policy actors have sought to promote rapid economic recovery as the overall priority, at the expense of protective occupational safety and health regulation. This approach was brought into sharp relief with the collapse of the Maxima supermarket roof in Riga in November 2013, resulting in 54 fatalities. The event has raised debates on the enforcement of safety regulation in the new era of neoliberal austerity to a greater level of public salience, although with, as yet, uncertain policy outcomes.

Injuries to Deployed U.S. Army Soldiers Involved in HMMWV Crashes, 2002–2006

Highly mobile multipurpose wheeled vehicle (HMMWV or Humvee) crashes present an important issue for the U.S. military. The aim of this study was to provide a descriptive analysis of occupants of military motor vehicle (MMV) crashes involving HMMWVs that occurred among deployed U.S. Army Soldiers. Crash-related data were collected from the U.S. Army Combat Readiness/Safety Center on MMV crashes among active duty Army personnel between 1999 and 2006. Records for 964 occupants with injuries from HMMWV crashes were analyzed, which represented 52% of the total occupants of MMV crashes. A significant association was observed between injury and engagement in combat, odds ratio 1.49 (1.03, 2.16). The risk of injury was greatest for gunners, odds ratio 2.37 (1.43, 3.92), and injury cost related to the crash was significantly related to prior deployment status (p < 0.001) and role of Soldier in the vehicle (Operator p = 0.005, Gunner p = 0.003). There was also a decrease over time in the number of crashes resulting in injury (p < 0.001). These data support the development of interventions that address the specific risks detailed, including the use of combat simulation training, increased protection for vulnerable positions, and enforcement of safety regulations.

Utilization of ocular safety devices among Sawmill workers in Nigeria

Objective: The study was carried out to assess the use of eye safety devices in sawmill workers in Nigeria.Methods: A cross-sectional study of sawmill workers was carried out using pretested questionnaires. Ocular examination was done on site with a pen torch, portable hand-held slit lamp bio-microscope and direct ophthalmoscope. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 16) was used to analyze the data obtained; P&lt; 0.05 was taken as significant.Results: A total of 553 sawmill workers were studied of which 449 (81.2%) and 104 (18.8%) were technical and administrative sawmill workers respectively. There were 496 (89.7%) males and 57 (10.3%) females giving a male to female ratio of 8.7:1. The mean age and standard deviation was 38.9 years � 12.8. Secondary education was the most common level attained in 308 (55.7%) workers while the least number was in those without formal education 22 (4.0%). Seven (1.6%) of the 449 technical sawmill workers screened used protective eye device. Goggles 4 (57.0%) and sunglasses 3 (43.0%) were the protective eye device used. Monocular blindness arising from injury at work occurred in 5 (0.9%) workers. None of the administrative workers used protective eye devices. Non-availability of safety eye devices was the major reason attributed for not using the protective devices.Conclusion: There is need to safeguard the ocular health of sawmill workers in Nigeria by provision of eye safety devices, health education of the workers on the benefits of its use and enforcement of safety regulations.

Spatial patterns monitoring of road traffic injuries in Karachi metropolis

This article aims to assess the pattern of road traffic injuries (RTIs) and fatalities in Karachi metropolis. Assessing the pattern of RTIs in Karachi at this juncture is important for many reasons. The rapid motorisation in the recent years due to the availability of credit has significantly increased the traffic volume of the city. Since then, the roads of Karachi have continuously developed at a rapid pace. This development has come with a high human loss, because the construction of multilevel flyovers, signal-free corridors and the resulting high-speed traffic ultimately increase the severity of injuries. The reasons for this high proportion are inadequate infrastructure, poor enforcement of safety regulations, high crash severity index and greater population of vulnerable road user groups (riders and pedestrians). This research is the first of its kind in the country to have a geocoded database of fatalities and injuries in a geographical information system for the entire city of Karachi. In fact, road crashes are both predictable and preventable. Developing countries should learn from the experience of highly motorised nations to avoid the high burden of RTIs by adopting road safety and prevention measures.