Level Of Safety For Users Research Articles

SAFETY REQUIREMENTS FOR TUNNELS REGARDING THE TRANSPORT OF DANGEROUS GOODS (ADR)

<p class="ABSTRACT"><span class="rynqvb"><span lang="EN" style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN;">EU Tunnel Directive 2004/54/EC aims to ensure a minimum level of safety for users in road tunnels in the Trans-European Road Network. EU member states are required to develop, at national level, their own detailed methodology for tunnel risk assessment. Along with that, ADR as the UN regulation in the field of dangerous good transportation by road, contains provisions concerning restrictions on the passage of vehicles carrying dangerous goods in road tunnels. Tunnel category A-E is assigned to each tunnel on the transport route, which regulate the types of dangerous goods to be allowed to go through the tunnel in order to avoid any hazards with major consequences. In this paper, basic principles of risk assessment and categorization of tunnels in accordance.</span></span></p>

System for Monitoring the Safety and Movement Mechanics of Users of Bicycles and Electric Scooters in Real Conditions in the Context of Social Sustainability

Sustainable development means taking care of the environment, which also means promoting green transport, which involves the systematic development of personal transport in its broadest sense. The positive aspects associated with cheap and convenient electric transport are intertwined with the problem of collisions and accidents. While developing road infrastructure for electric vehicles such as scooters, bicycles, and others, research should be conducted in parallel to ensure the highest possible level of safety for users. There is also an increase in the number of people using bicycles and electric scooters, which develop significant speeds. The problem of accidents among users of classic and electric bicycles and scooters is evident, and post-accident injuries pose a serious challenge to medical practitioners. The literature is rich in statistical analyses of accidents among users of scooters and bicycles, but there are no studies where the behaviour of users of bicycles, scooters, etc. is analysed. The authors of this study set out to develop a measurement system to assess the traffic safety of people using bicycles and scooters. The device uses LIDAR to record the speed of the vehicle and a camera, the images of which are processed by an algorithm in order to classify the user as being on a bicycle or scooter and using or not using head protection with a helmet. It is also possible to analyse the behaviour of the vehicle users under study. The article describes the built measurement device and presents the results of the initial measurements made by the device.

Road Tunnels Operation: Effectiveness of Emergency Teams as a Risk Mitigation Measure

Managing a major event in a road tunnel requires more resources than an open-air event. In the case of fire, the confined environment of road tunnels can represent a critical situation for both users and rescuers. The safety level of a tunnel can be estimated by using dedicated risk models that consider, on the one hand, the traffic (type, quantity and distribution) of a tunnel and, on the other hand, the structural and plant safety measures. According to the European Directive, road tunnel managers can adopt additional safety measures aimed at increasing the level of safety for users exposed to the consequences of an accidental event. One of these measures is the rapid intervention of emergency teams located in the proximity of the tunnel. These teams use pick-up and scooter vehicles properly equipped to cope with a fire event and have detailed knowledge of the specific tunnel system. A further advantage of the emergency teams is the possibility of supporting the evacuation of tunnel users by providing indications on emergency exits, bypasses and safe places considering the evolution of the specific event. In this perspective, the present research contributes to the evaluation of the emergency teams’ effectiveness. Thus, the emergency team was included as a safety measure within a risk analysis model for road tunnels developed by the authors in previous works. After an analysis of the technical and scientific literature, we focused on 15 interventions carried out on some highway tunnels in Italy between the year 2019 and the year 2021. The intervention times of the teams were analyzed using data provided by Strada dei Parchi S.p.A., a company that manages 14 highway tunnels in Italy. These 14 tunnels range in length from 589 m to 10,121 m and are subject to the European Directive. The observed intervention times of the emergency teams range between 2 min and 10 min with an average value of 5.9 min. Such a short intervention time is possible because emergency teams are in the proximity of the different tunnels. Because of the short intervention time and the training of the personnel, all the fires were properly managed by the teams. Furthermore, considering the results of the scientific literature and the data presented in this work, it was possible to estimate and validate an effectiveness value (higher than 90%) of the emergency teams to be used within the risk analysis model developed by the authors and which can also be used in other risk analysis models.

Does Europe Need an EU Product Safety Directive for Access Scaffolding?

The main requirement established for the development of European Union product safety directives is to ensure a high level of safety for users. This research aims to analyze whether Europe needs a product safety directive for scaffolding and identify the main factors to be defined in public policies on the use of standardized scaffolding in the absence of such a directive. The principal types of scaffolding were reviewed, along with European regulations, and their risk levels. Finally, a qualitative study using a panel of experts was conducted to determine the differences between types of scaffolding and whether the enactment of such a directive would be justified. Key results were that the risk level associated with scaffolding positioned it third or fourth between material agents more hazardous in relation to falls from height. There is no existing product safety directive for scaffolding, despite the fact that there are directives for other products less dangerous than or as dangerous as scaffolding. However, there are noncompulsory standards EN 12810-1-2 and EN 12811-1-2-3-4 for scaffolding, which would form the basis of the essential requirements contained in a directive if it were created. The experts highlighted significant differences between “standardized” and “nonstandardized” scaffolding, with higher safety levels and productivity, and better maintenance, inspection, assembly, and dismantling associated with the former, and lower costs with the latter. Thus, they found that the enacting of an EU product safety directive for scaffolding would be justifiable, and in its absence supported the promotion of the use of standardized scaffolding.