Accident Management Research Articles

Major Achievements of the EC MUSA Project

The maturity of severe accident (SA) codes, progress in computational methods, and computer infrastructures were considered a sound platform for conducting, for the first time in SA modeling, a systematic and broad application of uncertainty and sensitivity analysis (UaSA) in this domain. The overall objective of the HORIZON2020 project on “Management and Uncertainties of Severe Accidents (MUSA)” was to quantify the uncertainties of SA integral codes when modeling reactor and spent fuel pool (SFP) accident scenarios of Generation-II and Generation-III reactor designs for the prediction of the radiological source term. This paper presents the major achievements accomplished by MUSA. To name a few, (1) a database on input parameter uncertainties has been assembled, (2) SA codes and statistical tools, either inhouse built or existing ones, have been properly coupled by scripting or interfaces, (3) major specific challenges have been identified and different solutions have been worked out, and (4) applications to several reactor types and SFP scenarios have shown interesting insights into this simulation approach, particularly when dealing with source term variables as figures of merit. No less important, major challenges were found and are discussed here as issues that need to be addressed before achieving an effective implementation of UaSA in the SA domain.

P-178. Crotalic snakebites accidents: the clinical and epidemiological profile of patients treated at toxicology unit of a reference center in Brazil

Abstract Background In Brazil, about 30,000 snakebites accidents are reported every year. Crotalus durissus is responsible for 9% of the cases. This study aimed to assess the clinical, epidemiological and laboratory profile of victims of crotalic accidents treated at a major toxicological reference in Brazil and the incidence of clinical complications. Methods Retrospective cohort study that analyzed medical records from victims of crotalic accidents treated at the Toxicology Unity of the reference center between January/2011 and December/2022. Suspected crotalic accidents with lack of clinical and laboratory diagnosis were excluded. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to evaluate the association between the severity of crotalic accidents with its factors, reported as odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals. Results From 411 patients included (median age 40 years, interquartile range [IQR] 23–56), 79.8% were men, 70.0% pardo, 74.0% of the accidents happened in rural areas and 77.6% of the bites were in lower limbs. Overall, 29.0% were late-admitted to the hospital ( >6 hours after the accident. Accidents were more frequent in summer (63.3%). Median hospital length of stay was 3 days (IQR 2-4). From those who had local manifestations (90.3%), pain was the most frequent symptom (80.5%). Regarding patients who had systemic manifestations (74.0%), neuroparalytic were the most frequent (66.7%), followed by myotoxic and hemolytic (37.8%), vagal (20.4%) and renal (17.3%). Four deaths were reported (1.0%). Age > 50 years (OR 1.85 [95% CI 1.11-3.11]), non-identification of the snake (OR 4.24 [95% CI 2.07-8.97]) and >6h until medical admission (OR 4.23 [CI 95% 2.55-7.12]) were associated with severe cases. Conclusion The results show the importance of the adequate and early management of crotalic accidents focusing on the main manifestations. The establishment of epidemiological, clinical and laboratory profiles related to severe cases is also important to help understand the socio demographic characteristics of the patients. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

Development of a transportable neutron imager for localization of radioactive sources

Locating radioactive hot spots presents a significant challenge for the nuclear industry and security applications, such as waste management, decommissioning, radiation protection, and the management of nuclear accidents. The detection of fast-neutron emissions offers an alternative technique to gamma imaging for verifying the location of radioactive materials, particularly in cases where gamma imagers face challenges in detection. In this study, we present the performance of a prototype gamma-neutron imaging system based on a custom-fabricated plastic scintillator, designed to effectively discriminate between signals from gamma radiation, fast neutrons, and thermal neutrons.We conducted Geant4 simulations to investigate neutron interactions within the plastic scintillator and compared the simulation results with experimental data. Additionally, we performed experiments on the prototype using a proton beam at the CYRCé facility at IPHC, utilizing a CMOS Monolithic Active Pixel Sensor (MAPS) called MIMOSIS to analyze the beam profile. Through these efforts, we examined neutron interactions with our scintillator, validated the prototype's imaging capabilities under proton beam exposure, and conducted a calibration study of its energy response.

Investigating the barriers to air medical services in accidents and disasters in Iran and suggesting solutions: a qualitative study

ObjectiveToday, air medical services play a key part in providing emergency medical services in accidents and disasters in many countries, including Iran. The present study aims to investigate the barriers to air medical services in accidents and disasters in Iran and suggest solutions to them.ResultsAnalysis of the qualitative data resulted in extraction of 84 codes, which were classified into 13 subcategories and eventually into four themes, namely planning, management of resources, updating procedures, and empowerment of human resources. The findings also underscored the role of general policies, safety of flights and the scene of the accident, the cost and length of arriving at the scene of the accident, training programs designed to enhance the personnel’s preparation, and management of disasters and accidents. Senior medical emergency services managers can use the findings of the present study to identify the challenges which pre-hospital emergency care personnel are faced to air medical services in accidents and disasters and take the necessary measures to eliminate them toward improving the quality of pre-hospital care in air medical services in accidents and disasters.

A Review on Ex-Vessel Melt Retention Measures Adopted in Light Water Reactors

As the cornerstone of severe accident management strategy, either in-vessel or ex-vessel retention of core melt (IVR or EVR) plays a pivotal role in the stabilization and termination of a severe accident and ultimately secures the safety goal of “Practical elimination of large radioactive release” for light water reactors. In contrast to the IVR measures that are more or less identical in reactor designs, the EVR measures are quite different from design to design. This study intended to give a critical review on the EVR measures adopted in the reactor designs of VVER-1000, EPR, ESBWR, EU-APR1400 and APWR. The review study began with a general description of the existing EVR measures, including their principles, operational procedures and research efforts. We then focused our discussions on the pros and cons of each EVR measure through the comparisons with the IVR and with the others in terms of simplicity, reliability and economy. We finally tried to identify the remaining issues and uncertainties in the qualification of the EVR measures, based on which potential design improvements and future research needs were recommended.

Factors Influencing Children's Hospital Nurses' Safety Accident Management Activities for Hospitalized Children.

We aimed to identify the factors influencing safety accident management activities for hospitalized children in children's hospitals. In August 2022, data were collected from 170 nurses across seven children's hospitals in Gwangju Metropolitan City, Korea. The collected data were analyzed using independent t-tests, analysis of variance, Pearson's correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis. Safety accident management activities for hospitalized children differ significantly based on nurses' experience in children's hospitals (P=0.048) . Safety accident management activities were positively correlated with patient safety culture (r=0.47, P<0.001) , critical thinking (r=0.35, P<0.001) , and nursing work environment (r=0.51, P<0.001) . Furthermore, the most influential determinant of safety accident management activities for hospitalized children was the nursing work environment (β=0.42, P<0.001) , followed by nurses' experience in children's hospitals (β=0.20, P=0.004) , and patient safety culture (β=0.17, P=0.041) . These variables had an explanatory power of 34.0 % (adjusted R2=0.34, P<0.001) . A positive nursing work environment and strong patient safety culture are essential for increasing safety accident management activities among children's hospital nurses. Additionally, children's hospitals should provide support to the nursing staff and implement policies that encourage long-term retention of experienced nurses.

Accident causation analysis of metal processing plants based on questionnaire and Bayesian network

Metal dust and metal waste from the process of metal processing are prone to fire and explosion, resulting in personal injury and property losses. It is necessary to explore the causes of fire and explosion in metal processing plants for the prevention and management of safety accidents. In this paper, the relevant information of fire and explosion accidents in metal processing plants is collected by questionnaire investigation. Then, three experts with authority in this field were chosen, and the experts’ weights were calculated. Secondly, Bayesian networks of metal processing plants were established according to accident information. In addition, questionnaire data and the expert score after fuzzing were applied to serve as probabilistic data for Bayesian networks. Finally, a safety management model was constructed based on the sensitivity analysis in the Bayesian network. It is shown that the probability of human and management errors is the largest in a plant. Compared to other factors, the probability of occurrence of an unsafe state of material is the smallest. Human errors and the ventilation system is not activated are the two factors that have the greatest influence on the accidents. This study provides assistance in improving safety in metal processing plants.

The effect of acceptance and commitment therapy on work-related rumination and job fatigue of medical emergency and accident management center staff: an experimental study

BackgroundWorking in accident management centers and medical emergencies makes employees face psychological tensions and leads to a decrease in their work quality and endangering the lives of patients. Therefore, any solution to reduce their tension will be valuable. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of acceptance and commitment-based therapy (ACT) on work-related rumination and job fatigue among the employees of the Emergency and Medical Accident Management Center of Alborz Province, Iran.MethodsThis study is an experimental research with intervention and control groups conducted between January 16, 2019, and July 8, 2019. Sixty-four employees were selected based on the entry criteria and randomly assigned to two groups. People in the intervention group participated in 8 sessions of 2-hour therapy based on acceptance and commitment. Questionnaires for demographic information, work-related rumination, and occupational recovery/exhaustion were used to collect data. The intervention was conducted with univariate and multivariate covariance analysis.ResultsThe findings showed that the average job fatigue reached 16.78\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\:\\pm\\:$$\\end{document} 11.44 from 37.06 ± 16.70 in the pre-test with a decrease of 20.28 points. Also, the average of all rumination dimensions related to work decreased in the post-test. The findings showed that the effectiveness of treatment based on acceptance and commitment therapy was confirmed on job fatigue and all its components and all dimensions of work-related rumination (p < 0.05). The partial eta square index was greater than 0.14 in all cases and showed the significant effectiveness of the intervention on all components of work-related rumination and job fatigue.ConclusionTreatment based on acceptance and commitment reduced rumination and job fatigue. It is recommended to practice this intervention to improve personnel’s mental health and the quality of services provided to patients.Clinical trial numberNot applicable.

Advancing Road Safety Through Intelligent Vehicle Accident Detection and Reporting Enabled by IoT Innovation

The escalating incidence of road accidents poses a significant challenge to public safety, often exacerbated by delays in emergency response. This research introduces an IoT-based intelligent system designed to revolutionize accident management by providing real-time data and critical information to emergency services. By seamlessly integrating Raspberry Pi and Arduino microcontrollers with advanced sensors such as force-sensitive resistors (FSRs), GPS, and potentially additional sensors like accelerometers and gyroscopes, the system accurately detects accidents, assesses their severity, and captures comprehensive data, including passenger images, vehicle details, and precise accident location. Upon impact, the system rapidly transmits this data, along with pre and post-accident images, to a designated emergency response center via a secure and reliable communication network. This swift dissemination of critical information empowers emergency responders to make informed decisions, optimize resource allocation, and prioritize response efforts, ultimately saving lives and minimizing the impact of accidents. The system's intelligence lies in its ability to not only detect accidents but also to assess their severity based on sensor data analysis, enabling a more targeted and efficient emergency response. Furthermore, the system's potential to collect valuable data on accident patterns and causes can contribute to the development of preventive measures and road safety strategies. By leveraging the power of IoT technology, this research aims to significantly enhance road safety and transform accident management practices.

ELSMOR - towards European Licensing of Small Modular Reactors:Methodology recommendations for light-water small modular reactors safety assessment.

Decarbonization of energy production is key in today's societies and nuclear energy holds an essential place in this prospect. Besides heavy-duty electricity production, other industrial and communal needs could be served by integrating novel nuclear energy production systems, among which are low-power nuclear devices, like small modular reactors (SMRs). The ELSMOR (towards European Licensing of Small Modular Reactors) European project addresses this topic as an answer to the Horizon 2020 Euratom NFRP-2018-3 call. The consortium includes 15 partners from eight European countries, involving research institutes, major European nuclear companies and technical support organizations. The 3.5-year project, launched in September 2019, investigates selected safety features of light-water (LW) SMRs with focus on licensing aspects. Providing a comprehensive compliance framework that regulators can adopt and operate, the licensing process of such SMRs could be optimized, helping their deployment. In this prospect, as a result of ELSMOR's work, this article gives an overview of the specific issues that LW-SMRs may bring about in the different domains of nuclear safety, in terms of: •Methodological standpoints: safety goals, safety requirements, safety principles (defence-in-depth implementation);•Main safety functions of reactivity control, decay heat removal and confinement management;•Severe accident management;•Other safety issues particular to SMRs: use of shared systems; performing of multi-unit probabilistic safety assessment (PSA); spent fuel management, transport and disposal management. In this article, adequate methodologies are developed to deal with these issues and to help assess the safety of LW-SMRs. This work gives a precious synthesis of the safety assessment issues of LW-SMRs and of the associated methodologies developed in the context of the ELSMOR European project.

A critical appraisal of South African oncology pharmacy standards: A comparison with international best practice standards.

The demand for oncology pharmacy services is set to increase as the burden of cancer rises in sub-Saharan Africa. Oncology pharmacists may be exposed to antineoplastic drugs (ADs) and need comprehensive health and safety guidelines. The objective of the study was to assess the effectiveness of the local oncology pharmacy practice standards, by critically evaluating them against international best practice standards. We compared the Independent Clinical Oncology Network (ICON) administration of ADs standards resource document (ICON standards) and Good Pharmacy Practice (GPP) standards with the International Society of Oncology Pharmacy Practitioners (ISOPP) Standards for the safe handling of cytotoxics, and the Quality standard for the oncology pharmacy service (QuaPos), using 10 domains: transport of ADs, working arrangements, education and training, engineering controls, use of personal protective equipment, risk management, medical monitoring of personnel, cleaning procedures, accident management and documentation, labelling and checking procedures. The ICON standards align closely with international best practice standards, but the GPP standards focus only briefly on the compounding of ADs.The GPP standards are outdated and some of the stipulations are erroneous. Oncology pharmacists would do better to adhere to the more comprehensive ICON standards, although these standards also need to be updated in line with best practice. Revising and improving both these local standards in consultation with key role players in the oncology pharmacy industry will go a long way in protecting the health and safety of oncology pharmacists in South Africa.

Mother's Knowledge on First Aid Management of Domestic Accidents in Children

Mother's Knowledge on First Aid Management of Domestic Accidents in Children

Machine learning-Based method for gas leakage source term estimation in highway tunnels

Incidents involving the leakage of flammable and explosive chemicals in highway tunnels can lead to disastrous events such as fires and explosions. The distinctive features of highway tunnels, characterized by their confined and elongated structure, intensify the complexity of managing such accidents, potentially resulting in significant casualties and property damage. Rapid detection and acquisition of leakage source information during a flammable gas leak in a highway tunnel are of utmost importance for effective accident management. This study introduces a predictive model developed using a machine learning approach. The model uses time series data from gas concentration sensors and anemometers installed within the tunnel to predict parameters such as gas leakage velocity, source location, and initiation time. A computational fluid dynamics simulation of gas leakage within the tunnel was constructed, and a dataset was generated using sample generation and preprocessing methods. The results demonstrate that this method exhibits robust predictive performance. Furthermore, a prediction strategy is proposed to enhance the model’s predictive accuracy and resilience to data noise. This model offers valuable insights for improving accident management strategies for gas-related incidents in highway tunnels.

Controversies in the Management of Ischemic Cerebrovascular Accidents in Patients With Non-Promyelocytic Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Controversies in the Management of Ischemic Cerebrovascular Accidents in Patients With Non-Promyelocytic Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Causal Analysis of Roof Caving on Underground Mine: A New Theory and Optimized DEMATEL Approach

In the context of mines, roof-caving incidents constitute the most common and expensive accidents. To enhance the management and prevention of roof-caving accidents, it is imperative to investigate the factors that contribute to such incidents and comprehend the intricate causal relationships among them. This study aims to classify the causes of these accidents into three categories: basic factors, controllable factors, and sudden factors, based on the mechanism of roof caving. The categorization is primarily determined by two indicators: intervisibility and variability. Furthermore, the study delves into analyzing the mutual influence relationships among these factors and proposes the BCX theory (Basic-Controllable-Sudden causing theory) for roof caving. Subsequently, based on this theory, an index system called BCX is established for roof caving, and the DEMATEL method is employed to analyze the factors within this index system. To attain more accurate results, this study utilizes interval trapezoidal type-2 fuzzy number scale optimization and Tsallis relative entropy to address the limitations of the DEMATEL method. By comparing the outcomes of the traditional and optimal DEMATEL methods, it is observed that the optimal method exhibits superior applicability in the BCX index system of roof caving, with results that align closely with the actual scenario. Therefore, the optimal DEMATEL method’s analysis of centrality, importance, and chain relationships between the factors within the BCX index system will offer valuable guidance for preventing roof-caving accidents in mining operations.

A Review on Stroke’s Pathophysiology, Associated Risk Factors, and Management

Background: Stroke is a medical disorder defined by focal neurological deficits caused by vascular impairment (hemorrhage or infarction) in the CNS (Central Nervous System). Currently the second biggest cause of morbidity worldwide, strokes continue to be a deadly disease. Objective: This review aimed to elucidate the stroke’s pathophysiology, both changeable and unchangeable risk factors associated with stroke, including prevention of stroke, its diagnosis, as well as treatment. Methods: The articles were collected involving the research on stroke with the help of different sources, like PubMed, Science Direct, and Google. Many manuscripts were collected and analyzed, and the relevant ones were considered for the present manuscript. Results: A brain CT scan has been found to be the first step in the management of Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA) in order to distinguish between ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke types. Beyond stroke classification, imaging has been observed to serve as a powerful tool for ruling out alternative diagnoses, predicting stroke outcomes, and facilitating appropriate treatment planning. Conclusion: Stroke is the second foremost cause of death as well as disability worldwide, leading to substantial economic losses. Therefore, better treatment and improved management after stroke are a global health priority. Modifying risk factors can decrease the chances of occurrence of stroke. Also, correct diagnosis should be done to diagnose the presence of stroke and its type. Proper treatment should be provided, like perfusion, glucose management, antiplatelet therapy, antihypertensive therapy, stem cell therapy, neural response and rehabilitation, increased awareness, lifestyle changes, stress management, etc. Exercise can also help positively to reduce the chances of stroke.

MAKG: A maritime accident knowledge graph for intelligent accident analysis and management

With the increasing frequency of human activities at sea, maritime accidents are occurring more often. Analyzing and mining maritime accident cases can help uncover the causal mechanisms behind these incidents, thereby enhancing maritime safety. As an emerging technology for knowledge management and mining, knowledge graphs offer significant support for the storage, reasoning, and decision-making processes related to maritime accidents.In this study, we established a knowledge graph construction and application framework for maritime accidents to facilitates the extraction and management of maritime knowledge from unstructured texts. First, 581 accident reports released by the China Maritime Safety Administration over the past decade (2014–2023) were used as the data basis for analysis and construction of the maritime accident ontology structure using the seven-step method, which comprises 8 entity types, 8 relationship types, and 18 attribute entity types. Second, We proposed MBERT-BiLSTM-CRF-SF, a named entity recognition model based on domain pretraining and self-training, to reduce graph construction costs. This model achieved state-of-the-art performance in the maritime domain, with an F1 score of 0.910 ± 0.006, which is about 5% higher than the mainstream model. In addition, we proposed an entity alignment method based on font and semantics to refine knowledge further. On the basis of the proposed method, we constructed a large, high-quality maritime accident knowledge graph (MAKG) system that contains 16,099 entities and 20,809 relationship instances. Finally, we reduced the complexity of applying knowledge graphs by integrating the CRISPE prompt learning framework of the large language model, and experiments on graph traversal, pattern recognition, and aggregation analysis were conducted to assess the quality of MAKG. Results demonstrate that MAKG can effectively enhance the efficiency of querying and reasoning about maritime accident information, thus providing significant support for the prevention and management of maritime accidents.

Clinical management of child accidents caused by poisony animals

Clinical management of child accidents caused by poisony animals

The Important Role of Safety Culture in the Management of Major Industrial Accidents

Introduction: Major industrial accidents or disasters can have significant impacts on various aspects, including human health, the environment, societal well-being, and national economies. The concept of safety culture is increasingly receiving attention as a means of mitigating industrial mishaps. Nonetheless, a dearth of comprehensive systematic reviews exists that specifically examine the important role of safety culture in effectively mitigating severe industrial accidents across diverse industries on a global scale. Hence, the primary aim of this research is to examine the important role of safety culture in the effective management of industrial accidents across diverse sectors. Method: The systematic literature review (SLR) from the ScienceDirect database was established using the four basic procedures outlined in the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). A total of thirty-three scholarly publications were retrieved from the database, encompassing the years 2017 to 2021, which specifically address the important role of safety culture in the effective management of major industrial incidents. Results: The findings yielded two primary themes, namely, the significance of safety culture at both the managerial and employee levels. These topics were then categorised into ten subthemes. The findings indicate that safety culture exerts a significant influence at the managerial level in mitigating industrial accidents through the enhancement of safety training. Conclusion: In summary, a safety culture holds significant importance within the realm of management as it serves to effectively mitigate the occurrence of industrial accidents in the years to come.

Development of failure mitigation technologies for improving resilience of nuclear structures

After the Fukushima daiichi nuclear power plant accident, various countermeasures were taken for Beyond Design Basis Events (BDBE) in the system safety field. These included portable devices, additional backup facilities and accident management. They are different from approaches for Design Basis Events (DBE). In the field of structural mechanics; however, efforts were focused on strengthening to prevent failures for both DBE and BDBE in the same way. This approach will lead to limitless requirements for strength and expensive plants.As a breakthrough approach in structural mechanics for BDBE, we propose failure mitigation methods through the application of passive safety structures, where preceding failures release loadings and mitigate subsequent failures. When preceding failure modes have small impacts on safety performance, such as small deformation and crack initiation, and subsequent ones are catastrophic modes such as collapse and break, the passive safety structure improves safety and resilience. This idea is the utilization of passive characteristics of structures without additional equipment and electric power, allowing for simple and reliable plants.To demonstrate this idea, passive safety structures were applied to next-generation fast reactors, subject to high temperature and low-pressure conditions. In the case of loss-of-heat-removal accidents, high temperature conditions accelerate the creep deformation of structures. When deformation redistributes loadings and reduces stresses at important positions such as coolant boundaries, progression to creep rupture of boundaries can be mitigated. When an excessive earthquake occurs, plastic deformation and buckling become dominant, due to low pressure and, therefore, a thin-wall structure. The above-mentioned failure modes reduce rigidity and natural frequency. When the natural frequency becomes lower than the input frequency, vibration energy is hardly transferred to structures and the subsequent failures of structures, such as collapse and break, are mitigated.