National Code Of Practice Research Articles

Time-dependent deformation and cracking behaviour of FRC beams

The serviceability performance of structural concrete can be significantly improved through the addition of steel or polypropylene fibres. These benefits are well known in industry and practice. Consequently, several national codes of practice contain well established procedures to predict the strength and short-term serviceability behaviour of fibre reinforced concrete (FRC) structures. However, expressions capable of predicting the long-term serviceability behaviour of FRC are either not included or provide limited guidance. This limits the full utilisation of FRC in design practice. In the context of increasing FRC structural application, an experimental program has been carried out aiming to quantify the time-dependent deformation and cracking behaviour of FRC flexural members. Six large-scale specimens with varying fibre types (either no fibres, steel or polypropylene fibres), varying geometries and varying longitudinal reinforcement ratios were constructed and subjected to sustained uniformly distributed loads. The deformation and cracking behaviour of the specimens were continuously recorded. A complete suite of material characterisation tests was conducted in conjunction with the large-scale testing. The results of the testing indicate that the addition of the dosage of steel fibres used in this study to concrete significantly improves the time-dependent behaviour of determinate concrete structures by reducing long term deformations and the severity of cracking. The addition of the adopted dosage of polypropylene fibres for specimens tested in this study had a marginal effect on the time-dependent behaviour. Models previously developed by the authors are compared to the test data and are shown to correlate well.

Improvements of IS 1343-2012 Shear Design Provisions Using a New Traditional Shear Database of Prestressed Concrete Members with Stirrups

Various national codes of practice play a crucial role in the development of the country’s infrastructure and should be developed based on principles of mechanics and experimental verification. Continuous monitoring of infrastructure and updating of relevant codes of practice at regular intervals is essential to withstand the ever-increasing demand of the country’s infrastructure. In the present study, the shear design provisions of prestressed concrete (PC) in IS 1343-2012 have been reviewed. The assumptions used in the formulations of the existing shear design equations in IS 1343-2012 have been discussed. The present study reveals that the IS 1343-2012 shear design provisions, which are based on old test data, are too conservative and are unable to distinguish the two major modes of traditional shear failure, namely web-shear and flexure-shear. Modifications for the existing IS 1343-2012 shear design equations have been proposed to improve the shear strength estimation of PC members and also to distinguish between the web-shear and flexure-shear failure modes. A detailed comparison of existing IS 1343-2012 shear design provisions with the proposed modified shear strength equations has also been made with the help of a traditional shear database on PC members with stirrups.

The Specifities of Landslides Danger Assessment Accepted in Eurocode

The following article is related to different ways of slope stability assessment accepted in the Eurocodes and national codes of practice. The landslides studying history is briefly considered. The Eurocode 7 and 8 structure is described and some features of their application are listed. Differences between deterministic and probabilistic methods are shown. Examples of stability design schemes based on limiting equilibrium and also with seismic loads are given. The aspects of the slope reliability estimation using the reliability index are considered. Some disadvantages of reviewed slope stability assessment ways are listed and some recommendations for the new Codes of practice development are given.

Regulation of the artificial tanning sector in Greece

Introduction The first surveillance action regarding the artificial tanning sector in Greece was recently finalized by the Greek Atomic Energy Commission (EEAE). Results demonstrated noncompliance with the 0.3 W/m 2 erythemal irradiance limit in 65% of the sunbeds measured and inadequate provision of artificial tanning services. Purpose EEAE initiated specific actions in order: (i) to raise public awareness regarding artificial tanning, (ii) to synchronize the artificial tanning sector in Greece with the EU requirements and (iii) to introduce the national legislation for the control and regulation of the artificial tanning sector in Greece, since no relevant national legislation exists. Materials and methods The requirements set by the ELOT EN 60335-2-27:2013, ELOT EN 16489-1:2014, ELOT EN 16489-2:2015 and ELOT EN 16489-3:2015 technical standards as well as the recommendations provided by the EU and international organizations (e.g. WHO, ICNIRP) were used. Results A national code of practice for the provision of the artificial tanning services and an online training course for the sunbeds’ operators were developed. Moreover, informative material was developed in order to raise public awareness regarding the artificial tanning hazards and to guide the users through the approved artificial tanning procedures. Finally, a proposal for the formulation of the upcoming national legislation for the control and regulation of the artificial tanning sector in Greece was introduced. Conclusion Results of the first surveillance action conducted in Greece demonstrated the necessity of regulating the artificial tanning sector and underline the importance of continuing the relevant controls and the public awareness campaigns in Greece. Disclosure Authors disclose that they don’t have any interests or relationships that may bias their presentation.

Does research degree supervisor training work? The impact of a professional development induction workshop on supervision practice

ABSTRACTSupervisor induction and continued professional development programmes constitute good practice and are enshrined in institutional policies and national codes of practice. However, there is little evidence about whether they have an impact on either supervisors’ learning or day-to-day practice. Set in a discussion of previous literature, this article unpacks the concepts ‘impact’ and ‘evaluation’ and assesses the medium- and longer term impact of the University of South Australia's doctoral supervisor induction programme, Supervising@UniSA. It suggests that the workshop leads to the acquisition of understanding and knowledge and, for the majority of attendees, also has an impact on supervisory practice.

Evaluation of the Different Test Methods of the Concrete Durability for the Persian Gulf Environment

Environmental conditions of the Persian Gulf in terms of the durability of the reinforced concrete structures are highly aggressive and corrosive. Hence, in the Persian Gulf and Oman sea areas, based on the national code of practice, concrete durability is controlled by water absorption, water permeability and rapid chloride ion penetration tests. In this research, the above three mentioned tests plus total water absorption test, electrical resistivity, and capillary sorption tests were performed on 216 samples from six concrete mixtures with different water to binder ratios and pozzolan content (fly ash and silica fume). Based on the experimental results, the total water absorption and the water permeability tests were the most and the less accurate tests respectively. Results also showed that the capillary sorption test can be used as a suitable method to evaluate the concrete durability in the marine areas. In this study also a relationship between the specific limits of these tests for different environmental conditions was proposed.

A welfare assessment of methods used for harvesting, hunting and population control of kangaroos and wallabies

AbstractIn Australia, several macropod species are subjected to commercial harvesting, recreational hunting and population management, using both lethal and non-lethal measures. Some techniques for killing macropods can cause prolonged and/or severe suffering, and of particular concern is the welfare of remaining pouch young or young-at-foot, when females with dependent young are killed. Non-lethal methods are more widely supported by the general public and include reproductive control and relocation. These methods, however, also have significant associated welfare challenges. This review outlines the welfare concerns for each current method, and concludes that an accurate head-shot by an experienced shooter is least likely to inflict suffering. However, this assumes best practice shooting, which may not be representative of field conditions. Furthermore, many aspects of macropod control and killing still require significant research. These include, but are not limited to: accurate statistics for pouch young and young-at-foot mortality and morbidity in Australian states; data on field-based compliance with National Codes of Practice; safe and remote administration of reproductive control measures; and the impact of using dogs and trapping in wallaby destruction and hunting.

Government Procurement as a Vehicle for Workplace Relations Reform: The Case of the National Code of Practice for the Construction Industry

The use of public procurement as a vehicle for achieving public policy objectives can conveniently be traced to the Fair Wages Resolution which was adopted by the British House of Commons in 1891. This technique was subsequently adopted in many jurisdictions, and finds clear expression in the International Labour Organisation (‘ILO’)'s Labour Clauses (Public Contracts) Convention 1949 (No 94) (‘Convention No 94’).1 This article describes the British model and its international progeny, and then examines a controversial and unusual Australian mutation in the form of the National Code of Practice for the Construction Industry (‘Code’) and the various iterations of the associated Implementation Guidelines (‘Guidelines’) which have been adopted since 1998. It suggests that the Code and Guidelines, especially under the Howard Government, constitute a perversion of the traditional use of public procurement as a vehicle for the implementation of public policy in the industrial context. That is because they were directed to the curtailment of the rights of workers and their organisations rather than protecting employment standards and promoting collective bargaining. The article argues that the Code and Guidelines sit uneasily with accepted notions of the rule of law in a number of respects, and with certain aspects of Australia's obligations in international law. It also discusses the Fair Work Principles (‘FW Principles’) which have applied to all aspects of procurement by the Commonwealth since January 2010, and suggests that they embody an approach to public procurement and the promotion of social objectives which is rather more in keeping with international best practice than that reflected in the Construction Industry Code and Guidelines.

Government Procurement as a Vehicle for Workplace Relations Reform: The Case of the National Code of Practice for the Construction Industry

The use of public procurement as a vehicle for achieving public policy objectives can conveniently be traced to the Fair Wages Resolution which was adopted by the British House of Commons in 1891. This technique was subsequently adopted in many jurisdictions, and finds clear expression in the International Labour Organisation ('ILO')'s Labour Clauses (Public Contracts) Convention 1949 (No 94) ('Convention No 94'). 1 This article describes the British model and its international progeny, and then examines a controversial and unusual Australian mutation in the form of the National Code of Practice for the Construction Industry ('Code') and the various iterations of the associated Implementation Guidelines ('Guidelines') which have been adopted since 1998. It suggests that the Code and Guidelines, especially under the Howard Government, constitute a perversion of the traditional use of public procurement as a vehicle for the implementation of public policy in the industrial context. That is because they were directed to the curtailment of the rights of workers and their organisations rather than protecting employment standards and promoting collective bargaining. The article argues that the Code and Guidelines sit uneasily with accepted notions of the rule of law in a number of respects, and with certain aspects of Australia's obligations in international law. It also discusses the Fair Work Principles ('FW Principles') which have applied to all aspects of procurement by the Commonwealth since January 2010, and suggests that they embody an approach to public procurement and the promotion of social objectives which is rather more in keeping with international best practice than that reflected in the Construction Industry Code and Guidelines.

About this title ‐ Earthworks in Europe

This volume provides an overview of developments in the design and construction of earthworks, in particular those associated with transport infrastructure. It includes case studies from across Europe, which summarize current design standards and national codes of practice. Geotechnical risk and performance are addressed with discussions on the long-term stability of cuttings and embankments, the causes of slope failure, and a variety of stabilization techniques including the introduction of drainage measures and electrokinetic geosynthetics. There is guidance on the specification for material testing, the practice of soil improvement, ground treatment, the reuse of materials and the use of engineered fill. Finally consideration is given to asset management and geotechnical data management, the effects of climate change and environmental impact so that performance-based design can be combined with carbon footprint and cost analysis.

Sand Replacement Method for Determination of Shrinkage Limit of Fine-Grained Soils

Mercury is one of the many hazardous substances that has been recognized and banned by many natural codes of practice and governments. Because many laboratory works in research and practice require the use of mercury, safe alternative materials and procedures are being researched. One of the Atterberg limits dealing with volume stability of soils in the field is the shrinkage limit. The conventional method followed by many national codes of practice involves the use of mercury to measure the volume of dry soil pat. This paper proposes sand replacement method to determine the shrinkage limit of soils in the laboratory. This method uses sand of uniform gradation to determine the volume of dry soil pat. The proposed method is simple, safe, free from the limitations of the conventional mercury and wax methods, and eco-friendly. The shrinkage limit values obtained from the proposed sand replacement method compare very well with those from the mercury displacement method.

The pastoral care of international students in New Zealand: is it more than a consumer protection regime?

Student security is a composite social practice that includes the domains of consumer rights, entitlement to a range of welfare supports and pastoral care, and freedom from exploitation and discrimination. Three traditions shape the systems used for managing and regulating international student security in the nations that export education: pastoral care, consumer protection and quasi-citizenship. Each has different implications for the positioning of students as agents. This study used semi-structured interviews with 70 international students from nine countries in two contrasting universities. It investigated the provision of international student security, including the distinctive New Zealand regime of security, regulated by the National Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students. This Code binds provider institutions and the International Education Appeal Authority, and permits Code-based claims by students from providers. The study found that international students in New Zealand have varying expectations of student security, which draws eclectically from all three traditions. There are gaps in the coverage of pastoral care, including the areas of financial matters and intercultural relations. Where the Code does provide protection, its provisions are not always fully implemented, such as for accommodation assistance. More seriously, there is little knowledge among students of the Code of Practice and their Code-based entitlements, and almost no knowledge of the Appeal Authority. Numerous students testified to poor information flow. This limits not only their capacities as quasi-consumers and their access to pastoral services – so that in practice, the New Zealand system is similar to the Australian system, which is explicitly limited to consumer protection – but even their ability to fully utilize consumer protection. This defect renders the promise of a regulated pastoral care regime grounded in active student agency largely inoperative.

Modern design, construction and maintenance of composite steelconcrete structures: Australian experiences

Modern design, construction innovation and maintenance issues have been extensively utilised for composite steel-concrete building structures in Australia. This paper provides an overview of the design codes, innovative construction applications and maintenance issues for steel-concrete composite members in Australia. The paper initially provides an overview of the various codes of practice for steel-concrete composite members in Australia. In identifying construction innovation significant projects to adopt composite construction techniques are considered. Many of these projects have found that the national codes of practice have been lacking in guidance. This has thus been the focal point for much of the research into the area of steel-concrete composite members over the last two decades. The paper concludes with research that is currently being carried out which considers materials and solutions in composite structural forms which promote the concepts of sustainability and will inevitably be prominent in improved maintenance of steel structures in the future.

Predicting Failure in Glass—A General Crack Growth Model

The successful design of glass as a structural element depends mainly on the ability to predict failure with accuracy and ease. Over the last 30 years various failure prediction models have been put forward for determining the load bearing capacity of glass, some of which have been adopted in national codes of practice. The differences between these models translate into a wide range of glass strength and glass thickness values in glass design. This paper compares the mathematical formulations of a number of existing failure prediction models, and the differences between these models are identified and discussed. From these comparisons a general crack growth model (GCGM) based on established statistical failure theory and linear elastic fracture mechanics is proposed. The performance of the existing models and the proposed GCGM is compared by physical and numerical investigations. The proposed model is shown to provide a basis for an accurate and automated method for determining the tensile strength of glass subjected to static loads and valid for any geometry and support condition.

Confidentiality and security of information

Doctors have a duty to preserve patient confidentiality. Increased use of information technology has made it necessary to introduce new codes of practice relating to the handling of confidential patient information. The 1998 Data Protection Act defines what is legal and appropriate regarding the use of such information and defines the responsibilities of those who record and use that information. The Act describes the rights of subjects who have information recorded about them and their forms of redress. National codes of practice on patient confidentiality are based on the legal requirements of the Act. Access to patient information systems needs to be controlled to prevent unauthorized access. Much of the process of information security is managed at Trust level, but all doctors need a basic knowledge of computer system security. As well as access control, security measures must try to ensure that stored information remains intact and yet available to all users who have authorization. This is the triad of confidentiality, integrity and availability. In attempting to achieve these aims some compromise is necessary because there is some degree of mutual incompatibility. The actual measures taken in each case depend on the sensitivity and importance of the information. The Act only states that appropriate security measures should be taken, they are not defined. Information security does not relate solely to computer systems; paper records, telephone messages and faxes are equally important. There are many technological aids to improving security that the NHS must consider, though for most doctors the essential issues are of awareness and a cultural change of practice.

Recent Trends in the Evaluation of Functional Foods

The specific health benefits of individual food components have been recognised for centuries, but only relatively recently has there been a determined effort by pioneering individuals in Countries such as Japan, to take advantage of the huge public health benefits that are on offer. It is a sad fact that in almost all Countries that have adopted Legislation or Codes of Practice, it is the pressure derived from exaggerated health claims on food products that lead to controls. Absurd product health claims created with little or no regard for the scientific evidence results in the Authorities fi ghting a rearguard action to limit claims, rather than adopting an initial neutral attitude and approach that would lead to fresh thinking. In the European Economic Community, current National practices and legislation in the 15 Member States effectively create different approaches towards food fortification, food supplements, herbal products and the availability of non-prescription products. In the absence of a specific Directive from Brussels, it is not surprising that the majority of EU Member States have in place, or are currently working on National Codes of Practice in an attempt to control foods that carry health messages. In an attempt to harmonise the basic requirements for controls on functional foods, the CIAA has produced a pan-European document that sets out the principle requirements. We also need to consider the effect that officially recognising health claims for food will have on specialised product sectors where a surprising degree of freedom already exists for health claims. In my paper I will compare individual Codes of Practice and Legislation and discuss representative examples of food and supplement products. I will point out the current advantages for some market sectors, together with the failings in well-established legislation that can prevent the marketing of bona fide foods with health claims.

Achieving a responsive industrial relations environment for construction industry workers: a project alliancing case study

This paper outlines how the project agreement operating on the Australian National Museum project in Canberra, Australia facilitated a responsible and responsive workplace environment for construction workers. A project alliancing approach was adopted and designed to encourage industrial relations innovation in the workplace. The trigger for this approach was the perceived success of the alliancing working arrangements between key project delivery teams and a desire to extend this arrangement to subcontractors, suppliers and the workforce. Changes in the Australian workplace relations environment and introduction of a national code of practice for the Australian construction industry provided impetus for reaching a new type of workplace agreement. The workplace culture and characteristics of relationships formed between workers and management on that site shaped the agreed terms and conditions of work. It also spurred the pursuit of innovative approaches to project delivery from a technology, management and workplace culture perspective.

Reforming Policy and Provision for Dyslexic Students in Higher Education: Towards a National Code of Practice

Peter Pumfrey continues a discussion, previously aired in this journal, about provision for dyslexic students in higher education. He argues that it is time we moved towards a more coherent national policy to support talented disabled students including those who are dyslexic. However, he has doubts as to whether this can be sufficiently funded given the pressure on university budgets.

Historical aspects of international movement of living aquatic species.

The use of exotic aquatic species to increase both the level of food production and the income generated by this production has been an established practice since the mid 19th century. At present, advances in husbandry have enabled large-scale movements of many different species over great distances. Despite a gradual fall in the volume of such movements since the 1960s, the practice still persists and continues to generate controversy in regard to the protection of native biological diversity, the spread of pests and disease, and socio-economic factors. The author presents the results of a recent international questionnaire on species introductions, distributed in an attempt to gain further insight into the uses and effects of introduced species. Information was received on 654 introductions of aquatic organisms, mostly fish. Aquaculture was the main reason for most introductions, followed by the creation of fisheries, the ornamental fish trade, research, biological control, accident, natural diffusion, and the provision of bait and forage. National governments were responsible for 40% of the introductions, with the private sector accounting for 18%, individuals another 15% and international organisations 7%, with the remaining 20% being of unknown source. The impact and benefits of many of the introductions reported were unclear. Most introductions (62%) probably did not result in the establishment of the exotic species in natural waters. Respondents reported that 63% of the introductions probably had no effect on th ecosystem: 25% of the impacts were judged positive, while for 58% the nature of the impact (positive or negative) was undetermined. Furthermore, 62% of the introductions probably had no effect on the socio-economic system: 40% of the impacts were beneficial, while in 55% of cases the respondents were undecided whether or not the impact was beneficial. The authors recommend that planning, regulation and monitoring of introductions of aquatic species be imposed through adherence to international and national codes of practice. This will help to maximise benefits from the use of exotic species in the future.

Fire safety and escape strategies for a rock cavern stadium

Abstract The world's largest rock cavern stadium for public use has been built at Gjovik, Norway, as an arena for the 1994 Winter Olympic Games. The cavern stadium in 100 m long, 61 m wide, and 25 m high. It is the reference subject in a national ongoing research programme to verify the knowledge and technology related to preinvestigations, planning, construction, and use of such rock caverns. The results from this research programme will be used as a basis for updating the national codes of practice concerning large underground spaces for public use. This paper deals with the fire safety and the escape strategies for this facility, assuming a maximum occupancy of 5800 people.