Quality Management Plan Research Articles

Economic and environmental analysis of using constructed riparian wetlands to support urbanized municipal wastewater treatment

This paper evaluated the economic and environmental benefits of using riparian constructed wetlands (CWs) for municipal wastewater treatment in an urban watershed. The monitoring data were collected from seven CWs in Tan-Shui River basin of the metropolitan Taipei, and were compared with a centralized wastewater treatment plant in the same watershed. Operation parameters such as site conditions, effluent quality, construction and operation/maintenance (O&M) costs were analyzed and used to calculate the first order reaction kinetics (kv20) of three pollutants, i.e. TSS, BOD, and NH4–N. The reaction kinetics and costs vary significantly among the CWs and treatment plant. The overall treatment performances of BOD and NH4–N generally confirmed with the references, with variation only among the different sites, but the removal of TSS was less desirable for all CWs. The total costs of the CWs were between 0.425 and 3.621USD per kg total BOD removed, and the costs of the centralized wastewater treatment plant was approximately 1.186USD per kg total BOD removed. The wetlands provide reasonable pollutants removal and show additional benefits on education and recreation while the sanitary sewer system and new treatment plants are under construction. The experiment results confirmed with the references and the methodology can be used to developing water quality management plans for urbanized watersheds in subtropical areas.

Development of risk-based air quality management strategies under impacts of climate change

Climate change is forecast to adversely affect air quality through perturbations in meteorological conditions, photochemical reactions, and precursor emissions. To protect the environment and human health from air pollution, there is an increasing recognition of the necessity of developing effective air quality management strategies under the impacts of climate change. This paper presents a framework for developing risk-based air quality management strategies that can help policy makers improve their decision-making processes in response to current and future climate change about 30–50 years from now. Development of air quality management strategies under the impacts of climate change is fundamentally a risk assessment and risk management process involving four steps: (1) assessment of the impacts of climate change and associated uncertainties; (2) determination of air quality targets; (3) selections of potential air quality management options; and (4) identification of preferred air quality management strategies that minimize control costs, maximize benefits, or limit the adverse effects of climate change on air quality when considering the scarcity of resources. The main challenge relates to the level of uncertainties associated with climate change forecasts and advancements in future control measures, since they will significantly affect the risk assessment results and development of effective air quality management plans. The concept presented in this paper can help decision makers make appropriate responses to climate change, since it provides an integrated approach for climate risk assessment and management when developing air quality management strategies. Implications: Development of climate-responsive air quality management strategies is fundamentally a risk assessment and risk management process. The risk assessment process includes quantification of climate change impacts on air quality and associated uncertainties. Risk management for air quality under the impacts of climate change includes determination of air quality targets, selections of potential management options, and identification of effective air quality management strategies through decision-making models. The risk-based decision-making framework can also be applied to develop climate-responsive management strategies for the other environmental dimensions and assess costs and benefits of future environmental management policies.

Results of rainfall simulation to estimate sediment-bound carbon and nitrogen loss from an Atlantic Coastal Plain (USA) ultisol

Assessment of erosion impact on soil carbon and nitrogen loss and redistribution within landscapes is needed to develop estimates of soil carbon sequestration potential, soil quality management plans, and to evaluate potential for transport of sediment bound agrochemicals. We used variable intensity rainfall simulations to quantify the effects of tillage, conventional and strip, and antecedent soil water content on sediment-bound carbon and nitrogen loss from a Tifton loamy sand located in the southeastern Atlantic Coastal Plain (USA). Carbon and nitrogen loss via erosion of silt+clay sized versus sand sized sediment particles were quantified. Antecedent water content had no effect on mean sediment loss within tillage treatments, but losses from conventional till treatments were significantly greater than from strip till. Sediment lost as silt+clay was from 58 to 78% of the total under conventional and from 30 to 39% under strip tillage. The fraction of sediment lost as silt+clay versus sand was greater under conventional tillage than under strip tillage. Within-event sediment carbon enrichment compared to the top 2cm of soil was 0.9–7.2 for conventional and 0.6–3.7 for strip tillage. The strip till silt+clay fraction had significantly higher carbon content than the strip till sand fraction and the conventional till silt+clay fraction. Carbon loss from treatments was directly proportional to sediment loss. However, the conventional till treatments lost 4.6–6 times more carbon from the silt+clay sized fraction and 1.9–4.8 times more carbon from the sand sized fraction than strip till treatments. Results suggest that the higher proportion of silt+clay fraction sediment loss from conventional till may deplete nitrogen enriched organic matter while decreased erosion from strip till may serve to increase retention of organic nitrogen. Findings also indicate that an approach that adjusts loss estimates of organic carbon and nitrogen by using wet-sieved subsamples for analysis followed by standardization against total bulk sediment loss accounts for introduced errors from both sub-sampling efficiency and disturbance.

호소 수질자료의 장기변동 추세분석

우리나라의 경우 대부분의 호소가 50년 이상 되었으며 인간 활동으로 인한 오염물질 유입량의 증가로 호수지역의 수질 오염 가능성이 높아지고 있다. 본 연구에서는 금강수계 6개 지점의 호소를 대상으로 장기간의 수질자료의 추세를 분석하여 호소 수질특성을 분석하였다. 추세분석 결과 6개 호소의 대부분이 불안정한 주기성을 나타내었으며, 6개 저수지 모두가 수질등급 이상으로 수질이 좋지 않았다. 6개 호소 중 탑정지와 보령호를 제외한 나머지 4개 호소의 경우는 수질개선이 필요한 상태이며 특히, 삽교호의 경우는 수질이 지속적으로 악화되어 수질관리가 절실히 필요한 것으로 나타났다. 그러나 보령호의 경우는 다목적댐으로 이수 및 취수를 위해 관리되고 있어 다른 호소와 비교해서 상대적으로 좋은 수질을 유지하였다. 이러한 분석 결과는 장기적인 호소의 계절적 수질변화특성을 고려한 수질관리 대책에 도움을 줄 수 있으리라 판단된다. Most lakes are more than 50 years old in Korea, and the vulnerability to water pollution in lake areas has increased due to the increase of inflow pollutant loads caused by human activities. This study has investigated water quality characteristics for the six lakes in Geum River basin through an analysis of long-term water quality trends. It is observed that most results from the six lakes show unstable periodicities in long-term water quality observations and all lakes have low water quality with a level IV and above. Water quality improvement is required for the four lakes except Tapjeong Lake and Boryeong Lake, and water quality management plans are urgently needed especially for Sapgyo Lake where the water quality has been continuously deteriorating. On the other hand, Boryeong Lake well managed for water control and use in multi-purpose dam operations keeps water quality high compared with other lakes under study. It is expected that the results in this study can make a contribution to the water quality management plan incorporating long-term seasonal water quality changes.

Revising the quality management plan behind MDAS

As the amount of digital data is rising exponentially, it is evident that trustworthy and certified repositories are needed in order to preserve crucial data. This paper describes the revising process that is being conducted for the quality management plan of Mikkeli Digital Archive System. Archive environment is analyzed with Trac, Drambora and Nestor checklists as well as with SWOT analysis. This work is a natural continuum for the audit conducted in 2007 and the final intention is to apply for ISO 9001 certificate.

Best-Value Bid Selection Methods for Performance-Based Roadway Maintenance Contracts

Performance-based contracts for roadway maintenance extend over multiple years and shift the responsibility to the contractor to maintain roadway assets at specific performance levels. Thus contractors need to be selected with best-value methods rather than with the conventional low-bid method. Best-value bid selection considers both the bid price and technical aspects of the proposal (e.g., contractor qualifications, quality management plan, experience). This study evaluated the best-value bid selection methods used by four highway agencies in the United States (Florida, North Carolina), New Zealand, and the United Kingdom to procure roadway maintenance contracts on the basis of performance. A numerical analysis of these four methods indicated that those best-value bid selection methods that used the adjusted price concept balanced price and technical marks, those that used direct price and technical weights favored low bids, and those that considered the maximum technical quality offered by the bidders favored bids with high technical marks.

Source Apportionment of PM10by Positive Matrix Factorization in Urban Area of Mumbai, India

Particulate Matter (PM10) has been one of the main air pollutants exceeding the ambient standards in most of the major cities in India. During last few years, receptor models such as Chemical Mass Balance, Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF), PCA–APCS and UNMIX have been used to provide solutions to the source identification and contributions which are accepted for developing effective and efficient air quality management plans. Each site poses different complexities while resolving PM10 contributions. This paper reports the variability of four sites within Mumbai city using PMF. Industrial area of Mahul showed sources such as residual oil combustion and paved road dust (27%), traffic (20%), coal fired boiler (17%), nitrate (15%). Residential area of Khar showed sources such as residual oil combustion and construction (25%), motor vehicles (23%), marine aerosol and nitrate (19%), paved road dust (18%) compared to construction and natural dust (27%), motor vehicles and smelting work (25%), nitrate (16%) and biomass burning and paved road dust (15%) in Dharavi, a low income slum residential area. The major contributors of PM10 at Colaba were marine aerosol, wood burning and ammonium sulphate (24%), motor vehicles and smelting work (22%), Natural soil (19%), nitrate and oil burning (18%).

The Twain Shall Meet: Proposed Method for Integrating Context-Sensitive Solutions into Design–Build Programs

In 2003, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (DOT) developed a unique method of integrating context-sensitive solutions (CSS) into its design–build program in a process called visual quality management. Although this name implied that the process was only concerned with generating an aesthetically appealing project, the process was not as concerned with visual quality per se as it was with a method that resulted in a project that was acceptable to the public. This method was based on the CSS principles and practices that the Minnesota DOT had adopted as a business model, notably the inclusion of stakeholders; the use of interdisciplinary design teams; the adoption of multimodal solutions; the solving of associated social, economic, and environmental problems; and the creation of a safe, efficient, and effective transportation system. Visual quality management was actually a method for measuring conformance with a project's visual quality goals, which had been generated according to the principles of CSS. This process required the successful bidder to develop a visual quality management plan that outlined how the contractor would define and mitigate visual impacts, the responsibilities and authority of a visual quality manager and a visual quality review committee, and the process that the contractor would use to engage that committee in developing a visual quality manual. The manual established the criteria for developing CSS for 15 design elements that constituted a transportation project's visual environment and to which the contractor had to conform.

Air quality management planning (AQMP)

In most urban areas of the world, particulate matter (PM) levels pose severe problems, addressed in several policy areas (air quality, climate change, and human health). PM presents multiple challenges due to the multitude of its sources, spanning many sectors of economic activity as well as nature, and due to the complexity of atmospheric processes involved in its transport and secondary formation. For the authorities, the goal is to assure minimal impacts of atmospheric PM levels, in practice represented by compliance with existing regulations and standards. This may be achieved through an air quality management plan (AQMP). In Northern America and in parts of Europe, comprehensive research programs have guided development of AQMP over the last forty years. This cumulated experience can be utilized by others who face the same problems, but have yet to develop their own substantial research base. The main purpose of the AQMP development process is to establish an effective and sound basis for planning and management of air quality in a selected area. This type of planning will ensure that significant sources of impacts are identified and controlled in a most cost-effective manner. The choice of tools, methods and input information is often dictated by their availability, and should be evaluated against current best practices. Important elements of the AQMP are the identification of sources and development of a complete emission inventory, the development and operation of an air quality monitoring programme, and the development and application of atmospheric dispersion models. Major task is to collect the necessary input data. The development of the AQMP will take into account: - Air Quality Management System (AQMS) requirements; - Operational and functional structure requirements; - Source identification through emission inventories; - Source reduction alternatives, which may be implemented; - Mechanisms for facilitating interdepartmental cooperation in order to assure that actions are being taken; - Institutional building and training requirements This paper offers a practical guide through the different parts of the air quality management and planning procedures.

AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT IN IASI CITY

According to the Romanian Law no. 265/2006, which adopted the Governmental Decision no. 195/2005 on environmental protection, environmental agencies are responsible for air quality monitoring in Romania. Since Romania is now an EU Member State, such a plan is a must to enhance life quality, in order to meet the objectives of the National Strategy for Sustainable Development. Having regarded to this Strategy and the Kyoto Protocol signed in 1997, this paper provides the results from a study of ambiental air quality in Iasi City using data recorded by the Iasi City Environment Agency (based on daily air-quality reports from January 1, 2010 to April 31, 2011, issued by the National Environment Agency). Analyzing such data, we drew a set of guidelines to follow when drawing up an Air Quality Management Plan for Iasi City. The following air pollutants were measured and assessed: sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3), particulate (PM10 and PM2.5).

A generalized fuzzy linear programming approach for environmental management problem under uncertainty

In this study, a generalized fuzzy linear programming (GFLP) method was developed to deal with uncertainties expressed as fuzzy sets that exist in the constraints and objective function. A stepwise interactive algorithm (SIA) was advanced to solve GFLP model and generate solutions expressed as fuzzy sets. To demonstrate its application, the developed GFLP method was applied to a regional sulfur dioxide (SO2) control planning model to identify effective SO2 mitigation polices with a minimized system performance cost under uncertainty. The results were obtained to represent the amount of SO2 allocated to different control measures from different sources. Compared with the conventional interval-parameter linear programming (ILP) approach, the solutions obtained through GFLP were expressed as fuzzy sets, which can provide intervals for the decision variables and objective function, as well as related possibilities. Therefore, the decision makers can make a tradeoff between model stability and the plausibility based on solutions obtained through GFLP, and then identify desired policies for SO2-emission control under uncertainty. Implications: The GFLP method is effective in addressing air quality management planning associated with fuzzy parameter in the constraints and objective. The stepwise interactive algorithm proposed to solving the GFLP model would not lead to complicated intermediate submodels. Thus it would be much applicable for large-scale air quality management problems. The applications of the method can help decision makers in (i) generating allocation schemes for SO2 emissions; (ii) identifying the plausibility of each allocation alternative; and (iii) estimating the total costs of different SO2 emission control policies.

Investigating Air Quality and Air-related Complaints in the City of Tshwane, South Africa

To determine the impact of implemented air quality interventions beyond ambient air pollution reductions, indicators need to be identified and appropriate health data need to be routinely collected to track airrelated health. Presently, the only regulated environmental health performance indicator routinely collected as part of air quality management is the air-related complaint lodged by the public. Here, five years of air-related complaints (n = 875) made by residents in the City of Tshwane (Pretoria, Gauteng)were analysed and considered in relation to ambient SO and PM concentrations monitored at 2 10 permanent air quality monitoring stations. When considering exceedances of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, there were 17 complaint days with either an SO or PM daily average concentration 2 10 exceedance. However, it was very difficult to make meaningful conclusions about the relation between ambient AQ and air-related complaints given social, economic and data challenges and constraints. There is a real need to have local, air-related health data, for example, upper and lower respiratory tract infections, asthma, etc, generated at clinics and hospitals delivered directly and on an on-going, continuously updated basis to those responsible for implementation of air quality management plans.

Strengthening Public Laboratory Service in Sub-Saharan Africa: Uganda Case Study

In developed countries, the majority of medical decisions are made on the basis of quality laboratory testing according to established standards and enforced regulations. With the large investments of global health initiatives into resource-limited settings in sub-Saharan Africa, there is an opportunity to establish quality laboratory testing by overcoming barriers such as physical infrastructure, quality management plans according to external standards, and human resource capacity building. Strengthening laboratories could change the paradigm from empiric, algorithm-based clinical care to care based on accessible test-based accurate diagnoses. * SSA : sub-Saharan Africa MDGs : Millennium Development Goals TB : tuberculosis RLS : resource-limited settings UNGASS : United Nations General Assembly Special Session HC : health centers CPHL : Central Public Health Laboratories DST : Direct Sensitivity Testing NTCL : National TB Central Laboratory DBS : Dried Blood Spots JCRC : Joint Clinical Research Centre IDI : Infectious Diseases Institute HR : human resource ISO : International Organization for Standardization GCLP : Good Clinical Laboratory Practices CLSI : Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute CDC : Centers for Disease Control and Prevention WHO-AFRO : World Health Organization-Africa Regional Office SLMTA : Strengthening Laboratory Management Toward Accreditation MU-JHU/IDI : Makerere University-Johns Hopkins University at the Infectious Diseases Institute CAP : College of American Pathologists COQ : cost of quality EQA : external quality assurance NGO : non-governmental organization

Managing Transfusion Service Quality

Providing blood products for transfusions is a complex process subject to errors both within and outside the transfusion service. Transfusion-related errors can have grave consequences for the patient undergoing transfusion. As with many processes performed within health care systems, there is an expectation of error-free practice. Although this is an unobtainable goal, a focused quality-management plan, employing a medical event reporting system in a just working environment, can effect measurable system-quality improvement. To illustrate the intrinsic value of quality-improvement activities through discussion of examples of quality misadventures from our transfusion service during the past 20 years. Examples of quality-improvement activities were extracted from our quality-system archives. The published literature on transfusion quality was reviewed. Active reporting, structured investigation, and systematic resolution of transfusion-related errors are effective methods for improving and maintaining transfusion quality.

The case for integrated air quality and climate change policies

The relationship between air quality and climate change provides a scientific basis for developing integrative policies. Local governments in developing countries are expected to reap significant benefits from incorporating climate change concerns into air quality policies. In Africa, South Africa is also one of the few countries on the continent to have developed robust air quality legislation. South African municipalities or local governments are required to develop and implement air quality management plans (AQMPs), which present opportunities to integrate climate change considerations. The extent to which cities are currently incorporating climate change concerns into existing air pollution strategies, and the opportunities for improved integration of these two issues, and actions to support the implementation thereof, are presented in this paper using the city of Durban as a case study. The results from this case study suggest that in the short-to-medium-term, local AQMPs can be used to support climate change mitigation. These outcomes could be relevant to other countries that use a similar approach to air quality management and require local AQMPs to be developed.

The views of employers on internships as a means of learning from work experience in higher education

This article examines internships as part of the apprenticeship model of learning adopted in higher education. We focus on employers’ views on internships, which have hitherto received only limited attention. Our study explores employers’ experiences in organizing internships, and their collaboration with one University of Applied Sciences, through data from social and health care employers (n=165), collected via a questionnaire. We conclude that if internships are to be improved as a means of learning from work experience, issues that employers want to raise within the collaborative framework require attention. These themes include relations with students, curriculum issues and the organization of the collaboration. A problem related to underestimating employer views on developing internships is that the resource-intensive nature of collaborative relations is silenced. As a result, targets for developing partnerships are left unrecognized, with adverse effects on the quality management and strategic planning of higher education institutions.

Convergence versus divergence of performance measurement systems

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to report on two institutional change scenarios of performance measurement (PM) systems, namely, subversion and integration. Subversion represents insiders' use of existing institutional logic whereas integration represents insiders' use of imported institutional logic.Design/methodology/approachThe scenarios are drawn from two case studies: BAE Systems (a large UK manufacturing company) and Alpha (a medium‐sized Sri Lankan manufacturing company). The data were collected through in‐depth interviews and documentary sources.FindingsAn internal “culture change programme” led to a business value scorecard (BVS) in BAE Systems, and an external knowledge diffusion programme gave rise to a balanced scorecard (BSC) in Alpha. The culture change programme was facilitated by a particular institutional logic resulting in a successful BVS practice. In contrast, at Alpha, the BSC project was externally imposed, although it was designed with the blessing of the owner‐manager. This triggered internal controversies and the workforce became unreceptive. Consequently, attention was diverted to other management fads such as total quality management, Six Sigma, and enterprise resource planning but these were also short lived.Research limitations/implicationsWhile this paper provides evidence on practice variation and adds to neoinstitutional‐based management accounting research, the empirical materials, however, did not allow the authors to trace all four scenarios in the typology.Practical implicationsPM systems, such as the BSC, seem to be malleable and adaptable to local requirements subject to organisational and managerial flexibility and democratic possibilities.Originality/valueThis research highlights how the institutional environment is fragmented and contested, in different organisational and political conditions and spaces, resulting in variation in practices.

Air quality and climate change co-benefits for the industrial sector in Durban, South Africa

Industries in Durban, South Africa, are a major source of air pollutant emissions and large users of fossil fuel based energy. Durban’s energy strategy prioritises energy efficiency at industries as a key action, whilst industries are also the focus of the city’s air quality management plan (AQMP). In this paper, measures that have been introduced in industries in Durban to effect air quality improvements and reduce energy consumption are examined in terms of their respective impacts on greenhouse gas (GHG) and air pollutant emissions. It was found that co-benefits for GHG mitigation were achieved when petroleum refineries switched from using heavy fuel oil to refinery gas and methane rich gas. Within other industries, co-benefits for air quality stemmed from reducing fossil fuel energy consumption and the improved efficiency of combustion systems. Air quality and energy policies in the city are being executed independently, without consideration of the trade-offs or synergies of the interventions being implemented. Recommendations are made for authorities and industries to consider the co-benefits for GHG mitigation in their AQMPs and where these are not possible to consider offsetting the increased GHG emissions through improved alignment with energy strategies.

Quantifying costs and benefits of integrated environmental strategies of air quality management and greenhouse gas reduction in the Seoul Metropolitan Area

This study quantifies the costs and benefits of Integrated Environmental Strategies (IES) of reducing air pollutants and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at a minimal cost in the Seoul Metropolitan Area (SMPA) for the year 2014 and compares with current air quality management plans and greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation plans. The results estimated health benefits from prevention of premature mortality under the IES scenario as 14 trillion Korean won (won) and associated cost as −3.6 trillion won, yielding total benefit, difference of benefits and costs, of 18 trillion won. With the inclusion of benefits from GHG reductions, the total benefits result in 147 trillion won. The difference of human health benefits and costs of air quality management plan and GHG reduction strategies result in 14 trillion won and 8 trillion won, respectively. The research shows that benefits of integrating air quality management and GHG reduction measures are greater than those obtained by air quality management and GHG reduction measures individually.

Maximizing Health Benefits and Minimizing Inequality: Incorporating Local‐Scale Data in the Design and Evaluation of Air Quality Policies

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency undertook a case study in the Detroit metropolitan area to test the viability of a new multipollutant risk-based (MP/RB) approach to air quality management, informed by spatially resolved air quality, population, and baseline health data. The case study demonstrated that the MP/RB approach approximately doubled the human health benefits achieved by the traditional approach while increasing cost less than 20%--moving closer to the objective of Executive Order 12866 to maximize net benefits. Less well understood is how the distribution of health benefits from the MP/RB and traditional strategies affect the existing inequalities in air-pollution-related risks in Detroit. In this article, we identify Detroit populations that may be both most susceptible to air pollution health impacts (based on local-scale baseline health data) and most vulnerable to air pollution (based on fine-scale PM(2.5) air quality modeling and socioeconomic characteristics). Using these susceptible/vulnerable subpopulation profiles, we assess the relative impacts of each control strategy on risk inequality, applying the Atkinson Index (AI) to quantify health risk inequality at baseline and with either risk management approach. We find that the MP/RB approach delivers greater air quality improvements among these subpopulations while also generating substantial benefits among lower-risk populations. Applying the AI, we confirm that the MP/RB strategy yields less PM(2.5) mortality and asthma hospitalization risk inequality than the traditional approach. We demonstrate the value of this approach to policymakers as they develop cost-effective air quality management plans that maximize risk reduction while minimizing health inequality.