Health, Safety And Environment Research Articles

Application of Virtual Reality (VR) in Health, Safety and Environment Subject for Fire Exit Training Module

The significance and extraordinary effectiveness of using VR technology into health, safety, and environment (HSE) education are highlighted. It addresses the many benefits that VR has to offer, especially when it comes to fire exit training, by giving students engaging, involving, and profound learning experiences. The research highlights the seamless incorporation of VR into Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) courses, where VR simulations serve as important tools for teaching crucial evacuation tactics and encouraging students' in-depth understanding and preparedness for actual fire emergencies. This study investigates students' responses regarding their understanding in one of the HSE subject following the implementation of VR technology. Valuable student feedback has been gathered through comprehensive surveys, enabling a continuous process of improvement and refinement for the HSE program. Overall, this research stands as a compelling testament to the profound impact of VR in optimizing learning outcomes and fostering a heightened sense of safety awareness in professional environments.

The Importance of HSE (Health, Safety, And Environment) Communication on A Voyage

The Importance of HSE (Health, Safety, And Environment) Communication on A Voyage

Bridging Technology and Environment: Sustainable Approaches in Semiconductor Chemical Mechanical Planarization (CMP)

As semiconductor technologies continue to advance in areas such as autonomous driving, artificial intelligence, 5G communications, the Internet of Things, and large-scale data processing, the demand for a reliable semiconductor industry is on the rise.(1) This growing demand necessitates the use of advanced device architectures, which heavily rely on two crucial processes: Chemical Mechanical Planarization (CMP) and post-CMP cleaning.(2) This talk will focus on the development of CMP slurries and post-CMP cleaning solutions, emphasizing their vital roles in these processes. We will delve into the comprehensive development of CMP slurries and post-CMP cleaning solutions, highlighting how synthesis methods can significantly affect the surface chemistry of ceria abrasives and impact the removal rates of SiO2 surfaces during STI CMP.(3, 4) Our research also demonstrates how our cleaning solutions can effectively remove even the most 10 nm-sized ceria particles from SiO2 surfaces,(5) thereby enhancing process efficiency. Furthermore, we will discuss the use of aliphatic amino acids as environmentally friendly corrosion inhibitors in CMP slurries, offering a sustainable alternative to the traditionally used benzotriazole (BTA) and addressing key environmental challenges.(6) In the context of the rapidly expanding semiconductor industry, it becomes critical to address global sustainability concerns and environmental health and safety (EHS) objectives. Our research proposes a comprehensive methodology for evaluating the sustainability of CMP consumables in semiconductor manufacturing, with a primary focus on CMP slurries due to their significant market share and shorter usage lifetimes. This research serves as a foundation for future CMP sustainability analyses, encouraging self-correction strategies within the CMP community to reduce environmental impact. We will also introduce a robust framework for the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of CMP consumables, marking a crucial step toward achieving these sustainability goals. In summary, this talk will explore the intricate details of CMP and post-CMP processes, their pivotal roles in the advancement of semiconductor manufacturing, and the imperative task of aligning these processes with environmental and sustainability objectives.This talk is dedicated to the special session in honor of Prof. Babu. S. Babu, Advances in Chemical Mechanical Planarization (CMP), Woodhead Publishing (2021).J. Seo, Journal of Materials Research, 36, 235 (2021).J. Seo, J. W. Lee, J. Moon, W. Sigmund and U. Paik, ACS applied materials & interfaces, 6, 7388 (2014).J. Seo, J. H. Kim, M. Lee, J. Moon, D. K. Yi and U. Paik, Journal of colloid and interface science, 483, 177 (2016).J. Seo, A. Gowda and S. Babu, ECS Journal of Solid State Science and Technology, 7, P243 (2018).H. T. T. Tran, J. Gichovi, E. J. Podlaha and J. Seo, in Electrochemical Society Meeting s 243, p. 1809 (2023).

Leading Quality and Safety on the Frontline - A Case Study of Department Leaders in Nursing Homes.

The role of healthcare leaders is becoming increasingly complex, and carries great responsibility for patients, employees, and the quality of service delivery. This study explored the barriers and enablers that department leaders in nursing homes encounter when managing the dual responsibilities in Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) and Quality and Patient Safety (QPS). Case study design with data collected through semi structured interviews with 16 department leaders in five Norwegian municipalities. We analyzed the data using qualitative content analysis. Data analysis resulted in four themes explaining what department leaders in nursing homes experience as barriers and enablers when handling the dual responsibility of HSE and QPS: Temporal capacity: The importance of having enough time to create a health-promoting work environment that ensures patient safety. Relational capacity: Relationships have an impact on work process and outcomes. Professional competence: Competence affects patient safety and leadership strategies. Organizational structure: Organizational frameworks influence how the dual responsibilities are handled. Evidence from this study showed that external contextual factors (eg, legislations and finances) and internal factors (eg, relationships and expectations) are experienced as barriers and enablers when department leaders are enacting the dual responsibility of HSE and QPS. Of these, relationships were found to be the most significant contributor.

Development of pre‐startup safety review implementation tool for safe operation in process plant

AbstractA pre‐startup safety review (PSSR) is a formal review of a chemical manufacturing process to verify that critical areas of the affected process have been assessed and addressed before using the process. It can be a new process or after modification to an existing process or operating conditions. There is concern about full implementation compliance, including designing the PSSR program, preparing the process to perform PSSR, following PSSR action items, and approving the PSSR report. This study aims to develop a PSSR Implementation Tool (PSSR‐IT) via the Microsoft Excel platform. At the end of the self‐assessment process, the end users were provided with the value of the percentage of compliance with PSSR requirements and a thorough review process prior to the start‐up activities. A safety experts’ content validation index (CVI) was performed to ensure the tool's content was valid and sufficient for the PSSR process, followed by a case study. Feedback from process safety engineers and PSSR leaders as end users has been collected through the System Usability Scale (SUS). A total of 227 questions have been listed under 10 disciplines, including general info, operation, engineering, operational, process safety, health safety and environment (HSE), action log, final walk down, and approval that cover all essential aspects of review process prior to the start‐up activities with CVI value of 0.98, k = 0.67. SUS findings demonstrated that all industrial experts and end users believe the tool is suitable and reliable, with a score >85%. Utilizing the PSSR tool will help the industries promote and improve the process safety program at the workplace.

Assessing the environmental health and safety risks of solar energy production

Solar energy production has gained significant traction as a promising alternative to fossil fuels, yet its widespread adoption raises questions regarding its environmental health and safety (EHS) risks. This review presents an overview of the current state of research in assessing these risks associated with solar energy production. Firstly, it examines the environmental impacts of solar energy, including the life cycle assessment of photovoltaic (PV) panels and solar thermal systems. Key considerations include the energy and resources required for manufacturing, transportation, installation, operation, and end-of-life disposal or recycling of solar panels. Furthermore, the potential for land use change, habitat disruption, and biodiversity loss due to large-scale solar installations is addressed. Secondly, the review discusses the safety risks associated with solar energy production, focusing on occupational health and safety hazards for workers involved in manufacturing, installation, maintenance, and decommissioning of solar energy systems. It examines exposure to hazardous materials such as lead, cadmium, and silicon during the manufacturing process, as well as the risks of falls, electrical hazards, and other workplace accidents during installation and maintenance activities. Moreover, the review highlights emerging technologies and best practices aimed at mitigating EHS risks in solar energy production. These include advancements in PV panel recycling technologies, improvements in manufacturing processes to reduce environmental impacts, and enhanced safety protocols and training for workers in the solar energy industry. While solar energy offers numerous environmental and economic benefits as a renewable energy source, it is essential to comprehensively assess and manage its EHS risks throughout the life cycle of solar energy systems. This review underscores the importance of ongoing research, innovation, and regulatory oversight to ensure the sustainable and safe deployment of solar energy technologies in the transition towards a low-carbon future.

THE ROLE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND SAFETY PRACTICES IN THE AUTOMOTIVE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY

The automotive manufacturing industry plays a pivotal role in global economic development, providing transportation solutions while simultaneously facing multifaceted challenges related to environmental health and safety (EHS) practices. This review investigates the indispensable role of EHS practices within the automotive manufacturing sector, highlighting their significance in mitigating environmental impact, ensuring workplace safety, and complying with regulatory standards. Effective EHS practices are integral to managing environmental sustainability within automotive manufacturing. These practices encompass waste management, emissions reduction, and resource conservation strategies aimed at minimizing the industry's ecological footprint. Additionally, the adoption of eco-friendly technologies and processes, such as renewable energy integration and material recycling, contributes to the industry's overall environmental stewardship. Furthermore, prioritizing workplace safety is imperative in the automotive manufacturing sector due to its inherently hazardous operational environments. EHS initiatives focus on risk assessment, hazard identification, and the implementation of preventive measures to safeguard employees from occupational injuries and illnesses. Moreover, fostering a culture of safety awareness through training programs and regular audits promotes a conducive working environment conducive to employee well-being and productivity. Compliance with regulatory standards is a cornerstone of EHS management in the automotive manufacturing industry. Adherence to local, national, and international regulations ensures operational legality and enhances corporate reputation. Through continuous monitoring and assessment, automotive manufacturers strive to stay abreast of evolving regulatory frameworks, thereby aligning their practices with industry best practices and societal expectations. The integration of robust EHS practices is indispensable for sustainable operations and corporate responsibility within the automotive manufacturing industry. By addressing environmental concerns, ensuring workplace safety, and meeting regulatory requirements, automotive manufacturers can uphold their commitment to environmental stewardship and social accountability while maintaining operational efficiency and competitiveness in the global market.
 Keywords: Environment, Health, Safety, Automotive, Manufacturing, Industry.

A bibliometric and scientometric analysis-based review of environmental health and safety research in the construction industry

Purpose The construction business is widely recognised for its inherent complexity and dynamic nature, which stems from the nature of the job involved. The industry is often regarded as one of the most challenging industries globally in terms of implementing environmental, health and safety (EHS) practices. However, in the absence of EHS, the construction industry cannot be considered sustainable. Therefore, this study aims to identify the trends, knowledge gaps and implications of EHS research to enhance construction activities and knowledge. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted a science mapping approach involving bibliometric and scientometric analysis of 407 construction EHS publications from the Scopus database with the VOSviewer software. The study is based on journal articles from the Scopus database without restriction to any time range. Findings The main focus of construction EHS research identified in the study includes sustainability-related studies, risk-related, environmental issues, EHS management, integrated management systems studies, health and safety related and EHS in the construction process. Some emerging areas also identified include productivity, design, culture, social sustainability and machine learning. The most influential and productive publication sources, countries/regions and EHS publications with the highest impact were also determined. Research limitations/implications Documents published in the Scopus database were considered for analysis because of the wider coverage of the database. Journal articles written in English language represent the inclusion criteria, whereas other documents were excluded from the analysis. The study also limited the search to articles with the engineering subject area. Practical implications The research findings will enlighten stakeholders and practitioners on the focal knowledge areas in the EHS research domain, which are vital for enhancing EHS in the industry. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this review-based study is the first attempt to internationally conduct a science mapping on extant literature in the EHS research domain through bibliometric and scientometric assessments.

Challenges and barriers to healthy eating behaviors in the workplace: A pragmatic approach to promoting healthy aging.

The role of health-related behaviors, particularly eating behavior, in the health of middle-aged individuals in the workplace is crucial. This qualitative study aimed to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and barriers to healthy eating behaviors in the industrial workplace from the perspectives of middle-aged workers and employers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 participants, including 5 workers aged 35 to 59 years, 3 nutrition experts, 2 health, safety and environment (HSE) experts, and 5 employers from industrial workplaces in Tehran, Iran. Purposeful sampling was used to select participants who could provide meaningful insights into the research question. The data were analyzed using Graneheim and Lundman approach with MAXQDA software. The study revealed three main themes that hindered healthy eating behaviors in the workplace: (i) the absence of organizational structures for well-being and health, including sub-themes such as the lack of health-oriented organizational policies, inaccessibility to healthy nutritional resources, and restrictive rules, (ii) the pressure of organizational social norms, including sub-themes such as the impact of friendship networks and colleagues, and the effect of workplace culture, and (iii) the lack of a supportive learning environment for healthy behavior, including sub-themes such as the impact of poor interactions and the absence of supportive training. The findings highlight the need for workplace health programs that address the identified challenges and promote healthy eating behaviors among middle-aged workers. Implementing health-focused policies and fostering a workplace environment that encourages nutritious food choices can enhance the overall health and well-being of workers and potentially lead to healthy aging in the future.

Evaluation of the psychometric properties of the health, safety and environment (HSE)culture questionnaire based on the OGP guide in process industries

Background and Objective: HSE culture is a part of the general culture of the organization, it is considered as a kind of management tool in reducing incidents and controlling unsafe behaviors in the organization. The purpose of this study was to present a valid and reliable tool in the field of HSE culture based on the OGP guide in process industries. Materials and Methods: The current research is an instrument-making study that was conducted in order to determine the validity and reliability of the HSE culture questionnaire among the employees of Shahid Hashminejad Gas Refinery. After studying various texts, and using World Association of Oil and Gas Producers (OGP) guide to design related questions, quantitative and qualitative content validity by 10 experts, face validity (comprehensibility), reproducibility and internal consistency by 30 employees and construct validity was done by 410 employees. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis of the final version of the questionnaire including 34 questions in 6 dimensions of the observable program of HSE management, competence and awareness of the situation, communication, training of work procedures and human factors, incident management and HSE evaluation and audit confirmed. The average impact score, validity ratio, and validity index were 3.81, 0.82, and 0.92, respectively. (α = 0.94 and ICC = 0.975), which was within the acceptable range. Conclusion: Iranian HSE specialists can use this valid and reliable tool to evaluate the HSE culture of employees, especially in process industries, and use the findings as guidelines for effective health, safety and environmental interventions.

Health, Safety and Environmental (HSE) practices in the LNG industry: A review

This study thoroughly examines Health, Safety and Environmental (HSE) practices in the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) industry, a sector pivotal to the global energy landscape. The paper delves into the complexities and evolving nature of HSE practices, underscoring the industry's critical role in energy transition and its impact on environmental sustainability. The aim is to synthesize current challenges, assess risk management strategies, evaluate regulatory compliance and explore the influence of technological advancements and human factors on HSE practices. Through a systematic review and meta-analysis approach, the study meticulously analyzes peer-reviewed literature, focusing on the LNG industry's HSE practices since the year 2000. This comprehensive methodological framework ensures an unbiased synthesis of existing research, providing insights into trends, gaps and future research directions. Key findings reveal significant HSE challenges, including operational risks, environmental impacts and safety concerns. The study highlights the efficacy of current risk management strategies, emphasizing the need for comprehensive methodological approaches. It also sheds light on the multifaceted nature of regulatory compliance within the industry, stressing the importance of a compliance-oriented organizational culture and technological adaptation. The study concludes with recommendations for continuous improvement in HSE practices, leveraging technological innovations, fostering a compliance-oriented culture and adopting a multifaceted approach to manage complex HSE challenges. It advocates for balancing economic growth with environmental responsibility and safety, ensuring the LNG industry's sustainable development. This paper contributes significantly to the body of knowledge on HSE practices in the LNG industry and serves as a foundation for future research and policy development in this critical energy sector.

A novel eco-friendly HPLC method with dual detection modes for versatile quantification of dutasteride and silodosin in pharmaceutical formulation, dissolution testing and spiked human plasma

With the increased production of new fixed combinations and cheaper generic drugs, the need for a single, sensitive and reliable analytical method is hugely evoked to cover the versatile and prerequisite tests of in-vitro and in-vivo bioequivalence studies. A new fixed dose combination, containing dutasteride (DUT) and silodosin (SLD), has been recently launched for relieving moderate and severe symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Consequently, this concurrent study was dedicated to present, for the first time, eco-friendly high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) methods coupled with dual-mode detection, for the simultaneous quantification of both drugs in versatile real samples. The optimized chromatographic separation was achieved on a Waters XBridge® (150×4.6 mm, 5 μm) C18 analytical column with a mobile phase composed of methanol & phosphate buffer pH 6.0 at ratio (77: 23, v/v) and pumped at 1.0 mL/min flow rate. In the first HPLC method, drug quantification was performed at 245 nm achieving linearity range of 3–120 µg/mL, while the second one made good use of the unique features of both drugs in possessing native fluorescence for more sensitive linearity ranges (50–1000 ng/mL for DUT & 80–2500 ng/mL for SLD). Both methods were validated and successfully applied for assay dosage forms as well as testing content uniformity. In addition, the capability of the proposed HPLC-fluorometric method in detecting drugs in nano-gram scale paved the way not only for studying their dissolution behavior in various dissolution media but also analyzing spiked human plasma samples extracted by liquid-liquid extraction. Finally, sustainability of the proposed methods was clearly declared, in comparison to the official ones, via environmental, health and safety (EHS) tool and analytical greenness (AGREE) software.

Simulation study of hydrogen sulfide removal in underground gas storage converted from the multilayered sour gas field

A simulation study was carried out to investigate the temporal evolution of H2S in the Huangcaoxia underground gas storage (UGS), which is converted from a depleted sulfur-containing gas field. Based on the rock and fluid properties of the Huangcaoxia gas field, a multilayered model was built. The upper layer Jia-2 contains a high concentration of H2S (27.2 g/m3), and the lower layer Jia-1 contains a low concentration of H2S (14.0 mg/m3). There is also a low-permeability interlayer between Jia-1 and Jia-2. The multi-component fluid characterizations for Jia-1 and Jia-2 were implemented separately using the Peng-Robinson equation of state in order to perform the compositional simulation. The H2S concentration gradually increased in a single cycle and peaked at the end of the production season. The peak H2S concentration in each cycle showed a decreasing trend when the recovery factor (RF) of the gas field was lower than 70%. When the RF was above 70%, the peak H2S concentration increased first and then decreased. A higher reservoir RF, a higher maximum working pressure, and a higher working gas ratio will lead to a higher H2S removal efficiency. Similar to developing multi-layered petroleum fields, the operation of multilayered gas storage can also be divided into multi-layer commingled operation and independent operation for different layers. When the two layers are combined to build the storage, the sweet gas produced from Jia-1 can spontaneously mix with the sour gas produced from Jia-2 within the wellbore, which can significantly reduce the overall H2S concentration in the wellstream. When the working gas volume is set constant, the allocation ratio between the two layers has little effect on the H2S removal. After nine cycles, the produced gas’s H2S concentration can be lowered to 20 mg/m3. Our study recommends combining the Jia-2 and Jia-1 layers to build the Huangcaoxia underground gas storage. This plan can quickly reduce the H2S concentration of the produced gas to 20 mg/m3, thus meeting the gas export standards as well as the HSE (Health, Safety, and Environment) requirements in the field. This study helps the engineers understand the H2S removal for sulfur-containing UGS as well as provides technical guidelines for converting other multilayered sour gas fields into underground storage sites.

Dimethyl carbonate as a green alternative to acetonitrile in reversed-phase liquid chromatography. Part I: Separation of small molecules

Nowadays, environmental problems are drawing the attention of governments and international organisations, which are therefore encouraging the transition to green industrial processes and approaches. In this context, chemists can help indicate a suitable direction. Beside the efforts focused on greening synthetic approaches, currently also analytical techniques and separations are under observation, especially those employing large volumes of organic solvents, such as reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC). Acetonitrile has always been considered the best performing organic modifier for RPLC applications, due to its chemical features (complete miscibility in water, UV transparency, low viscosity etc); nevertheless, it suffers of severe shortcomings, and most importantly, it does not fully comply with Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) requirements. For these reasons, alternative greener solvents are being investigated, especially easily available alcohols.In this work, chromatographic performance of the most common solvents used in reversed-phase chromatography, i.e., acetonitrile, ethanol and isopropanol, have been compared to a scarcely used solvent, dimethyl carbonate (DMC). The analytes of interest were two small molecules, caffeine and paracetamol, whose kinetics and retention behaviour obtained with the four solvents have been compared, and all contributions to band broadening have been assessed. Results about kinetic performance are very promising, indicating that a small amount (7 % v/v) of DMC is able to produce the same efficiency as a 2.5-times larger ACN volume (18 % v/v), and larger efficiency than alcohols.This paper reports, for the first time, fundamental studies concerning the mass transfer phenomena when DMC is used as an organic solvent in RPLC, and, together with the companion paper, represents the results of a research whose final aim was to discover whether DMC is suitable for chromatographic applications both in linear and preparative conditions.

Risk Potential Analysis Using Hazard Identication, Risk Assessment and Determine Control (HIRADC) and Job Safety Analysis (JSA) Methods

Lake Tondano Revitalization Project Phase I located in Minahasa Regency, North Sulawesi Province which is a program of the North Sulawesi Provincial Government, namely the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing in the field of Water Resources (SDA). Lake Tondano Revitalization Project Phase I is a semi-automated project, where the tools used are still controlled by humans who have a high level of potential danger and risk. So it requires very careful supervision to prevent hazards that might cause potential hazards that have an adverse impact during and after construction to reduce the impact caused by the risk. The methods used in this study are Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment and Determaine Control (HIRADC) and Job Safety Analysis (JSA) methods. Data collection is carried out by observation, interviews and questionnaire distribution. The results showed that at the stage of identifying potential risks there were 233 potential risks from 9 works in the Lake Tondano Revitalization Project Phase I. The results of the risk assessment that have been carried out using the risk matrix are not very high risk level, high risk level there are 51 potential risks, risk level there are 64 potential risks and low risk there are 118 potential risks and risk control using the HIRADC method involves a hierarchical approach to risk control, namely elimination, substitution, engineering, administration and PPE (personal protective equipment) to get changes in the level of risk in each type of work including no very high risk level, high risk level as many as 4 potential risks, medium risk levels obtained as many as 73 potential risks and low risk there are 156 potential risks and control on risks that have the highest level of risk is to plan JSA in accordance with work procedures in the field by breaking down potential risks into steps and given overall risk control recommendations from each work in the Lake Tondano Revitalization project Phase I. In an effort to create zero accident division K3 or HSE (health, safety and environment) in order to conduct strict supervision and discipline on occupational safety and health supervision in order to avoid potential risks that will occur in the project to be worked on.

Healthcare leaders’ and elected politicians’ approach to support-systems and requirements for complying with quality and safety regulation in nursing homes – a case study

BackgroundHealthcare leaders play an important and complex role in managing and handling the dual responsibility of both Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) for workers and quality and patient safety (QPS). There is a need for better understanding of how healthcare leaders and decision makers organize and create support structures to handle these combined responsibilities in practice. The aim of this study was to explore how healthcare leaders and elected politicians organize, control, and follow up the work of HSE and QPS in a Norwegian nursing home context. Moreover, we explore how they interpret, negotiate, and manage the dual responsibility and possible tensions between employee health and safety, and patient safety and quality of service delivery.MethodsThe study was conducted in 2022 as a case study exploring the experience of healthcare leaders and elected politicians in five municipalities responsible for providing nursing homes services in Norway. Elected politicians (18) and healthcare leaders (11) participated in focus group interviews (5) and individual interviews (11). Data were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis.ResultsThe analysis identified five main themes explaining how the healthcare leaders and elected politicians organize, control, and follow up the work of HSE and QPS:1. Establish frameworks and room for maneuver in the work with HSE and QPS.2. Create good routines and channels for communication and collaboration.3. Build a culture for a health-promoting work environment and patient safety.4. Create systems to handle the possible tensions in the dual responsibility between caring for employees and quality and safety in service delivery.5. Define clear boundaries in responsibility between politics and administration.ConclusionsThe study showed that healthcare leaders and elected politicians who are responsible for ensuring sound systems for quality and safety for both patients and staff, do experience tensions in handling this dual responsibility. They acknowledge the need to create systems and awareness for the responsibility and argue that there is a need to better separate the roles and boundaries between elected politicians and the healthcare administration in the execution of HSE and QPS.

Capturing CO2 by ionic liquids and deep eutectic solvents: A comparative study based on multi-level absorbent screening

Because of the high energy consumption and volatility of organic amine solvents in conventional CO2 capture processes, ionic liquids (ILs) and deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have been widely expected as alternative CO2 absorbents. In this work, promising ILs and DESs are identified through a comparative, multi-level absorbent screening method proposed for the first time from a large space of cation–anion combinations and potential DES components, respectively. Important physical properties (namely melting point, viscosity, and toxicity) of potential ILs and salt components of DESs are estimated by a recently-reported deep learning model. Key thermodynamic properties including physically-based absorption and desorption potentials as well as eutectic behaviors between DES component combinations are predicted by the COSMO-RS model. Five EHS (environment, health, and safety) related properties of non-salt components of DESs are assessed by the VEGA platform. From above, the top three ILs and DESs are identified from 5,440 and 38,389 candidates, respectively. The CO2 capture processes based on the retained ILs and DESs are simulated in Aspen Plus in rate-based mode, identifying 1-methyl-1-propylpyrrolidinium bromide: methylimidazole (1:2) as the absorbent with the highest process performance. The experiments shows that the molality-based Henry constant of CO2 in DES is as low as 1.32, validating the competitive absorption performance of this potential DES. Finally, quantum chemistry calculations are conducted to unveil the microscopic absorption mechanism of this DES.

Low-dose graphene oxide promotes tumor cells proliferation by activating PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling via cellular membrane protein integrin αV

Along with the increasing production and application of graphene oxide (GO), its environmental health and safety (EHS) risks have become a global concern. Numerous studies have investigated the biosafety and toxicity mechanisms associated with GO, however, the majority of previous studies were based on its direct toxic dose, which could not reflect the realistic state of environmental exposure of GO with an indirect toxic dose (low dose). Meanwhile, the effects of low-dose GO on the progression of tumors are still unclearly. Herein, we found that GO can promote multiple types of tumor cell proliferation under its low-dose treatment. Moreover, the lateral size of GO has no obvious distinction on its promoting effect on tumor proliferation. The mechanistic investigation revealed that low-dose GO treatment increased the expression level of integrin αV protein, a cell membrane receptor, and further lead to the constitutively activated PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway and promoted mitotic progression. Collectively, these findings increased our understanding of the detrimental effects of GO in promoting tumor proliferation, as well as improved our biosafety assessment at its realistic exposure doses.

Beyond the TRIFR – maintaining safe operations with a TRIFR of zero

Upstream Production Solutions Eastern business has completed 12 months maintaining a Total Recordable Injury Frequency Rate (TRIFR) of zero. This does not result from running an inherently safe operation. Maintaining performance has required significant effort in the right areas: Training and competence, and verifying competencies are adequately developed; Setting clear expectations for behaviours, and providing visible management support; Providing the right HSE (Health, Safety and Environment) support in the right areas (with a focus on effort where the risk is); Strong reporting culture, with information captured and communicated positively throughout our organisation, avoiding a culture of blame; Practical risk assessment, with robust risk mitigations put in place and tested; Deployment of the right tools (including Step Back 5 × 5 and Job Hazard Analysis) to support conscious review at the work site, with review and feedback provided to teams; Developing leading indicators and visible reporting; and Management review and continuous improvement building our learning of what works. We have continued to face challenges over the past 12 months of operation and we will present examples of issues identified and corrective actions undertaken, including: Training delivered, but competence not achieved prior to starting work on site; Change in work practises not identified and assessed through management of change process – business is exposed to new risks without robust mitigation in place; and Some of our corporate HSE management practises were not delivering real benefits and had to be changed to support delivery of safe operations. Upstream PS will share practical learnings and examples from the last 12 months of this journey.

Effects of silver nanoparticles on maternal mammary glands and offspring development under lactation exposure

The widespread applications of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) throughout our daily lives have raised concerns regarding their environmental health and safety (EHS). Despite an increasing number of studies focused on the EHS impacts of AgNPs, there remain significant knowledge gaps with respect to their potential health impacts on susceptible populations, such as lactating mothers and infants. Herein, we aimed to investigate the deleterious effects of AgNPs with different sizes (20 and 40 nm) and surface coatings (PVP and BPEI) on maternal mice and their offspring following lactation exposure at doses of 20, 100 and 400 μg/kg body weight. We discovered that AgNPs could accumulate in the maternal mammary glands and disrupt the epithelial barrier in a dose-dependent manner. Notably, BPEI-coated AgNPs caused more damage to the mammary glands than PVP-coated particles. Importantly, we observed that, while AgNPs were distributed throughout the blood and main tissues, they were particularly enriched in the brains of breastfed offspring after maternal exposure during lactation, exhibiting exposure dosage- and particle coating-dependent patterns. Compared to PVP-coated nanoparticles, BPEI-coated AgNPs were more readily transferred to the offspring, possibly due to their enhanced deposition in maternal mammary glands. Moreover, we observed reduced body weight, blood cell toxicity, and tissue injuries in breastfed offspring whose dams received AgNPs. As a whole, these results reveal that maternal exposure to AgNPs results in the translocation of AgNPs into offspring via breastfeeding, inducing developmental impairments in these breastfed offspring. This study provides important new insights into the EHS impacts of AgNP consumption during lactation.