Safety-related Behaviors Research Articles

Improving safe pedestrian behavior through virtual reality: an empirical study

INTRODUCTION. Over the last few years, the number of pedestrian fatalities on urban roads has increased, largely due to infractions associated with their behaviors (e.g., crossing when traffic lights are red). It is argued that these behaviors reflect a lack of risk perception. Road safety programs have tried to raise awareness through various methods, using quite often emotionally powerful experiences (e.g. testimonies of people who have experienced an accident themselves). Recently, Virtual Reality (VR) has been deployed with the aim of increasing the efficacy of these safety programs. Previous studies have demonstrated the potential of VR to improve pedestrian safety, especially when it is accompanied bydebriefing and critical reflection. METHOD. A total of 43 participants (M = 24.5 years old; SD = 5.14; 65.12% female) were involved in an experimental study with a 2x2 factorial design and pre-post measures. They were randomly assigned to one of four groups (Experience a VR accident /Experience VR without an accident; having a debriefing after the VR experience/not having a debriefing after the VR experience). Pre-post measures were of two kinds, (a) self-report measures and (b)VR behavioral measures. Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) and general linear mixed models (GLMM) were used to analyze the data. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION. The main results revealed that (a) participants reported a general reduction in the number of rules violations, regardless of condition, and (b) there was a significant reduction in the number of violations committed in VR (i.e., crossing when the traffic light is red) in the condition where participants had previously experienced an accident. These results support the potential of using VR environments to improve pedestrian safety-related behavior. Implications for future research are delineated.

Perception of Medication Safety-Related Behaviors Among Different Age Groups: Web-Based Cross-Sectional Study.

Previous research and safety advocacy groups have proposed various behaviors for older adults to actively engage in medication safety. However, little is known about how older adults perceive the importance and reasonableness of these behaviors in ambulatory settings. This study aimed to assess older adults' perceptions of the importance and reasonableness of 8 medication safety behaviors in ambulatory settings and compare their responses with those of younger adults. We conducted a survey of 1222 adults in the United States using crowdsourcing to evaluate patient behaviors that may enhance medication safety in community settings. A total of 8 safety behaviors were identified based on the literature, such as bringing medications to office visits, confirming medications at home, managing medication refills, using patient portals, organizing medications, checking medications, getting help, and knowing medications. Respondents were asked about their perception of the importance and reasonableness of these behaviors on a 5-point Likert rating scale in the context of collaboration with primary care providers. We assessed the relative ranking of behaviors in terms of importance and reasonableness and examined the association between these dimensions across age groups using statistical tests. Of 1222 adult participants, 125 (10.2%) were aged 65 years or older. Most participants were White, college-educated, and had chronic conditions. Older adults rated all 8 behaviors significantly higher in both importance and reasonableness than did younger adults (P<.001 for combined behaviors). Confirming medications ranked highest in importance (mean score=3.78) for both age groups while knowing medications ranked highest in reasonableness (mean score=3.68). Using patient portals was ranked lowest in importance (mean score=3.53) and reasonableness (mean score=3.49). There was a significant correlation between the perceived importance and reasonableness of the identified behaviors, with coefficients ranging from 0.436 to 0.543 (all P<.001). Older adults perceived the identified safety behaviors as more important and reasonable than younger adults. However, both age groups considered a behavior highly recommended by professionals as the least important and reasonable. Patient engagement strategies, common and specific to age groups, should be considered to improve medication safety in ambulatory settings.

Behavioral Skills Training for Active Shooter Scenarios Among Human Service Staff

ABSTRACT Mass shootings have become increasingly prevalent in schools and healthcare settings. Unfortunately, little information is available on training for active shooter scenarios in which a staff member is also responsible for a client. This deficit is concerning, given that previous research has found that 75% of individuals freeze during emergencies. Behavioral skills training has been shown to be an effective way to teach a variety of safety-related skills. This study used a concurrent multiple-baseline-across-participants design to evaluate the effects of behavioral skills training on active shooter scenario safety-related skills of three Registered Behavior Technicians®. The experimenters trained the participants on how to respond under various conditions and when they should run, hide, or fight. All three participants mastered the safety-related behaviors in the three conditions (run, hide, fight), demonstrated generalization to more realistic antecedent stimuli, and maintained the skills over time.

Random forest models of food safety behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT Machine learning approaches are increasingly being adopted as data analysis tools in scientific behavioral predictions. This paper utilizes a machine learning approach, Random Forest Model, to determine the top prediction variables of food safety behavioral changes during the pandemic. Data was collected among U.S. consumers on risk perception of COVID-19 and foodborne illness (FBI), food safety practice behaviors and demographics through online surveys at ten different time points from April 2020 through to May 2021; and post pandemic in May 2022. Random forest model was used to predict 14 food safety-related behaviors. The models for predicting Handwashing before cooking and Handwashing after eating had a good performance, with F-1 score of 0.93 and 0.88, respectively. Attitudes- related variables were determined to be important in predicting food safety behaviors. The importance ranking of the predicting variables were found to be changing over time.

Pedestrian red-light violations and other safety-related behaviours at signalised crosswalks

ABSTRACT In this study, pedestrians’ violation rate at signalised crosswalks and the associated risk factors were investigated. The data for the study were obtained through roadside pedestrian observational surveys at 10 selected crosswalks within Accra Metropolis, Ghana. The associated risk factors for the red-light violations were determined using mixed-effect logistic regression model. The descriptive statistics revealed that the red-light violation rate in the Accra metropolis was approximately 62%. Most (63.5%) of the violations occurred during the evening and on weekends (73.6%). Over 98% of pedestrians demonstrated safety consciousness by way of crossing behaviour before and during crossing by observing oncoming traffic. From the mixed-effect logistics regression model, six independent variables being age, signal cycle length, number of pedestrians crossing at a time, day of the week and pedestrian light observation significantly influenced the risk of red-light violation by pedestrians. Effective law enforcement, education campaigns and engineering measures could be used to reduce the tendency of red-light violations by pedestrians and improve pedestrian safety at signalised crosswalks in the Accra metropolis.

Can zigzag marking improve pedestrian safety at unsignalized crosswalks? An observational before-after study in Israel

Zigzag road marking near unsignalized pedestrian crosswalks is common in some countries but not yet allowed in Israel. An observational before-after study was conducted to explore its impacts on pedestrian crossing conditions. The measure was applied at three midblock urban crosswalks, on dual-carriageway and two-lane roads. The study examined changes in safety-related behaviors by comparing three periods: before the installation, and two weeks and two months afterwards. Shortly after the zigzag application, a significant decrease in average vehicle speeds, of 9%-16%, was observed at all study sites, but in a longer-term a decrease of 7%-8% remained at the dual-carriageway sites only. A relative increase in yielding rates to pedestrians was of 19%-20% in the short-term and of 13%-14% after two months, at dual-carriageway sites, with no change at the two-lane site. Overall, zigzag marking may improve pedestrian safety. However, as the effects were inconsistent, it was not recommended for widespread use.

A Science Mapping Approach-Based Review of Construction Workers’ Safety-Related Behavior

Promoting safe behaviors among construction workers and mitigating unsafe behaviors is an effective approach to enhancing safety performance in the construction industry. Although progress has been made, the research themes concerning construction workers’ safety-related behaviors (CWSRB) and the detailed progress of each theme remain unclear due to differences in review perspectives and conceptual scopes. This study utilized CiteSpace software (V6.2R3 version) to conduct an analysis of co-authorship networks, co-word networks, and co-citations on 563 published articles in this field from 2013 to 2023. This study’s outcomes highlight several key insights: (1) journals such as Safety Science play a pivotal role in the domain; (2) institutions such as the City University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Polytechnic University, along with prolific authors like Li, are major contributors to the field; (3) the focus of research has evolved from early organizational factors towards a more diverse range of topics, with deep learning emerging as a significant current research hotspot; (4) this study has identified high-cited literature and 11 primary clusters within the field. Current research focuses on five areas: safety-related behavior concepts, influencing factors and consequences, formation mechanisms, interventions, and applications of new technologies. Establishing clear classification criteria for unsafe behaviors, comprehensively understanding the formation mechanisms of safety-related behaviors, evaluating the effectiveness of intervention strategies, and exploring the practical applications of new technologies are future research directions. This study provides researchers with a holistic view of the present state of research and potential avenues for future exploration, thereby deepening the knowledge and comprehension of stakeholders within this domain.

Effective methods for engaging with YOPI (Young, Old, Pregnant, Immunocompromised) on food safety matters

Young, older, pregnant, and immunocompromised (YOPI) people are most vulnerable to foodborne illnesses due to impaired or underdeveloped immune systems(1). There is a lack of information regarding how YOPI groups access, receive or use information about food safety, what influences their food safety behaviour, and their preferences for receiving food safety advice. The objective of this research was to develop a better understanding of how YOPI consumers in New Zealand access and use food safety information, the types and sources of food safety information used, how information and advice are obtained, and how these influence their decision-making about food safety practices and related behaviours. Research questions were guided by a rapid review of literature. Twenty qualitative focus groups (comprising of either young, old, pregnant, or immunocompromised individuals) based in one of three locations in New Zealand were conducted. This was complemented with data from health care providers from relevant sectors (nutritionists, dietitians, aged care providers, cancer nurses, Well Child Tamariki Ora providers, and midwives). Recruitment included a focus on ethnic groups (Māori and Pasifika) to ensure diversity of experiences and perspectives were represented in the research and to reflect NZFS’s interest in developing fit-for-purpose messages and resources for these YOPI populations. Thematic and segmentation analysis was conducted to understand current food safety behaviours and how to best communicate food safety matters. Typologies of participants were developed by grouping participants based on common features: attitudes, beliefs, and experiences. The research revealed most participants are comfortable with their food safety practices and reported habitual behaviours. Many YOPI did not perceive themselves to be at a greater risk of foodborne illness, particularly older people. A key finding was that access to information does not necessarily lead to behaviour change. Groups undergoing periods of change (immunocompromised, pregnant and young) were more likely to seek additional information. Families and health professionals are trusted sources of information, with all groups reporting some use of the internet as an information source. An individual’s risk perception was the main motivating factor for obtaining and following advice. Habit, cost of food, and lack of information were key barriers to obtaining or acting on information, along with pregnant people reporting social pressures as a reason to not obtain or act on relevant advice. In general, there are three key types of food-safety messaging all groups would like to receive: situation-specific advice; information received alongside other key information (e.g., starting solids); and general information for the whole population. Gaining insights into YOPI preferences on food safety matters can aid the development of appropriate communication and engagement methods of the risks and impacts of food safety matters to vulnerable people.

Message canceled, orders lifted: An examination of post-alert messages sent as wireless emergency alerts

Post-alert messages are, ideally, notifications that alert individuals that a threat has passed or ended, and the initial protective actions can conclude. Not all post-alert messages communicate these elements, leaving message receivers who have evacuated, sheltered in place, or been on heightened awareness to search for more information before concluding their safety-related behaviors. The contents included in such messages has not yet been quantified or assessed for the language used that may affect effective communication to persons previously at risk. To remedy this, we conducted quantitative and qualitative content analysis of 471 post-alert messages issued via the U.S. Wireless Emergency Alert system from June 2012–April 2022. We assess every post-alert message for its inclusion of contents that follow the recommendations found in the Warning Response Model (i.e., source, hazard, location, guidance, time) and code each message to identify the terminology used by risk communicators to communicate the end of a hazardous event. We find that most post-alert messages are incomplete, routinely lacking content about the message source, the event time, and recommended protective actions. We also find that terminology includes words that are resolution-focused, action-focused, and message-focused. The first two are likely to reduce message receiver uncertainty; the third, which focuses on the message (such as ending the “orders” contained in a message) uses statutory language and jargon to convey technical information. Future research is necessary to determine the effects of these contents on message receiver uncertainty reduction and other factors, such as organizational reputation, trust, and credibility.

A field evaluation of an in-ground lighting intervention for safety at a road crossing

There are limited numbers of naturalistic studies of behaviours in response to safety interventions, such as novel lighting products at road crossings. The study used a theory-based approach to evaluate behavioural responses to a novel, ground-mounted lighting intervention at a zebra crossing at a university campus. An evaluation framework was developed to explore the extent to which the intervention was implemented in practice and collect a range of data types to assess the outcomes and impacts of the lighting intervention, in terms of the responses and behaviours of crossing users.The study was primarily observational, collecting and analysing video recordings of the road crossing episodes for people alone or in small groups (n = 269). This was supported by a small consultation exercise to help understand user-perceptions, achieved through an online questionnaire of crossing users (n = 59).The observations contributed to understanding crossing behaviours in this location, generally demonstrating safe crossing behaviours, such as looking for traffic and walking within the marked crossing features. There was no observable indication of users noticing or responding overtly to the lighting. However, 29% of the small sample responding to the questionnaire stated that the lights had influenced the way that they used the crossing. The survey responses indicated that users understood the intention of the lighting and cited positive attributes and perceived benefits, which may improve behaviours and safety for both pedestrians and drivers. It is concluded that the lighting intervention has the potential to improve safety-related behaviours at crossings, but further investigation of its efficacy would be recommended.Guidance is provided on how to respond to various methodological and situational challenges that have been encountered in this study, such as how to improve observational data collection for field studies in this type of context. Future development of the intervention might involve sensor-based activation and variation in the lighting (e.g., differing flash rates and colours).

Safety “works”: the influence of safety coaching on work engagement

PurposeDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations undertook initiatives such as safety coaching to ensure the safety of their employees and to prevent the spread of the disease. However, the question arises if such measures can have a spill-over effect on other important work-related outcomes. Hence, the objective of the current study is to uncover the impact of safety coaching on one such outcome, i.e. work engagement.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, the authors developed a quantitative model with the help of the social exchange theory. The responses of 250 working professionals captured using a three-wave study were analyzed using the SPSS PROCESS macro.FindingsThe authors found that safety coaching does not directly affect work engagement. It is only when safety coaching is perceived to be effective or appropriate and/or invokes organizational trust that it significantly affects organizational members' work engagement.Practical implicationsThis study motivates practitioners to adopt safety coaching by highlighting the benefits that it has to offer beyond safety-related behavior. Moreover, this study discusses mechanisms that can aid organizations in facilitating organizational trust and satisfaction with corporate philanthropic COVID-19 response among employees.Originality/valueThis is one of the first studies that examines the spillover effect of safety coaching on other work-related outcomes. It also uncovers novel antecedents of satisfaction with corporate philanthropic COVID-19 response and organizational trust.

Analysis of Driver Aggression’s Effects on Safety-Related Microscopic Traffic Behaviors Using Driving Simulator and Surrogate Measures

The main objective of this paper is to propose a methodology to simulate the traffic conflicts caused by aggressive driving behaviors in real-world driving environments. A research gap was identified in which driving simulators and microscopic simulation software co-simulation were not well-researched for traffic safety studies. The driving simulator and microscopic simulation software have been used to study autonomous vehicles (AV) and connected automated vehicles (CAVs) driving algorithms, behavior, and sensor use case research. However, little research directly utilizes co-simulation to replicate or study driving behaviors and road safety impacts in a non-AV or non-CAV environment. In this paper, two example driving simulator interfaces are examined for their co-simulation interface, capabilities to simulate a real-world driving environment, and their suitability for driving behavior or safety studies. A co-simulation pair would be used to mimic the aggressive driving behaviors that would appear in real-world driving conditions, and the microscopic simulation parameters and vehicle trajectories would be recorded for each vehicle. The trajectories are then analyzed using surrogate safety measures to determine if the change in driving aggression in the simulation resulted in significant changes in traffic conflicts, a surrogate of traffic accidents.

Factors Affecting Safety Courtesy Behavior among Thai Flight Crews: Construct Validity and Structural Regression Analysis

Previous research indicates that safety climate has a significant impact on safety-related behaviors in a variety of circumstances; however, few researchers have examined at how safety climate affects safety courtesy behaviors among flight crews. The purpose of this study was to investigate the elements connecting to safety courtesy behaviors in Thai flight crews context using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling technique on 590 Thai flight crew samples. The results confirmed that the fleet safety climate had a favorable influence on flight crew safety courtesy behaviors via an increase in their safety knowledge and safety behavior. Furthermore, the direct, indirect, and total effects of fleet safety climate on safety courtesy via safety knowledge and safety motivation were significant. According to the findings, even in the Thai flight crews setting, a positive fleet safety climate, along with positive safety knowledge and positive safety motivation, can lead to desirable safety courtesy conduct. As a result, airlines should stress these elements and promote fleet-wide safety policies to encourage positive safety courtesy behavior among flight crews members. Future research should expand on the findings of this study by conducting additional multi-level analyses or use qualitative methods to delve into deeper results.

Mindful organizing mediates the relations between group safety climate and safety-related behaviors among operating room team members

IntroductionMindful organizing as a team-level capability can help team members anticipate what can go wrong and recover quickly to maintain adequate team function and safe performance. This study aims to assess the mediating role of mindful organizing in the relationship between group safety climate and in-role and extra-role safety-related behaviors among 15 work teams in 15 operating rooms of a general hospital. MethodSelf-reported questionnaires were used to collect data concerning group safety climate, mindful organizing, and safety-related behaviors from a number of the operating room staff. In addition, behavioral markers were used to assess team functions regarding safety issues based on the assessment of the observer. ResultsThe effects of group safety climate on mindful organizing (b = 0.44, p < 0.001) and mindful organizing on safety behavior (b = 0.69, p < 0.001) and safety citizenship behavior (b = 0.51, p < 0.001) were positive and statistically significant. Furthermore, the mediation effect of group safety climate through mindful organizing on safety-related behaviors was statistically significant. The results of assessing behavioral markers before, during, and after surgical operations showed that plastic surgery, obstetric and gynecologic surgery, orthopedic surgery, vascular surgery, and ear, nose, and throat surgery obtained lower ranks in effective team functioning concerning safety issues in the study hospital. ConclusionThis study extends the research on how mindful organizing can affect the relationship between group safety climate and employees’ in-role and extra-role safety-related behaviors. These results can help increase our understanding of how mindful organizing might influence team-level reliability in surgical operations.

Effectiveness and feasibility of an interprofessional training program to improve patient safety-A cluster-randomized controlled pilot study.

Interprofessional healthcare teams are important actors in improving patient safety. To train these teams, an interprofessional training program (IPTP) with two interventions (eLearning and blended learning) was developed to cover key areas of patient safety using innovative adult learning methods. The aims of this study were to pilot test IPTP regarding its effectiveness and feasibility. The trial was registered with DRKS-ID: DRKS00012818. The design of our study included both a pilot investigation of the effectiveness of the two interventions (eLearning and blended learning) and testing their feasibility (effectiveness-implementation hybrid design). For testing the effectiveness, a multi-center cluster-randomized controlled study with a three-arm design [intervention group 1 (IG1): eLearning vs. intervention group 2 (IG2)]: blended learning (eLearning plus interprofessional in-person training) vs. waiting control group (WCG) and three data collection periods (pre-intervention, 12 weeks post-intervention, and 24 weeks follow-up) was conducted in 39 hospital wards. Linear mixed models were used for the data analysis. The feasibility of IPTP was examined in 10 hospital wards (IG1) and in nine hospital wards (IG2) using questionnaires (formative evaluation) and problem-focused interviews with 10% of the participants in the two intervention groups. The collected data were analyzed in a descriptive exploratory manner. Pilot testing of the effectiveness of the two interventions (eLearning and blended learning) showed no consistent differences between groups or a clear pattern in the different outcomes (safety-related behaviors in the fields of teamwork, error management, patient involvement, and subjectively perceived patient safety). Feasibility checks of the interventions showed that participants used eLearning for knowledge activation and self-reflection. However, there were many barriers to participating in eLearning, for example, lack of time or access to computers at the ward. With regard to in-person training, participants stated that the training content sensitized them to patient-safety-related issues in their everyday work, and that awareness of patient safety increased. Although the interventions were judged to be feasible, no consistent effects were observed. A possible explanation is that the duration of training and the recurrence rate may have been insufficient. Another conceivable explanation would be that participants became more sensitive to patient safety-critical situations due to their knowledge acquired through the IPTP; therefore, their assessment post-intervention was more critical than before. In addition, the participants reported high pre-measurement outcomes. Future studies should examine the evidence of the intervention within a confirmatory study after adapting it based on the results obtained.

For the sake of safety: A time-lagged study investigating the relationships between perceived leadership behaviors and employee safety behaviors

BackgroundThe construction industry is affected by severe occupational accidents, and site managers’ leadership has been identified as critical in relation to safety. Most research in this field is cross-sectional and concerns broadly defined meta-categories of behaviors. AimsBy investigating the relationships between perceived specific leadership behaviors (i.e., planning, safety commitment, safety positive feedback, and active listening) and employee safety behaviors (i.e., compliance, participation, and voice), both cross-sectionally and across time (including exploration of reciprocal effects) this study aims to A) identify specific leadership behaviors of relevance for employee safety behaviors and B) further elucidate the time-lagged, prospective, relationship between managers’ safety-related leadership behaviors and employees’ safety behaviors. MethodConstruction site employees rated their managers’ leadership behaviors and their own safety behaviors on two occasions with a 4-month time lag (T1 and T2), using electronic questionnaires. Three cross-lagged panel models, one for each category of employee safety behaviors, were tested for cross-sectional, time-lagged and reciprocal effects. ResultsThe cross-sectional results support positive associations between all measured categories of perceived leadership behaviors and employee safety behaviors, with bivariate correlation coefficients ranging between 0.25 and 0.55. When controlling for respondents’ levels on the constructs at T1, the time-lagged data does not support prospective influence of planning, safety-specific positive feedback, or active listening leadership behaviors on employee safety behaviors, but does support prospective positive influence of safety commitment leadership behaviors on employee safety voice behaviors (ß = 0.34, p =.05). Reversed causality was found Employee safety compliance behaviors had a prospective positive influence on perceived active listening leadership behaviors (β = 0.20, p =.05) indicating that managers with employees that display high degrees of safety compliance behaviors show higher degrees of active listening behaviors 4 months later. ConclusionsThis study contributes with specific information about what kind of day-to-day leadership behaviors are associated with employee safety behaviors in the construction industry. Furthermore, the time-lagged data supports prospective influence of perceived safety commitment leadership behaviors on employee safety voice behaviors, suggesting that construction site managers should be trained and supported in consistently encouraging safe behaviors and in interrupting risk behaviors, in congruence with the safety information provided. Reversed causality was found, implying the existence of reciprocity in the leader-employee relationship.

The role of safety leadership in nursing management during the pandemic

The role of safety leadership in nursing management during the pandemic

Institutional trust, risk and product safety: a consumer survey

This study aims to expand our understanding of institutional trust by examining how consumers express their trust in a UK product safety regulator, the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS). It uses publicly available data from two waves of nationally representative surveys (N = 20,526) conducted by OPSS between November 2020 and August 2021. Questions were selected for analysis if they aligned with the organisation’s definition of a trusted regulator: protecting people and places, and empowering people to make good choices. Of the 211 survey items in Wave 1 and 150 in Wave 2, 42 pairs of questions were selected. Only nine of the 42 analyses were statistically significant, and of those only two were interpretable at a reliable statistical threshold (i.e. medium effect size threshold). The results are valuable in demonstrating how institutional trust may be affected by product safety-related behaviours, experiences, beliefs and attitudes concerning the risks to which consumers are potentially exposed. However, the general lack of reliable findings also highlights methodological challenges in the way official government surveys investigate institutional trust, risk, and general product safety issues on both a linguistic and conceptual level. By examining the survey results and the survey itself, we show how empirical and theoretical insights can inform government efforts to capture important phenomena.

Toward Unsupervised Test Scenario Extraction for Automated Driving Systems from Urban Naturalistic Road Traffic Data

Scenario-based testing is a promising approach to solve the challenge of proving the safe behavior of vehicles equipped with automated driving systems. Since an infinite number of concrete scenarios can theoretically occur in real-world road traffic, the extraction of scenarios relevant in terms of the safety-related behavior of these systems is a key aspect for their successful verification and validation. Therefore, a method for extracting multimodal urban traffic scenarios from naturalistic road traffic data in an unsupervised manner, minimizing the amount of (potentially biased) prior expert knowledge, is proposed. Rather than an (elaborate) rule-based assignment by extracting concrete scenarios into predefined functional scenarios, the presented method deploys an unsupervised machine learning pipeline. The approach allows exploring the unknown nature of the data and their interpretation as test scenarios that experts could not have anticipated. The method is evaluated for naturalistic road traffic data at urban intersections from the inD and the Silicon Valley Intersections datasets. For this purpose, it is analyzed with which clustering approach (K-Means, hierarchical clustering, and DBSCAN) the scenario extraction method performs best (referring to an elaborate rule-based implementation). Subsequently, using hierarchical clustering the results show both a jump in overall accuracy of around 20% when moving from 4 to 5 clusters and a saturation effect starting at 41 clusters with an overall accuracy of 84%. These observations can be a valuable contribution in the context of the trade-off between the number of functional scenarios (i.e., clustering accuracy) and testing effort. Possible reasons for the observed accuracy variations of different clusters, each with a fixed total number of given clusters, are discussed.

A robust numerical treatment of solid-phase diffusion in pseudo two-dimensional lithium-ion battery models

Solid-phase diffusion in active materials of lithium-ion batteries significantly affects charging and safety-related behavior of lithium-ion batteries. Therefore, it is essential to develop an efficient and robust numerical algorithm for solving solid-phase diffusion equations in physics-based battery models. In this work, we discuss the origins of numerical instabilities that can occur when solving the solid-phase diffusion equations using iterative methods. Then, in order to resolve such issues, we propose a simple numerical treatment to the surface flux term of discretized solid-phase diffusion equations. To demonstrate its numerical robustness, the proposed method is implemented into a pseudo two-dimensional (P2D) physics-based battery model and simulations are conducted at wide ranges of operating conditions. Even with extremely poor initial guesses for the Li+ concentrations of the active materials, computations using the proposed method do not diverge and the their computational speeds are comparable to those with conventional initial guesses. Comprehensive tests of the proposed method are also performed with a dynamic current profile based on US06 driving profile and a multi-stage charging profile with very high initial C-rate (12C).