Safety Specialists Research Articles

Ergonomic exposures and control measures associated with mass fatality decedent handling in morgues and body collection points in a New York healthcare system during COVID-19: A case series

IntroductionIn April 2020, novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) produced an ongoing mass fatality event in New York. This overwhelmed hospital morgues necessitating emergent expansion of capacity in the form of refrigerated trucks, trailers, and shipping containers referred to as body collection points (BCPs). The risks for musculoskeletal injury during routine and mass fatality mortuary operations and experiences of decedent handlers throughout the "first wave" of COVID-19 are presented along with mitigation strategies MethodsAwareness of the high rates of musculoskeletal injury among health care workers due to ergonomic exposures from patient handling, including heavy and repetitive manual lifting, prompted safety walkthroughs of mortuary operations at multiple hospitals within a health system in New York State by workforce safety specialists. Site visits sought to identify ergonomic exposures and ameliorate risk for injury associated with decedent handling by implementing engineering, work practice, and administrative controls. ResultsMusculoskeletal exposures included manual lifting of decedents to high and low surfaces, non-neutral postures, maneuvering of heavy equipment, and push/pull forces associated with the transport of decedents DiscussionRisk mitigation strategies through participatory ergonomics, education on body mechanics, development of novel handling techniques implementing friction-reducing aides, procurement of specialized equipment, optimizing BCP design, and facilitation of communication between hospital and system-wide departments are presented along with lessons learned. After-action review of health system workers' compensation data found over four thousand lost workdays due to decedent handling related incidents, which illuminates the magnitude of musculoskeletal injury risk to decedent handlers.

Districts Implementation of Active Shooter Drill Policies

High-profile school shootings provoke public outcry and calls for policy responses to gun violence in schools. However, policy makers face pressure from diverse stakeholders with distinct agendas, and in some areas, there is little empirical research to guide policy makers’ decisions. Active shooter drills are one such example of a hotly debated policy response in need of further study. As a preliminary step to filling this research gap, this mixed-methods study investigated how school districts in Florida have implemented active shooter drills following legislation passed after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida. We analyzed school safety specialists’ perceptions and reports of drill procedures and their alignment with best practices. The majority of the districts surveyed aligned with Best Practices established by the National Association of School Psychologists and National Association of School Resource Officers. Implications for future research and considerations for the implementation of active shooter drills are discussed.

PROBLEMATIC ASPECTS, COMPLICATIONS, MISCONCEPTIONS AND DEBATABLE ISSUES OF IODINE PROPHYLAXIS IN RADIATION EVENTS (REVIEW).

to consider and review the essence of emergency iodine prophylaxis during radiation events, physiological aspects of iodine metabolism in the body, properties of individual iodine prophylaxis agents that are recommended, and to justify the rationality of using some of them along with absurdity/inadmissibility of others; substantiate the creation of a unified preventive information strategy regarding the event in order to reduce anxiety and other negative psychological consequences among the affected population. The review was performed by searching the abstract and scientometric databases and printed publications. In the event of serious radiation events at nuclear power plants and industry facilities, radioactive iodine is highly likely to enter the environment. With the threat of radioactive iodine incorporation or with its incorporation that has already begun, it is absolutely necessary to carry out the emergency iodine prophylaxis. Such prevention should be carried out with stable iodine preparations such as potassium iodide or potassium iodate in special pharmaceutical formulas. Dosing of drugs in age and population groups should be carried out by specialists in radiation medicine and radiation safety in accordance with internationally recognized guidelines. The use of iodinecontaining food additives, iodine solution for external use and Lugol's solution is categorically unacceptable due to complete ineffectiveness, impracticality of implementation, and sometimes due to the threat of serious harm to health. Clear preparedness plans for possible radiation accidents and incidents, as well as successfullyimplemented appropriate preventive measures, including emergency iodine prophylaxis, are crucial for the effective and successful response to such events. Emergency iodine prophylaxis during radiation events should be carried out exclusively under the guidance of specialists in radiation medicine and radiation safety using special pharmaceutical formulas of potassium iodide or potassium iodate in doses recognized by the international scientific community. Other means of emergency iodine prophylaxis, including «handicraft»/home preparations, are absolutely unacceptable. Implementation of this protective measure should be accompanied by a coordinated information campaign in order to minimize purely radiation risks and to preserve the psychological well-being of the population.

Analysis of the causes of injuries in the food industry

The risk of industrial accidents is constantly present in a person’s professional activity in any sphere of economic activity. Ukraine has a high level of industrial injuries, and this fact should cause public concern. The state of industrial injuries at food industry enterprises is analyzed. According to the results of the analysis, during 2010–2019, the number of accidents at food industry enterprises decreased by 2 times compared to 2000–2009. However, in 2020, the food industry was included in the ten most traumatizing branches of economic activity. The most vulnerable group of workers servicing equipment for the production of food and similar products, as well as motor vehicle drivers and loaders. Most often, accidents at food enterprises occur due to the following events: careless handling of objects and parts that move and rotate; events on transport; fall of the victim. The analysis of industrial injuries by regions of Ukraine shows that, as in 2000-2019, today more than 50% of accidents occur due to organizational reasons. The main causes of injury remain non-compliance with labor protection instructions; violation of safety requirements during the operation of equipment, machines, mechanisms. non-performance of official duties. The improvement and implementation of modern technological equipment at food industry enterprises contributes to the reduction of injuries due to technical reasons. The article suggests that when developing accident prevention strategies and management strategies, heads of structural divisions, occupational health and safety specialists should take into account not only direct factors (age, seniority), but also indirect factors, for example, work structure, place of work, working hours, professional specialization. The proposed approach will help reduce the number of injuries for organizational and psychophysiological reasons.

ПРОФЕССИОНАЛЬНАЯ КОМПЕТЕНТНОСТЬ СПЕЦИАЛИСТОВ В ОБЛАСТИ ОХРАНЫ ТРУДА В ПРОЦЕССЕ УПРАВЛЕНИЯ ПРОФЕССИОНАЛЬНЫМИ РИСКАМИ

Today, in accordance with the requirements of Russian legislation, the employer is obliged to ensure the creation and functioning of a labor protection management system, one of the critical elements of which is the procedure for assessing and managing occupational risks. The paper aims to study the existing training programs on occupational health and safety related to issues of occupational risks and analyze the competencies of occupational health and safety specialists, who are entrusted with duties related to the assessment and management of occupational risks. The author uses methods of comparative analysis, analysis of the regulatory framework, scientific literature and open sources. As a result of the study, a scale of competence of occupational health and safety specialists based on the Federal State Educational Standard of Higher Education was proposed to assess and manage occupational risks in an organization. Federal and regional executive authorities can use the materials and results of this scientific study in the development of methodological recommendations in the field of occupational health and safety, training programs for managers, specialists, and experts in the assessment and management of occupational risks in the organization

Enhancement of safety and productivity all the way through function of ergonomics principles – A case study

Success in any organization, whether it is an Information Technology industry or a manufacturing industry, relies on the quality of the work and delivering it at a proper time with required quantity. While considering the overall health issue of the employees from top to bottom in any industry which is manufacturing any kind of product must come up with new management philosophies and new working techniques such as Lean, Agile andKittingmanufacturing.In this present work an ergonomics technique that is the Kitting and Assembly method on professional wellbeing and physical condition of the human resources will be enacted during assembly oriented and repetitive processes. Implementation of such a system improves production and eliminates waste and inefficiency. A thorough analysis of the system is carried out to decline the wastage and to enhance efficiency and production in the assembly line of a company 1 and company 2. Feedbacks have been taken from workers, safety engineers, supervisors, managers and safety specialists etc. to know their opinions about the ergonomics principles. Questions have been asked to the entire employees in the form of feedback regarding new amendments in order to improve the safety and productivity. The conclusion shows a paramount surge in the working condition of the employees.

ІНТЕГРАЦІЯ ПРОФЕСІЙНО ОРІЄНТОВАНИХ ДИСЦИПЛІН І ФАХОВОЇ ПРАКТИКИ НА ПІДСТАВІ ГОЛОВНИХ КОНТЕКСТНИХ ОЗНАК ОСВІТНЬО-ПРОФЕСІЙНОЇ ПРОГРАМИ «АВАРІЙНЕ ОБСЛУГОВУВАННЯ ТА БЕЗПЕКА НА АВІАЦІЙНОМУ ТРАНСПОРТІ» В УМОВАХ ДИСТАНЦІЙНОГО НАВЧАННЯ

In connection with the war in Ukraine, the number of emergencies has significantly increased, the rapid localization and timely elimination of the consequences of which can be largely carried out with the use of aviation and directly with the participation of future specialists in ″Emergency service and safety in air transport″, and the formation of new methods, technologies, forms and methods of professional training of these specialists. In the course of the study, the following factors affecting the effectiveness of distance learning of professionally oriented disciplines in the educational and professional program ″Emergency service and Safety in Air Transport″ were clarified: technical possibilities of equipping teachers and applicants for higher education; current level of training of applicants for higher education; professional and psychological training of teachers in conditions of war and distance learning; adaptation of teaching and methodological support for distance learning in professionally oriented disciplines; organization of distance learning; failure of equipment and communication; a set of restrictions; unforeseen circumstances; availability of electronic learning tools. The article presents the scientific substantiation and orderliness of interdisciplinary connections of professionally-oriented disciplines and professional practice in the professional training of future specialists in ″Emergency service and safety in air transport″. The integration of professional training is considered by taking into account the interdisciplinary links of professionally oriented disciplines ″Organization and technology of search and rescue operations″, ″Search and rescue equipment and radio communications″, ″Civil protection″ and professional practice based on the main contextual features: classification of emergency situations, search and rescue procedures, types of search and rescue forces and means, stages of search and rescue operations. During the professional training of future specialists in ″Emergency service and safety in aviation transport″, it is proposed to model professional activity based on time and information constraints, which is implemented by gradually complicating the conditions for performing professional tasks, namely: shortage and time limit, incompleteness, ambiguity, unreliability of information, the number of sources of information. Key words: integration of professional training, future specialists in emergency service and safety in aviation transport, interdisciplinary links.

ЗАБЕЗПЕЧЕННЯ КОНКУРЕНТОСПРОМОЖНОСТІ ТА СТАЛОГО РОЗВИТКУ СИСТЕМИ МЕХАНІЗМІВ УПРАВЛІННЯ ЗДОРОВ’ЯЗБЕРЕЖУВАЛЬНОГО ПРОСТОРУ ОСВІТИ В УКРАЇНІ

The article analyzes the level of developing the system of management mechanisms of the health-saving space of education, innovative activity in the economy and society. The factors affecting the country's place in the competitive dynamics of the world hierarchy, the speed of passing through the steps of technological structures to the knowledge society have been established. Attention is focused on aggregated indicators for building a general index of human development from the perspective of a life safety specialist. The following indicators are used to quantitatively represent the three basic dimensions of human development: average life expectancy at birth, longevity index, where aspects of health care play a leading role; the share of literates among the population aged 15 years and older and the total share of education seekers among the population of the corresponding age, indicators of education; adjusted real GDP per person, an indicator of material well-being. The idea of introducing a medium program, which must be implemented and carried out together with the minimum program through the preparation of society for progress, institutionalization for a specific purpose based on the ideas of sustainable development of the system management mechanisms of the health- preserving space of education, is considered. It is proposed to integrate different approaches and views on one integral, complex problem, the introduction of interdisciplinary terminology, the publication of general conclusions will accelerate the opportunity for current and future managers to implement optimal strategies in order to change the vector of instability on the way to sustainable ecologically safe development. It was concluded that the scientific support of the innovative development path of Ukraine from the side of economists, sociologists, ecologists, psychologists, can be carried out under the condition of reforming the system of education and science management mechanisms through the formation of a powerful motivational health care system. The search for optimal opportunities for the transition to an innovative strategy, or a strategy of sustainable, balanced, sustainable ecologically safe, harmonious, health-preserving education space development through the formation of environmental culture and competitiveness, was carried out.

МОДЕЛЬ ПРОФЕССИОНАЛЬНОЙ КОМПЕТЕНЦИИ ДЛЯ ОЦЕНКИ ПРОФЕССИОНАЛЬНЫХ РИСКОВ

Nowadays, the decision making based on the preliminary risk assessment became a frequent practice almost in all spheres of human activity. As a result of late changes in the legislation relating to labour safety, occupational risks assessment became an employer obligation. To organize this process, the additional training of specialists is necessary. The formation of a system for training such specialists is a topical issue both for employers and educational institutions. At the initial stage of formation of the professional competence model of a specialist for occupational risk assessment, the author selected from the occupational standard of a labour protection specialist the job functions related to the occupational risk management. The paper considers a competence model of a specialist in the sphere of industrial safety and health developed by the experts of British Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH). To identify professional competences necessary for occupational risks assessment, the author suggests carrying out test assessment of occupational risks and forming a professional competence model using the technique of analysis and observation over actions necessary for risk assessment. To obtain more objective results, the author proposes carrying out such assessment within a group of three people – a labour protection specialist, a department manager, and an employee representative. The Lost Time Accident Frequency Rate and the Work Accident Severity Rate are accepted as the performance criteria of occupational risk assessment. The author suggests using the developed professional competence model in the future when training technosphere safety specialists.

Алгоритм определения предельных показателей индивидуального пожарного риска для Вьетнама

Introduction. Fire risk management is an important part of any country's fire safety. For fire risk management, the normative value of individual fire risk (IFR) is important. This indicator allows fire safety specialists to compare the actual (calculated) values of an individual fire risk with its standard value. In many countries of the world, the values of IFR are defined, but in Vietnam such a standard has not yet been established, which complicates management activities in the field of fire safety. To establish the value of IFR, the limiting indicators of this value are initially determined. Aims and Purposes. The purpose of this article is to define an upper and lower limit for individual fire risk. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to develop an algorithm and apply it to determine the limiting values of the IFR. Methods. Used methods of mathematical analysis and methods of mathematical statistics. Results and discussion. Based on the results of the study, an algorithm was obtained for determining the upper and lower limit levels of individual fire risk in Vietnam and their specific values. This is an important step in directly defining the value of the IFR for Vietnam. Creating the value of IFR is extremely necessary when making managerial decisions to ensure the fire safety of territories and objects economically in Vietnam. Conclusions. Based on the developed algorithm, it was found that the indicator of the upper limit level of individual fire risk for Vietnam is 3,7∙10-6 and the indicator of the lower limit level is 3,7∙10-8. This means that the death toll from the fires in Vietnam must be higher than 3,7 deaths per 100 million people. per year and below 3,7 victims. per 1 million people in year. The value of the normative individual fire risk in Vietnam should be within these limits. Keywords: individual fire risk, marginal risk level, null hypothesis, ALARP principle, regression analysis.

JOB DESCRIPTION- RELATED DIFFERENCES IN WORK SAFETY PERCEPTIONS OF THE WORKERS IN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

ABSTRACT The construction sector is a challenging sector where many stakeholders have to work together to ensure occupational health and safety. Workers are the most important actors in ensuring a safe climate. Therefore, the workers’ perceptions of work safety are very substantial in a construction site. This study aims to investigate the work safety perceptions of the workers having different job descriptions in the construction industry. A questionnaire was applied to 130 workers in different job positions at a residential building construction site in Turkey. The workers’ perceptions were asked in four categories: construction work safety, coworkers’ safety attitude, occupational health and safety specialists’ safety attitude, and site manager’s safety attitude. For analysis, the relative importance index was calculated, and ANOVA analysis was used. The results showed that (1) the workers’ work safety perceptions were limited with their job description, (2) the cultural structure of the employees may prevent workers from being impartial in evaluating safety issues, (3) and considering different workgroups’ safety needs and ensuring participation in the safety issues are compulsory for safety managers. The findings of the study are expected to contribute to improvements in safety management practices of safety management actors.

Workplace stress of occupational safety specialists in Croatia and Serbia.

Numerous studies have shown that work often causes stress in employees and even in occupational safety experts. Occupational stress can lead to serious health consequences for employees. As the job of occupational safety experts is very responsible, they are more exposed to workplace stress and more vulnerable to its consequences. This study resulted with expertise on the work related stress of safety experts in Croatia and Serbia. This study examined workplace stress of occupational safety experts in Croatia and Serbia. Surveys were used to collect original data and statistical methods were used for data processing and analysis. There was a correlation between the level of stress on safety expert's jobs and stress levels related to the status of safety experts as dependent variables and the organization profile related with safety experts' employment as independent variables. Stress of safety experts related to activities and the status of safety experts were of medium level. There is a need for preventive protection from stress in this profession. Continuous education of safety experts plays a key role in stress prevention, not only for the safety experts but it also plays a key role in stress management throughout the organization.

IFST vision for a UK‐wide national food strategy

<scp>IFST</scp> vision for a <scp>UK</scp>‐wide national food strategy

Readiness of a student for constructive social interaction in relation to life safety

One of the most important things about life safety is the implementation of appropriate means and measures to create and maintain healthy and safe living conditions and human activities both in everyday life and during emergencies. The human factor as a factor in life safety can be the main source of danger. A person's readiness for responsible constructive behaviour is formed due to the influence of organisational culture of the enterprise, as well as information space. The authors aimed to investigate the role of moral attitudes of young people and their readiness for constructive social interaction. The study took place in the 2019-2020 academic year at Lviv Polytechnic National University. The empirical study involved 535 students. The questionnaire was carried out. Factor analysis identified six factors. It was established that most students have consumeristic, authoritarian and destructive ideas, therefore their reactions to the actions of life safety specialists aimed at introducing labour safety technologies are reduced to formal observation.

Technology Helps Combat Driver Fatigue: Case Study From the Middle East

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 203350, “How Technology Can Support Tackling Drivers’ Fatigue: Case From Petroleum Development Oman,” by Demir Hadzic and Hamed Al Esry, Petroleum Development Oman, and David Marsh, Sheida International, prepared for the 2020 Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference, Abu Dhabi, held virtually 9–12 November. The paper has not been peer reviewed. Petroleum Development Oman operates in harsh environments over which their drivers cover more than 320 million km annually. Driver fatigue is one of the leading causes of motor vehicle incidents (MVIs) associated with operations. The objective of the complete paper is to understand further how technology can support the prevention of driver fatigue and to explore driver beliefs related to fatigue and the technology designed to assist in fatigue avoidance. This study helped the operator’s safety specialists understand driver fatigue and develop mechanisms to prevent it. Introduction Previous research has found that motor vehicle crash fatalities in the oil and gas industry are up to 8.5 times more com-mon than in other occupations. A qualitative study by the operator indicated that participants commonly perceived fatigue as a main factor in MVIs. However, understanding of the nature and role of fatigue in MVIs was revealed to be relatively limited. Among the driver group interviewed, a common view existed that the responsibility for managing driver fatigue lay with the employer and not with drivers. In addition, among the driver group, there appeared to be little understanding of the effects that lifestyle outside of work has on driver fatigue. The pilot study showed that driver fatigue occurred once every three journeys on average, whereas driver distractions could occur more than four times in a single journey. Equipment and Processes Technology used in the study consists of in-cabin hardware units, analytical software integration with in-vehicle monitoring systems (IVMS), and participation of a monitoring team. In addition, event verification is performed by human monitors and feedback. Driver fatigue is part of a comprehensive integrated journey-management system developed by the operator, including standard operating procedures with regard to monitoring and event classification, verification, and response.

Avoid, Trap, and Mitigate: Development of an Evidence-Based Crisis Management Framework in Surgery

Increasingly, surgeons are adopting broader roles in emergency response, on both clinical and executive levels. These have highlighted the need to develop healthcare-specific crisis management systems. Cross-professional research between safety-critical industries is a valuable method for learning crisis control. Commercial aviation, in particular, has been used to drive innovation in surgical safety. This study aimed to identify, adapt, and operationalize a surgical crisis management framework based on current practice in commercial aviation. A multimethod qualitative study interrogated safety experts in commercial aviation and healthcare. Stage I used immersive observational fieldwork in commercial aviation practice. Stage II performed semi-structured interviews with senior airline pilots. "Snowball" sampling targeted professional networks, recruiting 17 pilots from 4 airlines. Thematic analysis was used to derive a model of crisis management. Stage III undertook 3 focus groups with 5 pilots and 5 healthcare safety specialists. Expert consensus methods were used to adapt the model to clinical practice. Interview data provided 2,698 verbatim quotes on crisis management from aviation experts with a combined flying experience of 188,000 hours. Aviation crisis management was structured in 3 phases: avoid, trap, and mitigate. Adapted to clinical practice, these translated to crisis preparedness, recovery, and containment interventions. Additionally, the study identified 7 types of implementation tools and 9 crisis management skills that could be used to operationalize this framework in surgical practice. Surgical crisis management can follow the avoid, trap, and mitigate framework used in commercial aviation. Implementation relies on the combined use of crisis skills and performance tools. Crisis management should be delivered as part of a systems-based approach that relies on well-integrated failure management models. Simulation and in-situ validation of this framework is needed.

THE ROLE OF A TUTOR IN THE PROFESSIONAL TRAINING OF THE FUTURE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY SPECIALIST DURING THE PERIOD OF DISTANCE LEARNING

The topical problem of using the tutoring system of education and upbringing of student youth during the introduction of distance learning has been considered. The purpose of the article is to investigate the role of a tutor in the formation of professional competence of students in the training of future health and safety specialists during the introduction of distance learning. The main types of distance learning technologies have been analyzed, which allows to carry out distance learning, not only without losing the quality of learning, but on the contrary improving it through individualization, active learning methods, bilateral interaction between a teacher and a student. The author substantiates the advantages of introducing distance learning to prevent the complication of the epidemiological situation and the creation of favorable learning conditions in the context of the spread of COVID-19. The peculiarities of the work of a tutor in the conditions of online learning have been described. It has been established that the introduction of distance learning via the Internet, with periodic counseling of students by teachers-consultants (coordinators, tutors) – is a resource to fully ensure the level of knowledge acquisition and skills necessary for future professional activity and further career growth labor protection specialists. The author reveals the essence of the concept of «tutor». The importance of a tutor in the application of distance learning in higher education institutions is theoretically substantiated. It has been established that a tutor is a key figure in the distance learning process. The responsibilities, roles, functions and tasks of a tutor in modern educational conditions, to ensure the quality of educational services in higher education institutions and to achieve the goal of education are highlighted. The pedagogical conditions of training, which are realized by a teacher (tutor), during the introduction of distance learning, during the professional training of future specialists of occupational safety in order to obtain a competent specialist, are presented. It has been estimated that the role of a teacher (tutor) is expanding and updating in the system of distance education. It has been established that a teacher (tutor) coordinates the cognitive process using various forms of interaction (seminars, webinars, video-lectures, video-conferences), improves digital educational content, provides meaningful advice, manages educational projects and other.

Health Literacy-Related Safety Events: A Qualitative Study of Health Literacy Failures in Patient Safety Events.

Introduction:Communication failures are the leading root cause of safety events. Although much communication research focuses on the healthcare team, there is little focus on communication with patients and families. It is not known what deficits in health literate patient communication lead to patient safety events. We aimed to identify themes of health literacy–related safety events to describe the impact of health literate communication on patient safety.Methods:The safety events were entered into a system-wide self-reported safety event collection database. A patient safety specialist trained in health literacy prospectively tagged events for health literacy. The authors retrospectively queried the database for all health literacy tagged events during 9 months (September 2017–May 2018). The authors reviewed and independently coded health literacy-associated safety events. Qualitative content analysis of events facilitated by software (NVivo) was completed to identify the health literacy–related safety event themes.Results:Health literacy events comprised 4% (152/3911) of self-reported safety events during the 9 months. Main themes of the health literacy safety events related to (1) medication; (2) system processes; and (3) discharge/transition. Subthemes of each of the events further described the event types. Health literacy–associated safety events encompass all safety event outcomes (near miss, precursor, and serious safety events).Conclusions:Health literacy–related safety events occur in the healthcare environment. This review characterizing health literacy–related safety events prioritizes areas to implement health literate safety practices. Many opportunities exist to address communication-related safety events around medication, system processes, and discharge using health literate best practices.

DETERMINATION OF CORPORATE RISK MANAGEMENT APPLICATION LEVEL: A SURVEY IN MANISA PROVINCE

In this study, it was aimed to research the levels of corporate risk management application in businesses operating in Manisa. For this purpose, a survey was conducted to investigate the awareness of corporate risk management of businesses in Manisa Organized Industrial Zone. The survey results were evaluated by multidimensional scaling and correspondence analysis. Corporate risk management managers of 56 businesses participated in the survey. According to findings, it is found that the corporate risk management practices of businesses are at Level 4, but there is a lack in which guidance or standard is adapted. Also, while corporate risk management can be mentioned as a formal and rules-based risk management process in businesses carried out by internal auditors, it is observed that there is no specific risk management process in businesses where other (board of directors, CEO, human resources, occupational health, and safety specialist, external support) are responsible. Besides, it is determined that there are no businesses with the COSO corporate risk management guidance published by the United States that could be adapted to large businesses among the businesses that responded to the survey.

Review of Workplace Based Aerosol Sampler Comparison Studies, 2004-2020.

We provide a narrative review on published peer-reviewed scientific literature reporting comparisons of personal samplers in workplace settings published between 2004 and 2020. Search terms were developed for Web of Science and PubMed bibliographic databases. The retrieved studies were then screened for relevance, with those studies meeting the inclusion criteria being taken forward to data extraction (22 studies). The inhalable fraction was the most common fraction assessed with the IOM sampler being the most studied sampler. The most common workplace environment where samplers had been compared was that where metals/metalloids were present. The requirements of EN13205 standard (Workplace exposure. Assessment of sampler performance for measurement of airborne particle concentrations) have also been considered, with these requirements not currently being met, or at least referred to, in the included published literature. A number of conclusions have been drawn from this narrative review. For studies that reported correction factors, no discernible trends could be identified. Correction factors also varied between samplers and settings, with correction factors varying from 0.67 for Button/IOM in agriculture settings to a correction factor of 4.2 for the closed face cassette/IOM samplers in aluminium smelters. The need for more detailed and informative data sharing from authors is highlighted, providing more context to both the sampling strategy and methodology, as well as the data analysis. It is recommended that the requirements of EN13205 are taken into account when designing sampler comparison studies at the workplace and that these are also reported. It is also considered that there is a need for a clear standardized workplace sampler comparison protocol to be developed, which can be used by the research and occupational hygiene community to allow more robust and transparent assessment of aerosol samplers and better-quality evidence for use by industrial hygienists, epidemiologists, and occupational safety specialists alike.