Safety, Volume 9, Issue 3 (September 2023) – 25 articles

This paper aims at delivering new empirical evidence as to the effectiveness of 20 mph speed limits in rural areas. For this purpose, speed and traffic data were drawn from the area of the Scottish Borders, UK, where the local Council led the rollout of a 20 mph speed limit trial in 97 villages and towns from October 2020. This intervention is considered as one of the first of its kind in the UK and overseas, as it was carried out on a large scale, in predominantly rural areas. To evaluate the impact of the 20 mph speed limit on vehicle speeds, we conducted a “before–after” quantitative analysis using traffic and speed data collected in different waves before and after the intervention. The descriptive analysis showed that both mean and 85th percentile speeds reduced directly after the introduction of the 20 mph speed limit (by 3.1 mph and 3.2 mph, respectively), and that such speed reductions were largely maintained even up to eight months after the onset of the intervention. The largest speed reductions were observed in locations with high-speed patterns before the intervention, and especially in those having mean speeds greater than 25 mph before the intervention. Both non-parametric and parametric statistical tests, which were conducted using approximately five million speed observations, showed that the observed speed changes were statistically significant for the vast majority of cases. Linear regression models were also estimated confirming the significant impact of the 20 mph limit on vehicle speeds, while controlling for the influence of traffic volume. Overall, the findings of this study will likely assist in filling an evidence gap regarding the effectiveness of 20 mph speed limits in rural settlements. They can also provide encouragement to those local authorities in the UK and abroad that are currently actively examining the possibility of setting the 20 mph as the default limit in built-up areas. Full article

Drowsy driving is a widespread cause of traffic accidents, especially on highways. It has become an essential task to seek an understanding of the situation in order to be able to take immediate remedial actions to detect driver drowsiness and enhance road safety. To address the issue of road safety, the proposed model offers a method for evaluating the level of driver fatigue based on changes in a driver’s eyeball movement using a convolutional neural network (CNN). Further, with the help of CNN and VGG16 models, facial sleepiness expressions were detected and classified into four categories (open, closed, yawning, and no yawning). Subsequently, a dataset of 2900 images of eye conditions associated with driver sleepiness was used to test the models, which include a different range of features such as gender, age, head position, and illumination. The results of the devolved models show a high degree of accountability, whereas the CNN model achieved an accuracy rate of 97%, a precision of 99%, and recall and F-score values of 99%. The VGG16 model reached an accuracy rate of 74%. This is a considerable contrast between the state-of-the-art methods in the literature for similar problems. Full article

The rapid rise of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and their integration into smart city initiatives has sparked a surge of research interest in a broad array of thematic areas. This study undertakes a comprehensive review of recent scholarly literature to elucidate key research trends and innovative strategies for applying UAVs in smart cities. Through a detailed descriptive analysis, we identify prominent research clusters, including integrating the Internet of Things (IoT) with UAVs, applying artificial intelligence in surveillance, exploring the Internet of Drones (IoD), and cybersecurity challenges faced by smart cities. It is observed that security and privacy concerns within smart cities receive the most scholarly attention, indicating their central importance in shaping smart city strategies. The review of innovative strategies reveals a strong emphasis on leveraging cutting-edge technologies to enhance UAV capabilities and ensure drones’ efficient, secure, and ethical deployment in smart city environments. This study provides crucial insights that inform the design of future research and policies in the burgeoning field of smart city development through the use of UAVs. Full article

Virtual Reality (VR) construction safety training modules have reached a level of maturity which renders them as a serious alternative to traditional safety training modules. The purpose of this study is to investigate the usability of a particular safety training module related to “Working at heights” for blue-collar construction workers in Kuwait. A mixed study approach was applied based on a semi-quasi experimental research design, utilizing a control group/experimental group with pre-/post-test measurements, supplemented by observations. The findings indicate a statistically insignificant higher learning effectiveness of the workers exposed to the VR approach. Observations confirmed that trainees require an extended time of preparation to become familiar with moving within the virtual environment and using the related hardware. Furthermore, younger users with less work experience reported a higher usability than older users with more work experience. VR content developers are encouraged to investigate the possibilities of simplifying the virtual environment to make it more relevant for blue-collar workers, reduce the complexity of the hardware, and intensify the feeling of the consequences resulting from users’ choices. Construction companies and educational institutions training construction blue-collar workers can benefit from the VR approach to safety training if they allow sufficient time for familiarization with the virtual training module. Full article

This work presents a data-centric method to use IoT data, generated from the site, to monitor core functions of safety barriers on a batch reactor. The approach turns process safety performance indicators (PSPIs) into online, globally available safety indicators that eliminate variability in human interpretation. This work also showcases a class of PSPIs that are reliable and time-dependent but only work in a digital online environment: profile PSPIs. It is demonstrated that the profile PSPI opens many new opportunities for leading indicators, without the need for complex mathematics. Online PSPI analyses were performed at the Syngenta Huddersfield Manufacturing Centre, Leeds Road, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom, and shared with their international headquarters in Basel, Switzerland. The performance was determined with industry software to extract time-series data and perform the calculations. The calculations were based on decades of IoT data stored in the AVEVA Factory Historian. Non-trivial data cleansing and additional data tags were required for the creation of relevant signal conditions and composite conditions. This work demonstrates that digital methods do not require gifted data analysts to report existing PSPIs in near real-time and is well within the capabilities of chemical (safety) engineers. Current PSPIs can also be evaluated in terms of their effectiveness to allow management to make decisions that lead to corrective actions. This improves significantly on traditional PSPI processes that, when reviewed monthly, lead to untimely decisions and actions. This approach also makes it possible to review PSPIs as they develop, receiving notifications of PSPIs when they reach prescribed limits, all with the potential to recommend alternative PSPIs that are more proactive in nature. Full article

Due to the advancements in real-time information communication technologies and sharing economies, rideshare services have gained significant momentum by offering dynamic and/or on-demand services. Rideshare service companies evolved from personal rideshare, where riders traveled solo or with known individuals, into pooled rideshare (PR), where riders can travel with one to multiple unknown riders. Similar to other shared economy services, pooled rideshare is beneficial as it efficiently utilizes resources, resulting in reduced energy usage, as well as reduced costs for the riders. However, previous research has demonstrated that riders have concerns about using pooled rideshare, especially regarding personal safety. A U.S. national survey with 5385 participants was used to understand human factor-related barriers and user preferences to develop a novel Pooled Rideshare Acceptance Model (PRAM). This model used a covariance-based structural equation model (CB-SEM) to identify the relationships between willingness to consider PR factors (time/cost, privacy, safety, service experience, and traffic/environment) and optimizing one’s experience of PR factors (vehicle technology/accessibility, convenience, comfort/ease of use, and passenger safety), resulting in the higher-order factor trust service. We examined the factors’ relative contribution to one’s willingness/attitude towards PR and user acceptance of PR. Privacy, safety, trust service, and convenience were statistically significant factors in the model, as were the comfort/ease of use factor and the service experience, traffic/environment, and passenger safety factors. The only two non-significant factors in the model were time/cost and vehicle technology/accessibility; it is only when a rider feels safe that individuals then consider the additional non-significant variables of time, cost, technology, and accessibility. Privacy, safety, and service experience were factors that discouraged the use of PR, whereas the convenience factor greatly encouraged the acceptance of PR. Despite the time/cost factor’s lack of significance, individual items related to time and cost were crucial when viewed within the context of convenience. This highlights that while user perceptions of privacy and safety are paramount to their attitude towards PR, once safety concerns are addressed, and services are deemed convenient, time and cost elements significantly enhance their trust in pooled rideshare services. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of user acceptance of PR services and offers actionable insights for policymakers and rideshare companies to improve their services and increase user adoption. Full article

This manuscript presents a study on the spatial relationships between bike accidents, the built environment, land use, and transportation network characteristics in Budapest, Hungary using geographic weighted regression (GWR). The sample period includes bike crash data between 2017 and 2022. The findings provide insights into the spatial distribution of bike crashes and their severity, which can be useful for designing targeted interventions to improve bike safety in Budapest and be useful for policymakers and city planners in developing effective strategies to reduce the severity of bike crashes in urban areas. The study reveals that built environment features, such as traffic signals, road crossings, and bus stops, are positively correlated with the bike crash index, particularly in the inner areas of the city. However, traffic signals have a negative correlation with the bike crash index in the suburbs, where they may contribute to making roads safer for cyclists. The study also shows that commercial activity and PT stops have a higher impact on bike crashes in the northern and western districts. GWR analysis further suggests that one-way roads and higher speed limits are associated with more severe bike crashes, while green and recreational areas are generally safer for cyclists. Future research should be focused on the traffic volume and bike trips’ effects on the severity index. Full article

Background: Permanent Daylight Savings Time (DST) may improve road safety by providing more daylight in the evening but could merely shift risk to morning commutes or increase risk due to fatigue and circadian misalignment. Methods: To identify how potential daylight exposure and fatigue risk could differ between permanent DST versus permanent Standard Time (ST) or current time arrangements (CTA), generic work and school schedules in five United States cities were modeled in SAFTE-FAST biomathematical modeling software. Commute data were categorized by morning (0700–0900) and evening (1600–1800) rush hours. Results: Percent darkness was greater under DST compared with ST for the total waking day (t = 2.59, p = 0.03) and sleep periods (t = 2.46, p = 0.045). Waketimes occurred before sunrise 63 ± 41% percent of the time under DST compared with CTA (42 ± 37%) or ST (33 ± 38%; F(_2,74) = 76.37; p < 0.001). Percent darkness was greater during morning (16 ± 31%) and lower during evening rush hour (0 ± 0%) in DST compared with either CTA (morning: 7 ± 23%; evening: 7 ± 14%) or ST (morning: 7 ± 23%; evening: 7 ± 15%). Discussion: Morning rush hour overlaps with students’ commutes and shift workers’ reverse commutes, which may increase traffic congestion and risk compared with evening rush hour. Switching to permanent DST may be more disruptive than either switching to ST or keeping CTA without noticeable benefit to fatigue or potential daylight exposure. Full article

Accidents pose significant obstacles to economic progress and quality of life, especially in developing countries. Thailand faces such challenges and this research seeks to assess the frequency and most common causes of road accidents that lead to fatalities. This study employed the Apriori algorithm to examine the interrelationships among factors contributing to accidents in order to inform policymaking for reducing accident rates, minimizing economic and human losses, and enhancing the effectiveness of the healthcare system. By analyzing road accident data from 2015 to 2020 in Thailand (167,820 accidents causing THB 1.13 billion in damages), this article specifically focuses on the drivers responsible for fatal highway accidents. The findings reveal several interconnected variables that heighten the likelihood of fatalities, such as male gender, exceeding speed limits, riding a motorbike, traveling on straight roads, encountering dry surface conditions, and clear weather. An association rule analysis underscores the increased risk of injury or death in traffic accidents. Full article

Traditional hot spot and cluster analysis techniques based on the Euclidean distance may not be adequate for assessing high-risk locations related to crashes. This is because crashes occur on transportation networks where the spatial distance is network-based. Therefore, this research aims to conduct spatial analysis to identify clusters of high- and low-risk crash locations. Using vulnerable road users’ crash data of San Francisco, the first step in the workflow involves using Ripley’s K-and G-functions to detect the presence of clustering patterns and to identify their threshold distance. Next, the threshold distance is incorporated into the Getis-Ord Gi* method to identify local hot and cold spots. The analysis demonstrates that the network-constrained G-function can effectively define the appropriate threshold distances for spatial correlation analysis. This workflow can serve as an analytical template to aid planners in improving their threshold distance selection for hot spot analysis as it employs actual road-network distances to produce more accurate results, which is especially relevant when assessing discrete-data phenomena such as crashes. Full article

The offshore oil and gas working environment is an inherently dangerous one, with risks posed to physical safety on a daily basis. One neglected field of research is the added psychosocial stressors present in this environment. This research examined the experiences of offshore oil and gas workers through one-on-one online interviews which were recorded and transcribed. Transcripts were analyzed through the qualitative software NVivo, which generated themes and patterns for the responses given to questions that were developed through a focus group. The results of the analysis showed that multiple psychosocial stressors are present in this population, such as fear of speaking up, unsatisfactory company-provided facilities, work–life interference, work status, micromanaging, gender harassment and bullying. In addition, interviews identified that production and time pressures, along with fatigue, can influence accidents and mistakes. Climate factors also cause discomfort. However, these are managed according to best practices by organizations. Due to the timing of the study, COVID-19 was a significant stressor for some, but not all, employees. In conclusion, offshore oil and gas workers face multiple stressors in a dangerous environment that may lead to devastating consequences. Full article

In this article, the authors apply the intervention mapping (IM) protocol to develop safety leadership training for a rail infrastructure maintenance company. The IM protocol helps to create an evidence-based intervention in a structured way, based on concrete evidence. The application of IM within the occupational safety domain is limited, a research gap that this article bridges with the development and testing of a safety leadership intervention to promote safety behavior among managers. The company was positively and actively engaged in the training program thanks to the IM protocol. The local support group took full advantage of the opportunities to provide input during the development of the training’s various components. Despite this, interpersonal problems within the leadership team itself, such as a lack of psychological safety, were not identified during the needs assessment. These issues had an impact on the overall effectiveness of the training, as they manifested during the training when managers met physically for the first time in several years (due to the coronavirus). Our IM protocol will be adjusted accordingly for future applications, and we hope that sharing our experiences will enable fellow researchers to avoid this problem. Full article

Mega sports events may encounter safety and security challenges related to risk management issues such as overcrowding, disorderly behavior, assaults, and security breaches. An incident during the Champions League Final in France in 2022 serves as an example of such challenges. Therefore, this study focuses specifically on the Champions League Final in France, 2022, and presents a situational scenario analysis for safety and security professionals. The objective is to enhance situational awareness and improve risk management strategies for similar events. The study commences by investigating the awareness among security and safety professionals regarding the potential consequences of mega sporting events, utilizing a post-hoc damage evaluation of France ’22. It then compares the effectiveness of fixed and drone cameras in surveillance imaging, aiming to identify ways to enhance situational analysis for improved risk management. The findings indicate that safety and security professionals acknowledged the negative outcomes of adverse events and demonstrated higher situational awareness when using drone surveillance as opposed to relying solely on fixed cameras. They also expressed positive attitudes towards the adoption of surveillance for mega sporting events. Moreover, the study introduces a model for drone surveillance scenario analysis, designed for dynamic decision-making. This model has been developed and aligned to effectively integrate drone surveillance and enhance situational awareness, not only for mega sports events but also for similar applications in various contexts. This research contributes to the understanding of risk management and situational awareness in the realm of mega sports events. It underscores the significance of drone surveillance and proposes strategies to enhance security professionals’ ability to respond effectively to potential threats, ensuring the safety of participants and spectators. Full article

A fall from height is the main cause of serious injuries and fatalities in occupational and work-related accidents, especially construction. Falls from scaffolds, ladders, or roofs are very frequent accident scenarios. Especially for those falls from a height of 1 m to 6 m, the use of wearable smart airbags has been proposed to mitigate possible torso injuries. In this study, a virtual assessment of such an inflatable protector was conducted using numerical simulations and finite element human body models in order to determine its impact-protection performance under realistic impact conditions and identify its possible limitations. The findings obtained from the simulation study showed a significant protective effect provided by the airbag, mitigating a multiple rib fracture scenario and reducing the risk of internal organ injuries for those falling from four meters of height or less. The use case analyzed in this research demonstrates the suitability of using a virtual environment not only to evaluate current protectors but also to develop new protector devices, which could improve occupational safety. Full article

Paediatric homecare is an advancing field of healthcare, bringing care direct to patients in their own homes. Risk management is an integral component of homecare services, including incident and risk assessment management. The objective of the study was to investigate risk management in homecare focusing on two aspects: incident reporting and risk assessments. A Grounded Theory approach was used to gather key functions of these aspects; these were then mapped using the Functional Resonance Analysis method (FRAM). Nineteen nurses working in paediatric homecare services were interviewed for the study. The interviews were semi-structured and focused on risk, quality, complaints, audit, care, and management. The interview data were transcribed and coded using Nvivo; the data were then converted into functions for utilization in the FRAM tool. The FRAM detailed the process of incident reporting and risk assessment management of the actual work carried out as viewed by the participants of the study. The information was then analysed and contrasted with the organizational policy to gain an understanding of the systems of incident reporting and risk assessments, which then led to the development of a refined process that could have less variability in function. Consequently, changes to policy and training in risk management were recommended to enhance the systems. Full article

The industrial sector is improving its management systems and designing healthy workspaces by focusing on selecting the best ways to reduce accidents and optimize financial and human resources. Hand tools represent the general equipment used in a significant range of industrial jobs. This research aims to develop a tool selection method to help users, managers, and tool designers ensure awareness and care regarding ergonomics based on the anthropometrics of employees, considering the main risk factors for tool selection. The information, which relates to hand security risk factors and the established parameters set by official international institutions, is evaluated during the study. This paper also presents a safety risk assessment framework based on criteria collected through a survey from 10 experts to rate the initial risk value and determine its importance using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP). As a result, the analysis identified the possibility of injury (with 73.06% accuracy) as the biggest concern for companies due to its immediate effects on workers’ health. It provides a decision regimen—a tool for decision-makers to design and plan prevention activities to reduce accidents, injuries, and possible illnesses. It further lays out a methodical and analytical model to be used by managers to ensure correct hand tool selection. This model can be used to reduce the possibility of illnesses or injuries for workers and tailor the ergonomic design of each workstation according to specific hand anthropometric data for the worker. Full article

(1) Background: The use of force by public and private security forces is currently an issue of great relevance because of the potential injuries caused by any excessive use of force by either active or passive subjects or a deficit in the real mastery of appropriate physical intervention techniques (PITs). For this reason, certain traditionally used physical intervention techniques have been questioned by scientific research studies and punished by justice. On the other hand, certain media have dealt with this matter in a biased and unfair manner by broadcasting videos where the use of force by police officer is displayed out of context. As a consequence, this problem has been brought under the spotlight, causing general uneasiness of the communities and rapidly spreading over social networks while favoring all sorts of parallel judgments. (2) Research method: A suit was equipped with 19 inertial measurement units (IMUs) and a Biomechanics of Bodies software application for Marras analysis of the data collected on trajectory, trunk twisting velocity, sagittal angle, load, and nature and severity of the injuries associated with the different intervention techniques examined. (3) Results: According to the data registered, the implementation of operational tactical procedures (OTPs) reduces the probability of injuries and leads to a more satisfactory outcome. (4) Conclusions: The implementation of operational tactical procedures, together with an awareness of the risks associated with the excessive use of force by public and private security forces and bodies, could reduce the risk of injuries suffered by both officers and citizens. Full article

Fire is a typical disaster in the processing industry. Ionic liquids, as a type of green flame retardant, play an important role in process safety. In order to grasp the current research status, hotspots, and frontiers in the field of ionic liquids in flame retardancy, the bibliometric mapping method is applied to study the relevant literature in Web of Science datasets from 2000–2022 in this paper. The results show that the research on ionic liquids in flame retardancy is multidisciplinary and involves some disciplines such as energy science, material science, and environmental protection. Journal of Power Sources, Polymer Degradation and Stability, ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, and Chemical Engineering Journal are the core journals in the field. The results of keyword co-occurrence indicate that the hotspots of research can be divided into five components: the improvement and application of pure ionic liquids electrolytes, the research of gel polymer electrolytes, applying ionic liquids to enhance the polymer materials’ flame retardancy properties, utilizing ionic liquids and inorganic materials to synergize flame retardant polymers, and using ionic liquids flame retardant to improve material’s multiple properties. The burst terms and time zone diagram’s results point out the combination of computational quantum chemistry to study the flame retardancy mechanism of ionic liquids, the study of fluorinated electrolytes, ionic liquids for smoke suppression, phosphorus-containing ionic liquids for flame retardant, and machine learning-assisted design of ILs flame retardants are the research frontiers and future research trends. Full article

Driving heavy vehicles with dangerous cargo involves various work environments that can significantly impact road safety. This research aims to study the impact of oil and gas tanker drivers’ work environment on driving performance to identify and address any issues that may affect their ability to carry out their jobs effectively. To achieve this, a quantitative approach was employed using a questionnaire survey adapted from the literature review. The data collected from a sample of drivers of oil- and gas-heavy vehicles were analyzed using structural equation modelling. The study’s findings reveal a significant association between the drivers’ work environment and driving performance, represented by a path coefficient of β = 0.237. These results highlight the substantial contribution of the work environment to driving performance, with an effect of 63%. Consequently, the study emphasizes the importance of considering the work environment as a potential factor when assessing and enhancing tanker drivers’ driving abilities during oil and gas transportation. Full article

Near-miss events are usually identified as adverse events that could have turned into incidents/injuries but, due to an intervention of a safety system or by chance, developed into harmless situations instead. Past and present studies have also outlined the importance of collecting and analyzing near-miss events, as they have same causes of more serious events, thereby allowing for more effective preventative measures at the workplace. Although their importance has been outlined for several years, standard models for designing near-miss management systems (NMMSs) are still lacking and cannot yet support companies in their full-scale application. Despite this condition, NMMSs are applied in several industrial sectors, such as in the construction, mining, chemical, and nuclear industries. The aim of this study is to analyze how companies are developing their own NMMSs. An exploratory analysis was developed through survey analysis; it was provided to a sample of Italian companies in order to evaluate the adoption level of NMMSs as well as current practices applied by companies. The sample included companies of different sizes in the industrial sector. The results extracted from the field analysis outline interesting issues that point out current procedures adopted for the identification, collection, and analysis of near-miss events as well as real benefits and criticalities related to the application of NMMSs. Full article

For years, the connection between safety behaviours and injury and illness in high-risk industries has been recognised, but the effectiveness of this link has been somewhat overlooked. Since there is still a significant amount of injury within high-risk workplaces, this systematic review aims to examine the effectiveness of behavioural interventions to decrease fatal and non-fatal injuries within high-risk industries. Scopus and Google Scholar were used to find relevant systematic reviews and meta-analyses on this topic. In total, 19 articles met the inclusion criteria. Of these articles, 11 suggested that their reviewed interventions revealed some evidence of being effective in reducing injury/accident rates. Additionally, seven of the papers found that the interventions affected certain determinants, such as safety knowledge, health and safety behaviours, attitudes, efficacy, and beliefs. One of the papers found no effect at all. It must be noted that a significant amount of the articles (n = 10) reported methodological quality or quantity issues, implying that the results should be approached with caution. Nonetheless, it was found that certain components, such as multi-faceted interventions tailored to the target group, contribute to either reducing injury/accident rates or improving the specific aforementioned determinants. There is a need for additional safety interventions in high-risk industries that are based on methodologically sound structural elements and theoretical frameworks. Existing approaches, such as Intervention Mapping, can assist safety professionals in achieving this goal. Full article

Leaders that focus on preventing risks and promoting safe and healthy behaviors are essential to reducing workplace accidents and illnesses, particularly in a changing environment where technology and the complex interconnection of systems create emerging risks with unpredictable consequences for employee wellbeing and organizational productivity. In that sense, this multiple focus group study with 32 experts in occupational safety and health (OSH) aims at providing valuable insight into the most effective strategies for promoting health and productivity in a changing context. Results indicate that a safety and prevention culture is crucial for successful risk prevention and management, with commitment required from both top management and workers. Moreover, transformational leadership is identified as a key to achieving a safety and prevention culture. In addition, training is considered a pivotal mechanism to introduce appropriate safety practices into daily work routines. This requires an interdisciplinary, integrated, and collaborative perspective. Finally, integrating risk prevention into higher education prepares professionals to face current labor market challenges. These results can guide decision making for both training OSH professionals and introducing effective OSH practices in organizations. Full article

Accidents in gas stations may cause injury or even death to people. Moreover, an accident in a gas station might halt its operation for some time. When an accident takes place in a region with scant amount of gas stations, it may lead to fuel scarcity in the area, affecting the economy and sparking other issues. Therefore, safety climate and safety performance in gas stations need to be evaluated. Safety climate has been used as a tool to assess the safety performance of an organization at a given time. The aim of this study was to understand the influence of safety climate on safety performance in gas stations in Indonesia. A total of 129 gas stations were selected. To assess safety climate, a safety climate questionnaire was used, while the safety performance was captured by conducting on site structured observations. The assessment shows that gas stations have a good level of safety climate, especially when it is compared with other industrial sectors in Indonesia, such as construction. The study findings also show that safety climate has a significant positive impact on safety performance. Three safety climate dimensions with significant positive influence on safety performance are management commitment, communication, and personal accountability. Therefore, improvement efforts should focus more on these dimensions to boost safety performance in gas stations. Full article

This study aimed to examine whether different agricultural work patterns may cause MSDs in different body areas and assess their severity. In previous studies, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) have been recognized as an occupational disease in agricultural workers. However, not all MSDs resulting from agriculture occur in the same body areas or have similar severity. This study conducted a questionnaire survey to inquire about the body areas and severity of MSDs among fruit farmers. A total of 212 valid answers were collected. Subsequently, their main harvesting postures were classified into three groups to examine the differences in MSD occurrence and severity among those groups. The results indicate that the harvesting posture did result in different severities of MSDs in certain body areas. Raising hands above the shoulders caused significantly higher MSD severity in the neck, shoulder, upper back, and elbows despite the same standing posture. Additionally, those who squatted, bent, or kneeled had a significantly higher severity of MSDs in the shoulders compared to those who stood but did not raise their hands above their shoulders. This study confirmed that the different harvesting heights of fruits can affect farmers’ posture, leading to differences in the body areas affected by, and severity of, MSDs. Full article

Welding fume is generated during welding activities and is a known cancer-causing hazard for those working in the welding industry. Worker exposure has been shown to regularly exceed the applicable workplace exposure standard, and control measures are required to reduce worker exposure. The aim of this study is to compare the effectiveness of control measures to prevent welding fume exposure to workers. To achieve this aim, three common welding fume control measures (local exhaust ventilation (LEV), powered air purifying respirators (PAPRs) and on-gun extraction) were used during four different welding tasks. Compared to using no controls, LEV hood capture is likely to reduce welding fume concentrations in the breathing zone of a welder by up to a factor of 9. The use of on-gun LEV is likely to reduce welding fume concentrations in the breathing zone of a welder by up to a factor of 12. The 5th percentile effective protection factors of the PAPR for all sampled welding activities were considerably greater than the required minimum protection factor of 50 specified in AS/NZS 1715:2009 for powered air purifying respirators (PAPRs) with class PAPR-P3 particulate filters with any head covering. Full article