International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics最新文献

Objectives: The construction industry reports the highest fatal accident rate. While numerous studies have explored fundamental issues such as safety awareness and in-house management, their combined impact on promoting safety within construction organizations remains underexamined.

Methods: This research investigates these synergistic effects in Taiwan using a two-staged structural equation modeling (SEM) approach to assess both direct and indirect influences of safety awareness enhancement and safety management practices within construction organizations.

Results: The first SEM analysis revealed that safety management, when reinforced by heightened safety awareness, exerts a stronger overall impact on the mitigation of unsafe behavior and hazardous environments, compared to safety management alone. Notably, on-site worker communication emerged as the most influential factor in elevating safety awareness. The second SEM analysis emphasized the responsibility of safety management authorities, including owners, contractors and subcontractors, to implement effective programs prioritizing safety awareness initiatives. The findings underscore the need for integrated efforts combining collaboration and awareness enhancement to foster a robust safety culture within construction organizations.

Conclusions: Fostering effective communication and shared responsibility among all construction contractual parties proves fundamental for advancing safety awareness and reducing accident rates, ultimately creating safer working environments throughout the construction industry in Taiwan.

This study focused on the three-dimensional heat transfer process between flame-retardant fabrics and the air gap beneath the clothing under varying flame intensities. Thermal protective performance testing as well as fabric appearance and heat shrinkage measurements were conducted on single and multilayer fabrics at two heat flux levels. The impact of the heat source, fabric layers and air gap was investigated. Through the two-dimensional visualization of temperature distribution, the distribution was uneven due to local heat sources, affected by the heat source density and fabric layers. Multilayer fabrics demonstrated superior thermal protective properties to single-layer fabrics, and exhibited higher temperatures and stored more heat. The air gap thickness significantly influenced the thermal protection of the fabric system (p < 0.01), and opening the boundary did not always enhance thermal protective performance, as this depended on the internal heat transfer mechanism of the air gap.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the importance of eyesight among dentists and dental students, their awareness of their own vision status and their eye care practices in the context of their professional work.

Methods: A digital questionnaire was used to explore patient demographics, vision status, correction methods, time since the last eye examination and the use of magnification loupes.

Results: Of the participants, 52.9% were dental students with more than 3 years of clinical experience, and 48.1% were practising as dentists. Among those tested, 35.7% were short-sighted, 19.5% were long-sighted, 8.2% had astigmatism and 1.8% had colour blindness. Notably, 7.2% of participants aged under 40 years of age and 27.9% aged over 40 years of age were unaware of their refractive errors. Younger participants were more short-sighted, whereas long-sightedness increased with age (p < 0.001). Loupes were more commonly used by dentists (24.1%), and 42.1% of loupe users maintained an upright posture.

Conclusion: A substantial number of dentists lacked awareness of the significance of eye care and its impact on their professional work. The study also revealed a significant relationship between age and refractive error type.

Objectives: This study assessed the effectiveness of ergonomic interventions - physical ergonomics training and engineering interventions - in reducing the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal symptoms (WMSs) and improving posture among nurses in Iranian public hospitals.

Methods: The quasi-experimental study was conducted in 2023 at a public hospital, involving 218 nurses randomly assigned to four groups by wards: control (no intervention), group 1 (training), group 2 (engineering interventions) and group 3 (training + engineering interventions). Data were collected using the Persian Cornell musculoskeletal discomfort questionnaire (P-CMDQ), the Persian ergonomics screening and prioritizing tool (P-ESPT) and other tools. Outcomes were evaluated 4 months post intervention using SPSS version 17 with statistical tests (p < 0.05).

Results: Baseline data showed 90.8% of nurses had WMSs, mainly affecting the neck (60.6%), lower back (59.9%) and feet (54.6%). Post intervention, the control group showed no change (P-CMDQ: p = 0.779; P-ESPT: p = 0.255). Group 1 had limited improvement (P-CMDQ: p = 0.107; P-ESPT: p < 0.001). Group 2 showed the greatest reductions (P-CMDQ: p < 0.001; P-ESPT: p < 0.001), followed by group 3 (P-CMDQ: p < 0.001; P-ESPT: p < 0.001).

Conclusions: Engineering interventions, supported by resources, most effectively reduced WMSs and risks. Training alone had limited impact due to workload and facility constraints. Combining both was also effective, emphasizing physical interventions in resource-limited settings.

This study evaluated the functional performance of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) composites reinforced with carbon fillers, specifically graphene nanoplatelets and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), for potential use in protective footwear outsoles designed to resist high temperatures and fuel oil exposure. Three material variants were prepared: unmodified PVC, PVC with 0.5 wt% graphene and PVC with 0.5 wt% graphene + 0.5 wt% MWCNT. These materials were subjected to comprehensive evaluation, including chemical composition analysis via energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry, hardness, fuel oil resistance, thermal conductivity measurements and surface morphology characterization. The results showed that carbon fillers improved both mechanical and thermal properties. The composite exhibited a 25% increase in hardness and approximately 19% higher thermal conductivity compared to unmodified PVC. However, exposure to fuel oil caused significant degradation of all composites and increase in surface hardness. Scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed structural damage, filler agglomeration and filler-free surface layers in areas exposed to heat.

Objectives: This study investigated the critical success factors (CSFs) necessary to promote sustainable health and safety practices in Malaysia's construction industry.

Methods: A closed-ended questionnaire was developed based on a comprehensive literature review and validated by experts. The questionnaire was distributed to construction professionals across Malaysia, yielding 158 valid responses. Data were analyzed using fuzzy synthetic evaluation (FSE) to rank the importance of each factor.

Results: The findings highlight three core dimensions essential to sustainable health and safety: environmental, economic and social sustainability. Key elements include the use of eco-friendly materials, effective waste management, financial investment in safety systems, stakeholder involvement, inclusive workforce practices and mental health support. Practices such as reducing waste, conserving water and energy, and minimizing pollution were frequently associated with sustainable outcomes.

Conclusion: Together, these dimensions offer a robust framework for improving health and safety in the construction sector. Integrating environmental, economic and social strategies enhances worker well-being, lowers operational risks and supports long-term industry resilience. The study concludes that sustainable safety practices not only safeguard lives but also deliver economic and operational benefits for construction firms.

An integrated Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) methodology combines the Delphi technique, Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL), and Vlsekrerijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR) methods, enhanced with Z numbers. The approach applies to a real case in a bus production line in Turkey to improve risk assessment in human-robot collaboration. DEMATEL identifies interdependencies among failure modes, while VIKOR enables effective risk prioritization. Z numbers incorporate expert judgment under uncertainty in evaluating occurrence, severity, and detection. Severity and occurrence receive the highest weights (0.4062 and 0.2589). Hardware, process reliability, and robot technology level emerge as the top three failure modes. Fuzzy Cohen's κ ensures expert consensus and statistical reliability. A comparative analysis supports the precision, adaptability, and robustness of the methodology for decision-making in complex industrial environments.

Vigilance decrement has become one of the main risk factors for train accidents. It is of great significance to evaluate high-speed train drivers' vigilance in real time during long-duration driving. In this study, a driving simulation experiment was conducted to collect multimodal physiological information, and the vigilance index was defined by principal component analysis (PCA) to identify its evolution. Furthermore, the effects of sound and vibration stimuli on arousing vigilance were analyzed, and visual characteristics during vigilance decrements were examined. The results indicate a significant vigilance decrease after 30 min of driving, more pronounced at 45 and 65 min. During vigilance decrements, fixation points decrease, vision narrows and key visual information is more likely to be ignored. Both vibration and sound stimuli arouse vigilance, with vibration acting more rapidly while sound increases gradually. These findings provide a theoretical basis for real-time monitoring vigilance and ensuring driving safety.

Situation awareness (SA) loss in forklift operations is a major human error source. Accurately assessing the SA levels of forklift drivers is essential. While physiological sensors such as electroencephalography (EEG) have been proposed to measure SA, the EEG-SA relationship remains unclear. This study analyzed EEG data from 11 forklift operators, comparing EEG states between high and low SA groups. Using permutation tests, the study assessed multi-band EEG correlations (F, C, P, O regions) with SA and examined how scenario complexity influenced these relationships. Results revealed distinct EEG patterns (θ, α and β waves in F, C, P and O regions) between high and low SA groups: θ / β, θ / (α + β) in the C and P regions, and θ / β, (α + θ) / (α + β) in the O region consistently correlating with SA across scenarios - and these indicators strengthened with scenario complexity. The findings advance EEG-based SA assessment, aiding accurate SA measurement in real-world settings.

This study attempts to find a suitable method to predict the dynamic safety situation and future trend in the Chinese construction industry. Five types of grey-Markov models were examined to evaluate their predictive accuracy for the macroscopic selected construction safety indicators, specifically the accident rate per 1,000 million RMB and the death toll per 1,000 million RMB. The models tested include the grey Verhulst-Markov Model (GVMM), even grey-Markov model (EGMM), discrete grey-Markov model (DGMM), original difference grey-Markov model (ODGMM) and even difference grey-Markov model (EDGMM). Comparative analyses of the models' predictive performance indicate that the GVMM significantly outperforms other alternative models in both safety indicators. The findings highlight the GVMM as a robust and effective tool for modeling and predicting dynamic safety conditions and future trends in the construction industry at a macro level.