Journal of Safety Research最新文献

Introduction

Human factors are often major contributors to pedestrian crashes. However, police-reported pedestrian-involved crash data often have gaps in crash details. Overcoming this limitation, the Pedestrian and Bicycle Crash Data Tool (PBCAT) provides a more comprehensive high-quality database capturing the sequence of events.

Methods

In addition to human and roadway environmental factors, there could be unobserved factors (e.g., pedestrian conspicuity, impact speed, or riskiness by a driver) that could be either unavailable or not used in the analysis; however, these unobserved factors could have a significant influence on pedestrian injuries. This study applies finite mixture models to address unobserved heterogeneity in pedestrian injuries which is usually overlooked. As a result, the associations of one or more of the observed factors with pedestrian injuries across different latent (unobserved) classes can be different.

Results

Harnessing this unique database for North Carolina reveals that in most (95%) of the crashes (N=24,886) occurring between 2009 and 2019, pedestrians were either killed or injured. Risky behaviors by drivers and pedestrians contributed to 7.91% and 50.59% of these crashes, respectively. Recognition errors (e.g., dash or dart-out) and violations (e.g., failure to yield) by pedestrians contributed to 22.08% and 28.58% of crashes, respectively. Recognition errors and violations by drivers contributed to only 2.12% and 3.11% of crashes respectively each of which is significantly lower than those by pedestrians. Results of the ordered Probit model indicate that the chance of pedestrian fatality is significantly higher if a pedestrian makes recognition errors and violations, a driver makes performance errors, and either the pedestrian or driver is impaired.

Conclusions and practical implications

The finite mixture model shows that pedestrians belong to two latent groups across which there is significant heterogeneity in pedestrian injuries and variations in the associations of observed factors with pedestrian injuries. The practical implications are discussed in the paper.

Introduction: Millions of workers globally experience work-related injuries, leading to fatalities, injuries, job loss, and wider societal implications. This study utilizes both the U.S. database and the General Social Survey (GSS) to delve into the factors linked to occupational injuries. Methods: In this study, 30 questions from the GSS between 2002 and 2014 were used. The sample included 5,914 workers from various sectors, distributed between both female and male, and were of 18 years and above. The analysis encompasses several dimensions: demographics, job-related characteristics, administrative factors, and health and safety measures. The study particularly focuses on assessing the prevalence of three common work-related injuries: nonfatal injuries, back pain and arm pain. Logistic regression models were constructed to gauge the effects of identified factors. Results: Significant insights emerge from the analysis. Factors such as age, gender, race, working hours, overtime work, trust in management, coworker support, and workflow smoothness were identified as having notable impacts on work-related injuries. For each model, the study quantifies these impacts through odds ratio and relative effects. For example, in the nonfatal injuries model, the relative effects of age showed that workers aged 65 years or older experience a 2.56% decrease in the frequency of nonfatal injuries compared to younger workers. Furthermore, in the back pain model, the estimated odds of having back pain in males are 0.90 lower than that in females. Moreover, in the arm pain model, workers who have sufficient time to complete their tasks have estimated odds of experiencing arm pain that are 0.85 lower than those who don’t have adequate time, etc. Conclusions: Understanding the intricate interplay of various factors influencing workers’ safety and health is vital for addressing occupational injuries. By addressing these factors, there’s potential for reducing work-related injuries, enhancing work environment, and minimizing costs. Practical Applications: Organizations can use the study’s findings for reducing work related injuries. Flexible work arrangements, tailored training programs, and ergonomic improvements might highlight factors such as age, gender, and working hours. Enhancing communication, fostering a positive work culture, and prioritizing safety and health measures could reduce risks associated with trusting management and coworker support. Cost-benefit analysis and continuous monitoring ensure these interventions’ effectiveness, reduce back and hand pain incidents, minimize cost, and create safer workplaces, thereby boosting the overall well-being of workers and organizational success.

Objective: To investigate psychological predictors of the use of child restraints among Chinese parents following passage of national law requiring their use. Methods: Grounded in the Prototype Willingness Model (PWM) and guidance from previous research, we developed and administered a questionnaire to assess child restraint usage and understand psychological factors that predict usage. 413 parents with child(ren) aged 0–8 years completed the questionnaire through the WenJuanXing online survey platform. Results: Among the 413 parents, 321 (77.7%) used child restraints regularly when taking their children on car trips, with the highest use reported among parents with children under 1 year (83.8%). Among the psychological predictors, willingness to use a restraint was the strongest predictor of intention and self-reported behavior to use restraints, but the predictive effect of intention on behavior was not significant. Descriptive norms – a belief that trusted friends and family use restraints – was the strongest predictor of behavior to use child restraints, and prototype favorability – the belief that prototypical parents of similar age and gender use restraints – also showed significant effects in predicting behavior. Conclusions: Following the passage of national laws requiring child restraints in China, it is becoming more common for parents to use restraints when their children travel by car. Parents’ use of child restraints for children follows a socially reactive (through willingness) decision-making path rather than a reasoned (through intention) decision-making pattern. The influence of the behavior of others, both trusted friends and family (descriptive norms) and prototypical similar parents (prototype favorability) are strong predictive factors for use of child restraints, suggesting prevention programs might leverage behavior of others to impact parents and encourage use of child restraints.

Introduction: Research suggests that recessions correlate with reductions in crash counts. However, knowledge is still scarce regarding the causality of this association, and the mechanisms through which economic shocks affect crash numbers are not well understood. We address these research gaps by applying an econometric methodology that has so far not been used for these research questions. Method: We use a quasi-natural experimental approach as our identification strategy. By exploiting the spatial heterogeneity of a shock, we define affected and less affected regions as treatment and control units. A synthetic control approach is applied to identify the causal impact of a shock on crash counts and explore the mechanisms contributing to this effect. As a case study, we use the 2008/09 financial crisis in Germany and exploit its high spatial variation. Results: We find that the crisis caused a significant crash rate reduction of 8% in the treated region. Only 1/4 of this reduction can be attributed to the decline in exposure. The remaining 3/4 are associated with the crisis-induced decrease in crash risk. Decomposing this effect shows that the crash rates in rural areas, of newly registered vehicles, of young adults, related to alcohol and speeding decline more than the overall crash rate. In contrast, crash rates of severe crashes, of heavy-goods vehicles, at night and on weekends are not the driving factors of the decrease in crash rates. Several robustness tests validate the results. Conclusions: Crash counts declined significantly due to the economic crisis. However, the magnitude of the influence is highly dependent on the crash characteristics. Practical applications: Understanding the trajectory of crash counts is crucial for implementing traffic safety measures and working towards vision zero. Our study shows that macroeconomic parameters are important potential confounding factors that should be considered in accident analysis.

Introduction: The global occupational accident situation remains severe. As enhancing employee safety performance constitutes a crucial part of accident prevention and safety management, the study aims to examine, from an employment relationship perspective, the cognitive, motivational, and behavioral mechanisms through which employee-organization exchange (EOX), as a social exchange type of employment relationship, can affect employee safety performance. Method: Data were collected from 672 subordinates and their immediate 100 supervisors in three large manufacturing firms in Guangdong province, China. Results: The results shows that: (1) EOX has a positive effect on employees’ safety risk perception, psychological ownership of safety promotion, and safety communication; (2) safety risk perception, psychological ownership of safety promotion and safety communication (as cognitive, motivational and behavioral mechanisms) mediate the relationship between EOX and safety performance (both safety compliance and safety participation); and (3) management commitment to safety moderates the direct effect of EOX on safety risk perception, psychological ownership of safety promotion, and safety communication, and its indirect effect on two forms of safety performance via the three mediating mechanisms. The moderating effect and moderated indirect effect are stronger when management commits more to safety. The study contributes to the employee safety literature. Practical Applications: Employers should establish a long-term oriented social exchange relationship with their employees for effective safety management.

Introduction: Driving skill, driving stress, and driving behavior have an effect on road traffic safety. Most previous studies have investigated the effect of driving skill or driving stress on driving behavior separately. However, the relationship and effect mechanism between driving skill, driving stress, and driving behavior have been neglected. Method: 1207 licensed drivers completed a valid questionnaire, which consisted of driving skill subscale, driving stress subscale, and driving behavior subscale, and eight factors were identified from the three subscales. This study used correlation analysis, regression analysis to explore the relationship between driving skill, driving stress, and driving behavior, and examined the mediating and moderating roles of driving stress. Results: (a) There was a significant relationship between driving skill, driving stress, and driving behavior. (b) Highly skilled drivers showed decreased driving tension, thrill seeking, dislike of driving and increased hazard monitoring, and reported fewer lapses and errors, but more violations. Driving tension, thrill seeking increased aberrant driving behavior, while hazard monitoring helped reduce aberrant behaviors. (c) Driving stress had a mediating effect between driving skill on lapses and errors. Hazard monitoring and dislike of driving had a suppressing effect between driving skill on violations. (d) The positive effect of driving skill on violations was enhanced under positive driving tension and thrill seeking. Conclusions: Aberrant driving behavior was influenced by driving skill and driving stress. Driving skill influenced driving behavior through driving tension, hazard monitoring, and dislike of driving. Driving tension and thrill seeking moderated the relationship between driving skill on violations. Practical Applications: This study further explored the relationship between driving skill, driving stress, and driving behavior. It provides guidance for reducing aberrant driving behavior on driver education, that is, paying more attention to improving driving skill, as well as developing safety attitudes and self-regulation ability.

Introduction

This study aims to identify the factors related to pedestrian and roadway characteristics that affect vehicle–pedestrian Post Encroachment Time (PET) and Relative Time to Collision (RTTC) under traffic control systems at mid-block pedestrian crossings.

Methodology

A total of 112 h of video data were collected using multiple cameras from Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon (PHB) and Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB) sites. To extract vehicle and pedestrian trajectories and construct an accurate dataset, where each observation corresponds to a specific timeframe, with a recorded speeds of both vehicles and pedestrians, a self-developed cutting-edge Computer Vision (CV) technology was deployed. A bivariate regression approach is employed to capture the relationship between near misses and various factors.

Results and Conclusions

The findings reveal that both pedestrian and roadway characteristics significantly influence PET and RTTC. Pedestrian characteristics, such as gender, clothing color, distraction, waiting time, and crossing speed, significantly affect both PET and RTTC. The presence of children as pedestrians, eye contact with drivers, and pedestrian signal compliance rate has a significant influence on PET. Among roadway characteristics, the presence of a median, hourly traffic flow, and land use diversity of the crossing area were found to be significant determinants of both PET and RTTC. The results indicate that there is no difference in the influence of RRFB and PHB on PET values, but there is a significant difference in the influence of RRFB and PHB on RTTC values. PHB increases RTTC relative to RRFB. Finally, this study enriches existing literature by incorporating unique factors that impact pedestrian safety.

Practical Applications

The findings underscore the importance of data-driven approach to pedestrian safety, encouraging transportation agencies to implement targeted and effective safety strategies. In the future, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in traffic management and safety systems could greatly benefit from incorporating these findings.

Introduction: During COVID-19, increased speeding was observed in many jurisdictions. Yet, evidence is limited on what factors predicted increased speeding during the pandemic. This study’s purpose was to examine speeding, and person and situation factors associated with increased speeding since the start of the pandemic. Methods: An online panel survey sampled 1,595 drivers using sex, age, and region quota sampling and weighting to approximate the Ontario, Canada adult population. Measures included: (1) person factors: socio-demographics (age, sex, region); psychological trait of risk propensity (Competitive Attitudes Toward Driving Scale (CATDS)); psychological states (distress - general and COVID-19-related); and behaviors (kilometers driven, alcohol use, police stops and collisions); and (2) COVID-19-related situation factors: perceived changes in (traffic volume, police enforcement). Results: 67.2% of respondents reported speeding; 7.2% reported increased speeding since the start of the pandemic. Bivariate analyses indicated that person factors of younger age, male sex, higher CATDS, higher distress, more alcohol use, more kilometers traveled, police stops, and collisions since the start of the pandemic were associated with increased speeding. Situation factor of perceived less traffic volume since the start of the pandemic was associated with increased speeding. Logistic regression analysis identified odds of reported increased speeding during the pandemic was significantly higher for drivers with higher scores on the CATDS, higher kilometers traveled, and more alcohol use during the pandemic. Conclusions: These findings suggest that higher risk propensity as well as the more kilometers driven and increased alcohol consumption were risk factors for increased speeding. Practical Applications:  COVID-19-related factors of lower traffic volume and enforcement are less predictive of increased speeding than driver personality and pandemic-related behaviors of more driving and drinking. Interventions to reduce speeding still need to focus on these person factors through education, enforcement, and strong sanctions for speeding.

Introduction: Millions of workers are injured on the job each year. Updated injury reporting regulations from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in 2014 have resulted in publicly available data on reported severe injuries. Methods: OSHA severe injury reports (SIRs) were analyzed from 2015 to 2022. Severe injury rates were calculated using total employment estimates by industry and state to characterize the distribution of SIRs. Secondary analyses examined how SIRs differed seasonally, as well as before and after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: There were 83,338 severe workplace injuries reported across the 29 states that are under federal OSHA coverage. Manufacturing (375.98 per 100,000 workers) and Utilities (277.21 per 100,000 workers) had the highest rates of severe injuries. Despite summertime peaks in SIRs, there were not significant differences between seasons when examining SIRs by industry (p = 0.9763) or various injury factors. 1,846 of the SIRs were heat-related, and Utilities had the highest rate of heat-related severe injuries (13.34 per 100,000 workers). There was a statistically significant difference in the average injury rate when comparing pre- and post-COVID-19 periods (p < 0.001), which was statistically similar across all industries (p = 0.8143). Conclusions: Although several prior studies have examined the OSHA SIR data, this is the first known analysis of SIRs in relation to state- and industry-specific employment data. Despite the lack of a significant seasonality in SIRs, many industries seem to be impacted by heat-related injuries across all states. The number and rate of SIRs declined during COVID-19 similarly across all industries, with some industries maintaining low injury reporting rates through 2022. Practical Application: Findings of which industries and states may be experiencing a disproportionate burden of SIRs, including heat-related injuries, can inform injury prevention efforts. Additional work is needed to disentangle the drivers behind decreases in reported severe injuries during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction: Fall-induced traumatic brain injury (TBI) is considered one of the most serious occupational injuries in construction. Given the frequency of falls from ladders, knowledge of head kinematics during ladder falls to the ground may help inform any potential improvement to construction safety helmet design and improve their protection against head injury. Therefore, the goal of this descriptive study was to measure head kinematics during laboratory-induced ladder falls to the ground. Method: Eighteen young adults wearing a hockey helmet simulated construction tasks that challenged their balance while standing on stepladders and an extension ladder with their feet at heights up to 1.8 m above padding covering the ground. Falls onto the padding occurred spontaneously or were induced by an investigator nudging the ladder to simulate ladder movement resulting from the ground shifting. Optoelectronic motion capture was used to capture head kinematics up to the instant immediately before head impact. Results: Of 115 total falls, 15 involved head impact with the padding and were analyzed. Head impact during all 15 of these falls occurred on the back of the head. Immediately before impact with the padding, head vertical velocity ranged from 0.42 to 3.88 m/s and head angular velocity about a medial–lateral axis ranged from 60.1 to 1215.5 deg/s. Conclusions: These data can be used with computer simulations or headform impact testing to estimate true head impact kinematics, or to inform future versions of construction safety helmet testing standards. Practical applications: This is the first study we are aware of to capture head kinematics of human subjects during ladder falls to the ground. These results have the potential to inform future versions of construction safety helmet testing standards and contribute to improved helmet design for protection against fall-induced head injury.