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Safety
Special Issues
Environmental Risk Assessment—Health and Safety
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Environmental Risk Assessment—Health and Safety

A special issue of Safety (ISSN 2313-576X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 May 2024) | Viewed by 4272

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Brindusa Sluser

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Environmental Engineering and Management, Gheorghe Asachi Technical University of Iasi, Iasi, Romania
Interests: environmental health and safety; impact and risk assessment; environmental quality monitoring and sustainable management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nowadays, safety is an emerging topic that needs to be deeply scientifically approached all over the world, beyond the country, language or cultural barriers. Thus, there is one major question—how can environmnetal health and safety be globally assured? Various pollutants highly influence environmnetal quality, with strong negative effects on ecosystems and human health as well. Safety should be the first approach in an industrial or economic activity with the final purpose to protect environmental quality, occupational health and industrial hygiene. There are regulations stating that new developments must consider the impact and risk assessment before implementing an industrial activity or any new project. This should generally be  agreed when establishing new policies or strategies for sustainable development, and environmental health and safety.

In this context, this Special Issue covers the following topics: risk assessments, occupational and environmental health and safety, public and industrial safety and human health and safe mobility.

Thus, scientists and practitioners are encouraged to publish their experimental and applied research relating to public or industrial science and technology, and contribute to promoting and improving the environment and human health and safety.

Dr. Brindusa Sluser
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Safety is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • environmental risk assessment
  • health and safety
  • environmental management
  • sustainability assessment and eco-innovation
  • environmental performance
  • policies and strategies
  • environmental decisions making

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

50 pages, 5391 KiB  
Article
Exploring Students’ and Teachers’ Insights on School-Based Disaster Risk Reduction and Safety: A Case Study of Western Morava Basin, Serbia
by Vladimir M. Cvetković, Neda Nikolić and Tin Lukić
Safety 2024, 10(2), 50; https://doi.org/10.3390/safety10020050 - 31 May 2024
Abstract
Integrated disaster risk reduction in schools represents a key component of safety strategies within the educational sector of every country. The aim of this study is to comprehensively explore the impact of various demographic and socio-economic factors on the perceptions of students and [...] Read more.
Integrated disaster risk reduction in schools represents a key component of safety strategies within the educational sector of every country. The aim of this study is to comprehensively explore the impact of various demographic and socio-economic factors on the perceptions of students and teachers regarding disaster risk reduction and safety in schools. This study is distinguished by its extensive empirical approach, employing a multistage random sampling method to conduct 850 face-to-face interviews (650 with students and 200 with teachers) throughout 2023 in 10 out of the total 18 municipalities in the Western Morava Basin of the Republic of Serbia. Two structured survey instruments were developed, incorporating a mix of qualitative (closed-ended) multiple-choice questions and five-point Likert scales. The research proposes two central hypotheses regarding school-based disaster risk reduction. Firstly, it suggests that gender, age, parent’s employment, academic achievement, living situation, parental education levels, and engagement with social media collectively influence students’ perspectives on this matter (H1–H8). Secondly, it posits that gender, age, marital status, parenthood, and educational background significantly impact teachers’ viewpoints on school-based disaster risk reduction (H1–H5). Multivariate linear regression was used to explore predictors of students’ and teachers’ insights on school-based disaster risk reduction. Various statistical tests, including Chi-square, t-tests, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson’s correlation, were employed to investigate the influence of demographic and socioeconomic factors on these insights. The results of multivariate regression analyses indicate that age, gender, and marital status emerge as the primary predictors across various facets of students’ and teachers’ insights on school-based disaster risk reduction, including awareness of disasters, disaster education activities, attitudes toward disaster risk reduction education, and enhancement of disaster information accessibility. The findings of this study provide comprehensive insights into the key factors influencing students’ and teachers’ perceptions of disaster risk reduction in schools. This research not only contributes to the academic discourse on disaster education but also serves as a foundational basis for improving educational programs, developing policies and strategies, refining normative educational frameworks, guiding teacher training, and informing further research in disaster education. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Risk Assessment—Health and Safety)
16 pages, 3920 KiB  
Article
Inertial Motion Capturing in Ergonomic Workplace Analysis: Assessing the Correlation between RULA, Upper-Body Posture Deviations and Musculoskeletal Discomfort
by Steven Simon, Jonas Dully, Carlo Dindorf, Eva Bartaguiz, Oliver Walle, Ilsemarie Roschlock-Sachs and Michael Fröhlich
Safety 2024, 10(1), 16; https://doi.org/10.3390/safety10010016 - 2 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1403
Abstract
(1) Background: Mobile movement analysis systems, for example, those based on Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs), enable digital real-time methods of collecting data in workplace ergonomics, but the relationship between observational method scores such as Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA), upper-body posture, and their [...] Read more.
(1) Background: Mobile movement analysis systems, for example, those based on Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs), enable digital real-time methods of collecting data in workplace ergonomics, but the relationship between observational method scores such as Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA), upper-body posture, and their influence on musculoskeletal discomfort, has not yet been well investigated. This field study aimed to evaluate the relationship of these variables in two different target groups: production and office workers. (2) Methods: There were 64 subjects (44 men and 20 women) participating. Data collection was divided into two categories: (1) Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire (CMDQ) (n = 64) and 3D stereophotogrammetric posture analysis (n = 58), and (2) Investigation of workload via IMU-based motion capture (MoCap) and the Borg CR-10 body map (n = 24). Correlation tests and regression analysis were performed using SPSS and MATLAB software to examine the relationship between the upper-body posture and RULA. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was applied to examine group differences. (3) Results: The findings did not support the authors’ hypothesis that posture risk at work significantly correlates with static upper-body posture and musculoskeletal discomfort. Pelvic tilt had a weak but significant influence on RULA. The data revealed interesting trends in physical exertion, musculoskeletal discomfort, and differences between production and office workers. However, the statistical analysis did not support this. Such approaches have the potential to enhance the accuracy of assessment outcomes and, in turn, provide a stronger foundation for enhancing ergonomic conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Risk Assessment—Health and Safety)
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25 pages, 3370 KiB  
Article
Methodology for Risk Assessment of SARS-CoV-2 Virus Transmission in Hospital Buildings
by Thaysa V. da Cunha, Laryssa F. C. Willcox, Bruno B. F. da Costa, Mohammad Najjar, Carlos A. P. Soares and Assed N. Haddad
Safety 2023, 9(4), 78; https://doi.org/10.3390/safety9040078 - 4 Nov 2023
Viewed by 1707
Abstract
Considering the impact of COVID-19 on hospital facilities and the relevance of risk management and occupational health and safety within this context, this study introduces a method to assess the SARS-CoV-2 virus transmission risk in a toilet. The proposed method is based on [...] Read more.
Considering the impact of COVID-19 on hospital facilities and the relevance of risk management and occupational health and safety within this context, this study introduces a method to assess the SARS-CoV-2 virus transmission risk in a toilet. The proposed method is based on a risk tripod involving environmental, human, and transmission factors. For this, risk assessment methodologies were applied, such as Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA), Ergonomic Work Analysis (EWA), which allowed the identification of risk indicators, and Fault Tree Analysis (FTA), which allowed the identification of transmission routes of COVID-19 in toilets. Subsequently, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to find each transmission route weighting for calculating the Risk Score. The results indicated that the design of sanitary equipment, with an emphasis on washbasins and toilets, especially in health or large circulation establishments, is of paramount importance in the dissemination of pathogens. Safe habits and the use of protective gear must be continuously encouraged, but greater attention must be paid to technical and engineering issues. Furthermore, the developed method proved to be an applicable tool to identify the main sources of risk and prioritize the implementation of control measures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Risk Assessment—Health and Safety)
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