Occupational safety and health and nanotechnology
Lidia Zapór
This article presents the problems and necessary actions that should be taken in the field of health and safety at work in relation to nanotechnology products. At present, it seems that lack of control is the greatest risk associated with nanotechnology. It consists in insufficient methods of monitoring the working environment and the natural environment and no legal provisions regulating this control.
Evaluation of musculoskeletal load and risk of developing upper limb disorders
Danuta Roman-Liu
The article presents the main biomechanical factors determining the load of upper limbs when working, with particular focus on repetitive tasks. The principles for evaluating musculoskeletal load and the risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders are described; the leading methods relevant to this type of evaluation are presented.
New model of audible pedestrian arm signalling device
Paweł Górski
Audible pedestrian signalling device installed at pedestrian crossings is supposed to advise blind people whether it is safe to safely cross the street. The signal it emits should be clearly audible. Decrease in level of the traffic noise may render audible pedestrian signal too loud to inhabitants living nearby. New model of adaptive audible pedestrian signalling device, constructed in CIOP-PIB, has been presented in the article along with the description of its ability to cloak sign in background noise, and laboratory and field tests related to its operation.
Assessment of safety management in non-Seveso establishments in the context of major accident control
Agnieszka Gajek, Jerzy S. Michalik, Sławomir Sakrajda, Wiesław Rybacki
Within the framework of collaboration between the Central Institute for Labour Protection – National Research Institute and the National Labour Inspectorate (PIP), 237 inspections were carried out in non-Seveso establishments in 2009 and 2010. On the basis of their results, the state of safety management in the context of major accident control was assessed. Only 20% of the supervised establishments had safety management systems, or their main elements related to preventing major accidents and mitigating their effects. There were transgressions in major accident prevention rules and no emergency procedures in 82% of all supervised establishments. They mainly consisted in no complex planned activities, out-of-date emergency plans and no detailed major accident control procedures.
International dissemination of information on OSH throughout electronic databases
Barbara Szczepanowska
Dealing with such a multidisciplinary field of knowledge as occupational safety and health (OSH) requires access to the latest valuable international information. Databases, increasingly often developed by specialists from various countries, are among the most important sources of information. Currently many specialist subject databases on OSH-related disciplines are available on the Internet, but there are few electronic databases with general materials on this subject. This article briefly presents several databases of the International Labour Organization, e.g., CISDOC, LEGOSH, ICSC, ILO OSH Encyclopaedia and LABORDOC, as well as selected databases CIOP-PIB subscribes to, e.g., OSHUPDATE and FIREINF.
Incorrect nomenclature and other problems in regard of lifeguard`
Romuald Michniewicz, Iwona Michniewicz
Delegating an entire area of life and science such as lifeguarding to one organization leads to its monopoly and, consequently, to its lack of need to develop and introduce changes. Therefore, outdated procedures and contents related to standards of equipment, training standards, methods, nomenclature or obtaining ranks have been copied for decades. A conscious drowning person defined as “aggressive” is a perfect example.
The tasks of an expert witness in occupational safety and health in writing opinions in criminal cases
Andrzej Dziedzic
The complexity of issues related to accidents at work entails the court of law establishing an expert witness in occupational safety and health (OSH) to determine the causes of an accident and to assign responsibility to an individual. This primarily, but not exclusively, applies to serious and fatal accidents. This article discusses the institution of an expert witness in OSH and the expert’s role in criminal proceedings when writing an expert opinion for the court. The opinion must be delivered with the greatest care, impartiality and objectivity because it is often the basis of the judgement delivered by the court.
