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Our intended topic is a general discussion of the basic elements of liability related to airline accidents to which fully automated cockpits have constituted an associated contributory factor. In addition we addressed the liability of air carriers arising from injuries or death caused to passengers traveling on international flights. For this purpose, we reviewed the Warsaw System and the different international instruments that constitute it. We also reviewed principles of common law applicable to aircraft manufacturers and the "Free Flight" as an example of the growing automation environment, which is a general benefit to commercial aviation but also a likely contributory cause for accidents in particular cases. In the last part we briefly discuss a personal view regarding the interplay between manufacturers and airlines under the 1999 Montreal Convention, which is an international treaty unifying the desegregated Warsaw System into one single instrument that is expected to enter into force in a few years.

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea is a common disorder, especially in men. Patients with this condition often snore and suffer from excessive daytime sleepiness. It is a treatable condition related to cardiovascular disease, road traffic accidents and obesity. Aims: To study whether snoring and witnessed sleep apnea are related to diabetes mellitus and whether sleepy subjects who snore or report sleep apneas drive more than others. To investigate whether sleep apnea is related to stroke, mortality and myocardial infarction in patients with coronary artery disease. To study the effect of ambient temperature on sleep apnea, morning alertness and sleep quality in patients with obstructive sleep apnea. Methods and results: Questions on snoring, sleep apnea, daytime sleepiness and yearly driving distance were included in the northern Sweden component of the WHO MONICA study. Analyzed were 7905 randomly selected men and women aged 25-79 years. Snoring and witnessed sleep apnea were related to diabetes mellitus in women, (OR 1.58, p = 0.041 and OR 3.29, p = 0.012 respectively), independent of obesity, age and smoking, but not in men. Sleepy snoring men drove a mean of 22566 km per year which was more than others who drove 17751 km per year independent of age, BMI, smoking and physical activity (p = 0.02). Sleepy men reporting sleep apnea also drove more (p = 0.01). 392 men and women with coronary artery disease referred for coronary angiography were examined with overnight sleep apnea recordings and followed for 10 years. Sleep apnea was recorded in 211 (54%) of patients at baseline. Stroke occurred in 47 (12%) patients at follow up. Sleep apnea was associated with an increased risk of stroke (HR 2.89, 95% CI 1.37 - 6.09, p = 0.005) independent of age , BMI, left ventricular function, diabetes mellitus, gender, intervention, hypertension, atrial fibrillation, a previous stroke or TIA and smoking. The risk of stroke increased with the severity of sleep apnea. 40 patients with obstructive sleep apnea were investigated with overnight polysomnography in ambient temperatures of 16°C, 20°C and 24°C in random order. Total sleep time was a mean of 30 minutes longer (p = 0.009), sleep efficiency higher (p = 0.012), patients were more alert in the morning (p = 0.028), but sleep apnea was more severe when sleeping in 16°C (p = 0.001) and 20°C (p = 0.033) vs. 24°C. The AHI was 30 ± 17 in 16ºC room temperature, 28 ± 17 in 20°C and 24 ± 18 in 24°C. Conclusions: Snoring and witnessed sleep apneas are related to diabetes mellitus in women. Sleepy men who snore or report sleep apnea drive more than others. Sleep apnea is independently associated with the risk of stroke among patients with coronary artery disease. Subjects with obstructive sleep apnea sleep longer, are more alert in the morning after a night’s sleep, but sleep apnea is more severe when sleeping in a colder environment.

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National and international studies and statistics show that road trauma is the leading cause of injury and death of children to age 14 years. One contributing element of this trauma among children relates to pedestrian accidents. Reducing child pedestrian trauma is a complex problem requiring a multi-faceted approach. One approach is through education. This evaluative study explored the links between the implementation of RoadSmart, a new primary school road safety education program developed by VicRoads, and the road crossing behaviour of children in year 2.A process-outcome approach was employed which focused on both the implementation and outcome components of the year 2 "Walking safely" component of the RoadSmart program. RoadSmart offers children first-hand experiences of real-traffic situations and comprises two major parts - school based learning sequences and take-home activities, designed to involve parents/carers in educating their children about road safety. Pre and post unobtrusive observations were undertaken of participating children crossing the road at an unmarked mid-block location and were matched for 44 children. The program was also systematically observed in the classrooms of these students. The findings imply that if teachers implement RoadSmart in the intended manner, students cross roads more safely. Overall findings from this evaluation concur with those of other researchers(Demetre et al., 1993; Rivara, 1990; Roberts, 1980; Thomson et al., 1996), that children under 9 possess capabilities that can be fostered through education and real-street experience to enable them to function more effectively in the traffic environment.

Doctor of Philosophy(PhD) / Background: There is no on-going information on the number, rate or circumstances of work-related fatal injury in Australia. This thesis reports on a study aimed to identify and describe all work-related fatalities that occurred in Australia during the four-year period 1989 to 1992, in order to make a significant contribution to the effectiveness of activity designed to prevent work-related traumatic death. Methods: A broad definition of work was used, with particular focus on workers and bystanders. The study also included the injury-related deaths of volunteers, students, persons performing home duties and persons fatally injured on farms but not due to obvious farm work. The data were obtained primarily from coronial files. Files were found for 99.7% of the deaths of interest. Detailed results are presented on the work-related deaths of workers, bystanders and persons fatally injured while engaged in home duties. The results for workers are also compared with those from an earlier study of work-related fatalities in Australia, which covered the years 1982 to 1984 inclusive. Other aspects of work-related deaths are considered in detail, including the effect of employment arrangements; their coverage by occupational health and safety and compensation agencies; their handling by the coronial system; the role of External Cause codes in identifying and monitoring work-related injury deaths; and the reliability and validity of the definitions used to classify work-related injury deaths. Results: There were 2,413 persons fatally injured while working or commuting during the study period (1,787 working; 626 commuting), with a rate of death for working persons of 5.5 per 100,000 persons per year. This compared to the rate of 6.7 for working deaths during 1982 to 1984, with just under half of the decline probably due to changes in the industry distribution of the workforce. Another 802 persons were fatally injured as a result of someone else’s work activity, and 296 persons aged 15 years and over were fatally injured while undertaking active tasks in an unpaid and informal capacity in their own home or in someone else’s home. Thirty-four percent of working deaths were not covered by either occupational health and safety (OHS) or compensation agencies. A consideration of External Cause codes for the period 1979 to 1997 inclusive suggested there was a yearly decrease in the rate of workplace deaths of 2.6% per year, with less than half of this change due to industry changes in the workforce. Deaths occurring in a small number of particular circumstances were found to pose classification problems. Conclusion: Fatal work-related trauma remains an important problem for the Australian community. By understanding how and why these deaths occur, appropriate steps can be taken to prevent similar incidents recurring. It is expected that the results reported here, and other information that has arisen from the study, will make an important contribution to developing this understanding and preventing the occurrence of work- related traumatic death in Australia.

[Truncated abstract] This thesis presents an operationally applicable and reliable model for quantification of the exposure of underground mining personnel to geotechnical hazards. The model is shown to have the flexibility to apply to very different operational environments, within the context of mechanised metalliferous mines. It provides an essential component for carrying out quantitative geotechnical risk analyses of underground mines. Increasingly prevalent within the Australian mining industry are moves towards a riskbased philosophy instead of prescriptive design procedures. A barrier to this has been the lag in availability of resources (personnel and technical) required for the intensive effort of applying probabilistic methods to geotechnical engineering at mines ... One of the missing components for quantitative risk analysis in mines has been an accurate model of personnel exposure to geotechnical hazards, from which meaningful estimates can be made of the probabilities of serious or fatal injury given a rockfall. Exposure profiling for geotechnical risk analysis at minesites has traditionally involved the simple classification of travelways and entry areas by their occupancy rate, not taking into account traffic and work characteristics which may significantly influence the risks. Therefore, it was the focus of this thesis to address that deficiency and progress the ability to perform semi-quantitative and quantitative risk analyses in mines.

[Truncated abstract] Introduction, Little is known about the prevalence of post-course diving injuries amongst Western Australian recreational divers, nor is it known which risk factors affect the Western Australian diver’s likelihood of sustaining a diving injury. Objective, The aim of this study was to measure the prevalence of diving-related injuries amongst Western Australians with varying experience since certification as entry-level divers within Western Australia (WA). Specifically, the study compared divers’ experience, behaviour and equipment with their diving injury history. It was hypothesised that diving experience has an effect upon the likelihood of a certified diver suffering any of the diving injuries most commonly reported amongst international diving populations. In addition, the strength of association between diving injuries and other potential risk factors was measured amongst certified Western Australian divers. Methods, A cross sectional survey of Western Australians, whom had completed a recognized entry-level recreational scuba diving course within WA, formed the basis of the study. Diver training facilities within WA posted a four-page questionnaire to divers they had trained to entry-level within the previous six years. The self-administered questionnaire collected data describing the divers’ post-course participation in scuba diving, injury prevalence during the last year, demographic characteristics and prevalence of known or hypothesized diving injury risk factors ... Conclusion, In this study diving experience, measured by the number of dives made during the previous year and the total number of dives made since certification, has not been found associated with the likelihood of reporting having suffered at least one diving injury of any type whilst diving during the previous year. Whilst the limited response rate and self-reporting methodology threaten the validity of the findings of this study, the findings improve our understanding of the type of diving injuries commonly suffered by divers, and of which risk factors are associated with a diver’s likelihood of suffering a diving related injury within WA. These findings may assist the design of further diving injury research, ultimately leading to the design of diving safety interventions aimed at reducing the prevalence of diving injuries amongst Western Australian recreational divers.

Thesis (M.Sc. Chemistry)--University of Waikato, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available via the World Wide Web.