Aujourd'hui, la gestion des sites et sols pollués apparaît comme un enjeu majeur des politiques environnementales et sanitaires. Pour ce faire, des outils d'aide à la décision doivent être développés et validés afin de faciliter l'identification et la compréhension des risques induits. Dans ce contexte, l'objectif de cette étude est d'améliorer les connaissances quant aux liens existants entre la nature des contaminants, leurs comportements géochimiques, la nature des phases porteuses et la bioaccessibilité. In fine, de cette compréhension fine en découlera une évaluation plus spécifique des risques environnementaux et sanitaires leur étant imputable, et une remédiation plus cohérente. Pour ce faire, deux sites contaminés à la typologie différente (minier vs industriel) ont été étudiés mais à contamination semblable (As, Pb, Zn et Cd). Après un échantillonnage représentatif en adéquation au type de site et à sa géomorphologie, une caractérisation physico-chimique fine a été effectuée sur chaque échantillon avant de déterminer leur stabilité environnementale et physiologique (bioaccessibilité). Le couplage avec de la minéralogie environnementale a permis d’expliquer le comportement des éléments dans les différents milieux. Dans un second temps, afin de s'affranchir des contraintes d'un milieu complexe comme le sol et de définir l'impact réel de chaque phase porteuse sur les risques, des phases pures ont été synthétisé et soumises aux mêmes tests que les échantillons naturels. Un retour sur le solide est alors systématiquement effectué mettant en évidence les modifications minéralogiques subies par l'échantillon. Des mélanges ont également été effectué afin d’appréhender et de mieux comprendre les effets cocktails d’éléments métalliques et metalloïdes. Cette approche intégrée, multi-analytique et multi-échelle est alors la première étape d'un long processus de compréhension et de prédiction des risques basé sur le couplage géochimie et minéralogie environnementale. / Today, the management of polluted sites and soils appears to be a major challenge for environmental and health policies. To do this, decision support tools must be developed and validated to facilitate the identification and understanding of the risks involved. In this context, the objective of this study is to improve knowledge of the links between the nature of contaminants, their geochemical behavior, the nature of carrier phases and bioaccessibility. Ultimately, this understanding will lead to a more specific assessment of the environmental and health risks attributable to them, and to a more coherent remediation. To do this, two contaminated sites with different typologies (mining vs. industrial) were studied but with similar contamination (As, Pb, Zn and Cd). After a representative sampling in accordance with the type of site and its geomorphology, a fine physico-chemical characterization was carried out on each sample before determining their environmental and physiological stability (bioaccessibility). The coupling with environmental mineralogy made possible to explain the behavior of the elements in the various environments. In a second step, in order to overcome the constraints of a complex environment such as the soil and to define the real impact of each bearing phase on the risks, pure phases were synthesized and subjected to the same tests as the natural samples. A return to the solid is then systematically carried out, highlighting the mineralogical changes undergone by the sample. Mixtures have also been made to understand and better understand the cocktail effects of metallic and metalloid elements. This integrated, multi-analytical and multi-scale approach is then the first step in a long process of understanding and predicting risks based on geochemistry and environmental mineralogy coupling.

Introduction: This study considered the role that safety, health and environmental (SHE) risk culture should play in the improvement of SHE risk management. The study focused on the perception of SHE risk culture at management and non-management levels in a manufacturing organisation in South Africa. SHE risk culture was viewed in terms of tone from the top and operational understanding of the risk management process. Method: A SHE risk culture questionnaire was created based on information available in the academic literature. The aim of this exploratory questionnaire was to assess the status of the SHE risk culture within the targeted organisation and to recommend improvements. The questionnaire included items designed to assess five aspects of SHE risk culture: understanding of the SHE risk approach; understanding of SHE risks and controls; SHE risk involvement and buy-in; communication; and governance, leadership and accountability. The target group for this study consisted of operations personnel and risk and SHE employees at different levels in the company. Survey data were obtained from 224 employees from a wide range of jobs in the company. Results: The data from the Likert-scale items in the questionnaire showed a number of significant differences between the perceptions of managers and non-managers with respect to the status of the SHE risk culture in the organisation. These differences indicated that management felt more comfortable with their understanding of the SHE risk approach, of the actual SHE risks, and of risk management controls than the non-management group. Also, management showed greater support for, and buy-in to, the SHE risk approach than the non-management group. In addition, participants shared their views of how the SHE risk culture in the organisation may be improved. The top five recommendations were: improve communication on SHE risk culture; standardise the SHE risk management approach; enhance SHE risk-related training to build capacity and understanding; emphasize the significance of leadership’s approach to embedding the SHE risk culture; and acknowledge the importance of involving employees in the development and implementation of the desired SHE risk culture. Conclusion: This study illustrated the importance of a number of factors required to improve the SHE risk culture in the organisation both in terms of tone from the top and operational understanding of SHE risks: they include well-structured communication; standardising and simplifying SHE risk management; SHE risk capacity building; and encouraging employee participation when developing and improving the desired SHE risk culture. The central role played by leadership to set the tone from the top and lead by example when implementing the desired organisational SHE risk culture was also highlighted by the participants. Practical application: This study provides evidence-based guidance for the manufacturing sector on how to evaluate and improve a desired SHE risk culture. The paper also shows how the concept of risk culture can be applied to SHE risk culture. The questionnaire used in this study can be used by management teams wishing to get an understanding of the prevailing SHE risk culture in their organisations. The results of the survey can be used to inform change interventions to improve the existing SHE risk culture in the organisation studied. The questionnaire should also be useful for further research on the concept of risk culture and in particular SHE risk culture.

Introduction: This study considered the role that safety, health and environmental (SHE) risk culture should play in the improvement of SHE risk management. The study focused on the perception of SHE risk culture at management and non-management levels in a manufacturing organisation in South Africa. SHE risk culture was viewed in terms of tone from the top and operational understanding of the risk management process. Method: A SHE risk culture questionnaire was created based on information available in the academic literature. The aim of this exploratory questionnaire was to assess the status of the SHE risk culture within the targeted organisation and to recommend improvements. The questionnaire included items designed to assess five aspects of SHE risk culture: understanding of the SHE risk approach; understanding of SHE risks and controls; SHE risk involvement and buy-in; communication; and governance, leadership and accountability. The target group for this study consisted of operations personnel and risk and SHE employees at different levels in the company. Survey data were obtained from 224 employees from a wide range of jobs in the company. Results: The data from the Likert-scale items in the questionnaire showed a number of significant differences between the perceptions of managers and non-managers with respect to the status of the SHE risk culture in the organisation. These differences indicated that management felt more comfortable with their understanding of the SHE risk approach, of the actual SHE risks, and of risk management controls than the non-management group. Also, management showed greater support for, and buy-in to, the SHE risk approach than the non-management group. In addition, participants shared their views of how the SHE risk culture in the organisation may be improved. The top five recommendations were: improve communication on SHE risk culture; standardise the SHE risk management approach; enhance SHE risk-related training to build capacity and understanding; emphasize the significance of leadership’s approach to embedding the SHE risk culture; and acknowledge the importance of involving employees in the development and implementation of the desired SHE risk culture. Conclusion: This study illustrated the importance of a number of factors required to improve the SHE risk culture in the organisation both in terms of tone from the top and operational understanding of SHE risks: they include well-structured communication; standardising and simplifying SHE risk management; SHE risk capacity building; and encouraging employee participation when developing and improving the desired SHE risk culture. The central role played by leadership to set the tone from the top and lead by example when implementing the desired organisational SHE risk culture was also highlighted by the participants. Practical application: This study provides evidence-based guidance for the manufacturing sector on how to evaluate and improve a desired SHE risk culture. The paper also shows how the concept of risk culture can be applied to SHE risk culture. The questionnaire used in this study can be used by management teams wishing to get an understanding of the prevailing SHE risk culture in their organisations. The results of the survey can be used to inform change interventions to improve the existing SHE risk culture in the organisation studied. The questionnaire should also be useful for further research on the concept of risk culture and in particular SHE risk culture.