published_or_final_version / Medical Sciences / Master / Master of Medical Sciences

published_or_final_version / Public Health / Master / Master of Public Health

No description available.

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1952 H34 / Master of Science

No description available.

Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

Improvements to construction health and safety were driven by primary legislation promulgated in the 1970s and by subsequent regulations, codes and official guidance. In parallel social psychology, management and leadership theories were developing practical means for achieving health and safety objectives and reducing accidents and incidents of ill health. Despite the notable improvements that were achieved in countries with strong legislatives bases, the reduction in the rate of accidents has been significant but at the same time substantially falling short of providing safe and healthy workplaces. Construction sites remain places of high hazard and high risk activities for workers. Acknowledging the gains made by the compliance approach whilst challenging the underpinning assumptions on the causes of accidents and ill health, a critical theory methodology was developed to explore different perceptions and arrive at a new understanding of workplace culture within which safe practices take place. The purpose was to determine the degree of cultural maturity within and readiness of companies for the attainment of preventative workplace safety cultures, and this was achieved through the development of two projects, 1) the development of a cultural maturity index and 2) the development of an ethics reasoning pedagogy for construction professionals. Utilising a set of criteria deemed necessary for achieving success and sustainability the first project is a metric based on behavioural objectives and rational planning was designed and developed to ascertain the intangibles that would be indicative of a company’s culture. This was field tested and substantial revisions made to the original criteria resulting in a shift of focus from Corporate Social Responsibility, innovation and resourcefulness to moral agency, ethics reasoning and leadership, all of which were subject to critical evaluation and redefining on a priori principles. The resulting model, Organisation Cultural Maturing Index, is designed to develop a greater understanding of the social relationships that underpin workplace cultures and explain the many factors that come into play when health and safety programmes and practices are developed and implemented on construction sites. The model allows for the development of and flexibility in company and site specific approaches to achieving safe outcomes through respect for autonomous thought and support for collective action by all workplace employees. The model distinguished between concepts of leadership that are associated with managing operations and originates a new concept of leadership which initiates and supports agency and advocates a restructuring of workplace relationships in order to achieve safe, healthy and sustainable construction projects and contributes to a humanising ethos in work relationships. The second project is the development of under-graduate and post-graduate modules on ethics reasoning designed to facilitate moral agency through the development of critical thinking and reasoning skills and fill a gap in construction professional education. It integrates with the OCMI model through the provision of under-graduate and post-graduate programmes of study which develop the ethics reasoning skills of construction professionals facilitating their abilities to make design and operational judgements based on human and societal benefit. This project further integrates with the ethics standards required by Joint Board of Moderators and Engineering Council in respect of professionalism, and professional code of ethics such as the RICS’s. The review will further identify from both projects those elements of innovation and originality in the methodology adopted and applied to occupational health and safety and the insights and perspectives arrived at as a consequence.

Expectations from industry and the community ensure that we live in a 24-hour society. Increased demand for flexibility, capital utilisation and competition have initiated or extended shiftwork operations in many industry sectors such as mining, transport, defence, healthcare, manufacturing and security. The most common problems reported by shiftworkers are disturbed sleep and sleepiness. From a biological perspective this is not surprising because shiftworkers are often required to work at times when their mind and body are driven toward sleep. Shiftworkers may therefore be required to attempt sleep during the day; a time at which their mind and body are programmed to be awake and active. When sufficient recovery doesn't occur regularly, sleepiness and fatigue can accumulate. Traditionally, shiftwork and the work-related fatigue that it can create have been 'managed' by limiting the length of shifts and total number of hours worked per week, month or year. However, this approach fails to acknowledge key factors such as the time-of-day of work. Thus, the aim of this thesis is to provide the background, components and preliminary validations of a model to assess hours-of-work and fatigue in a scientifically appropriate manner. / thesis (PhD)--University of South Australia, 1999.

Probiotic bacteria such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species are normal inhabitants of healthy gastrointestinal (GI) tract, which may promote beneficial effects on host through limiting the growth of undesirable micro-organisms and modulating the immune system. In the present study, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains were screened for their in vitro acid and bile tolerance, autoaggregation, coaggregation and hydrophobic abilities to identify potential probiotic bacteria. Lactobacillus acidophilus LAFTI L10 and Lactobacillus paracasei LAFTI L26 were selected based on their overall tolerance to in vitro acidic conditions to further investigate their influence on various immune functions and gene expression in mice. Immunofluorescent analysis of small intestine in mice fed with L. acidophilus or L. paracasei demonstrated an increase of immunoglobulin (Ig)-A, interleukin (IL)-10 and interferon (IFN)- producing cells compared to control mice. In summary, L. acidophilus and L. paracasei showed tolerance to various gastric conditions and bile salts. Lactobacillus acidophilus and L. paracasei enhanced gut and systemic immune functions, particularly non-specific and specific immune responses in normal and CT mice. Moreover, L. acidophilus regulated the genes involved in various biological functions in small bowel of normal and CT mice, which provided a basis in understanding the pathways through which these bacteria are beneficial to the host. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Electric arc welding is the most prevalent welding type in industry. It creates two main groups of health hazards for workers; fumes and gases, and radiant energy. Shielded Metal Arc (SMA) welding is the most widely used welding method in industrial plant welding shops. The main chemical health hazards associated with this type of welding are fumes. Fumes are particles formed when the electrode and base metal constituents are vaporized and condensed in the welding area. Potential health problems can be anticipated by measuring the concentration of fumes in the welding space and comparing these data to established exposure standards. If high concentrations of these fumes are present, control measures should be undertaken to reduce the potential toxic effect to workers. Most of the studies have been done on mild (carbon) steel welding where it is generally necessary to monitor only the total amount of fumes. Stainless steel welding differs from carbon steel welding in that it generates considerable fume concentrations of chromium and nickel, which are suspected human carcinogens. The first part of this study evaluated the health risks posed to workers exposed to chromium and nickel fumes from routine stainless steel welding procedures. All the welding was performed in an industrial plant welding shop by one experienced welder. The welded piece was a three-part stainless steel cylinder. The whole period of welding lasted almost three weeks, although the actual welding was done in eleven days during that period. All sampling was performed with filter cassettes connected to personal air pumps. Sampling was performed in welder's breathing zone, in the general area (background sample), and at conveniently located points outside the breathing zone for evaluation of ratios of chromium and nickel to total fumes. The results indicated that at this particular industrial plant, exposure levels did not exceed the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs) and the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) Threshold Limit Values (TLVs). The results also indicated that it was not necessary to monitor the general area because of very low concentrations of chromium and nickel fumes. Rather, it is suggested that the monitoring focuses on the welder's breathing zone where it is important to sample hexavalent chromium (chromates) because of its proven carcinogenic effect and therefore very low TLV. Also, it was found that if TLV for chromates is not exceeded, then levels of total chromium and nickel are also likely to be below limits. The second part of the study sought to devise a simplified method of monitoring of welding operations. The results suggested that it is not always necessary to sample for all the components (total fumes, total chromium, chromates, and nickel) when estimating worker's exposure. Rather, it is possible to simplify the process by establishing the ratios of fume constituents during a period of heavy welding, thus enabling the industrial hygienist to make a reasonable estimate of exposure that occurs at other times. The estimate can be made by sampling either the main constituent (chromates) or total fumes, and predicting the exposure to remaining constituents of interest from these data. In addition, and in contrast to previous studies, it has been concluded that when fume concentrations are low, a welder's helmet does not provide any additional protection against fumes. Additional protection can be provided with the use of proper local ventilation, such as with a flexible hose, to reduce exposure well below suggested limits. / Graduation date: 1994