Industry and society are now aware of risk more than ever before. Organisations whose activities pose risk to individuals and society are accountable to manage and reduce risk to an acceptable level. In this regard, utilisation of Safety Instrumented Systems (SISs) as an independent protection layer is a practical method of achieving the required risk reduction. The role of a SIS is to maintain the safety of equipment under control by providing a safety-related function. The International Standards, IEC 61508/61511, provide a set of guidelines to promote consistency for implementation of SISs used for risk reduction. In accordance with IEC 61508, the performance of a SIS shall be established by computing the associated Probability of Failure on Demand (PFD) as a reliability measure using a suitable technique. The principal purpose of this research is to provide the basis for reliability assessment of redundant SISs affected by process demand as well as component failures. This dissertation introduces four new reliability models for redundant SISs subject to process demand for the first time using Markov analysis technique. The proposed reliability models 1 and 3 incorporates process demands in conjunction with Common Cause Failure (CCF) and evaluates their impacts on the reliability quantification of 1oo2 redundant configuration using different repair philosophies. In model 3, the proposed Markov model was also compared with the IEC 61508 approach for redundant SISs and a reliability improvement between 9% - 15% were observed. The model 2 on the other hand integrates the Dangerous Detected (DD) failure rates in the unavailability assessment of redundant SISs subject to process demand assuming that CCF does not occur. An additional reliability model was developed in this research for a 1oo3 redundant configuration subject to process demand excluding CCF and its construction was verified using partial verification method. Furthermore, a generic framework for reliability assessment of 1oon redundant SISs is provided in this thesis in conjunction with some guidelines for future researchers as how to conduct reliability assessment of SISs subject to process demands. The accuracy of the proposed Markov models is verified for industrial application case studies. It is demonstrated that the proposed approach provides a sufficiently robust result for all demand rates, demand durations, common cause failures, dangerous detected and undetected failure and associated repair rates for SISs. The effectiveness of the proposed models offers a robust opportunity to conduct reliability assessment of redundant SISs subject to process demands.

Background: The burden of fatal and non-fatal injury for the New Zealand construction industry is larger than most other industrial sectors. Injury preventions efforts for construction have however been hampered because of insufficient, industry-specific, surveillance data that is essential for the effective targeting and evaluation of interventions. Aim: This thesis aimed to describe and test a feasible framework of Injury Surveillance for the New Zealand construction industry. Accordingly, the specific objectives to accomplish this aim were: To identify an optimal surveillance dataset for New Zealand construction injuries; To assess potential sources of data and collection methods; To describe an ideal study design for undertaking injury surveillance; To implement an operational design based on industry stakeholder input; To undertake and evaluate an injury surveillance trial; and To suggest how a viable surveillance system could be permanently established. Method: A trial injury surveillance system was developed by identifying known construction injury risk factors from the literature, reviewing the data collection practices of the New Zealand industry and other potential data sources and consulting with industry stakeholders about the most feasible collection methodology. This surveillance framework was then tested by combining national data from routine Government sources and data from 3 construction companies that employed approximately 720 workers between them. National construction injury data was obtained from the Accident Compensation Corporation, the Department of Labour and the Injury Information Manager. The trial Surveillance System was then evaluated in terms of its ability to collect the full range of an optimal dataset, the quality and completeness of information actually collected, the ability to identify and monitor injury priorities for the industry, and the future viability and acceptability of this surveillance design to the industry. Results: A total of 468 medically treated injuries were recorded by the participating companies, with 15 (3.2%) considered to be Serious Harm injuries as defined by the Health and Safety in Employment Act. The level of data completeness across companies was especially low, with on average 18 out of 34 data fields (53%) completely unrecorded. The data from one company was sufficiently complete (i.e. 63% across all fields) to allow individual risk factor analyses to be conducted, whereas the absence of complete denominator data prevented the completion of the same analyses for the other two companies. Viewed overall, Government agency data was sufficiently detailed to estimate national longitudinal trends, injury agency and mechanism priorities for specific occupations and industry subsectors, and allowed a rudimentary evaluation of a national intervention programme. However, questions about data accuracy, completeness and under-reporting were raised for each of the Government data sources used. Conclusions: Using data entirely from Government sources appears to be the most immediately viable framework of Injury Surveillance for the New Zealand construction industry. As such, the relevant range of analyses demonstrated by this study should be continued, expanded and improved. In contrast, obtaining injury surveillance data from companies in the manner that was tested does not appear to feasible, given the difficulty in recruiting companies and the poor data completeness of those companies that did participate. However, the increased range of prevention targets identified by the company that did largely contribute data as intended, demonstrated that company surveillance had merit relative to existing procedures. Suggested steps toward implementing viable construction injury surveillance within New Zealand are outlined, including a recommendation to the industry�s Health and Safety organisation, SiteSafe, to investigate the most feasible data collection protocol for its members.

How do we shape our safety destiny? It is within the limits or our own making, that is, our capability. But, how do we know it is on the right track? In other words, how do we take the pulse? These questions set the context and scope of the research in which a number of key issues related to capability building and evaluation were addressed. In recent years, the approach of capability development has been widely researched by economists, organizational psychologists and management theorists. Unfortunately, because of its complex nature, the assessment of capability in professional context has not been properly addressed in the literature. The problem is two-fold. First, is criticality, or more accurately the lack of understanding about what capabilities are critical to our future success. The second one is concerned with the evaluative aspects of capability development. Using safety management as a study platform, this research introduced a contingency model of “strategic capability development” (SCD) as a plausible alternative to some of the well-established approaches. To address the evaluation issues, an innovative method for assessing capability maturity was constructed. The key variables were based on people’s pro-activeness and their self-efficacy beliefs. Through meta-analysis, a set of critical capabilities or indicators was identified and used as the key variables for designing the survey instrument, the Safety Management Efficacy Scale (SMES). These variables included goal-setting, risk management, safety training, risk communication, and operation/administration capabilities. Hypotheses regarding the interactive effects of each of these critical capabilities were then derived and tested. The results suggest that a high degree of coherency among the key variables does exit. There is a positive and significant association between critical capabilities and goal-setting capability. The positive effects of risk management capability on safety pro-activeness are strong. In regards to how goal-setting capability influences pro-activeness, no conclusion can be drawn. Having taking the pulse, the capability maturity profile of the safety profession is examined. The proposed SCD framework and SMES instrument together provide a point of departure for conducting similar research, including but not limited to human resources development, people capability maturity assessment, training/curriculum development, and performance evaluation. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD

This thesis describes the development, application and evaluation of an OHS measurement tool incorporating positive performance indicators to measure OHS performance in Australia Post, a large multi-site postal organisation. Positive Performance Indicators (PPIs) are identified as systematically implemented measures of the management processes initiated to achieve strategic goals. A literature review indicated that there was widespread support for the use of PPIs to measure OHS performance, with proponents advocating their use to monitor and promote implementation of target OHS strategies, and to evaluate the effectiveness of these strategies by using PPIs in conjunction with outcome indicators. Despite this widespread support, there was little practical guidance published on the development or application of PPIs, nor was there empirical evidence validating the claims of advocates. A series of research projects was undertaken to firstly develop - then evaluate - a set of OHS self-assessment tools incorporating PPIs. These projects comprised: review of the Australia Post OHS strategic plan, as the basis for the development of PPIs to measure that plan; development of a set of paper-based self-assessment tools incorporating quantitative OHS PPIs to measure the local implementation of the OHS strategic plan; quasi-experimental pilot study of the use of the OHS PPI self-assessment tools by Postal Managers, to investigate the reliability and effectiveness of the OHS PPI process in monitoring and driving conformance of OHS management processes; experimental study of the use of the OHS PPI self-assessment tools by Postal Delivery Facility Managers, to validate and extend the findings of the pilot study; development of a web-based software application to facilitate OHS PPI data collection and reporting; and, the use of correlation statistics to study the relationship of OHS PPIs with OHS outcome measures, and to assess their role in evaluating the effectiveness of specific OHS strategies. The studies demonstrated that the OHS PPI self-assessment tool could be effectively used by local facility managers to assess and report their implementation of the OHS strategic plan. In addition, the OHS PPI self-assessment process proved to strongly improve the local implementation of those OHS management processes measured. The study further showed that the consistent attention to OHS management processes driven by the OHS PPI measurement process assisted in the achievement of impressive OHS outcome improvements. However, the study showed that the use of correlation statistics to link OHS PPIs with outcome measures to evaluate the effectiveness of OHS management strategies has only limited value. Limitations in both the OHS PPI and outcome measurement data and in the correlation statistics restrict the extent to which findings can be interpreted or that conclusive judgements concerning the effectiveness of strategies can be drawn. The thesis concludes with an account of Australia Post's experiences in integrating OHS PPIs into its OHS management system.

The production of alumina involves the use of a process known as the Bayer process. This method involves the digestion of raw bauxite in sodium hydroxide at temperatures around 250°C. The resultant pregnant liquor then goes through a number of filtering and precipitation processes to obtain the aluminium oxide crystals which are then calcined to obtain the final product. The plant is situated in a sub tropical climate in Northern Australia and this combined with the hot nature of the process results in a potential for heat related illnesses to develop. When assessing a work environment for heat stress a heat stress index is often employed as a guideline and to date the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) has been the recommended index. There have been concerns over the past that the WBGT is not suited to the Northern Australian climate and in fact studies in other countries have suggested this is the case. This study was undertaken in the alumina plant situated in Gladstone Queensland to assess if WBGT was in fact the most suitable index for use or if another was more applicable. To this end three indices, Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT), Heat Stress Index (HSI) and Required Sweat Rate (SWreq) were compared and assessed using physiological monitoring of heart rate and surrogate core temperature. A number of different jobs and locations around the plant were investigated utilising personal and environmental monitoring equipment. These results were then collated and analysed using a computer program written as part of the study for the manipulation of the environmental data . Physiological assessment was carried out using methods approved by international bodies such as National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH) and International Standards Organisation (ISO) and incorporated the use of a ‘Physiological Factor’ developed to enable the comparison of predicted allowable exposure times and strain on the individual. Results indicated that of the three indices tested, Required Sweat Rate was found to be the most suitable for the climate and in the environment of interest. The WBGT system was suitable in areas in the moderate temperature range (ie 28 to 32°C) but had some deficiencies above this temperature or where the relative humidity exceeded approximately 80%. It was however suitable as a first estimate or first line indicator. HSI over-estimated the physiological strain in situations of high temperatures, low air flows and exaggerated the benefit of artificial air flows on the worker in certain environments ie. fans.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 2007. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 221-227). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2006. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 212-221).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Alberta, 2010. / Title from pdf file main screen (viewed on Feb. 3, 2010). A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Political Science, Public Health Sciences, University of Alberta. Includes bibliographical references.

The high rate of accidents recorded in South African industry and the human and economic consequences involved reflect inadequacies in existing safety management policies and practices. The universally accepted right of employees to protection and the demands of social policy make the prevailing situation unacceptable. The complexities of the parameters of the employer's obligation for sound safety management requires practical guidelines for its understanding and application. The aim of this research is therefore to determine these parameters and to provide guidelines for their application. The parameters at issue are regulated by the principles of modern labour law, the developing common law, and statutory law such as MOSA. In order to pursue sound management practices and employment relations, the employer must not only take cognizance of his legal obligations but also various humanitarian, social and economic considerations. To correlate the complex nature of safety management with the demands of social policy, it is necessary to apply an appropriate standard of conduct to which every safety practice must adhere. This standard relates to the employer's general duty to take fair and reasonable precautions to eliminate or minimize occupational hazards. The employer's conduct is measured in terms of the objective standard of the reasonable employer in labour relations. The concept of reasonableness is therefore fundamental to the formulation of the parameters of the employer's obligation. The parameters are shown to centre round the reasonable foresight of the likelihood of harm and the implementation of reasonable precautionary measures to guard against the occurrence of such foreseeable harm. Furthermore, an unforeseeable incident that occurs in spite of preventive measures taken may reflect the need for subsequent preventive and corrective action. There is clearly scope for employers to adopt a more proactive approach in promoting sound safety management practices. Certain statutory, attitudinal and policy changes will be necessary for improved working conditions. These changes will include the formulation and implementation of an objectively-based safety policy that will facilitate the application of the parameters established. The proposed model flow-chart makes it possible to establish whether the parameters have been effectively implemented, and whether the employer or a third party is liable for a particular accident. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1993.

Background: The burden of fatal and non-fatal injury for the New Zealand construction industry is larger than most other industrial sectors. Injury preventions efforts for construction have however been hampered because of insufficient, industry-specific, surveillance data that is essential for the effective targeting and evaluation of interventions. Aim: This thesis aimed to describe and test a feasible framework of Injury Surveillance for the New Zealand construction industry. Accordingly, the specific objectives to accomplish this aim were: To identify an optimal surveillance dataset for New Zealand construction injuries; To assess potential sources of data and collection methods; To describe an ideal study design for undertaking injury surveillance; To implement an operational design based on industry stakeholder input; To undertake and evaluate an injury surveillance trial; and To suggest how a viable surveillance system could be permanently established. Method: A trial injury surveillance system was developed by identifying known construction injury risk factors from the literature, reviewing the data collection practices of the New Zealand industry and other potential data sources and consulting with industry stakeholders about the most feasible collection methodology. This surveillance framework was then tested by combining national data from routine Government sources and data from 3 construction companies that employed approximately 720 workers between them. National construction injury data was obtained from the Accident Compensation Corporation, the Department of Labour and the Injury Information Manager. The trial Surveillance System was then evaluated in terms of its ability to collect the full range of an optimal dataset, the quality and completeness of information actually collected, the ability to identify and monitor injury priorities for the industry, and the future viability and acceptability of this surveillance design to the industry. Results: A total of 468 medically treated injuries were recorded by the participating companies, with 15 (3.2%) considered to be Serious Harm injuries as defined by the Health and Safety in Employment Act. The level of data completeness across companies was especially low, with on average 18 out of 34 data fields (53%) completely unrecorded. The data from one company was sufficiently complete (i.e. 63% across all fields) to allow individual risk factor analyses to be conducted, whereas the absence of complete denominator data prevented the completion of the same analyses for the other two companies. Viewed overall, Government agency data was sufficiently detailed to estimate national longitudinal trends, injury agency and mechanism priorities for specific occupations and industry subsectors, and allowed a rudimentary evaluation of a national intervention programme. However, questions about data accuracy, completeness and under-reporting were raised for each of the Government data sources used. Conclusions: Using data entirely from Government sources appears to be the most immediately viable framework of Injury Surveillance for the New Zealand construction industry. As such, the relevant range of analyses demonstrated by this study should be continued, expanded and improved. In contrast, obtaining injury surveillance data from companies in the manner that was tested does not appear to feasible, given the difficulty in recruiting companies and the poor data completeness of those companies that did participate. However, the increased range of prevention targets identified by the company that did largely contribute data as intended, demonstrated that company surveillance had merit relative to existing procedures. Suggested steps toward implementing viable construction injury surveillance within New Zealand are outlined, including a recommendation to the industry�s Health and Safety organisation, SiteSafe, to investigate the most feasible data collection protocol for its members.