Land contamination is an acknowledged problem around the world due to its potentially adverse impacts on human health and the environment. Specifically in Europe there are estimated to be 2,500,000 potentially contaminated sites. The risk that contaminated sites pose is investigated by risk assessments. The methods and the models though used in risk assessments, vary both on a national and an international level. In this study, the risk assessment methods and models for polluted soils used in Scandinavia and issued by the Environmental Protection Agencies were compared. The comparison aimed to (i) identify similarities and differences in the risk assessment methodology and risk assessment methods and to (ii) investigate to which extend these differences can impact the results of the models and the implications regarding mitigation measures. The method and model comparison showed that Sweden and Norway have great similarities in assessing risks for contaminated soil. However, there are differences with Denmark on a conceptual level. When a common hypothetical petrol station with 20 soil samples was assessed, the results and the conclusions of the three risk assessments were quite different; the site was seen as posing risk to human health with the Danish model when complied with the quality criteria issued by the Norwegian model. The Swedish risk assessment concluded that the contaminant concentration in 3 out of 20 samples was potentially harmful for the environment but not for human health. The demonstrated divergence of the conclusions of risk assessments has major implications and shows great interest for mainly four groups: Land-owners who may be called to cover the expenses for remedial action. Consultants and companies who perform risk assessments and land remediation. The countries that have to meet national and international environmental goals and can also share/ or cover the cost for remedial action. The people exposed to such environments that could be deemed as potentially harmful by a neighboring country. The study was conducted in collaboration with URS Nordic.

The purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between person-environment fit (P-E fit) and health behavior in residence hall students, in order to better understand the effects of an environment on health behavior. Students living in the six wellness residence halls on the campus of Ball State University were asked to participate by filling out two questionnaires as part of a health screening. Participants completed 113 University Residence Environment Scale (URES), real and ideal form, questionnaires and 210 Healthier People health risk appraisal (HRA) questionnaires. Sixty-nine complete sets of data were used in this study. Pearson r correlation coefficients for the 10 URES subscale scores, a total P-E fit score, and health risk were used to examine the relationships between P-E fit and health behavior. Correlations of statistical significance were not found. From the results of this study, a relationship between P-E fit and health behavior is not supported. Further study is recommended. / Institute for Wellness

The purpose of this study was to determine behavioral risk factor prevalence at Lands' End, Incorporated, and to prioritize these risk factors for health promotion program intervention. A randomly-selected stratified sample of employees from three employee classifications were invited to participate in the study anonymously. Of the 493 subjects selected, 333 (67.5%) completed the Centers for Disease Control's Behavioral Risk Factor Survey. Population Descriptive Statistics were used to determine prevalence estimates for nine risk factors. Sedentary lifestyle was found to be the most prevalent risk factor (47.4%), followed by obesity (29.4%), acute drinking (26.4%), and lack of safety belt use (22.0%).The Hanlon Method, a process to prioritize health interventions, was used to determine risk factor intervention priorities. This method combines four components; size of the problem, seriousness of the problem, solubility, and pertinent organizational factors, into an Overall Priority Rating formula. Sedentary lifestyle received the highest priority rating, followed by obesity, safety belt use, and smoking. / Institute for Wellness

A prospective study was conducted on a group of 160 students from 9 to 14 years of age with learning disabilities to predict neuropsychological outcome using perinatal information as predictors. Perinatal information was obtained from the Maternal Perinatal Scale (MPS) (Dean & Gray, 1985). Subjects' neuropsychological functioning was assessed by the Short Neuropsychological Screening Device (SNSD) (Reitan & Herring, 1985). Information concerning subjects' intelligence was obtained from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-III (WISC-III) administered within the past two years. Hollingshead's Four Factor Index of Social Status was employed to determine subjects' socioeconomic status. A stepwise multiple regression analysis yielded a regression model that contained a subset of 7 perinatal risk factors, involving: (1) Obstetric History; (2) Gestational Age; (3) Psychosocial Events; (4) Delivery; (5) Intrauterine Stress; (6) Teratogenic Stress; and (7) Fetal Oxygenation. A hierarchical regression analysis was further performed to examine if adding socioeconomic and intellectual information to the regression model could increase the prediction of neuropsychological outcome. Results showed that up to 82% of the variability in the neuropsychological outcome was explained by the linear composite of the 7 risk factors. When socioeconomic and intellectual information were added to the regression model, the prediction of neuropsychological outcome was significantly improved. About 201 of the students with learning disabilities in the present study were found to display symptoms similar to minimal brain damage (MBD) relating to poor visual-motor integration, underdeveloped language skills, and aphasic conditions. The results support the theory of a "continuum of reproductive casualty" proposed by Pasamanick et al. (1956). The importance of detecting early indicators of neuropsychological deficits in at risk children was further suggested by the present study. / Department of Educational Psychology

Nuclear safety is the main concern for the licensing of nuclear power plants, not only in the Republic of South Africa but also worldwide. The design of the nuclear power plant plays an important role in the licensing process, which includes probabilistic and deterministic analysis of a set of design or Licensing basis events. This study was about the deterministic analysis for the sensitivity of licensing basis events radiological consequences to different radiological pathways. The study was done for the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR), which is a nuclear power plant, still in its early phase of design approaching its detailed design phase. An abnormal event or an accident could lead to a release of radioactive particles and gases from a Pebble Bed Modular Reactor and could give rise to radiation exposure to workers and the surrounding population. Therefore nuclear events due to PBMR, which are Licensing Basis Events or Design Basis Accidents, must be analysed in order to demonstrate that accidental and routine releases of radioactivity are kept As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) and that the design basis meets offsite dose requirements with adequate safety margins. In this work, it is also shown that collectively the risk criteria are satisfied in the fundamental safety requirements of National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) of the Republic of South Africa (RSA) and similar risk criteria of the other countries in which it has to be employed. Furthermore the various pathways through which radioactivity can reach the public are analysed. The focus of the study was to determine which pathways deliver the greatest radiation exposure if there is an accident due to an event happening in PBMR and also to provide a LBE analysis process as a step in confirming that the design meets the licensing requirements. / Thesis (M.Sc. ARST) North-West University, 2004

Trycksår orsakar lidande för patienter och höga kostnader för sjukvården. För att förhindra uppkomst av trycksår är det viktigt att identifiera patienter med ökad risk för trycksår samt att aktivt arbeta med preventiva omvårdnadsåtgärder. Ett strukturerat arbetssätt kan göras utifrån kvalitetsregistret Senior Alerts rekommendationer. Senior Alert är inriktat på förebyggande vård av äldre över 65 år och i registret registreras bland annat risk för trycksår, planerade åtgärder samt sjuksköterskans utvärdering av de insatta åtgärderna. Syftet med studien var att kartlägga täckningsgrad, utförda riskbedömningar och planerade åtgärder avseende risk för trycksår i kvalitetsregistret Senior Alert. Datainsamling innefattade alla patienter, 75 år eller äldre, på en medicinklinik i västra Sverige, som under år 2013 riskbedömts och registrerats med risk för trycksår. Materialet beskrevs kvantitativt. Resultatet visade att täckningsgraden i Senior Alert var 61,8% och att av de riskbedömda patienterna bedömdes 22,7% ha risk att utveckla trycksår. I genomsnitt planerades för 5,84 (±2,72) åtgärder per patient. Mest frekvent var åtgärder inom nutrition. Det fanns en svag korrelation mellan antal planerade åtgärder och Modifierad Norton-poäng (MNS-poäng). Resultatet visar att fortsatt arbete för att öka täckningsgrad krävs samt att mer individanpassade åtgärder behövs. / Pressure ulcers are common and cause both suffering for patients and high costs for the health care services. To prevent the occurrence of pressure ulcers, it is important to find patients at risk and do the preventive care. This can be done based on The National Registry Senior Alert which focus is on preventive care of elderly over 65 years. The registry includes measurements of the risk of pressure ulcers, planned actions and evaluation of the inserted measures. The purpose of this study was to examine the coverage and what preventive actions that was planned and registered in Senior Alert. A data collection was performed during 2013 and included all patients 75 years or older, at a medical clinic, in western Sweden, recorded with increased risk of developing pressure ulcers. The material was analyzed quantitatively. The results showed that the coverage of registration was 61.8% and that 22.7 % had increased risk for developing pressure ulcers. On average 5.84 (± 2.72 ) actions were planned per patient. Most frequent actions were in nutrition. There was a weak correlation between the number of planned actions and Modified Norton-score (MNS-score). The results of this study showed that further work to increase the coverage is required and that more individualized measures are needed.

Polybrominated flame retardants (BFRs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were analysed in eggs of various wild bird species from industrialised areas in South Africa. Eggs were collected during the 2008 – 2009 breeding season, homogenised and sent to the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science (NVH) for gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. The concentration, contamination profile, and risk assessment were conducted for each pollutant class, while effects of species-specific variation, feeding guild, and feeding habitat were investigated. Levels of BFRs ranged between 2.6 – 44 ng g-1 wet mass (wm). The predominant congeners were BDE-153, -154, - 183 and -47. Results indicated species, in close contact to humans, had higher levels of BFRs, even at lower trophic levels. Therefore, diet was not the primary route of exposure. High concentrations and the occurrence of nona-PBDE congeners and HBCD indicated exposure to current use BFRs. There were measurable levels of OCPs and PCBs in all eggs analysed. Median OCP concentration ranged from 4.2 – 623 ng g-1 wm. DDE was the predominant compound in all species with the exception of the Crowned Lapwing (Vanellus coronatus) where chlordanes were predominant. This may indicate a species-specific attribute in the metabolic efficiency or diet of the genus, since these findings have been reported elsewhere in literature. Congener profiles indicated historic sources of lindane and DDT, while low levels of p,p’-DDT in al species indicate long-range or atmospheric transport. Even though levels of p,p’-DDE were approaching toxicological thresholds, no eggshell thinning was evident. Concentrations of OCPs and PCBs showed an increase with increasing tophic level. PCB concentrations ranged between 0.9 – 296.4 ng g-1 wm. When studying the metabolic potential of PCBs, metabolic groups showed good agreement with the biodegradability of the individual congeners. Phenobarbital-type (PB-type) inducer PCBs were prevalent, indicating the predominance of less toxic PCB congeners. However, non-ortho PCBs were not analysed. These congeners aslo could impact on the toxic potential of PCBs in wild bird eggs. Principle component analysis (PCA) indicated that variances within datasets could be attributed to congener profiles within species as they were affected by exposure, diet, position in the food web, and association with human activities. Although the individual groups of organohalogens were below no observed effect levels (NOELs), negative effects could occur through interactions of various compounds with each other, as well as the unique exposure profiles of South African bird populations. To assess the dietary exposure of low-income human populations living close to large industries, the occurrence of organohalogens was investigated in backyard chicken eggs. Levels of dioxins in these eggs were above the European Union (EU) recommended limits, whereas BFRs and OCPs levels were below levels of concern. Nevertheless, areas where DDT is actively applied to dwellings for malaria control should be urgently investigated. The presence of measureable levels of all the compounds considered, indicate an environment seriously impacted by anthropogenic activity that in the long term could negatively affect both the environment and human health, if it has not already done so. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Environmental Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Polybrominated flame retardants (BFRs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were analysed in eggs of various wild bird species from industrialised areas in South Africa. Eggs were collected during the 2008 – 2009 breeding season, homogenised and sent to the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science (NVH) for gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. The concentration, contamination profile, and risk assessment were conducted for each pollutant class, while effects of species-specific variation, feeding guild, and feeding habitat were investigated. Levels of BFRs ranged between 2.6 – 44 ng g-1 wet mass (wm). The predominant congeners were BDE-153, -154, - 183 and -47. Results indicated species, in close contact to humans, had higher levels of BFRs, even at lower trophic levels. Therefore, diet was not the primary route of exposure. High concentrations and the occurrence of nona-PBDE congeners and HBCD indicated exposure to current use BFRs. There were measurable levels of OCPs and PCBs in all eggs analysed. Median OCP concentration ranged from 4.2 – 623 ng g-1 wm. DDE was the predominant compound in all species with the exception of the Crowned Lapwing (Vanellus coronatus) where chlordanes were predominant. This may indicate a species-specific attribute in the metabolic efficiency or diet of the genus, since these findings have been reported elsewhere in literature. Congener profiles indicated historic sources of lindane and DDT, while low levels of p,p’-DDT in al species indicate long-range or atmospheric transport. Even though levels of p,p’-DDE were approaching toxicological thresholds, no eggshell thinning was evident. Concentrations of OCPs and PCBs showed an increase with increasing tophic level. PCB concentrations ranged between 0.9 – 296.4 ng g-1 wm. When studying the metabolic potential of PCBs, metabolic groups showed good agreement with the biodegradability of the individual congeners. Phenobarbital-type (PB-type) inducer PCBs were prevalent, indicating the predominance of less toxic PCB congeners. However, non-ortho PCBs were not analysed. These congeners aslo could impact on the toxic potential of PCBs in wild bird eggs. Principle component analysis (PCA) indicated that variances within datasets could be attributed to congener profiles within species as they were affected by exposure, diet, position in the food web, and association with human activities. Although the individual groups of organohalogens were below no observed effect levels (NOELs), negative effects could occur through interactions of various compounds with each other, as well as the unique exposure profiles of South African bird populations. To assess the dietary exposure of low-income human populations living close to large industries, the occurrence of organohalogens was investigated in backyard chicken eggs. Levels of dioxins in these eggs were above the European Union (EU) recommended limits, whereas BFRs and OCPs levels were below levels of concern. Nevertheless, areas where DDT is actively applied to dwellings for malaria control should be urgently investigated. The presence of measureable levels of all the compounds considered, indicate an environment seriously impacted by anthropogenic activity that in the long term could negatively affect both the environment and human health, if it has not already done so. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Environmental Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Summary Organizations face risks regardless of the type of industry or government. Historically risks have been undertaken in various processes and coped with differently by society. An appropriate application of risk management is widely acknowledged as one of the most critical aspects of undertaking business activities across all sectors in society, public and private. In order to carry out this activity as part of the crucial actions the organizations implement as part of their culture, many standards have been developed at the international level. These standards provide the groundwork for entities to start implementing these processes and reduce the risk they face with a standardized set of procedures across sectors. Risk assessment faces abundant arguments that lead to doubt the credibility of the standards implemented by different organizations, as not a single method or definition is agreed upon across cultural and sectorial barriers. Therefore, the credibility of the standardized assessment is doubted. This study aims to evaluate the credibility of standardized risk assessments with a focus on the Information Security Risk Assessment Standards, in particular ISO 27005 and NIST 800-30 in collaboration with the Swedish Armed Forces. The research adapts the frameworks available in literature to evaluate credibility of risk assessments to the international standardized assessment procedure. The standards credibility will be evaluated with different criteria divided in five categories considered applicable to the standardised risk assessment procedure. Also, input from experts in organizations currently employing the standards and academic experts in the field will also be utilized. This study utilizes a qualitative case study approach. The credibility evaluation performance of each international standard is similar; the only category that NIST 800-30 has a significant better performance is the category related to the final Risk Assessment Results (Report). The NIST provides a further step in the process as well as the guidelines and templates in order to develop different parts of the assessment process including the report, which is considered a best practice of a standardised risk assessment. The findings of the research contradict four criteria of the framework found in the literature, related to with what can be learned from past risk assessments, to the wide ranging of the required scope of a risk assessment, the relevance of the disclosure of information on the final risk assessment report related to the composition of the assessment group and finally the procedure for finding consensus among stakeholders. The research question “How credible are standardized risk assessments?” provide a holistic understanding of the credibility of the standards previously mentioned, determining that these provide a solid framework for companies to start assessing the risks in a regulated and standardized procedure. These oversee the problems embedded in the subjectivity of a risk assessment and the ever-changing (intrinsic and extrinsic) aspects of stakeholder behaviour with a lack of a systemic approach to solve these issues, which also include the lack of proper handling of risk uncertainty and the lack of transparency on the final risk assessment report. The study provides a groundwork which can be used in order to develop future research. This study also provides a grounded framework which can be used by entities utilizing the standards in order to reflect their procedures of their risk assessment activities. Keywords: Credibility, risk assessment, risk management, international standards, risk, information security, ISO 27005, NIST 800-30.

UK health and safety legislation aims to protect employees from injury at work; professional footballers as employees are therefore covered by this legislation. A risk assessment approach to health and safety issues, as required by the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992, has been undertaken to establish the epidemiological and aetiological factors related to injuries in professional football and to identify management and training procedures to reduce the incidence and severity of injuries. Issues of injury frequency and causation during the period 1994 to 1997 were addressed through two routes. First, during the 1994 World Cup Finals, 1996 European Championships, and 1994 to 1997 English league seasons via match analysis. Second, player injuries at four professional football league clubs were recorded by the club physiotherapist. These results provided complementary evidence showing an overall injury rate of 8.5/1000 playing hours, injury rates during training and matches being 3.5/1000 and 27.7/1000 playing hours, respectively. Two thirds of the injuries occurred during competitive match play, the remainder during training, the highest incidences of match and training injuries taking place during the first month of the playing season (P<O.05) and the pre-season period (P<0.05), respectively. The lower extremity was the site of 87% of the reported injuries, 41% and 22% of all injuries being muscular strains and re-injuries, respectively. Injury profiles differed between youth and senior players (P<0.01). Additional information was recorded through an assessment of club training routines and a survey of professional footballers' knowledge and application of injury prevention strategies. Issues relating to current injury prevention practices, player's perception of injury risk and advice received relating to these issues were addressed. These results provided supportive evidence showing poor understanding of and adherence to accepted athlete training procedures and the implementation of injury prevention practices. The studies suggest that a substantial number of injuries could be prevented in English professional football through identification of the hazards presented to players, an assessment of the existing risk levels and implementation of more rigorous control measures. Deficiencies in injury prevention practices indicate a need for wider education of players and coaches regarding the hazards and risks associated with professional football and the availability of medical and sports science knowledge to reduce these levels of risk.