The study was conducted to evaluate the use and perceived effectiveness of occupational safety and health consultative services among Oregon corporations. The three types of consultative services examined: workers' compensation insurance; private; and Oregon Occupational Safety and Health. The research examined if corporations, categorized by corporation size, within the four high-risk industry classes used each of the three types of consultative services. The four high-risk industry classes included: agriculture; construction; manufacturing; and wood products. Based on the results of the study, fewer than one-half of the respondents reported they had used consultative services; however, two out of three respondents indicated they were aware that consultative services were available. Of the three types of consultative services, workers' compensation insurance consultative services were used most frequently. In contrast, private consultative services were used least frequently even though respondents were most aware of the availability of the services. Overall, small corporations, primarily from the agriculture industry class, used consultative services the least whereas large corporations were most likely to use consultative services. Almost half of all respondents, who were aware of the availability of the consultative services and indicated that they had not used or would not use these services in the future, reported that they believed these services were unnecessary for their corporation. In addition, over half of the respondents cited cost as a prohibitive factor in requesting private consultative services. Among those respondents who implemented the recommendations of occupational safety and health consultants, over 84 percent of the respondents felt that the recommendations were either very effective or somewhat effective for all three types of consultative services. Although this percentage of perceived effectiveness was high, the percentage of respondents who reported that consultative services were instrumental in loss reduction was considerably lower than the perceived effectiveness. This finding indicates that respondents' perceived effectiveness of occupational safety and health consultative services include more than loss reduction elements. Future studies need to discern what these additional elements include. / Graduation date: 2000

Task Management (TM) refers to the function in which the human operator manages his/her available sensory and mental resources in a dynamic, complex, safety-critical environment in order to accomplish the multiple tasks competing for a limited quantity of attention. There is reason to believe that the level of automation on the commercial aircraft flight deck may effect TM, however to date there has been little research that directly addresses this effect. Thus, the primary objective of this study was to begin evaluating the relationship between TM of commercial airline pilots and the level of automation on the flight deck by determining how automation affects the frequency of Task Prioritization errors as reported in Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) incident reports. The secondary objective of this study was to create a methodology that modeled an effective way to use ASRS incident report data in an inferential analysis. Two samples of ASRS incident reports were compared. The first sample was composed of 210 incident reports submitted by pilots flying advanced technology aircraft and the second sample was composed of 210 incident reports submitted by pilots flying traditional technology aircraft. To help avoid confounding effects, the two samples were further divided into three sub-samples each made up of 70 reports submitted during a specified time period: 1988-1989, 1990-1991, and 1992-1993. Each incident report was analyzed using an incident analysis form designed specifically for this study. This form allowed the analyst to classify the incident report as either containing a Task Prioritization error or not based on the narrative of the report. Twenty-eight incident reports from the advanced technology sample and 15 from the traditional technology sample were classified as containing Task Prioritization errors. Using the Chi Square (x��) test and a significance level of 0.05, this difference was found to be statistically significant. / Graduation date: 1998

A transient code (TFETC) for calculating the temperature distribution throughout the radial and axial positions of a thermionic fuel element (TFE) has been successfully developed. It accommodates the variations of temperatures, thermal power, electrical power, voltage, and current density throughout the TFE as a function of time as well as the variations of heat fluxes arising from radiation, conduction, electron cooling, and collector heating. The thermionic fuel element transient code (TFETC) is designed to calculate all the above variables for three different cases namely: 1) Start-up; 2) Loss of flow accident; and 3) Shut down. The results show that this design is suitable for space applications and does not show any deficiency in the performance. It enhances the safety factor in the case of a loss of flow accident (LOFA). In LOFA, it has been found that if the mass flow rate decreases exponentially by a -0.033t, where t is a reactor transient time in seconds, the fuel temperature does not exceed the melting point right after the complete pump failures but rather allows some time, about 34 seconds, before taking an action. If the reactor is not shut down within 34 seconds, the fuel temperature may keep increasing until the melting point of the fuel is attained. On the other hand, the coolant temperature attains its boiling point, 1057 ��K, in the case of a complete pump failure and may exceed it unless a proper action to trip the reactor is taken. For 1/2, 1/3, and 1/4 pump failures, the coolant temperatures are below the boiling point of the coolant. / Graduation date: 1994

A series of small break loss of coolant accident (SBLOCA) analyses in nuclear plant shutdown operations was simulated using the code RELAP5A,MOD3 version 8.0 to predict the SBLOCA phenomena in the Zion-l nuclear power plant The first objective is to study the impact of SBLOCA (1" and 2" breaks) on plant conditions while in the shutdown mode. In particular, to determine the time to "core uncovery" without operator interaction. The other objective is to study the effect of RHR heat exchanger elevation on natural circulation mass flow rate, fluid temperature and peak fuel pin temperature. Peak temperature and time to core uncovery were found for two small break LOCA cases. The natural circulation mass flow rate after break initiation was affected by varying the RHR heat exchanger elevation. The system pressure and temperature were not affected much by the elevation change in the RHR heat exchanger. The current version of RELAP5/MOD3 was found to be sensitive to the initial conditions in studies of low pressure,low temperature plant systems, especially for a large break LOCA. / Graduation date: 1994

This study investigated the opinions of bicyclists/pedestrians regarding how safe from a bicycle traffic injury they felt while on campus. Most earlier studies had been concerned with the taxonomy of bicycle/pedestrian accidents. Because of the paucity of research on attitudes of bicyclists and pedestrians, this research was undertaken. The survey instrument was developed in accordance with recommendations from the Oregon State University Survey & Research Center. It consisted of 19 Likert type, degree of variation statements, and ten biographical questions. The sample consisted of 214 students registered for the winter term of 1986 at Oregon State University. Participants completed the Traffic Safety Attitude Survey and then were placed in the following categories: male, female, bicyclists, and pedestrians. The Survey instrument was designed to test four null hypotheses and to define other broadly held opinions regarding traffic safety on campus. Hypotheses One through Three tested interaction between bicyclists/pedestrians. The fourth hypothesis tested the difference between male bicyclists and male pedestrians and female bicyclists and female pedestrians. The Chi Square Test and a two-way analysis of variance were employed to test the hypotheses. Two significant findings emerged from hypothesis testing: 1) bicyclists and pedestrians differed on the opinion that as much as possible is being done to provide campus bicycle traffic safety, and 2) pedestrians endorsed stricter adherence to bicycle traffic regulations than bicyclists. There was no difference between bicyclists and pedestrians regarding feelings of safety from a bicycle traffic-related injury. Finally, gender had no effect on perceptions of campus bicycle traffic safety. Analysis of the results of this research provided the following conclusions: 1. Male bicyclists felt the least at risk of injury from a bicycle traffic-related injury on campus. 2. Female pedestrians felt the most risk of injury from a bicycle traffic accident on campus. 3. Female bicyclists, female pedestrians, and male pedestrians shared similar opinions regarding risk of exposure to a bicycle traffic accident on campus. 4. Approximately 30% of all subjects felt there is a problem with interaction between bicyclists and pedestrians on the OSU campus. 5. Approximately 46% of the pedestrians and 25% of the bicyclists felt risk of sustaining a bicycle traffic-related injury on campus. 6. Approximately 38% of the pedestrians and 25% of the bicyclists support some form of bicycle traffic restriction. 7. Pedestrians endorse stricter adherance to bicycle traffic regulations that bicyclists do. 8: Pedestrians felt less is being done to ensure bicycle traffic safety on campus than bicyclists did. / Graduation date: 1986

Statistically, travel by air is one of the safest forms of transportation. Yet we continue to experience aviation tragedies. Do we fully understand flight safety or is there another way of looking at the problem? In this work a new way of approaching the question of flight safety is developed, justified and illustrated. Traditional methods are shown to be insufficient for a full understanding of flight safety. They do not provide an adequate explanation of the context of aviation safety. The issue is approached from a new perspective with a methodology based on a philosophical understanding of explanation. For the examination of the context of aviation safety traditional modes of scientific explanation are rejected in favor of a paradigmatic explanation. A framework for explaining the context of accidents and safety, in general, is synthesized from four broad paradigms which characterize its patterned nature: the cognitive paradigm, the paradigm of normal accidents, the paradigm of technology, and the paradigm of organizational complexes. The development of the framework is supported by a wide diversity of literature from philosophers, psychologists, social scientists and engineers. It is explicated with numerous examples throughout. The framework is then compared with the traditional mode of explanation through an extensive pedagogical case-study of a specific accident. The new framework is complementary to traditional approaches and new insights are pointed up. Finally, some broad recommendations are made for the community of professionals concerned with improving aviation safety. / Graduation date: 1991

Among the many safety hazards facing chainsaw operators, the phenomenon known as kickback is the most dangerous. Kickback occurs when the chain at the tip of the chainsaw is caused to stop abruptly, and transfers the energy of the cutting chain to motion of the saw. The saw will rotate backward toward the operator rapidly. The limited amount of published research on the topic of chainsaw kickback was conducted to develop standardized testing for consumer chainsaws. Modern chainsaws are equipped with safety measures such as low-kickback cutting chains and hand-guard braking mechanisms. These mechanisms have greatly improved the safety of chainsaws, but their inherent mechanical simplicity leaves room for improvement. The current work presents the research that analyzed the possible methods for detecting kickback electronically. Phase 1 of this work utilized a set of two accelerometers and a single gyroscope to determine if it is possible to distinguish a kickback event from normal cutting operations. A method for applying weighting coefficients to the three sensor readings, then summing the three signal values was optimized to obtain the greatest margin between kickback and normal cutting. The result of this study was that kickback is most easily identified by using only a gyroscope and setting a threshold. Phase 2 focused on detecting kickback as early as possible. Three methods were attempted: Signal Differentiation, a Simplified Bag of Words method, and applying a Support Vector Machine with selective undersampling and a stack of classifier vectors. Signal differentiation, while detecting the kickback events earlier, also suffered from many false positives. The Bag of Words method was unsuccessful in creating results different than the threshold method from Phase 1. The Support Vector Machine classification was able to detect kickback an average of 19.4 ms before the simple threshold method with no occurrence of either false positives or false negatives. This method is the most reliable and provides the greatest likelihood of detecting kickback early. / Graduation Date: 2013

Overuse of the Interstate and National Highway Systems has led many urban freeways to suffer from recurrent congestion and high crash rates. One method of ameliorating these problems is through the use of Active Traffic Management (ATM). Within ATM, the practice of speed harmonization is well suited to improving safety and reducing delay. In this study, speed harmonization is applied to a segment of Interstate Highway 35, just south of downtown Austin, Texas. First, the need for congestion and safety improvements will be established. Then, the framework of a speed harmonization system will be developed through a synthesis of speed harmonization best practice. Next, the speed harmonization framework will be evaluated for its impact on efficiency through the development of before and after micro-simulation models. Finally, the trajectory files generated from simulation will be analyzed using surrogate safety measures to assess the safety impact of the proposed speed harmonization system. / text

This dissertation examines changes in Hong Kong’s food safety institutions using an historical institutional approach. Hong Kong has faced enormous challenges in food safety over the last two decades. The avian flu crisis in 1997 and the malachite green crisis in 2005 were the two most notable examples. Both crises were recipes for institutional change. There was drastic reform in 2000 to form a unified food safety authority, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, to replace the old legacy of municipal councils and municipal service departments. The established municipal councils failed to sustain themselves and the government replaced them with new institutions. Moreover, in 2005, the government proposed a new Food Safety, Inspection and Quarantine Department to overcome failings in food safety. These changes and reforms developed in variance from what could have been expected using theories of punctuated equilibrium and critical juncture (which emphasize exogenous shocks). My investigation suggests that we should not just focus on critical junctures and exogenous shocks but also study the processes and events outside these events. We cannot take it for granted that a significant exogenous shock will automatically result in institutional change without exploring the role they play and the mechanisms involved. Other endogenous processes or gradual changes may disrupt the mechanisms of institutional reproduction. My research also suggests that the form of institutional change cannot be predicted based on critical junctures and exogenous events. Focusing on the features of political context and institutional properties, we can understand how it is possible to switch between different modes to fit the prevailing institutional and political context. Political appointees and senior civil servants, as change agents, need to focus on political barriers in the legislature before any institutional change in government can eventually succeed. Without major change in Hong Kong’s political system and landscape, there is less likelihood of introducing controversial policy changes, including institutional change. Change agents are more likely to make use of different modes of institutional change, such as layering and conversion, in order to circumvent political barriers and the stickiness of old institutions. / published_or_final_version / Politics and Public Administration / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Not available / text