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In recent years, forestry programmes in British Columbia have increasingly used helicopters to expedite operations, particularly in the areas of fire suppression and prescribed burning. Between 1970 and 1977 the population of Canadian helicopters doubled, reflecting the increased usage resulting from new, more efficient designs. The number of accidents per year decreased in the 8 years, but the percentage of fatal accidents increased In British Columbia, the accident rate per 10,000 hours in the years 1975 and 1976, was 3.6, the third highest in Canada. After an extensive period of field work in this province, by the author, it is clear that the people working in and around helicopters do not generally receive enough training in the safety precautions necessary. This lack of training was evident at both the worker level and the supervisory level. In fire suppression operations, the inadequate training is aggravated by haste, which greatly increases the chances of unnecessary accidents. This report identifies areas of training that need greater-attention, and it offers some guidelines for future training programmes. The report discusses the fundamentals of helicopter flight, in order that the layman may gain some appreciation of what problems the pilot has to tolerate. Several types of operations are then detailed with safety prescriptions for each one. Some causative factors in each operation are also discussed. The report then analyses the use of helicopters in aerial ignition systems. Of the several systems currently in use, it is clear that the helicopter drip torch is potentially the most hazardous, but to date there have been no serious helicopter drip torch accidents. Finally the report looks at crew deployment techniques, in particular, helicopter rappelling and helitack. The level of training and hazard awareness in these two operations is higher than was generally seen elsewhere, and provides a good example of how helicopters can be used safely and efficiently. Throughout the report, reference is made to past accidents. These accidents show a fundamental lack of safe practice; a situation that would be improved with better training programmes. They also illustrate some of the diverse and disastrous results of poor training. The report recommends that the Workers' Compensation Board of British Columbia should seriously consider setting up a series of training films, which, along with posters and leaflets, could be distributed to the various companies and organisations who use helicopters in the course of their operations. Transport Canada is now preparing a series of general training aids, and these will be made available to interested parties. / Forestry, Faculty of / Graduate

published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration

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The purpose of this study was to develop a conceptual framework to enhance the redesign of a safety system. To identify the limitations of the current safety system, the concepts of congruency and integration of the safety function within a specific university environment were examined through a case study methodology. An emphasis was placed on the use of models from business and management literature for both the examination of the concepts and the subsequent development of the conceptual framework for the redesign. The researcher emphasized the use of multiple data sources in this study. These sources included: observations, documents, and interviews. A model from French and Bell (1990) was used to examine congruency which included interviewing two stakeholders associated with executive driven planned organizational change processes as well as the safety manager. A perception survey, as suggested by Petersen (1994), was developed and used as part of the examination of safety system integration and administered to twenty interviewees along with the safety manager. The findings provided evidence of gaps which may be hindering the success of the safety function within the organization. By examining organizational direction and comparing those findings to the findings representing the direction of the safety function, gaps in congruency were found. Integration gaps were discovered, in part, through examination of the safety process input, as described by the safety manager, as well as the safety process output as viewed by "customers" of the safety process. Countermeasures to close gaps were discovered in the research and later synthesized into a redesigned conceptual framework. The framework emphasized customer service, a systems approach, and a process perspective as an alternative to the legacy of a traditional, compliance driven safety system found to be in current use. / Graduation date: 1998

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published_or_final_version / Radioisotope / Master / Master of Philosophy

Athletes wear mouthguards to decrease the risk of injuries. However, many athletes resist wearing mouthguards due to problems with speech and breathing during play. Breathing difficulties may suggest limitations with ventilation. The purpose of this study was to examine peak inspiratory and peak expiratory air flow at different ventilatory rates using various types of mouthguards and a no mouthguard condition. Mouthguards were fitted into a dental model and air was ventilated through the model at three flow rates (30, 45, 60 strokes·min-1) using 2 and 3 L syringes. Flows were recorded using a Medisoft Ergocard. Peak flows (L·s -1) were recorded for 10 strokes during each condition. At 180 L·min -1, only bimolar mouthguards impeded air flow compared to the no mouthguard condition. In addition, the Shock Doctor bimolar mouthguard experienced decreased peak values compared to several mouthguards. Results suggest that peak flow is lowered at high ventilation with bimolar mouthguards.

No description available.