This work has investigated the possibility of developing a model, capable of being used to harmonise standards of fire cover within the EU. The model had to take into account social, humanitarian, economic and environmental factors and the built environment in determining an appropriate emergency response by fire brigades to rescues, fires and contamination of land, air and watercourses. The resulting standards had to be socially acceptable and economically defensible. After examining existing standards of fire cover and the means of determining those standards, all current research into standards of fire cover and related issues was reviewed. A study was also undertaken into fire science, the means of predicting frequency of fire and the means of limiting the incidence and size of fires. Economics, as applied to local and national government and as applied to fire safety systems and fire services was explored. From that initial research it was concluded that the fundamental concepts of fire cover had remained unchanged since the restructuring of fire brigades throughout Europe during the late 1940's and had no relevance to the modern built environment. While some aspects of existing policies and some elements of current research were of value, this work has developed new concepts, including. • Functional requirements for common fire and non-fire emergencies. • Entry preparation time based on the criteria, "The time at which fire fighting shall commence." • Limiting fire size in buildings to "As Small As Reasonably Practicable for a Set Duration" for property protection. • Quantifying the term "As Small As Reasonably Practicable". • Defining a Standard Predetermined Attendance (SPDA) for all incidents. • Determining optimum attendance time limits dependent on the frequency of calls and the installed fire protection features in buildings. • A method of calculating an economic base for determining critical call numbers. • A means of establishing the optimum location of fire stations within a given area. • The number of SPDA's required at each fire station related to total workload. • The provision of assistance to areas that are outside maximum attendance times. The economic model that has resulted, accurately includes all of the potential economic, social, and political variations as the basis of calculation of Standards of Fire Cover in individual Member States of the European Union. It is the contention of this thesis that it is possible to construct formulae, based on sound economic principals, which are capable of being applied to the different fiscal situation in different countries, thereby ensuring similar relative standards.

The emergence of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) or “mad cow” disease has forced new practices in raising of cattle, risk management in abattoirs, marketable cuts of meat and disposal of potentially infective material. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency defines BSE as a progressive, fatal disease of the nervous system of cattle. In 1996 BSE became a human health issue when a link was discovered between BSE and a new variation of Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease (vCJD), a devastating and incurable disease with a very low-probability of infection but a high fatality rate (Collinge, 1999). To avert further BSE and potential vCJD cases, new policies need to be implemented (CFIA, 2007b; CFIA, 2007b; CFIA, 2008; DEFRA, 2004; OIE, 2007). These policies would not only protects the health of consumers in Canada, they are a prerequisite to exporting Canadian meat products. Failure to enact risk reduction measures has had devastating economic impacts (FDA, 2005; Hill, 2005; Mitura & Di Pietro, 2004; Poulin & Boame, 2003). However, not all technologies being used to manage the risk of prion diseases are deemed effective, and many have strong economies of scale which if implemented may well exclude small scale farming and slaughterhouses, unless consumers accept much higher cost products. Creating an effective management plan for animal by-products (ABPs) is a complex issue involving multiple conflicting objectives. In order to meet the objectives, the CFIA has approved five management options that offer varying levels of risk management while imposing different environmental, social and economic costs. The costs of these are linked to the operational scale and technology being considered. Furthermore, stakeholders are likely to be sensitive to different attributes of these options and design of successful policies. The focus of this research is on the tradeoff between managing the human health risk of exposure to the BSE prion and the economics of managing this risk while retaining consumer demand. The challenge lies in discovering alternative means of managing livestock waste tissue that are practical for producers and regulators and are attractive to consumers. This challenge was addressed by asking the following two questions: 1. What is the cost and effectiveness of different waste disposal options for British Columbia? 2. What is the extent of consumer willingness to share in the costs of increased food safety? In answering these questions a two stage methodology was designed. The first stage was a technological analysis whereby each was characterized and compared to the extent in which they satisfied operational objectives. The second stage was conducted through an online survey whereby we gather information on the following three broad categories, demographics, determinants of purchasing behaviour and willingness to pay for varying levels of food safety. The results of the technological analysis show that the technology of choice varies based on stakeholder preference. The survey results confirm earlier results that consumers value food safety and they are willing to pay to mitigate food safety risks (Hammitt, 1990; Latouche, Rainelli, & Vermersch, 1998; Loureiro, McCluskey, & Mittelhammer, 2003; McCluskey, Grimsrud, Ouchi, & Wahl, 2005; Röhr, Lüddecke, Drusch, Müller, & Alvensleben, 2005) Within the context of beef selection survey respondents are willing to pay up close to 184 cents per pound of beef more than they are currently paying and the study has highlighted the following two predictors of for this tendency: 1. Consumer willingness to pay for organic food and: 2. Respondent level of concern regarding food borne illnesses In terms of policy selection, regulations in BC should impose risk reduction measures that achieve considerable levels of risk management, communicate this clearly to the public as well as the impact of these measures on production costs and provide a means whereby consumers can select for this attribute, such as a labeling program. / Science, Faculty of / Resources, Environment and Sustainability (IRES), Institute for / Graduate

This thesis describes the investigations carried out into the crashworthiness of side impact beams. Two specific beams were investigated: a commercially used steel beam and a prospective composite beam made from a glass fibre weave within a polypropylene matrix. The components were simply supported and were subjected to quasi-static and impact loading, the latter experiments being performed using a Drop Weight Test (DWT) rig. Static and dynamic Finite Element Analysis (FEA) was used to model the behaviour observed during testing. Ansys v5.4 was used for the static FEA while LS-Dyna3D v940 was used for the dynamic FEA. The objectives of the project were to assess and then model the behaviour of the steel and composite side impact beams. This behaviour is in terms of both the beams' static and impact response. The beams were tested to determine their elastic behaviour, when and how failure occurs and their post-failure response. Important factors in their performance were identified. The modelling offered insights into the beams' behaviour and could potentially be used as a predictive tool in design activity. It was found that, for the loading conditions and material type used, both the static and dynamic FEA could provide accurate predictions of the behaviour of the beams although both types of FEA had their limitations.

Introduction: Food safety is widely recognised as one of the problems in the fight for improving public health. Many governments are trying to improve public health through reducing foodborne illnesses and setting the climate for implementing HACCP-based food safety management systems (FSMS). Following the global trend, Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA) launched the HACCP for Catering Project (2010 – 2014), which aimed at helping foodservice businesses, licensed in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, in implementing HACCP-based FSMS. Purpose: The project team recognised the limited resources and the diversity in education levels, ethnic backgrounds, and number of languages spoken among managers/supervisors and food handlers, as points of concern in the small independent restaurant (SIR) subsector. Thus, the Salamt Zadna (SZ) initiative, a simplified FSMS, was developed to train SIRs on implementing a set of safe operating procedures to improve compliance with food safety laws and regulations. Previous studies in the GCC region have mainly focused on governments’ attempts to enhance public health by developing laws, regulations, and policies, and recounting the barriers to implementing food safety controls. Methodology: This thesis took a different approach to food safety issues in the GCC region. It is comprised of two studies, which were conducted in two groups of SIRs – seven SZ participants and five non-participants – licensed in Al Ain, a major city in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The first explored awareness and understanding of food safety, related laws, regulations, and policies, and attitudes towards ADFCA services and inspectors, among managers/supervisors, by interviewing them. The second examined the efficacy of SZ in improving food handlers’ food-safety behaviours by observing their conduct, and comparing between the two SIR groups. Results: The study indicated low levels of awareness and understanding of food safety, related laws, regulations, and policies, in both groups of managers/supervisors; regardless of whether or not they were SZ Cparticipants. Both groups of interviewees expressed both negative and positive attitudes towards ADFCA’s services and inspectors; sometimes by the same interviewees, within the same, or between the two groups. However, SZ participating SIRs were slightly more positive than their counterparts. Key results highlighted the low impact of SZ on changing food handlers’ behaviours, except in two areas; namely, the food handlers working in SZ-participating SIRs scored higher than the other group in handwashing and changing gloves between handling raw meats and other foods. Implications: This research adds a new dimension to the food safety profile of the UAE, since it is the first of its kind in the UAE and the region as a whole. Its originality opens the door for other researchers to increase the volume of research in this field, which would help in understanding and tackling the barriers to improving the food safety status in the country, as well as the region.

The dispersed phase that accompanies enclosure fires, for example, soot, ash, sprinkler droplets and extinguishing powder, could exert a significant influence on the dynamics of the background fluid. In this thesis, the results of a numerical study into the effects of this dispersed phase on the flow in a fire compartment are presented. A two-dimensional computational fluid dynamics solver, with appropriate approximations for low Mach number flows and mathematical sub-models for two­phase flows, has been developed in order to simulate fire induced convective motions in planar compartments. The description of the dispersed particulate is based on a two­continuum approach, whereby the dispersed phase and the gaseous phase are assumed to be two mutually interacting and penetrating continua. In this thesis, two 'passive' models and an 'active' model of the dispersed phase are considered. In the passive models the particulate acts as a tracer only and has no hydrodynamical influence on the gas phase. The second passive model differs from the first in that the production of gases in the fire compartment, for example arising from combustion or propellant gases due to extinguishment of the fire, is taken into account. This second passive model more accurately predicts the growth of pressure in a sealed fire compartment for weak fires. As the volume fraction of the particulate increases the spatial-temporal hydrodynamic influence exerted on the gaseous flow by the dispersed phase becomes significant and, under certain conditions, a passive representation is insufficient. An active one­temperature and one-velocity model is proposed which is appropriate for the description of a hydrodynamically active particulate with an instantaneous velocity and thermal relaxation time. In this thesis, computational fluid dynamics is used as a tool in order to characterise the applicability of the passive models and the active model. The ability of the passive models to accurately predict the growth of pressure in a compartment for 'surface' fires, for example smouldering combustion and weak fires, is investigated. The active model is used to study the hydrodynamics of powder extinguishing media in a compartment with an open doorway.

This cooperative research work is concerned with the development of fall arrest equipment constructed from textile materials for use in mountaineering, caving and industrial safety applications. The range of webbings available for use in fall arrest equipment is examined, and some basic experiments to determine the effect of severe abrasion are described. The methods of stitching slings (loops of webbing) are examined, and the effects of external abrasion on conventional lap joints and bartacked joints are compared. The development of harnesses is examined and the factors affecting their future design are considered. The major part of the work is concerned with the way in which the energy of a falling body is absorbed in a fall arrest system and with the peak impact loads imposed on the system's components. To measure these loads, apparatus was developed at the cooperating company's premises, together with appropriate instrumentation. A series of tests were carried out to determine loads in falls of increasing severity. The ensuing development work concerned textile shock absorbers, which are designed to limit the impact force in a fall to a predetermined maximum. Using the drop test apparatus, it was shown that such shock absorbers have very little practical effect in a climbing situation. However, the principles embodied in these devices were used to develop an industrial safety lanyard with an integral shock absorber which conforms to British Standard 1397. This device is lighter and more compact than others currently on the market and represents a step forward in the field.

4 p. / School gardens provide great teaching opportunities, while also encouraging healthy lifestyle choices. With sustainable school gardens growing more popular statewide, interest in serving garden grown produce in the school cafeteria is increasing. This article will help schools navigate the system for certifying their school garden and follow Standard Operating Procedures currently recommended.

No description available.

Irrespective of all the efforts made by the Department of Labour (DoL) and other relevant stakeholders to improve the performance of Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) in construction. In the Construction Industry, there is still a very high level of accidents and fatalities in South Africa. Injuries and accidents to workers do not help a community in any nation. The construction industry in South Africa is generally known to be one of the most hazardous and has one of the most dismal OH&S records among all industrial segments with an unacceptably high level of injuries and fatalities resulting in considerable human suffering. A doctoral study was recently conducted with the aim of investigating the effectiveness and performance of the DoL OH&S Inspectorate in South Africa. The empirical study was conducted among a range of stakeholders: civil engineering and building contractors; OH&S consultants; project managers; DoL inspectors; and designers by means of a questionnaire survey. The methodology adopted in this study included the exploratory and descriptive methods, which entails the technique of observation including the use of questionnaires and data analysis. The salient findings of the study are presented and elucidate that the DoL OH&S Inspectorate is not effective in terms of OH&S relative to the construction industry in South Africa. Conclusions and recommendations included expound that the DoL OH&S Inspectorate is not effectively conducting their duties reinforcing the need for a reviewed OH&S Inspectorate model framework. The proposed structured normative model consists of fundamental elements which would improve the effectiveness of the DoL OH&S Inspectorate. The findings of the study with recommendations are included.

Heat, flame, smoke and fire gases are responsible for the vast majority of fire deaths and injuries and are all products of the chemical and physical processes that occur within fire. This is well known and supported by fire statistics but current fire safety does not directly consider these factors and the hazard they may pose to life. The aim of this thesis is to bring together knowledge from fire science with evidence from fire investigation to provide a way forward for improving fire safety and protecting life using sound scientific principles. A number of major fires and the associated large scale fire reconstructions carried out as part of their investigation have been analysed to assess the way in which polymeric materials contribute towards the overall hazard and whether there are other factors tending to contribute to the hazard. The Stardust Disco fire highlighted the importance of lining materials in their contribution to both rapid fire development and toxicity. Maysfield Leisure Centre demonstrated the link between functional groups in polymers and the major toxicant likely to then contribute to the developing hazard. Harrow Court showed how a modern incident able to develop to flashover would produce a dramatic change in conditions, capable of overcoming fire fighters as well as civilians. Rosepark Care Home demonstrated the importance of simple fire safety measures such as the closing of doors in keeping products of combustion away from relevant persons. The Lakanal fire highlighted the potential complexity of these sorts of incidents and the way in which they tend to be the result of a large number of “things going wrong” all at once. The fire at Atherstone on Stour revealed the potential for rapid fire development to take place across very large environments, again sufficiently quickly to overcome attending fire fighters. The work carried out has demonstrated the intrinsic link between the burning properties of materials with their toxicity, which are then further influenced by the way in which an environment can influence ventilation conditions, thermal insulation and pathways for fire to spread and impose hazards upon people in relevant areas. Fire safety has developed in such a way that flammability and toxicity no longer appear to be considered together, but the findings from the incident analyses indicate there appears to be a need to bring the subjects of toxicity and general fire safety back together.