3,173 research outputs found
Uncertainty and the Cost-Effectiveness of Regional NOx Emissions Reductions from Electricity Generation
This paper analyzes uncertainties surrounding the benefits and costs of a policy to reduce nitrogen oxides (NOX) emissions from electricity generation in the eastern U.S. Under each of 18 scenarios examined, we find an annual policy would yield net benefits that are at least as great as those expected under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencyâs (EPA) currently planned seasonal policy. Preferred (midpoint) assumptions yield additional benefits of $724 million per year under an annual policy compared to a seasonal one (1997 dollars). The subset of 11 northeastern states benefit the most from an annual policy relative to a seasonal one, but relative net benefits are also positive in the remaining states in the region. An annual policy implemented on a national basis appears to be slightly less cost-effective than the EPAâs policy under midpoint assumptions but it is more cost-effective under half of the scenarios we examine.emissions trading, electricity, particulates, nitrogen oxides, NOX, health benefits, market structure, restructuring, deregulation, value of statistical life, uncertainty
Respiratory symptoms among urban traffic policemen in Bangladesh: A cross-sectional study
Aim: There is accumulating evidence that roadside pollution is detrimental to health. This study aims to compare the risk of adverse respiratory symptoms in different categories of traffic police including traffic constables, sergeants, and inspectors working in the polluted environment.
Methods: The study population consisted of 369 randomly selected traffic police personnel from the city of Chittagong in Bangladesh. Information on their occupation and respiratory health symptoms were collected. The health outcomes were coughing, coughing sputum, coughing up blood, shortness of breathing, wheezing, and chest pain with deep breathing.
Results: The risk of coughing [adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 4.469, 95% CI=1.265-15.793], coughing sputum [AOR= 3.687, 95% CI= 1.004 -13.540], coughing up blood [AOR=1.040, 95% CI=0.227-6.162], shortness of breathing [AOR=3.937, 95% CI=1.069-14.500], wheezing [AOR= 2.464, 95% CI= 0.613-9.906] and chest pain with deep breathing [AOR=2.163,95% CI= 0.560-8.349] was higher in traffic constables on comparison to inspectors. In sergeants odds increased for coughing up blood [AOR=1.102, 95% CI= 0.283-4.286] and wheezing [AOR=1.260, 95% CI= 0.304-5.229].
Conclusion: There was a substantial difference in the risk of studied respiratory symptoms between different categories of traffic police jobs.
 
The physical work environment and its relationship to stress
How we work and the environments in which we do it are changing rapidly. At the same time, workplace stress is rising, with high costs for individuals and organizations. In this chapter, we review research findings about the relationship between the physical work environment and stress to summarize the current state of knowledge. Using this summary, we propose evidence-based recommendations of ways in which the physical environment might be adjusted to reduce stress for employees
Smart workplaces: a system proposal for stress management
Over the past last decades of contemporary society, workplaces
have become the primary source of many health issues, leading
to mental problems such as stress, depression, and anxiety.
Among the others, environmental aspects have shown to be the
causes of stress, illness, and lack of productivity. With the arrival
of new technologies, especially in the smart workplaces field,
most studies have focused on investigating the building energy
efficiency models and human thermal comfort. However, little has
been applied to occupantsâ stress recognition and well-being
overall. Due to this fact, this present study aims to propose a
stress management solution for an interactive design system that
allows the adapting of comfortable environmental conditions
according to the user preferences by measuring in real-time the
environmental and biological characteristics, thereby helping to
prevent stress, as well as to enable users to cope stress when
being stressed. The secondary objective will focus on evaluating
one part of the system: the mobile application. The proposed
system uses several usability methods to identify usersâ needs,
behavior, and expectations from the user-centered design
approach. Applied methods, such as User Research, Card
Sorting, and Expert Review, allowed us to evaluate the design
system according to Heuristics Analysis, resulting in improved
usability of interfaces and experience. The study presents the
research results, the design interface, and usability tests.
According to the User Research results, temperature and noise
are the most common environmental stressors among the users
causing stress and uncomfortable conditions to work in, and the
preference for physical activities over the digital solutions for
coping with stress. Additionally, the System Usability Scale (SUS)
results identified that the systemâs usability was measured as
âexcellentâ and âacceptableâ with a final score of 88 points out of
the 100. It is expected that these conclusions can contribute to
future investigations in the smart workplaces study field and their
interaction with the people placed there.Nas Ășltimas dĂ©cadas da sociedade contemporĂąnea, o local de
trabalho tem se tornado principal fonte de muitos problemas de
saĂșde mental, como o stress, depressĂŁo e ansiedade. Os aspetos
ambientais tĂȘm se revelado como as causas de stress, doenças,
falta de produtividade, entre outros. Atualmente, com a chegada de
novas tecnologias, principalmente na ĂĄrea de locais de trabalho
inteligentes, a maioria dos estudos tem se concentrado na
investigação de modelos de eficiĂȘncia energĂ©tica de edifĂcios e
conforto térmico humano. No entanto, pouco foi aplicado ao
reconhecimento do stress dos ocupantes e ao bem-estar geral das
pessoas. Diante disso, o objetivo principal Ă© propor um sistema de
design de gestĂŁo do stress para um sistema de design interativo que
permita adaptar as condiçÔes ambientais de acordo com as
preferĂȘncias de utilizador, medindo em tempo real as caracterĂsticas
ambientais e biológicas, auxiliando assim na prevenção de stress,
bem como ajuda os utilizadores a lidar com o stress quando estĂŁo
sob o mesmo. O segundo objetivo Ă© desenhar e avaliar uma parte
do projeto â o protĂłtipo da aplicação mĂłvel atravĂ©s da realização
de testes de usabilidade. O sistema proposto resulta da abordagem
de design centrado no utilizador, utilizando diversos métodos de
usabilidade para identificar as necessidades, comportamentos e as
expectativas dos utilizadores. MĂ©todos aplicados, como Pesquisa de
UsuĂĄrio, Card Sorting e RevisĂŁo de Especialistas, permitiram avaliar
o sistema de design de acordo com a anĂĄlise heurĂstica, resultando
numa melhoria na usabilidade das interfaces e experiĂȘncia. O
estudo apresenta os resultados da pesquisa, a interface do design e
os testes de usabilidade. De acordo com os resultados de User
Research, a temperatura e o ruĂdo sĂŁo os stressores ambientais
mais comuns entre os utilizadores, causando stresse e condiçÔes
menos favorĂĄveis para trabalhar, igualmente existe uma preferĂȘncia
por atividades fĂsicas sobre as soluçÔes digitais na gestĂŁo do
stresse. Adicionalmente, os resultados de System Usability Scale
(SUS) identificaram a usabilidade do sistema de design como
âexcelenteâ e âaceitĂĄvelâ com pontuação final de 88 pontos em 100.
à esperado que essas conclusÔes possam contribuir para futuras
investigaçÔes no campo de estudo dos smart workplaces e sua
interação com os utilizadores
Nanotechnology: An assessment of current occupational health and safety issues
Nanotechnology is a rapidly expanding field and is expected to revolutionize many existing industries and create entirely new ones. Presently, and to a greater extent in the future, there is potential for occupational exposure to free forms of these materials in research and development labs and industrial processes. Free nanomaterials may pose a significant health risk to those exposed as described by recent preliminary data on nanomaterials but also through the work addressing exposures to ultrafine particles both in the workplace and in ambient air. There are presently no published health and safety guidelines for working with nanomaterials. This paper proposes a general frame work for classifying these materials and recommends appropriate hypothetical precautions to allow personnel to work safely with these materials
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