492 research outputs found

    Investigating the use of activity trackers to observe high-risk work environments

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    The New Zealand forestry industry has the country's highest rate of workplace fatalities. The reasons are not well studied or understood and no large-scale systematic physical and physiological data has been recorded to investigate this. Current research focusses on developing mechanised solutions and changing worker behaviour. We believe the first step in identifying any successful solution is to develop a fine-grained understanding of the physical context of forestry work by performing large-scale data collection of the levels of physical activity the workers engage in as well as their sleep patterns over extended periods of time. Our goal is to use lightweight, wearable technology (so-called activity trackers) to collect this data. In order to do so we need a clear understanding of the capabilities and limitations of such devices, both in general and in the proposed use environment for forestry workers. In this paper we present the results of user studies and comparisons of six activity trackers and three mobile phone applications used to track activity and sleep. We also discuss our initial pilot study with forestry workers and discuss the problems encountered using the trackers in the environment

    Investigating the use of wearable technology to support safety in the workplace

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    Many workplaces in New Zealand can be described as hazardous. That is, the nature of the work and/or workplace, or the combination of the two, can lead to situations where workers may be at risk of workplace accidents. One contributor to such accidents is worker fatigue, which is the result of the nature and intensity level of the work they are undertaking. This can be exacerbated by factors such as the length of the working day, shift work and roles that require high levels of concentration. Most existing risk minimization processes rely on self-reporting methodologies and health and safety procedures; neither of these are necessarily the most effective methods for dealing with workers in hazardous jobs and work environments. Wearable technology which collects physiological data, such as step and heart rates, as an individual performs workplace tasks has been proposed as a possible solution. While wearable devices are minimally intrusive to the individual and so can be used throughout the working day it is unclear how suitable they are for in-situ measurements in real-world work scenarios. In this work, we describe a series of studies conducted with New Zealand forestry workers and present an analysis of the data gathered to consider the suitability of the collection methods as well as the suitability of the data itself as a method to identify fatigue and reduce risk in the workplace

    Personal data collection in the workplace: ethical and technical challenges

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    Forestry is a dangerous work environment and collecting data on site to identify and warn about hazardous situations is challenging. In this paper, we discuss our attempts at creating continuous data-collection methods that are ethical, sustainable and effective. We explore the difficulties in collecting personal and environmental data from workers and their work domain. We also draw attention to the specific challenges in designing for sensor-based, wearable rugged IoT solutions. We present a case-study, comprising of a number of experiments, which exemplifies the work we have been undertaking in this domain. The case study is based on our approach to developing a robust, trusted Internet of Things (IoT) solution for dangerous work environments (specifically the forestry environment). We focus the results of this casestudy on both the technical successes and challenges as well as the personal and ethical challenges that have been elicited

    Investigating Wearable Technology for Fatigue Identification in the Workplace

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    Fatigue has been identified as a significant contributor to workplace accident rates. However, risk minimisation is a process largely based on self-reporting methodologies, which are not suitable for fatigue identification in high risk industries. Wearable technology which is capable of collecting physiological data such as step and heart rates as an individual performs workplace tasks has been proposed as a possible solution. Such devices are minimally intrusive to the individual and so can be used throughout the working day. Much is promised by the providers of such technology, but it is unclear how suitable it is for in-situ measurements in real-world work scenarios. To investigate this, we performed a series of studies designed to capture physiological and psychological data under differing (physical and mental) loading types with the intention of finding out how suitable such equipment is. Using reaction time (simple and choice) as a measure of performance we found similar correlations exist between loading duration and our measured indicators as those found in large-scale laboratory studies using state of the art equipment. Our results suggest that commercially available activity monitors are capable of collecting meaningful data in workplaces and are, therefore, worth investigating further for this purpose

    Engaging Conservation: Village-Forest Relations around Panna Tiger Reserve in Central India

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    This thesis explores the relationships between the Forest Department and local villagers around Panna Tiger Reserve, in Madhya Pradesh, Central India, where a successful reintroduction project has rebuilt the local tiger population following its extinction in 2009. Through an anthropological analysis of ā€˜village-forest relationsā€™ the thesis asks what might be gained by focusing on ā€˜engagementā€™ alongside and beyond predominant narratives of exclusion and conflict between foresters and villagers in the literature on Indian conservation. Based on 15 months of ethnographic fieldwork spent living around the reserve, it explores the different ways in which the Forest Department and local people ā€˜engageā€™ with one another in public outreach, the enforcement of forest regulations, local employment and village relocation. I argue that village-forest relations, as a form of environmental politics, articulates the antagonistic vulnerabilities of ā€˜villageā€™ and jungle and the stateā€™s prioritisation of the latter. In each form of ā€˜engagementā€™, discourses of vulnerable, threatening villagers and vulnerable, threatened jungles legitimise state intervention to reify, separate and control both. At the same time, villagers assert and express their own vulnerability in livelihood, labour and citizenship to work around, negotiate and draw benefits from ā€˜village-forest relationsā€™ and from relationships with other stakeholders in the landscape. I draw on a range of disciplines, including anthropology, environmental history, geography and political ecology, to interrogate and situate key concepts like vulnerability and engagement, speaking to broader discussions about politics, livelihoods, labour, development, bureaucracy and government in Indian conservation contexts. The thesis demonstrates the potential contribution of anthropologies of Indian politics and government to discussions about the impact of conservation on local populations. Finally, the thesis argues for approaches to conservation intervention that make use of the interdependent and locally situated character of village-forest relations towards more equitable outcomes for local people

    Application of advanced technology to space automation

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    Automated operations in space provide the key to optimized mission design and data acquisition at minimum cost for the future. The results of this study strongly accentuate this statement and should provide further incentive for immediate development of specific automtion technology as defined herein. Essential automation technology requirements were identified for future programs. The study was undertaken to address the future role of automation in the space program, the potential benefits to be derived, and the technology efforts that should be directed toward obtaining these benefits

    Investigating Tools and Methods for Data Capture of Forestry Workers

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    The forestry industry in New Zealand has been in the spotlight for many years due to its poor health and safety record. Workplace locations are often remote requiring extended travel times and worksites rarely offer any shelter from the elements. The nature of the work is physically demanding, requiring lots of ā€˜boots on the groundā€™ time, as such employees can be susceptible to impaired performance due to workplace fatigue. In order to assess the impact of activity on performance we initially investigated the relationship between activity measured as steps and simple reaction time. Using Fitbit Charge HR activity trackers we collected physiological data and tested reaction time at various times throughout the day. We identified that an inverse curve relationship existed between activity and reaction time; slower times being recorded at the start and end of the day with faster times through the middle of the day. We then expanded the scope of our study to incorporate individuals working in the forestry industry. PF Olsen a forest management company, sourced sub-contractor crews currently undertaking tree felling and harvesting operations within the Bay of Plenty. Participating crews used separate operational techniques; mechanised by way of plant, manual using a more hands on approach, and hauling, a combination of the two aforementioned techniques. Using the same activity monitors as in our preliminary study we collected physiological data off crew members as they performed their daily duties. In order to assess the possible impact of fatigue we measured both simple and choice reaction time at three periods during the working day; start of shift, after four hours work and at the end of the shift. As workplace locations are open to the elements we also collected ambient temperature readings to further assess their impact as a contributory factor to performance impairment. We identified that in cold temperatures < 0oC individuals have slower reaction times, as temperature increases reaction time decreases. Furthermore we identified that reaction time varies across the daily monitoring periods; generally following the slow-fast-slow relationship as found in our preliminary study. We also noted large variations in reaction time for individuals working in close proximity to mechanised plant, suggesting that the extra vigilance needed to complete tasks in operational areas that are shared with mechanised plant can negatively impact the speed at which an individual can react. The use of automated activity collection facilitated by the use of activity monitors has also provided an insight into the physiological demands of typical roles performed within the harvesting operations. We also suggest captured data from activity trackers can be used in conjunction with current risk assessment processes to add an extra dimension to the risk assessment process, facilitating a more informed view of individual role demands

    Investigating real-time monitoring of fatigue indicators of New Zealand forestry workers

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    The New Zealand forestry industry has one of the highest fatality and injury rates of any industrial sector in the country. Worker fatigue has been identified as one of the main contributing factors. Currently no independent and objective large data source is available that might support an analysis of this, or provide the basis for ongoing monitoring to further investigate. In order to successfully manage fatigue in the forestry workplace, we must identify suitable ways of detecting it. Industry partners are increasingly looking at monitoring solutions (particularly lightweight, wearable technology) that aim to measure worker activities and physiological metrics in order to determine if they are fatigued. In this article we present the results of studies which investigate whether or not such technology can capture meaningful data in a reliable way that is both practical and usable within the forestry domain. Two series of studies were undertaken with in-situ forestry workers using reaction and decision-making times as a measure of potential impairment, while considering activity levels (via step count and heart rate) and job-roles. We present the results of these studies and further provide a comparison of results across different ambient temperatures (winter vs. summer periods). The results of our studies suggest that it may not be possible to identify correlations between workloads (based on both physical and cognitive stresses) and fatigue measures using in-situ measurements as results are highly personalised to individual workers and can be misleading if the wider context is not also taken into consideration

    Forests

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    In this paper, we provide an overview of positioning systems for moving resources in forest and fire management and review the related literature. Emphasis is placed on the accuracy and range of different localization and location-sharing methods, particularly in forested environments and in the absence of conventional cellular or internet connectivity. We then conduct a second review of literature and concepts related to several emerging, broad themes in data science, including the terms |, |, |, |, |, |, and |. Our objective in this second review is to inform how these broader concepts, with implications for networking and analytics, may help to advance natural resource management and science in the future. Based on methods, themes, and concepts that arose in our systematic reviews, we then augmented the paper with additional literature from wildlife and fisheries management, as well as concepts from video object detection, relative positioning, and inventory-tracking that are also used as forms of localization. Based on our reviews of positioning technologies and emerging data science themes, we present a hierarchical model for collecting and sharing data in forest and fire management, and more broadly in the field of natural resources. The model reflects tradeoffs in range and bandwidth when recording, processing, and communicating large quantities of data in time and space to support resource management, science, and public safety in remote areas. In the hierarchical approach, wearable devices and other sensors typically transmit data at short distances using Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), or ANT wireless, and smartphones and tablets serve as intermediate data collection and processing hubs for information that can be subsequently transmitted using radio networking systems or satellite communication. Data with greater spatial and temporal complexity is typically processed incrementally at lower tiers, then fused and summarized at higher levels of incident command or resource management. Lastly, we outline several priority areas for future research to advance big data analytics in natural resources.U01 OH010841/OH/NIOSH CDC HHSUnited States/U54 OH007544/OH/NIOSH CDC HHSUnited States

    Integrating Community Knowledge into Environmental and Natural Resource Decision-Making: Notes from Alaska and Around the World

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    Community knowledge (including traditional, local, and indigenous knowledge) has a role to play in government agency decisions regarding the environment and natural resources. This article considers the benefits of using community knowledge, as well as obstacles to collecting this knowledge and integrating it with Western science. The article further discusses how federal agencies in Alaska use community knowledge and laws that potentially affect this use (including the Data Quality Act). Finally, the article provides recommendations for agencies to consider in collecting and using community knowledge
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