Improved water safety planning : insights into the role of organisational culture

Unsafe water, as many recent outbreaks have shown, has the potential to cause widespread illness and even death. Water Safety Plans (WSPs) are advocated as the best way of ensuring good safe drinking water using a risk management approach. Using a case study approach to generate qualitative data, organisational culture and WSP development in water suppliers of varying size, development and structure was studied to look for examples of best practice or barriers to effective implementation. Despite WSPs being promoted since 2004, suppliers are still experiencing challenges in implementation, with deeper organisational culture barriers prevalent such as: lack of awareness and recognition; uncertainty; complacency; poor internal relationships; competing priorities; and contrasting internal cultures, in addition to the commonly espoused reasons of a lack of time or resources. Concern was raised that the public health motivator of WSPs was becoming lost, as a wide range of additional ‘added value’ drivers and benefits were identified such as cost savings or commercial drivers. This was echoed in broader organisational missions and drivers identified; whilst may employees still identified quality and public health as important, more formal declarations often prioritised other areas. In response to identified organisational culture barriers, a ‘taxonomy’ of positive cultural attributes and a number of practical tools were developed that may assist suppliers in developing a supportive organisational culture for sustainable WSP implementation. These positive elements included: managerial commitment; learning culture; effective internal and external relationships; accountability; open reporting culture; continual improvement culture; empowerment of staff; organisational commitment; proactivity; leadership and advocacy; mindfulness of public health; image and competitiveness. A number of recommendations can be made to those wishing to implement WSPs. Primarily, it is urged that organisational culture and how it can impact on effective WSP implementation should be considered. Perceived lack of time and resources may actually be representative of deeper cultural barriers, and recognise that WSP implementation is more than just following a set of instructions, it will require instilling a water safety ‘culture’ within the organisation.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Development of an integrated safety, health and environmental management capability maturity model for Ghanaian construction companies

With high rates of accidents, injuries, illnesses, negative environmental impacts and other well-being issues still recorded in the construction sector, as well its social and economic impacts, the need for safety health and environmental (SHE) improvement has become critical. Management systems, particularly environmental management systems (EMS) and safety management systems (SHMS), have been identified as innovative and systematic approaches for companies to manage SHE risks effectively in order to improve their SHE performance. However, the adoption and implementation of EMS and SHMS in the construction sector, particularly in developing countries like Ghana, has been slow and generally low, mainly due to cost and the bureaucracy that comes with the parallel implementation of standalone management systems. There is, therefore, a need for an integrated SHE management framework for effective SHE risks management and control in the construction sector. However, there is no single integrated SHE management framework for construction organisations to use, especially those within developing countries. Neither is there any mechanism by which construction companies can ascertain their capability in implementing integrated SHE management in order to guide efforts to improve their SHE performance. This research was undertaken to develop an integrated SHE management capability maturity model (SHEM-CMM) that can be used by construction firms in the Ghanaian construction industry.To achieve the aim of the study, a quantitative research approach was adopted. It involved a comprehensive literature review to generate potential capability attributes relevant to integrated SHE management. Following the literature review, a survey of experienced SHE experts was undertaken in order to verify the suitability of the identified integrated SHE management capability attributes. Subsequently, a three-round Delphi technique was undertaken with experienced SHE management experts (round 1 n=41, round 2 n=31 and round 3 n=30) and accompanied by the application of voting analytical hierarchy process, to ascertain the relative weight/priority of the capability attributes. This study found 20 integrated SHE management capability attributes which are clustered into five categories, namely: strategy; process; people; resources; and information. Collectively, the attributes within the ‘strategy’ category are the most important, followed by the ‘people’ and then ‘process’ attributes. Drawing on the capability maturity concept, an integrated SHE management capability maturity model (SHEM-CMM) was developed. The model is composed of 20 integrated SHE management capability attributes which are mapped on to five levels of capability maturity ranging from Level 1 to Level 5, and with each level having a distinct maturity level descriptor. The integrated SHEM-CMM was then validated by 59 construction professionals including SHE experts in construction companies operating in the Ghanaian construction industry in order to ensure the adequacy and practical usefulness of the model. This research has contributed to the existing body of knowledge on SHE management by establishing integrated SHE management capability attributes and their relative weight of importance. Furthermore, the research has developed a novel integrated SHEM-CMM which has practical usefulness in the construction industry. The model provides a systematic approach for SHE management capability evaluation and improvement in construction. It is anticipated that the developed capability maturity model would be used by construction firms to systematically assess their SHE management capability and identify ways to further improve their SHE management in order to obtain better SHE performance outcomes

Implementation of ISO19650 based framework for asset management in logistics centres for a major food retailer

Dissertação de mestrado em Modelação de Informação na Construção de Edifícios BIM A+A relevância da informação tem acelerado a par da importância das profissões que envolvem dados, com a gestão da informação a assumir um papel central. Para a indústria AECO (Arquitectura, Engenharia, Construção e Operações) BIM representa dados (geométricos e não geométricos) e verifica-se, em muitos casos, que os dados originados na construção são pouco ou nada utilizados durante as fases de exploração dos edificios e na manutenção dos mesmos. Com base nesta realidade é de grande importância investigar a gestão de ativos e sua integração com BIM. Esta pesquisa aborda o tema através de pesquisa estruturada quanto á utilização passada e presente da metodologia BIM na gestão de ativos e manutenção. A pesquisa também aponta a questões em torno da implementação da norma ISO-19650 para as indústrias de operações e manutenção, pelo desenvolvimento duma estruturação que identifica e lista os requisitos de informação relevantes aplicáveis (OIR, AIR e EIR), bem como o nível de informação necessário. A revisão de literatura aponta a que há poucos casos de implementação na área da gestão de ativos com recurso a BIM. Verifica-se que os gestores de manutenção e ativos procuram casos de sucesso verificáveis para convencer proprietários e/ou investidores nas vantagens da adoção de BIM. Ao definir os requisitos de informação para a operação e manutenção de ativos utilizando os dados recolhidos no caso estudado, esta dissertação contribuiu para o aprofundar de conhecimento na implementação da referida gestão. Uma vez que a gestão com recurso à integração BIM é ainda nova nas operações e manutenção, há pouca pesquisa verificável no tema, como já apontado. Para melhor percebermos o nível de implementação BIM em operações e manutenção, o autor estudou sistematicamente o processo de gestão de ativos da logística do maior retalhista alimentar em Portugal, SONAE MC. O objetivo desta pesquisa é criar uma estrutura de trabalho para a implementação dum sistema de gestão de ativos baseado na norma ISO-16950 e que será aplicável a um ‘site’ real da empresa. Esta dissertação também procura utilizar a capacidade de visualização e exploração isométrica BIM, dando à equipa de gestão uma nova ferramenta que garante informação geométrica e que permite melhorias no planeamento das intervenções de manutenção, resolução de problemas e uma intervenção que se prevê mais rápida e produtiva. Como parte da implementação da norma ISO-19650 esta dissertação explorou ainda a modelação direcionada à gestão de ativos, pelo estudo da importação e exportação de dados COBie no sistema (CMMS) da empresa (IBM MAXIMO), em paralelo com a integração desses dados COBie num ‘plugin’ de visualização BIM (Autodesk Forge), que foi instalado no ambiente de gestão existente. Este processo permitiu a reengenharia do sistema de gestão de ativos na logística SONAEMC, permitindo um processo único, sequencial, poupando tempo e garantindo uma organização mais eficaz dos dados e exploração dos mesmos no processo de gestão.In recent times, the relevance of information has grown in prominence with roles involving data or information management taking centre stage. For the AECO (Architecture, Engineering, Construction and Operations) industry BIM represents data (geometric and non-geometric). The data from construction has been put to little or no use in the operation and maintenance stage. Based on this proposition it is of great value to investigate BIM-asset management integration. This research approaches the subject by carrying out structured research into the past and present use of BIM methodology in asset management. It also highlights issues around ISO-19650 implementation for the operations and maintenance industry, by developing a framework that promotes the creation of relevant ISO 19650 information requirements documents (OIR, AIR and EIR) and level of information need. The literature review reveals that there is a lack of case study implementations in the area of BIM-asset management. Asset managers generally require verifiable data from case studies to convince building owners and investors to adopt BIM. By defining the information requirements for operation and maintenance using the data collected from the case study, this dissertation has contributed to increased knowledge in BIM- asset management implementation. Since BIM- asset management integration is still new in the operations and maintenance areas, there is little verifiable research on this topic. To understand the status of BIM implementation in the operations and maintenance fields, the author systematically studied the logistics operations asset management process of the largest food and consumer goods company in Portugal, Sonae MC. The objective of this research is to create a framework for the implementation of an ISO 19650 compliant BIM based asset management system, for the case study in which such system will be applicable for a chosen existing facility. This dissertation also aims to use BIM visualization capabilities to provide the asset management team with tools containing both geometric and other asset relevant information and that will allow for improved maintenance planning, better problem solving and faster reactive maintenance response times. As a part of the ISO 19650 implementation process, this dissertation explored subjects on modelling for asset management purposes, importing and exporting COBie data in a Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) IBM Maximo. Alongside COBie data integration, a BIM viewer plugin (Autodesk Forge) was installed within Maximo asset management environment. This implementation process allowed the reengineering of the asset management system in Sonae MC, namely simplifying the existing workflow, saving time spent uploading individual asset information and improving the overall information storage and management process.Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree Programme – ERASMUS+ European Master in Building Information Modelling BIM A

Arkansas Soybean Research Studies 2021

Arkansas is the leading soybean-producing state in the mid-southern United States. Arkansas ranked 11th in soybean production in 2021 compared to the other soybean-producing states in the U.S. The state represented 3.49% of the total U.S. soybean production and 3.49% of the total acres planted in soybean in 2021. The 2021 state soybean average yield was 52.0 bushels per acre, setting a new state record and surpassing the previous yield record of 51.5 bushels per acre set in 2020. The top five soybean-producing counties in 2021 were Mississippi, Phillips, Crittenden, Poinsett, and Arkansas (Table 1). These five counties accounted for over 35% of the soybean production in Arkansas in 2021. Weather events during the early portion of the 2021 growing season were much improved compared to those during 2020. However, frequent rain events hampered preplant tillage and delayed planting for some portions of the state. On 19 and 20 April 2021, a cold front moved across the state and set daily record low temperatures for several locations in the state. Soybean planting during 2021 was ahead of the previous year and the 5-year average for planting progress. According to the 6 June 2021 USDA-NASS Arkansas Crop Progress and Condition Report (USDA-NASS, 2021), 86% of the soybean acreage had been planted as of 1 June compared to 75% and 81% for the 2020 and the 5-year average planting progress, respectively. With improved weather conditions and higher commodity prices, Arkansas soybean producers planted 3.04 million acres in 2021. This was an increase in acreage compared to 2020 and back to over 3 million acres planted compared to the last two years. The most significant event in Arkansas during the 2021 growing season was several rounds of heavy rainfall in southeast Arkansas during June. In 48 hours on 8 and 9 June 2021, Rohwer in Desha County received 19.22 inches of rain. This rain event was the second-highest 48-hour total on record in Arkansas. Approximately 600,000 acres of cropland in the southeastern portion of the state were affected by the flooding, with an estimated 300,000 acres fully submerged from 1 to 2 weeks. Most of the soybean acreage in this portion of the state was in early reproduction. Due to the flooding, many fields were abandoned or replanted. Yields were significantly reduced due to replants occurring in late June and into July

Methodology and tools for improving competence of a chemical plant characterized by a complex Supply Chain network

Supply chain performance is strongly influenced by its design, chosen architecture, logistic network and types of finished product that made their marketplace. Sometimes environmental reasons like site location due to deals between government administration and companies may cause changes in logical design and hence increase logistic network complexity and become in a strategic Supply Chain constraint. Our case study addresses a geographic place of a chemical manufacturing plant inside its supply chain which the 86% of the domestic raw material suppliers, its unique distribution center and 100% of the plastic and metallic packaging suppliers are placed over 800 kilometers of distance. Starting from this restriction the research work consists in how redesign and rethink the architecture of the existing supply chain and optimize the processes inside the chemical plant trying to minimize the cost disadvantages related directly to the physical location of the factory. This research treats the selection of coordination and collaborative mechanisms between supply chain members, other company departments and outsourcing partners in order to create a collaborative coordinated model for optimization of this complex supply chain network. Besides this environment limitation, the most salient threats were internal at the company and consisted successfully implement coordinated actions to improve the management of processes and to take practical level. Fighting against the cultural change of the sectors involved and achieves the proposed expected results. The thesis consists of five practical cases studies of coordinated process for performance improvement. Each one being part of an integrated system that converges in a Plant performance common goal, which is increase supply chain competence. RQ1 tries to identify the processes which will be possible to apply the SC new model and management system emerged from the theoretical study and practical benchmarking cases. The research design is then presented by the implementation at Plant’s field level of the proposed develop scheme using the coordinated collaborative improvement model. RQ2 asks whether the chosen cases are adequate. Selecting the best alternative proposed for each thread. After that, the obtained results are presented and discussed for each field case. The focus of the research study is on supply chain practice and supply chain theoretical framework also. To conclude with the author experience that remarks supply chain practice has been heavily influenced by supply chain research and vice versa

Applications and Experiences of Quality Control

The rich palette of topics set out in this book provides a sufficiently broad overview of the developments in the field of quality control. By providing detailed information on various aspects of quality control, this book can serve as a basis for starting interdisciplinary cooperation, which has increasingly become an integral part of scientific and applied research

Acta kinesiologiae Universitatis Tartuensis. 12(Supplement)

http://www.ester.ee/record=b1227224*es

Assessing the reliability, validity and acceptance of a classification scheme of usability problems (CUP)

Post-print (lokagerð höfunda)The aim of this study was to evaluate the Classification of Usability Problems (CUP) scheme. The goal of CUP is to classify usability problems further to give user interface developers better feedback to improve their understanding of usability problems, help them manage usability maintenance, enable them to find effective fixes for UP, and prevent such problems from reoccurring in the future. First, reliability was evaluated with raters of different levels of expertise and experience in using CUP. Second, acceptability was assessed with a questionnaire. Third, validity was assessed by developers in two field studies. An analytical comparison was also made to three other classification schemes. CUP reliability results indicated that the expertise and experience of raters are critical factors for assessing reliability consistently, especially for the more complex attributes. Validity analysis results showed that tools used by developers must be tailored to their working framework, knowledge and maturity. The acceptability study showed that practitioners are concerned with the effort spent in applying any tool. To understand developers’ work and the implications of this study two theories are presented for understanding and prioritising UP. For applying classification schemes, the implications of this study are that training and context are needed.Peer Reviewe