Behind the Technology: CT Perfusion in the Setting of Acute Stroke Management

Computed Tomography Perfusion (CTP) is an imaging modality that generates parametric maps of cerebral hemodynamics which are useful in the assessment of suspected acute ischemic stoke. However, the technology underlying CTP is complex and serious controversy surrounds the safety of CTP tests and the reproducibility and validity of CTP results. This report briefly outlines the history of CTP, its current clinical applications for stroke management, the main controversies surrounding CTP, and future directions for this technology

Risk Informed Support of Decision Making in Nuclear Power Plant Emergency Zoning - Generic Framework towards Harmonising NPP Emergency Planning Practices

The report provides a systematic overview of the essential aspects of risk informed support of decision making (RIDM) in nuclear power plant (NPP) emergency zoning (EZ) as a contribution to harmonising strategic practices in the area. Owing to the state-of-the-art understanding and increased characterisation of NPP severe accidents, overall management of them should be analysed as an integrated complex process. The interrelationship of NPP emergency operating procedures, safety and risk assessments, severe accident management guidelines, and emergency off-site actions should be planned and organised to minimize the consequences of such accidents. A deterministic approach, coupled with both probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) technology and PSA results can play significant role in the development of relevant nuclear utility, regulatory and all stakeholders policies. The report describes the background, objectives and current state of a corresponding activity within JRC-IE's Analysis and Management of Nuclear Accidents (AMA) Action on probabilistic safety / risk assessment methodologies and practices for RIDM approach applied to NPP EZ. The approach is interdisciplinary, based on integration of PSA technology, severe accident phenomenology, and radiological protection.JRC.F.4-Nuclear design safet

CBR and MBR techniques: review for an application in the emergencies domain

The purpose of this document is to provide an in-depth analysis of current reasoning engine practice and the integration strategies of Case Based Reasoning and Model Based Reasoning that will be used in the design and development of the RIMSAT system. RIMSAT (Remote Intelligent Management Support and Training) is a European Commission funded project designed to: a.. Provide an innovative, 'intelligent', knowledge based solution aimed at improving the quality of critical decisions b.. Enhance the competencies and responsiveness of individuals and organisations involved in highly complex, safety critical incidents - irrespective of their location. In other words, RIMSAT aims to design and implement a decision support system that using Case Base Reasoning as well as Model Base Reasoning technology is applied in the management of emergency situations. This document is part of a deliverable for RIMSAT project, and although it has been done in close contact with the requirements of the project, it provides an overview wide enough for providing a state of the art in integration strategies between CBR and MBR technologies.Postprint (published version

Starting a Safety Management System Culture in Small Flight School Organizations

Small flight school organizations have unique cultures and challenges which are very different from larger air carrier and air charter organizations. In the modern, increasingly complex aviation environment, the rapid rate of evolution and change in technology, regulations, and operational considerations is driving aviation service providers to adopt the use of Safety Management Systems (SMS). A strong safety-oriented culture is needed to support the implementation of an SMS, however. This article studies the prerequisite safety culture challenge for small flight school organizations and makes recommendations on effective first steps for getting started with an SMS implementation initiative

Reflections on the Information Management System for Highway Tunnel Construction

In the process of tunnel construction in China, various accidental and unforeseen factors arise, making it a complex and intersecting endeavor involving multiple stakeholders. Safety risks are particularly prominent in tunnel construction due to its inherent nature. With the advancement of information technology, intelligent systems, and the Internet, leveraging advanced internet technologies becomes feasible for comprehensive monitoring of the entire tunnel construction process and dynamic management of all relevant information. This facilitates the intelligent and information of tunnel construction, reduces quality and safety risks, and elevates the level of tunnel construction management. This paper provides a thoughtful design for the information system of tunnel construction, aiming to serve as a reference for the development of information in tunnel engineering

Buildings as complex systems: the impact of organisational culture on building safety

High-risk buildings can be considered as complex systems involving various social actors and technology, which draws attention to the organisational and social underpinnings of their safety. This research draws on complex systems theory and high reliability organisations (HRO) literature to develop insights into the cultural aspects of safety management and regulation of high-risk buildings. Ten semi-structured interviews were undertaken to explore the opinions and experiences of built environment professionals in England about the ongoing regulatory changes regarding high-risk buildings following the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower. The findings expose some aspects of the organisational culture that underpin the safety-related behaviour in high-risk building life cycle in England, which are incompatible with those that underpin HRO. The findings also show how the studied regulatory changes are subsumed by this organisational culture and fail to deliver their intention. Hence, the paper establishes organisational culture of the building life cycle as a key consideration for safety management and regulation of high-risk buildings. The conclusion calls for future regulatory, practical and research efforts to develop a better appreciation of the organisational culture, and to aim for measures to cultivate a culture that enables collective mindfulness

Behavior analysis of factors affecting safety management to reduce incidents in the pelletizing industry using the system dynamics approach

The purpose of this study was to analyze the behavior of effective factors on safety management to reduce incidents in the pelletizing industry using the system dynamics approach. Risk assessment for the Sechahon pelletizing plant was performed using the FMEA method. A total of 625 risks were identified in this complex of which 286 are high risk RPNs and need to be scrutinized. These risks were categorized according to their nature and consequences in five physical categories, exposure to dust, ergonomics, emergencies and psychosocial risks, so that they can be reviewed in detail. The results showed that decreasing the number of incidents in the risk reduction scenario would reduce the incidence earlier, and is initially more than other policies. The scenario of risk reduction is the best scenario in the short term. The technology improvement scenario shows an incremental growth trend, but the scenario of the current situation can better decrease the number of incidents. The human resource management and safety management scenario will initially be on an upward trend and will continue to decline. The human resource management and safety management scenario is a good way to reduce disasters in the long run. Keywords: safety management, system dynamics, incident reduction, pelletizing industry. DOI: 10.7176/IEL/10-1-06 Publication date: February 29th 202

Patient Safety: State-Of-The-Art in Health Care Management and Future Directions

The needs for health system change and improved patient safety have been pointed out by policymakers, researchers, and managers for several decades. Patient safety is now widely accepted as being fundamental to all aspects of health care. The question motivating this special volume on patient safety is: How can the increased emphasis on patient safety among health care managers be more effectively translated into better policy and reduced clinical risk? The 12 contributions in this volume are divided into four sections: (1) theoretical perspectives on managing patient safety; (2) top management perspectives on patient safety; (3) health information technology (HIT) perspectives on patient safety; and (4) organizational behavior and change perspectives on patient safety. Patient safety is a topic that provides a fertile niche for management researchers to test existing theories and develop new ones. For example, the patient safety goals of reducing medical errors while maximizing health outcomes draws upon the tenets of evidence-based medicine (EBM), as well as the managerial theories of human relations, organizational culture, organizational development, organizational learning, organizational structure, quality improvement, and systems thinking. Indeed, these and other managerial theories are drawn upon and applied in different ways by the various contributors. Overall, the authors of this volume demonstrate that the future of patient safety for health care management requires health care professionals and managers who can successfully engage in multi-faceted projects that are socially and technically complex

Prognostics: Design, Implementation, and Challenges

Prognostics is an essential part of condition-based maintenance (CBM), described as predicting the remaining useful life (RUL) of a system. It is also a key technology for an integrated vehicle health management (IVHM) system that leads to improved safety and reliability. A vast amount of research has been presented in the literature to develop prognostics models that are able to predict a system’s RUL. These models can be broadly categorised into experience-based models, data-driven models and physics-based models. Therefore, careful consideration needs to be given to selecting which prognostics model to take forward and apply for each real application. Currently, developing reliable prognostics models in real life is challenging for various reasons, such as the design complexity associated with a system, the high uncertainty and its propagation in the degradation, system level prognostics, the evaluation framework and a lack of prognostics standards. This paper is written with the aim to bring forth the challenges and opportunities for developing prognostics models for complex systems and making researchers aware of these challenges and opportunities