Tracking Foodborne Pathogens from Farm to Table: Data Needs to Evaluate Control Options

Food safety policymakers and scientists came together at a conference in January 1995 to evaluate data available for analyzing control of foodborne microbial pathogens. This proceedings starts with data regarding human illnesses associated with foodborne pathogens and moves backwards in the food chain to examine pathogen data in the processing sector and at the farm level. Of special concern is the inability to link pathogen data throughout the food chain. Analytical tools to evaluate the impact of changing production and consumption practices on foodborne disease risks and their economic consequences are presented. The available data are examined to see how well they meet current analytical needs to support policy analysis. The policymaker roundtable highlights the tradeoffs involved in funding databases, the economic evaluation of USDA's Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) proposal and other food safety policy issues, and the necessity of a multidisciplinary approach toward improving food safety databases.food safety, cost benefit analysis, foodborne disease risk, foodborne pathogens, Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP), probabilistic scenario analysis, fault-tree analysis, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Landowners' liability? is perception of the risk of liability for visitors accidents a barrier to countryside access?

The study seeks to analyse both the perception and reality of liability risk for owners of countryside land for injuries suffered by recreational visitors. The study starts by evaluating the relevant legislation and case law in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland on countryside access and liability in tort for injury suffered by visitors to such places. In doing so it reviews legislation such as Health &amp; Safety at Work Act 1974, Countryside &amp; Rights of Way Act 2000, Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003, Occupiers' Liability Acts 1957 &amp; 1984, Animals Act 1971 and the Compensation Act 2006. Through appraisal of this legislation and key cases such as Tomlinson -v- Congleton Borough Council (2004) the actual level of liability risk is assessed to be low. The study then investigates the rise of a pervasive discourse amongst policy makers, judiciary and senior business figures asserting the need to avoid further development of a risk adverse culture within the UK and/or to tackle a growth in the perceived "compensation culture". A link to deregulation and pro-entrepreneurship interests is shown. The reality of compensation claim rates and associated behaviours is then examined. Issues of liability risk perception are then addressed by reviewing in detail the limited available UK literature on liability perception by landowners and comparing this with evidence from the United States and New Zealand. Case studies of alleged risk adverse land management are then examined to test the evidence base for common assertions of excess regulation and/or withdrawal of access to land or facilities through fear of liability. Finally, the study explores (via interviews of 21 land managers and representative bodies) how liability risks are actually perceived by land owners and the extent of awareness of recent changes in discourse and case law regarding public safety issues. In doing so the study reveals the ways in which land managers in large pro-access agencies and utilities develop common standards and understandings around the level of "reasonably practicable" safety provision. The study concludes with recommendations for further research to investigate the way in which liability risk perceptions are formed by smaller landowners who are more remote from such "interpretive communities" (Fish 1980).</p

Application of Cognitive Systems Engineering Approach to Railway Systems (System for Investigation of Railway Interfaces)

This chapter presents the results of a cognitive systems engineering approach applied to railway systems. This application is through the methodology of ’System for Investigation of Railway Interfaces – SIRI’. The utility of the chapter lies in highlighting errors in the current approaches to safety risk management

Trees and public liability - who really decides what is reasonably safe

This article has its origins in investigations that the author has been undertaking into the effects of public safety and liability perception in the built and natural environment (e.g. Bennett & Crowe, 2008; Bennett, 2009 and Bennett & Gibbeson, 2010). In these previous studies the author and colleagues have examined the impact of public safety and liability concerns upon memorial management in cemeteries, access to the countryside and to the training of built environment professionals. In these studies the aim has been to explore how the liability perceptions of owners and managers of such places is formed, and specifically whether public safety and liability perceptions have a tendency to cluster around certain patterns and conventions within particular ‘interpretive communities’ (Fish 1980). Underlying these studies is a hypothesis that lay communities are at least as important as lawyers and courts in setting what the law regarding liability for site safety actually is in practice. In this paper the aim is to directly engage with an interpretive community that is engaged in a phase of public safety and liability anxiety, in this case current debate about the merits (or otherwise) of setting explicit standards for the safety inspection of trees

Analysis of Haul Truck- Related Fatalities and Injuries in Surface Coal Mining in West Virginia

Trucks are the primary means of haulage in surface coal, metal, and nonmetal mining operations. The number of fatal accidents involving trucks is higher when compared to all other mining equipment. The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) reports that 137 fatalities were haul truck- related in the United States between 1995 and 2011. A total of 12 truck-related accidents, including 13 fatalities, were recorded in surface coal mining operations in West Virginia (WV) during this period. The objectives of this research were to (i) analyze the root causes of these accidents, and (ii) develop effective intervention strategies to eliminate these fatalities. The Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) technique was used to systematically analyze truck related fatalities. Data on truck-related injury accidents in West Virginia surface coal mines during 2012 and 2013 were also analyzed in this study. Results of the study indicate that inadequate or improper pre-operational check and poor maintenance of trucks were the two most common root causes of these accidents. A total of eight accidents occurred on haul roads, while 10 accidents occurred while the trucks were moving forward. The two most violated provisions of Code of Federal Regulations were 30 CFR§77.404 - Machinery and equipment; operation and maintenance (six times), and 30 CFR§77.1606 - Loading and haulage equipment; inspection and maintenance (five times).;A total of 223 reported injuries were recorded at West Virginia surface coal mines. With the exception of two missing data, a total of 178 accidents were equipment-related and 43 accidents occurred without equipment being involved. The equipment categories accounting for the most number of injuries were: truck (57 times) and bulldozer/dozer/crawler tractor (43 times). The majority of the truck-related injuries occurred within the worker\u27s first five years at the mine and within the first five years at their current job title. Workers between ages 25 and 39 had the greatest percentage of injuries. Most injuries were recorded during Section I (6:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.), and the fall season has the greatest number of truck-related injuries of all four seasons. Regarding the nature of injury, sprains and strains made up about 32%, topping all other types of injuries. The most commonly injured body part in truck-related injuries was the Multiple parts. .;A two-pronged approach to accident prevention was used: one that is fundamental and traditional (safety regulations, training and education, and engineering of the work environment); and one that is innovative and creative (e.g., applying technological advances to better control and eliminate the root causes of accidents). Suggestions for improving current training and education system were proposed, and recommendations were provided on improving the safety of mine working conditions, specifically safety conditions on haul roads, dump sites, and loading areas. Currently available technologies that can help prevent haul truck-related fatal accidents were also discussed. The results of this research may be used by mine personnel to help create safer working conditions and decrease truck-related fatalities and injuries in surface coal mining

Deterioration of timber bridges using a Fault Tree Analysis

The Department of Transport and Main Roads within the Mackay/Whitsundays region has 62 timber bridges which have progressively deteriorated and are nearing the end of their operational life expectancy. The department is responsible for providing a safe and operational road network which includes the appropriate maintenance of these timber structures. It is expected that within the Mackay/Whitsunday region there is an annual expenditure of approximately 5 million dollars allocated to maintain and rehabilitate timber bridges, which highlights the need for effective and timely maintenance scheduling. This dissertation will identify the probability of conditional state of movement for each structural member of a timber bridge. The probability of deterioration of these structures are indicative of the deterioration rate over 3 time periods (2, 3 and 5 years). Inspection reports are used for the foundation of the data to identify and track the movement paths for the different condition states. The movement of condition states are then subjected to probability methods (Markov Chain, Fault Tree Analysis) to depict the chance of a member changing condition states over that time period. A Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) is utilised to investigate the probability over the given time period. The FTA was also used to depict the probability of movement from the timber bridge as a whole, the superstructure and substructure sections. The results indicated the probability of any structural member moving conditional states over the 3 time periods is indicative of the deterioration of timber bridges and this deterioration is indicative of the maintenance required to be performed. The (FTA) is in respect to the data collected within the Mackay/Whitsundays region and local weather/geological conditions, however this may differ depending on the location and conditions to which the timber is exposed

Development of a Methodology for Evaluating and Anticipating Improvised Explosive Device Threat Activity Using a Fault Tree Based Process

This document is a redacted version of the original dissertation titled \u27Development of a Methodology for Evaluating and Anticipating Improvised Explosive Device Threat Activity Using a Fault Tree Based Process.\u27 To allow for publication, information was removed which was considered sensitive in nature or which could be used by those who employ the Improvised Explosive Device, to negate any advantage gained by this research. The complete un-redacted dissertation is available (with proper vetting) to those whishing to further develop the concepts outlined in this document. Those interested in obtaining access to the complete document should contact the Joint IED Defeat Organization (JIEDDO). To date there is little published evidence to believe that a sufficient IED threat prediction capability has been developed. Most of the countermeasures seen on the battlefield today are reactive in nature designed to neutralize the effects of a device before it causes injury to military and civilian personnel. These countermeasures have meet with varying levels of success. An efficient threat prediction capability will significantly increase the ability of military forces to eliminate the threat associated with the IED. The lack of an accurate threat prediction capability is a possible result of not having identified all of the variables or the variable relationships associated with IED placement. This research analyzes the variables associated with an IED incident and develops an IED threat prediction process using the Fault Tree model. This dissertation also explores the use of visualization software to determine their suitability in C-IED operations. Furthermore, the application of a Fault Tree based process as a decision support tool for use by decision makers involved in C-IED operations is analyzed. This research is conducted in three phases with the first phase dedicated to the development of a Fault Tree diagram representing an IED incident. During this phase a complete Fault Tree is constructed identifying, sequencing, and establishing relationships between all variable associated with a successful IED attack against a military vehicle operating on a road. The second phase outlines the development of a complete process intended to serve as an operational guide for those attempting to employ the concepts addressed. To ensure a more precise understanding of the required procedures, a theoretical case study was used to articulate and demonstrate the requisite activities. Through this research, events were identified as required for an effective attack to take place. Through the integration of the Fault Tree, probability information and visualization assets a threat prediction capability is demonstrated. The ability to predict IED activity will provide military personnel a distinct advantage in defeating the IED threat and directly contribute to the increased safety of military and civilian personnel living and operating in an IED environment