Voice Alarm System in Emergency Evacuation

Under emergency situations such as large fires, floods, hazardousmaterials, etc., incident commander have to manage an evacuation in help of alarm systems (audible or/and visual notification). This article reviewed selected literature relevant to ergonomics of alarm systems (esp. voice alarm system) in emergency evacuation, and occupants’ response behavior to the voice alarm. The literature cited is of world-wide origin, and is mainly from China,Canada and U.S.. At the end of the article, future directions in the research area are recommended

Evaluating the effectiveness of an improved active dynamic signage system using full scale evacuation trials

Emergency exit signs form an essential part of building wayfinding systems. However, in some emergency evacuation situations many people fail to see the emergency exit signs and in some cases, even if detected by the population, the signs have been ineffective in leading them to safety. These failings are primarily due to their inability to attract the immediate attention of the people they are there to assist and their lack of an ability to respond to a changing threat environment. The need for exit signs that attract attention when they need to be conspicuous, to redirect people to not just an exit route, but a viable and if possible an optimal exit route in an evolving emergency has driven the development of a new generation of advanced signage system, the Intelligent Active Dynamic Signage System (IADSS). The IADSS, developed as part of the European Commission FP7 funded GETAWAY project, attempts to meet these needs through the development of a novel Active Dynamic Signage System (ADSS) which can be controlled by an intelligent decision support system. This paper presents results that refine the effectiveness of the ADSS. When an exit route is considered non-viable, the adapted ADSS provides not only negative information i.e. that an exit is no longer available, but also positive information, i.e. directing the population to an alternative exit. In addition, in situations where a voice alarm system is used in conjunction with the ADSS, it is also important to ensure that the messaging does not potentially contradict the intent of the ADSS. The improved ADSS was tested in full-scale evacuation trials in a rail station. The trials suggest that the improved ADSS with voice alarm messaging that does not contradict the signage system successfully redirected 66% of the participants to the intended exit

Spartan Daily March 2, 2010

Volume 134, Issue 17https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/spartandaily/1233/thumbnail.jp

Tracking Chart 2002 Reebok, USA 12008222A

This document is part of a digital collection provided by the Martin P. Catherwood Library, ILR School, Cornell University, pertaining to the effects of globalization on the workplace worldwide. Special emphasis is placed on labor rights, working conditions, labor market changes, and union organizing.FLA_2002_Reebok_TC_USA_12008222A.pdf: 12 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020

Texas A&M University at Galveston

Located in Galveston, Texas, the Marine Science Department offers several undergraduate degree programs and a graduate degree program in marine resources management. The department also conducts cutting edge research in oceanography, theory, and marine policy. Site offers curriculum and admissions information, as well as all the latest news and events, and photos of the lab and students doing research. Educational levels: Graduate or professional, Undergraduate lower division, Undergraduate upper division

How does the pitch and pattern of a signal affect auditory arousal thresholds?

How arousal thresholds vary with different sounds is a critical issue for emergency awakenings, especially as sleepers are dying in fires despite having a working smoke alarm. Previous research shows that the current high pitched (3000+ Hz) smoke alarm signal is significantly less effective than an alternative signal, the 520 Hz square wave, in all populations tested. However, as the number of sounds tested has been small further research is needed. Here we measured auditory arousal thresholds (AATs) across signals with a range of characteristics to determine the most effective waking signal. Thirty nine young adults participated over three nights. In Part A, nine signals were presented in stage 4 sleep with ascending decibel levels. Signals were short beeps in the low to mid frequency range with different spectral complexities: square waves, pure tones, whoops and white noise. Part B manipulated temporal patterns, inserting silences of 0, 10 and 21 seconds after each 12 seconds of beeps. It was found that the low frequency (400 and 520 Hz) square waves yielded significantly lower AATs than the alternatives. A trend was found across the three temporal manipulations, with a 10 second intervening silence showing some advantage. These findings support earlier research indicating that the best sound for awakening from deep sleep is a low frequency square wave. It is argued that the signal with the lowest response threshold when awake may be the same as the most arousing signal when asleep, especially where the sleeper processes the signal as meaningful

The interaction between occupants and fire alarm systems in complex buildings

This Masters dissertation reviews the present methods of research in evacuation, various major fires are reported as part of this process. The findings of this research indicates that a delay in warning occupants in a building, to the threat of a fire, is a constant feature in fire disasters. Further the provision of early warning and an appropriate response are considered with reference to the reduction of the number of fatalities in fires. The thesis concerns the hypothesis that people with enhanced alarm information exhibit diminished panic. The resultant technological developments such as voice alarm messages and Informative Fire Warning systems [IFW] are reported. The effect of these systems by the minimisation of pre-movement or occupant response time in the decision making process are studied. Effects concerning the influence of, for example, mobility and alcohol upon human behaviour are also reported. The main thrust of this thesis is to examine the methods by which the time of evacuation to safety in complex buildings can be observed and assessed. Two evacuation experiments on a shopping centre are studied and measurements were taken using digital technology to count occupants during the evacuations. The findings of the experimental work are summarised and reported and the adequacy of the fire evacuation system is assessed. The importance concerning management arrangements and alarm systems and future research are discussed. The two experiments were carried out using the Footfall digital counting mechanism proved very successful and the recording of all the data was carried out by the author with no additional assistance. The fire drills resulted in some interesting findings regarding occupant behaviour. The occupants appeared to place considerable trust in the information they received. The observed behaviour in the response to both fire evacuation drills in a similar environment may be explained in part by the task characteristics of the perceived emergency and the mode of cognitive processing created by such circumstances. This suggests that untrained, unprepared occupants tend to resort to informal or intuitive processing, which can be influenced by instruction from either an alarm system or by persons in authority. The prospects for further work are the carrying-out of more evacuation experiments in order to develop reliability in the determination of pre-movement times. Further experiments would be in other types of premises of varying configurations and occupancies, using the same type of recording equipment that proved effective in the two experiments carried out

Tracking Chart 2005 Nike, Sri Lanka 02027085D

This document is part of a digital collection provided by the Martin P. Catherwood Library, ILR School, Cornell University, pertaining to the effects of globalization on the workplace worldwide. Special emphasis is placed on labor rights, working conditions, labor market changes, and union organizing.FLA_2005_Nike_TC_Sri_Lanka_02027085D.pdf: 7 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020

Tracking Chart 2005 Eddie Bauer, Sri Lanka 02027085D

This document is part of a digital collection provided by the Martin P. Catherwood Library, ILR School, Cornell University, pertaining to the effects of globalization on the workplace worldwide. Special emphasis is placed on labor rights, working conditions, labor market changes, and union organizing.FLA_2005_Eddie_Bauer_TC_Sri_Lanka_02027085D.pdf: 10 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020