A high manganese-tolerant pseudomonas sp. strain isolated from metallurgical waste heap can be a tool for enhancing manganese removal from contaminated soil

Manganese (Mn) is widely used in industry. However, its extensive applications have generated a great amount of manganese waste, which has become an ecological problem and has led to a decrease in natural resources. The use of microorganisms capable of accumulating Mn ions from contaminated ecosystems o ers a potential alternative for the removal and recovery of this metal. The main aim of this work was an investigation of removal potential of Mn from soil by isolated bacterial. For this purpose, eleven bacterial strains were isolated from the soil from metallurgical waste heap in Upper Silesia, Poland. Strain named 2De with the highest Mn removal potential was selected and characterized taking into account its ability for Mn sorption and bioaccumulation from soil and medium containing manganese dioxide. Moreover, the protein profile of 2De strain before and after exposition to Mn was analyzed using SDS/PAGE technique. The 2De strain was identified as a Pseudomonas sp. The results revealed that this strain has an ability to grow at high Mn concentration and possesses an enhanced ability to remove it from the solution enriched with the soil or manganese dioxide via a biosorption mechanism. Moreover, changes in cellular protein expression of the isolated strain were observed. This study demonstrated that autochthonous 2De strain can be an e ective tool to remove and recover Mn from contaminated soil

The Influence of the Number of Polyurethane Anti-Vibration Mount on the Vibration Damping Efficiency of Steel Structure

The publication presents the results of research on the statistically significant impact of the number of layers on vibration damping properties of vibroacoustic mats. The research was carried out on the author's research stand. The research was carried out on sandwich systems made of polyurethane foam. The impact force of the analyzed variables was determined on the basis of constructed multiple regression models, the so-called multifactor models and determination of the standardized value β. The research was carried out using the PQStat software. In the models being built, the significance level was p < 0.05. Three statistically significant linear multivariate models for one-third frequencies were constructed: • 0-20000 Hz - a model for the entire frequency spectrum analysed during the tests, • 0-400 Hz - a model for frequencies generating construction vibrations that may affect the worker as general vibrations, • 50-20000 Hz – a model for frequencies that generate construction vibrations that can cause auditory sensations (noise). It was found: positive correlation of the number of layers in vibration damping systems with a third octave frequency of up to 400 Hz; negative correlation of the number of layers in vibration damping systems with a third octave frequency of 50 to 20000 Hz

Reduced Vibrations and Noise During Grinding

It is the duty of every employer to provide its employees with safe, hygienic and ergonomic working conditions. Available information suggests that working conditions in Poland improve each year, thanks to the ever-growing security culture prevailing in Polish enterprises. In spite of everything, there is still a problem of hazards in the workplace, and special attention should be paid to acoustic threats - vibrations and audible noise. Although entities operating on the market offering comprehensive services to reduce the exposure of employees to vibroacoustic hazards, there is still a need to develop new methods to protect the health of employees. Excessive exposure to vibrations and noise is associated with negative health effects that are exposed to, among others, employees involved in the mechanical processing of steel structures. Employees also experience the impact of local and general vibrations. Local vibrations can be relatively easily eliminated using anti-vibration gloves, while the reduction of general vibrations is often an unresolved problem for employees and employers. The publication presents the results of research on the development of the method of damping mechanical vibrations generated during grinding steel constructions. The research included several stages, among others: selection and preparation of the research material, design and construction of the test stand, measurements of vibration acceleration and industrial verification of the obtained results

The safety culture of women’s work in an industrial enterprise

Społeczne aspekty bezpieczeństwa pracy są jednymi z istotnych zagadnień, gdyż czynnik ludzki jest przyczyną większości wypadków przy pracy (około 70% przyczyn według danych GUS). Dlatego celem zarządzania bezpieczeństwem pracy w przedsiębiorstwach powinno być dążenie do wzrostu kultury bezpieczeństwa, która jest istotną częścią składową kultury organizacji. Wzrost ten jest uzależniony między innymi od zaangażowania, z jakim pracodawca i pracownicy przestrzegają założonych wartości i norm postępowania kształtujących środowisko pracy. Na podstawie obserwacji zachowań można przyjąć, że pracownikami, którzy lepiej rozumieją oraz akceptują potrzeby zmian w obszarze bhp, są kobiety. W artykule przedstawiono wyniki oceny kultury bezpieczeństwa pracy kobiet w jednym z zakładów przemysłowych, przyjmując jako kryteria porównawcze płeć, wiek oraz staż pracy. Przeprowadzone badania wykazały, że istnieją różnice w postrzeganiu kultury bezpieczeństwa pracy przez kobiety i mężczyzn, szczególnie w obszarze oceny organizacji pracy pod kątem jej bezpieczeństwa. Różnice te mogą wynikać z odmiennego postrzegania środowiska pracy i zaangażowania pracowników obu płci w jego kształtowanie. Główna konkluzja wynikająca z badań dotyczy konieczności uwzględniania oceny środowiska pracy przez kobiety, co niestety często jest pomijane w konsultacjach na temat kształtowania bezpieczeństwa pracy prowadzonych przez pracodawców.Social aspects of safety at work are important issues, because the human factor is the cause of most accidents at work (approximately 70% of causes). Therefore, the purpose of work safety management in enterprises should be striving for the growth of a culture of safety, which is an important part of the culture of an organisation. The increase depends, among others, on the involvement with which the employer and employees comply with the established values and standards of conduct shaping the work environment. Based on observation of behaviours, it can be assumed that the employees who better understand and accept the need for changes in the area of health and safety at work are women. This article presents the results of the evaluation of the safety culture of women’s work in one of industrial plants, taking sex, age and the length of service as comparative criteria. Research has shown that there are differences in the perception of the culture of work safety by women and men, particularly in the area of assessment of the organisation of work with regard to its safety. The differences may result from differences in the perception of the working environment and the involvement of workers of both sexes in its evolution. The main conclusion arising from the research concerns the need to take into account the assessment of the working environment by women, which unfortunately is often overlooked in the consultations on the formation of work safety, conducted by employers

Construction of Half Masks for the Respiratory Tract Protection and the Speech Intelligibility Assessed from the Measured Suppression of Sound

Half masks (a.k.a. filtering facepieces, FFP) are personal protective equipment against dust in a work environment. Their filtration efficiency is legally regulated. Occupational safety and health services have not paid enough attention to speech disruption caused by FFPs, even though the latter could impair verbal communication and result in discomfort or increased risk of accidents. This study deals with the objective differences in speech suppression between masks of various construction belonging to the same filtration class, FFP2, and equipped with exhalation valves. We applied an objective method of white noise attenuation, suggested in our previous work. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that the acoustic apparati are applied in the whole procedure, and no human speakers/listeners participation is required. We compared seven types of masks: three moulded, one moulded with folded elements, two folded horizontally, and one vertically. We determined attenuation caused by the masks in 1/3 octave-wide bands with centre frequency from 100 Hz to 20 kHz. All the studied FFPs attenuated sound waves in a frequency range responsible for 80–90% of the perceived speech intelligibility. The attenuations of moulded masks were ca. 3 dB higher in 1–16 kHz bands than those of folded ones. The moulded mask with foldable parts for better fitting the face suppressed the high-pitch tones considerably more than the other masks. These observations were confirmed quantitatively by the cluster analysis based on the Euclidean distances between the acoustic spectra. © 2023 by the authors

Accident Risk among People Employed in Poland—A Retrospective Cohort Study

The article presents studies aimed at determining the relative risk of accidents at work in all age groups of employees and the trend of possible changes in risk as a function of time in the years 2008–2018. The studies were conducted on the basis of statistics of accidents at work in Poland in the years 2008–2018. The data were collected from statistical yearbooks published by the Polish Central Statistical Office. The database covered 732,460 accidents at work. A retrospective cohort analysis of the relative risks for each year and the entire population was carried out. Through sensitivity testing, changes in the summary effect resulting from the removal of a given study were determined. The group with the highest average relative risk of accidents at work (2.59) were employees aged 18–19 years. An increase in relative risk was observed among employees aged +60 years. The smallest relative risk (0.33) was determined among employees under 18 years of age, who in Poland are mainly trainees and students

Occupational risk management at production plants in poland during the COVID-19 epidemic

The epidemic is affecting the global economy, plunging many industries. The global scale of the epidemic and government controls, restrictions and constraints have led to imbalances in world trade and have put many companies under pressure. The epidemic is a test of individual companies' ability to operate effectively under new conditions, including occupational risk management. The research was conducted using a questionnaire method, the study was attended by 199 respondents. The research is burdened with an error in the selection of statistical sample units, which resulted from the respondents' involvement and their truthfulness. The research was burdened with an estimation error of 0.07. The research was divided into two parts related to freezing the economy and social life and their defrosting. The aim of the article is to assess the occupational risk management activities that determine the prevention of OSH in an extreme situation, which was the immediate freezing of the economy and social activity in connection with the epidemic and then their gradual unfreezing. The conducted research allowed confirming the accepted hypothesis that the effectiveness of actions protecting the health of employees, and thus the production capacity of enterprises in a crisis situation, is related to the size of the plant, and this may be indirectly related to the system of organization of occupational health and safety services in the country

The impact of employment restriction on the risk of an accident at work in the mining industry in Poland

The European Union's energy policy has necessitated a reduction in coal mining, with significant consequences for occupational safety within the industry. This study investigates the correlation between employment reduction and accident risk within Poland's mining sector during 2006-2020, a period marked by over a 40% decrease in coal extraction and a corresponding 30% decrease in mining employment. An escalation in the relative risk (RR) of accidents was observed, increasing from 1.28 to 2.33. More critically, the RR of fatal accidents rose from 2.54 to 8.22 by 2019. Analysis revealed a critical employment threshold: a fall in mining employment below 140,000 is associated with a marked increase in accident risk, particularly fatal accidents. A linear model was developed to suggest that a reduction in the RR of accidents to 0.7 is requisite to achieve a national average risk for fatal accidents (RR = 1). The findings advocate for targeted safety interventions and propose a preventive strategy model. The implications are vital for policymakers and industry stakeholders aiming to improve worker safety in response to employment changes within the mining sector