Matrix Isolation Infrared Spectroscopic and Theoretical Study of the Interaction of Water with Dimethyl Methylphosphonate

Matrix isolation infrared spectroscopy has been combined with theoretical calculations for the characterization of the 1:1 hydrogen-bonded complex between H2O and dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP). The symmetric O-H stretching mode was observed to shift 203 cm-1 to lower energy upon hydrogen bond formation, while a 32 cm-1 blue shift was noted for the H-O-H bending mode of the H2O subunit in the complex. These values compare extremely well with the (unscaled) shifts of -203 and +32 cm-1, respectively, that were calculated theoretically at the MP2/6-31+G** level. Additional perturbed modes of the DMMP subunit were observed, shifted relative to the parent band position. The greatest perturbation was to the P=O stretching mode near 1270 cm-1, where a shift of -17 cm-1 was observed (-21 cm-1 calculated theoretically). This suggests that the site of hydrogen bonding in the complex is at the P=O group, in agreement with theoretical calculations. The binding energy ΔE° for the 1:1 complex was calculated to be -7.7 kcal/mol

The blameworthiness of health and safety rule violations

Man-made disasters usually lead to the tightening of safety regulations, because rule breaking is seen as a major cause of them. This reaction is based on the presumptions that the safety rules are good and that the rule-breakers are wrong. The reasons the personnel of a coke factory gave for breaking rules raise doubt about the tenability of these presumptions. It is unlikely that this result would have been achieved on the basis of a disaster evaluation or High-Reliability Theory. In both approaches, knowledge of the consequences of human conduct hinders an unprejudiced judgement about the blameworthiness of rule breaking

Applying Safety Science to Genetically Modified Agriculture

Our main goal in this chapter is to determine whether decades of work in safety science and safety management have value for resolving controversies about GM agriculture. The implicit hypothesis is that there may be some commonalities between the safety issues posed by GM agriculture and other risky technologies, and potential benefits from using the toolbox of safety science that has been developed for more than 30 years in these other technological sectors. To avoid any misunderstanding, the discussion and points raised in this chapter do not cover the totality of the issues posed by genetic engineering

Maintenance, risque et fiabilité organisationnelle : une première exploration

Par le passé on a souhaité ardemment la fin de "l'ère de la panne" où régnait une maintenance bruyante dans un rôle dominant d'expert, qui coûtait finalement cher, humainement comme financièrement. Cependant, en dépit de la fiabilisation accrue des matériels et du développement de programmes de maintenance préventive, voire prédictive - et l'exemple du nucléaire est emblématique de ce point de vue -, il reste des pompes, des vannes à réviser ou à changer, des capacités à éprouver, des tubes de générateur de vapeur à boucher. De plus, comme le relevait en 1997 le célèbre théoricien de l'erreur, James Reason (1997) : "Maintenance Can Seriously Damage your System". C'est ce qu'ont par exemple démontré au début des années 1990 les études américaines du sérail sur les questions de sûreté nucléaire : les activités de maintenance comportent des risques d'erreurs supérieurs à ceux rencontrés en fonctionnement normal

Guest Editor's Introduction : Designing Safety

The study of high-risk organizations has expanded considerably over the past 20 years following the incidence of exceptional catastrophes (Bhopal, Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, Challenger, Columbia...). The resulting literature is rich and reflects the varied approaches taken to this study

The legacy of the theory of high reliability organizations: an ethnographic endeavor

This article looks back over two decades of work pioneered by Todd LaPorte and colleagues, under the banner of High Reliabiilty Theory (HRT). The article revisits the American roots of the Berkeley-based group and comments on its early and decisive fieldwork choices. It revisits some of the elements that emerged through the controversy around findings and implications of HRT. It discusses the legacy of HRT and the ethographical twist given to "normal operations" studies. It further explains why the use of ethnographic and sociological methodologies gave new vitality to the study of high-risks organizations