Cyclist Injury Severity in Spain: A Bayesian Analysis of Police Road Injury Data Focusing on Involved Vehicles and Route Environment

This study analyses factors associated with cyclist injury severity, focusing on vehicle type, route environment, and interactions between them. Data analysed was collected by Spanish police during 2016 and includes records relating to 12,318 drivers and cyclist involving in collisions with at least one injured cyclist, of whom 7230 were injured cyclists. Bayesian methods were used to model relationships between cyclist injury severity and circumstances related to the crash, with the outcome variable being whether a cyclist was killed or seriously injured (KSI) rather than slightly injured. Factors in the model included those relating to the injured cyclist, the route environment, and involved motorists. Injury severity among cyclists was likely to be higher where an Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) was involved, and certain route conditions (bicycle infrastructure, 30 kph zones, and urban zones) were associated with lower injury severity. Interactions exist between the two: collisions involving large vehicles in lower-risk environments are less likely to lead to KSIs than collisions involving large vehicles in higher-risk environments. Finally, motorists involved in a collision were more likely than the injured cyclists to have committed an error or infraction. The study supports the creation of infrastructure that separates cyclists from motor tra c. Also, action needs to be taken to address motorist behaviour, given the imbalance between responsibility and risk.European Regional Development Fund (Ref. FEDER BU300P18)

Influence of noise level and seniority in the workplace on the SAL, ELI and percentage of hearing loss indices in the diagnosis and prevention of hearing loss in the working population

Introduction: This research relates the most important work-related factors affecting the development of hearing loss to the main methods used as medical assessment criteria in the diagnosis of occupational deafness. These criteria are the Speech Average Loss Index (SAL), the Early Loss Index (ELI) and the Percentage of Hearing Loss, and are applied to data obtained from audiograms performed on workers in occupational medical examinations. Method: Depending on the assessment method selected, these often return different results in grading an individual's hearing status and predicting how it will evolve. To address this problem, medical examinations (including audiograms) were carried out on a heterogeneous sample of 1,418 workers in Spain, from which demographic or personal data (gender, age, etc.), occupational data (noise level to which each individual is exposed, etc.) and other non-work-related factors (exposure to noise outside work, family history, etc.) were also gathered. Using Bayesian Networks, the conditional probability of an individual developing hearing loss was obtained taking into account all these factors and, specifically, noise level and length of service in the workplace. Sensitivity analyses were also carried out using the three scales (SAL, ELI and Percentage Hearing Loss Index), proving their suitability as tools the diagnosis and prediction of deafness. These networks were validated under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve (ROC) criterion and in particular by the Area Under the Curve (AUC). Results: The results show that all three methods are deficient in so far as detecting preventive hearing problems related to noise in most workplaces. Conclusions: The most restrictive methods for detecting possible cases of deafness are the SAL index and the Percentage Loss Index. The ELI index is the least restrictive of the three methods, but it is not able to discriminate the causes of hearing problems in an individual caused by exposure to noise, either by its intensity level or by the time of exposure to noise. Practical Applications: The use of the three methods in the field of occupational risk prevention is extremely limited and it seems reasonable to think that there is a need for the construction of new scales to correct or improve the existing ones

Assessment and Modeling of the Influence of Age, Gender, and Family History of Hearing Problems on the Probability of Suffering Hearing Loss in the Working Population

Hearing loss affects hundreds of millions of people all over the world, leading to several types of disabilities, ranging from purely physical to psychological and/or social aspects. A proper analysis to ascertain the main risk factors is essential in order to diagnose early and treat adequately. An exploratory analysis based on a heterogeneous sample of 1418 workers is presented in order to identify the main trigger factors for hearing loss. On the one hand, we recorded several medical and environmental parameters, and on the other, we created a model based on Bayesian networks in order to be able to infer the probability of hearing loss considering different scenarios. This paper focuses on three parameters: gender, age, and a family history of hearing problems. The results obtained allow us to infer or predict the best or worst auditory level for an individual under several different scenarios. The least relevant factor is the existence of a family history of deafness, followed by the gender factor, which slopes considerably toward better hearing for females, and most prominent of all, the age factor, given the large differences identified between the various age groups when the gender and family history of deafness variables remain constan

New ways to evaluate learning. Assessing teamwork using TPM and a Poka-Yoke design

Trabajo presentado en: 2nd International Conference on Higher Education Advances, HEAd’16. 2016. ValenciaIn this paper we present a hands-on experiment for measuring learning through teamwork applied to solving a real problem. The experiment is part of the Production Systems course and involves designing a Poka-Yoke, but not theoretically, as is usually the case, rather an actual working mechanism. To this end, a practical problem is proposed for which a physical machine has to be designed to solve the problem. As part of the same exercise, a TPM is developed, also applied to a real case, such as assembling a bicycle. In the case of the Poka-Yoke, two simultaneous objectives are pursued: to avoid a defective product, and to maximize the production per unit time. The final score is assigned based on a measurement of these two parameters. Once the exercise is assigned, the teamwork is verified to be measured efficiently, even when the number of students is high. The physical design of the elements, as well as the simultaneous engagement by all the students in the exercise, served to considerably raise the motivation of the students

Psychosocial and Ergonomic Conditions at Work: Influence on the Probability of a Workplace Accident

Today, the economic and social importance of occupational accidents is undeniable worldwide. Hence, research aimed at reducing this type of accident is considered a discipline of great interest for society in general. In this environment, working conditions play a fundamental role in the occurrence of accidents, and from their study, results can be obtained that provide information for decision-making that guarantee optimum conditions for the development of the employees’ tasks. Organizing the conditions of work execution is also a task that constitutes an essential aspect for a firm’s productivity, therefore, affecting their viability and results. In this work, a model is proposed for the study of different groups of working conditions and their influence on the probability of occupational accidents, in accordance with the data provided by the 7th National Survey of Working Conditions (VII NSWC). -e survey sampled 8892 workers active in all sectors of national production and is the last nation-wide survey administered in Spain. Bayesian networks (BNs) are used to generate a network that analyzes working conditions in all areas (27 variables have been included in addition to those corresponding to the sector and accident), and then, more specifically, the relationship that is established between ergonomic factors in the workplace, psychosocial factors of the worker, and the probability of an accident. -e results are achieved through the network obtained by highlighting some of the proposed variables. -e dependencies generated by the chosen variables are analyzed, and subsequently, the probability of accident for each of the productive sectors is determined. It is concluded that the ergonomic risks associated with physical strains in the workplace, together with the lack of job satisfaction on the employer’s behalf, both pose a very significant increase in the probability of being involved in an occupational accident, above the other variables of study

Vulnerability of cyclists on the road. A probabilistic analysis of the database of traffic injuries in Spain focusing on type of involved vehicle and driver culpability

Trabajo presentado en: 29th European Safety and Reliability Conference (ESREL), 22–26 September 2019, HannoverThe goal of this research is to explore the role of the collision partner – vehicle type and driver culpability – in incidents involving injuries to people cycling. Previous research has explored a range of factors affecting cyclist injury severity, but were more frequently focused on cyclist behaviour and/or road conditions. The database for our study includes a total of 12,318 drivers or riders of any vehicles involved in traffic injuries with victims in Spain in 2016, of which 7,488 are injured bicycle riders. The database used in our research was provided by Spain's National Traffic Department (Dirección General de Tráfico - DGT). This research uses Bayesian machine learning techniques. These have been recently used to study the severity of traffic injuries, since they provide a sound methodology for analyzing their causes and risks and predicting the probability of traffic injuries with serious injuries or fatalities. We have found proof that involvement of heavy vehicles substantially increases the likelihood of cyclists being killed or seriously injured, and that drivers are more likely than cyclists to be held responsible for the injury

Effects of Mobile Phone Use on Driving Performance: An Experimental Study of Workload and Traffic Violations

ABSTRACT: The use of communication technologies, e.g., mobile phones, has increased dramatically in recent years, and their use among drivers has become a great risk to traffic safety. The present study assessed the workload and road ordinary violations, utilizing driving data collected from 39 young participants who underwent a dual-task while driving a simulator, i.e., respond to a call, text on WhatsApp, and check Instagram. Findings confirmed that there are significant differences in the driving performance of young drivers in terms of vehicle control (i.e., lateral distance and hard shoulder line violations) between distracted and non-distracted drivers. Furthermore, the overall workload score of young drivers increases with the use of their mobile phones while driving. The obtained results contribute to a better understanding of the driving performance of distracted young drivers and thus they could be useful for further improvements to traffic safety strategies

Influence of seat-belt use on the severity of injury in traffic accidents

ABSTRACT: Background: About 1.35 million people died in traffic accidents around the world in 2018, make this type of accidents the 8th cause of death in the world. Particularly, in Spain, there were 204,596 traffic accidents during 2016 and 2017, out of which 349,810 drivers were injured. The objective of this study was to understand to what extent seat belt non-use and human factors contribute to drivers injury severity. Methodology: The results are based on the information and 2016-17 data provided by the Spain national traffic department "Dirección General de Tráfico" (DGT). The discretization model and Bayesian Networks were developed based on important variables from the literature. These variables were classified as; human factor, demographic factor, conditioning factor and seat belt use. Results: The results showed that failure to wear the seat belt by drivers are likely to increase the risk of fatal and sever injury significantly. Moreover, distraction and road type road can contribute to the accident severity

Data on the main working conditions with influence on the development of hearing loss amongst the occupational population in Spain

Obtaining reliable and objective data on certain working conditions is necessary to analyse the causes and variables that can influence the development of hearing loss amongst the working population. Objective occupational data have been collected from a heterogeneous sample of 1418 workers in Spain, see “How activity type, time on the job and noise level on the job affect the hearing of the working population. Using Bayesian networks to predict the development of hipoacusia” (Barrero et al., 2018) [1]. Among the main factors analysed are the noise levels to which these workers are exposed, measured at their respective workstations, and the assessment of their hearing status, evaluated by audiometric medical tests. These factors provide information to predict the development of hypoacusia

Occurrence of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in honey samples from different geographic regions

Trabajo presentado a la XV Reunión científica de la Sociedad Española de Cromatografía y Técnicas Afines - SECyTA 2015. Castellón de la Plana, 27-30 de octubre de 2015.Honey is a natural product produced by Apis mellifera bees from the nectar or secretions of plants, and has been consumed by many people around the world as a natural food, in medical therapies, and as food supplements [1]. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a family of toxic and persistent organic pollutants that are present in food an environmental samples at different concentrations levels. For the general population, dietary intake is the main route of PCB exposure, contributing with more than 90% to daily exposure [2]. Some PCB congeners are toxic to humans, and the European Commission has recently established maximum permissible levels of dioxin-like PCBs (DL-PCBs) in foods [3]. Twenty PCB congeners (# 28, 52, 77, 81, 101, 105, 114, 118, 123, 126, 138, 153, 156, 157, 167, 169, 170, 180, 189, and 194), including non-ortho, mono-ortho, and the most abundant PCBs were determined in 35 commercially available honeys collected between 2010 and 2012 in Brazil (n=16), Spain (n=10), Portugal (n=4), Slovenia (n=4), and Morocco (n=3). The analytical procedure followed was previously validated by the working group and briefly consists on liquid-liquid extraction followed by a clean-up step carried out using a multilayer column filled with neutral, acid, and basic modified silica. The final instrumental determination was carried out by GC-QqQ(MS/MS), using the isotope dilution technique as quantification method [4]. The results reveal the presence of low amounts of all PCB congeners (between <LOD to 878 pg/g fresh weight, f.w.) in all samples analyzed. The highest total PCB concentrations were found in Brazilian honeys (median of 1423, range of 513-3267 pg/g f.w.), followed by Portuguese (median of 1214, range of 1073-2210 pg/g f.w.), Spanish (median of 1200, range of 458-2439 pg/g f.w.), Moroccan (median of 1022, range of 955-1496 pg/g f.w.), and Slovenian (median of 558, range of 505-626 pg/g f.w.) honey samples. The WHO-TEQ concentrations are far below the maximum permissible levels for low-fatty foods in the UE legislation [3]. The principal component analysis (PCA) shows differences and similarities between PCB honey profiles from the five countries and those with Aroclors 1242, 1248, 1254, and 1260. [1] Blasco et al., J. Chromatogr. A 1049 (2011) 155-160. [2] S.M. Hays, L.L. Aylward, Regul. Toxicol. Pharm. 37 (2003) 202-217. [3] Comission Regulation (EU) No 1067/2013, OJL 289, 31.10.2013. p 56-57. [4] A. Garcia-Bermejo et al., Anal. Chim. Acta (in press) Acknowledgments: Financial support was obtained from the Spanish MINECO (project AGL2012-37201), CM (Spain) and European funding from FEDER programme (project S2013/ABI-3028, AVANSECAL).Ministerio de Economía y CompetitividadComunidad de MadridEuropean CommissionPeer reviewe