Occupational safety and health practice: a study at rubber manufacturing industry by using hirarc

Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) is a discipline with broad scope involving many specialized fields. The definition of safety is the state of being ‘safe’, condition of being protected against physical, social, spiritual, financial, political, emotional, occupational, psychological, educational or other types of consequences of failure, damage, error, accidents, harm or any other events which can be considered non-desirable. Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity. Engineers play their roles at workstations to ensure the safety and health of each staff is in good conditions with proper ergonomic condition. This study conducted occupational safety and health act study at Kenny Leather (M) Sdn Bhd. The site visit, observation and interview session were conducted. The objective of this study is to identify the current or potential hazard that might be occurred in the factory. This study also providing the suitable solution and precaution step towards the zero hazard for the factory for reducing the possible accidents or injuries. Some of the suggestion that has collected through data collected was carried out through site visit using Preliminary Hazard Analysis (PHA) and HIRARC form by interviewing several workers. As a result, this study gave recommendations to the company in order to practice the safe and no harm work practice and gives priority to the safety first

Slope stability of landfill with waste degradation

Nowadays, a large amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) is generated due to the rapid urbanisation in developing countries leads to the demand for larger and higher capacity landfills. Bioreactor landfill technology has been introduced to accelerate the stability of landfill and to solve the issue of limited landfill area. However, the accelerated degradation of the refuse in bioreactor landfills also considerably changes the geotechnical characteristics of the waste in the landfill and thereby increases the concern for waste stability. Hence, this study aims to analyse the stability of both conventional and bioreactor landfill slope with the effects of waste degradation. Finite element method has been used in the slope stability analysis and the stability is presented by the factor of safety. The objectives of this study are i) to determine and assess the main parameter which influences the stability of the waste slope, ii) to determine the effects of waste degradation to the waste properties and iii) to obtain the factor of safety of the landfill slope using numerical analysis by finite element method. From the literature review, it is found that slope stability of a landfill mainly depends on the geotechnical properties of waste, such as moisture content, unit weight, shear strength parameters and hydraulic conductivity of waste. After the degradation process, engineering properties of field refuse are affected which includes the increased pore-water pressure and unit weight, decreased strength and lower hydraulic conductivity. Based on the analysis of conventional landfill slope stability by using Plaxis software, slope ratio of 1:3, 1:4 and 1:5 calculated safe with 1.69, 2.3 and 2.8 whereas the analysis of bioreactor landfill slope stability calculated safe only for slope ratio of 1:4 and 1:5 with 1.60 and 1.97. Moreover, the factor of safety for steeper slopes is lower and vice versa. From the parametric analysis, it is found that the full height of slope and unit weight of waste input affect the result analysis. This study is significant to evaluate the landfill slope stability with the effects of waste degradation and to ensure both conventional and bioreactor landfill slope stability for long periods. © BEIESP

The stability of diaphragm wall for deep excavation

Rapid urbanisation and the increase in population has led to massive use of underground spaces, especially in the city. Before an underground structure is built, the use of retaining structure is crucial in order to prevent the excavation from failure. Diaphragm wall is a widely used retaining structure, particularly for deep excavation. A holistic understanding of the performance and its behaviour is essential to provide stability of the soil retained. A parametric study by using Plaxis2D has been conducted to determine the factors affecting the stability of diaphragm wall and the excavation sites in underground Mass Rapid Transit station of Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKLX). The objectives of this study are to determine the effect of diaphragm wall stiffness, groundwater drawdown and the depth of wall for deep excavation. The stability is captured based on the lateral deflection of wall, bending moment, safety factor and ground movement near the diaphragm wall. From the study, it is found that the diaphragm wall with high stiffness can reduce wall deflection up to 20% with the addition of 49% bending moment and achieve a high factor of safety. Furthermore, groundwater drawdown is seen reducing lateral deflection of the wall up to 1.08% as well as increasing the factor of safety. Finally, decreasing wall depth reduces the wall deflection by 0.38% and also the basal heaving

Keberkesanan kaedah pembelajaran berasaskan masalah dalam meningkatkan kemahiran berfikir aras tinggi dan menyelesaikan masalah dalam kalangan pelajar

Aspirasi negara yang diilhamkan dalam Wawasan 2020 ialah mencapai taraf negara maju. Hal ini telah meletakkan kepentingan yang sangat tinggi terhadap pendidikan sebagai pemacu untuk mencapai matlamat menjadi sebuah negara maju yang mampu mendepani cabaran dan permintaan ekonomi yang dipacu oleh sains dan teknologi, seperti yang telah digariskan dalam Pelan Pembangunan Pendidikan Malaysia. Pembelajaran Berasaskan Masalah (PBM) adalah satu pendekatan pengajaran berasaskan masalah sebenar, yang melibatkan penggunaan pelbagai kemahiran untuk menyelesaikannya. Kajian kuasi-eksperimental ini bertujuan mengkaji keberkesanan kaedah PBM dalam meningkatkan Kemahiran Berfikir Aras Tinggi (KBAT) dan kemahiran menyelesaikan masalah pelajar. Kajian ini mengambil masa selama lapan minggu. Instrumen yang digunakan dalam kajian ini ialah soalan ujian pra-pasca, senarai semak dan soal selidik. Kajian ini melibatkan 71 orang responden dari Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Tun Ismail yang terbahagi kepada dua kumpulan, iaitu kumpulan rawatan dan kumpulan kawalan. Kesemua responden ini ialah kumpulan pelajar yang mengambil mata pelajaran sains tingkatan empat. Data yang diperoleh dianalisis secara deskriptif dan inferensi menggunakan perisian Statistical packages for Social Science Version 21.0 (SPSS). Hasil dapatan kajian ini membuktikan kaedah PBM berjaya meningkatkan Kemahiran Berfikir Aras Tinggi (KBAT) dan kemahiran menyelesaikan masalah pelajar. Pelajar juga menunjukkan persepsi positif terhadap kaedah PBM ini. Dapatan kajian ini menggambarkan teknik pengajaran dan pembelajaran yang berbeza, menarik serta berkesan dari kaedah tradisional mampu meningkatkan kemahiran pelajar

Assessment of physicochemical parameters for the drinking water quality in the vicinity of Nawabshah City, Sindh, Pakistan

Quality of water may differ according to the geography of the region, due to that the quality of water is big concern worldwide, because majority of disease caused by the poor quality of drinking water. Subsequently realizing the significance of drinking water quality with in the central part of the Sindh province, this research work was carried out to assess the drinking water quality within the Nawabshah city, where the single source of supply water is the Gajrawah after the conventional treatment through the open ponds. In this study seven physicochemical parameter were investigated and laboratorial investigations demonstrated that the pH values were found with the WHO limits, TDS & EC values were found within the acceptable limits, except in one residential area, Turbidity was also high at all the locations only one area (Marium road colony) was found within the standards, furthermore, the hardness was present in all the samples at all the locations, which indicate that the water supplied to public was hard in nature. In addition to that Temperature and Dissolved Oxygen were found safe and within the limits and it was concluded that the water supplied to residents of the inspected areas were found not fit for drinking and it is suggested that the water supply, should be improved and essential steps should be taken to treat the water

Effectiveness of coffee husk ash and coconut fiber in improving peat properties

Peat is a well-known problematic soil associated with poor engineering properties because its engineering with low shear strength, highly compressible, high moisture content. The characteristics make it unsuitable for construction in its natural stage. Thus, this study determines the soil properties of untreated peat soil and assesses the changes in strength of the treated peat soil using the admixture of Coffee Husk Ash (CHA) and Coconut Fibre (CF). The percentage of CF used is 0.50%, 0.75% and 1.0% meanwhile the percentage of CHA used was 5%, 6%, and 7% by the weight of the soil sample. The peat soil for this study were retrieved from Mardi Pontian in Johor. Soil properties such as moisture content, bulk density, and the Atterberg limit have been tested. The result of the Standard Proctor test in this study determined the Optimum Moisture Content and Maximum Dry Density of soil samples. The strength of these samples has been determined by using the Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS). The physical properties for untreated peat soil with the moisture content of 250%, organic content about 77%, the specific gravity was in the range of 1.48–1.8. The Atterberg limit for liquid limit is 230. The compaction test results has shown decrement in maximum dry density (MDD) but an increase in strength with the addition of CHA and CF in peat soil. According to the findings, 0.5% of Coconut Fiber improves the engineering properties of peat soil (CF)

The potential of shear wave velocity as an erosion risk index

Soil erosion is a captious environmental problem in regions of hot tropical climates, causing loss of land and natural disasters such as river sedimentation, flooding, and slope failures. Based on soil properties and their response to erosion agents, efforts have been made to develop simplified models and indices for the estimation of erosion. ROM scale is proven to be effective in forecasting risk levels for erosion assessment. However, the method requires soil sampling and laboratory experimentation, which is time-consuming and laborious, especially when analyzing huge areas. Therefore, this study aims to develop a relation between ROM scale and shear wave velocity estimated by the spectral-analysis-of-surface-waves (SASW) method. For this purpose, 36 soil samples were extracted, and twelve SASW tests were conducted at twelve sites identified along Sungai Langat. Soil particle distribution was carried out to calculate the ROM erosion index value for all the extracted soil samples. The fast Fourier Transform (FFT) algorithm was used to transform the time-recorded signals into the frequency domain, and the dispersion curves were generated after the masking process. The shear wave velocity erosion risk ranged from 10 m/s to 120 m/s, indicating critical risk and low risk, respectively. Low erosion risk levels were observed for high shear wave velocity values, representing a decaying pattern in exponential relation. The resulting correlation between ROM scale and shear wave velocity produced a coefficient of determination value of 0.71, indicating a strong relation. This study indicated the potential of shear wave velocity as an erosion risk index

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Kekuatan tanah dari perspektif geofizik

Alhamdulillah dan syukur ke hadrat Allah SWT kerana dengan limpah dan kurnia-Nya atas nikmat kesihatan, semua kemudahan, serta peluang, diizinkan-Nya untuk kami menyiapkan buku ini. Jutaan terima kasih kepada Prof. Dr. Mohd Raihan Taha atas bimbingan, perkongsian ilmu, teguran dan nasihat sepanjang pelaksanaan buku ini. Terima kasih juga saya ucapkan kepada pihak UKM dan Kementerian Pengajian Tinggi Malaysia atas biasiswa Mybrain15 yang banyak membantu memudahkan kewangan untuk saya menjalani kehidupan mencabar sepanjang waktu tersebut. Terima kasih juga kepada pihak JKR Malaysia dan kontraktor-kontraktor terlibat yang memberikan keizinan dalam berkongsi maklumat data dari kaedah konvensional. Tidak lupa juga pustakawan dari Perpustakaan Tun Seri Lanang dan Lingkungan Kedua yang membantu dalam mencari jurnal-jurnal dan bahan rujukan yang terpilih. Terima kasih juga diucapkan kepada rakan-rakan kerana bekerjasama dalam buku ini dan masih menjalin persahabatan yang baik iaitu Khairul Zamil, Murad, Nor Faizah Bawadi, Noor Adila Omar, Nasuha dan Kowstuba. Ribuan terima kasih sekali lagi kepada semua pihak yang terlibat secara langsung ataupun tidak langsung dalam proses menyiapkan buku ini. Hanya Allah SWT sahaja yang mampu membalas kebaikan kalian semua dengan sebaik-baik balasan. Akhir sekali, semoga buku ini dicatatkan sebagai amal kebaikan yang dikira sebagai ibadah di sisi Allah SWT. Secara keseluruhan, terdapat lapan bab yang diketengahkan dalam buku ini, iaitu Persoalan Berkaitan Kekuatan Tanah, Asas Perambatan Gelombang, Kaedah Aktif dan Pasif, Analisis Gelombang, Pola Gelombang Ricih dan Konvensional, Perbandingan Kekuatan Tanah, Kekuatan Tanah Secara 2D dan 3D, Contoh Pembinaan Kekuatan Tanah 3D dan Perspektif Masa Hadapan. Penerbitan buku ini dibiayai sepenuhnya melalui Dana Penerbitan Buku (DPB-2021-017)