Risk Model for Integrated Management System

The purpose of this paper is to develop an integrated risk management model for standardized management systems: ISO 9001:2015 for quality management, ISO 14001:2015 for environmental management, ISO/IEC 27001:2013 for information security management, ISO 45001:2018 for Occupational Health and Safety Management, and ISO 22000:2005 for food safety management in order to enable organizations can manage their processes and associated risks versus requirements of each internal and external stakeholder through only one MS instead of several individual MSs defined and implemented in an isolated way according to a specific MSS and hence to decrease the number of resources employed and to enhance the organization performance

Differences in attitudes of operators and managers on risk management of pressure equipment

Objectives. Previous research indicates that models for risk assessment of pressure equipment have not sufficiently or adequately integrated indicators of human factors and organizational factors. Methods. The goal of this article is to check the differences in attitudes of operators and managers engaged in the area of pressure equipment risk management. A questionnaire was designed and data were then collected from 253 operators and managers working with the same pressure equipment in Serbia. By applying a paired t test, differences in their attitudes were checked for issues described by the constructs of communication (COM), potentially hazardous materials and equipment (PHME), process safety (PS), safety and health at work (SHW), organizational change management (OCM), maintenance/inspection (MI) procedures, human error (HE), trainings and competences of employees for crisis situations (TCECS) and conducting research after accidents (CRAA). Results. It is statistically evident that the coincidence of attitudes accounted for less than 20% of questions. The highest coincidence is shown for PHME and TCECS, where one-half of the dimensions of the given constructs indicate that there are no statistically significant differences. Conclusions. The differences found could be used as an explanation for high-risk levels of pressure equipment exploitation and how they influence it

Identifying the Challenges of Implementing a European Bioeconomy based on Forest Resources

HUOM: Lehti: https://www.mas.bg.ac.rs/istrazivanje/fme/start Näyttää kaikki olevan avoinna. Sherpassa vanha tieto? FAM liitetty siltä varalta, että lehti ei ole OA.Greenhouse gas emission reduction is strongly advocated within the European Union (EU). Biomass has emerged as a renewable energy source and as manufacturing raw material with ecological credentials to mitigate carbon imbalance. The EU has defined the bioeconomy encompassing these material sources as a basis for technological and economic development. Biocenology, describing the study of natural communities, however, additionally demands inclusion of a circular economy, in which it needs to be assumed that endless renewable products are kept in continuous circulation of use and reuse. Thus, there arises the question whether the bioeconomy route alone, promoted by the EU, is sustainable. Using research literature, based on the Delphi method, and EU documents, we discuss the importance of sustainable management of bioresources. Short term solutions may remain necessary to ensure economic stability but, without embracing the circular economy, only limited mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions can be expected.Peer reviewe

Simple One-Pot Synthesis of Fully Biobased Unsaturated Polyester Resins Based on Itaconic Acid

© 2017 American Chemical Society. For the preparation of fully biobased unsaturated polyester resins (UPRs), the replacement of styrene with alternate nonpetroleum-based monomers turned out to be one of the most challenging tasks. Its complexity lies in the fact that reactive diluents (RD) have to have low viscosity and volatility, good compatibility with prepolymer, and capability to homopolymerize and copolymerize with its unsaturations. In this context, we directed our efforts to develop fully biobased UPRs using the dialkyl itaconates as an alternative to styrene. Therefore, a series of 100% biobased UPRs were prepared from itaconic acid and 1,2-propandiol and diluted by dialkyl itaconates. The resins were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, NMR, volatility, and viscosity measurements, while the cured samples were characterized by dynamic mechanical properties, thermomechanical analysis, thermogravimetric analysis data, and tensile tests. The influence of RD structure on the properties of cured samples was discussed in detail. It was shown that the prepared resins had evaporation rates of dialkyl itaconates of several orders of magnitude less compared to styrene. The cured resins with dimethyl itaconate showed comparable or even better thermal and mechanical properties compared to the one with styrene. This investigation showed that itaconic acid and dialkyl itaconates are promising bioresources for the preparation of fully biobased UPRs for mass consumption

Organizational culture, quality improvement tools and methodologies, and business performance of a supply chain

Unlike previous studies that have revealed a link between quality improvement programs and organizational culture typologies in individual companies, this study describes organizational culture dimensions that affect the use of quality improvement tools and methodologies and how both affect supply chain company performance. Structural equation modeling methods are applied to a sample of 200 organizations in the supply chain of a Canadian multinational company. The results show that employee promotion and investment constitutes the most influential cultural dimension. Organizational objectives and an employee reward system individually affect Kaizen. When the level of formalization in an organization is high, Kaizen and total quality management tools are used more intensively. When the level of formalization is low, lean manufacturing and internal audits are used more intensively. Superior communication in an organization causes plan-do-check-act approaches, lean manufacturing methods, corrective actions and internal audits to be used less intensively. Generally speaking, most quality improvement tools and methodologies positively influence business performance. These results suggest that organizations can improve business performance levels by selecting appropriate quality improvement programs depending on existing organizational culture dimensions and may thereby develop an organizational culture that enables successful quality improvements in a supply chain context