Effects of Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series Standard and Organizational Learning on Core Competencies Building

This thesis investigates the effects of an occupational health and safety management system and organizational learning to core competencies building; to be precise, OHSAS 18001:2007 and knowledge creation in a typical industrial setup. Theories employed are OHSAS 18001:2007 and the five phase model of organizational knowledge creation process. - Knowledge spiral. Essentially, it employs the Serpentine module of Evolute research tool for enquiry, data collection and analysis of the levels of safety culture and knowledge interaction. Interviews as well as observations to ascertain the extent of applicability of these theories are also presented. Herein suggestions and proposals are given for factors that need improvement through management initiative and direction. The idea is boosting capacity through sustainable employee wellbeing and core competency building programs; - the human factor. In this way, the effects of institutionalizing a vibrant policy as proposed in an industrial environment to productivity of the company can be realized. The writer hopes that by implementing these proposals of the study, there would ultimately be a breakthrough in the dynamic capability of the firm. The case study is a company that has been in existence for almost a century and currently the global leader in provision of thermal processes supplies.fi=Opinnäytetyö kokotekstinä PDF-muodossa.|en=Thesis fulltext in PDF format.|sv=Lärdomsprov tillgängligt som fulltext i PDF-format

Simulation-Based Countermeasures Towards Accident Prevention : Virtual Reality Utilization in Industrial Processes and Activities

Despite growing industrial interests in fully immersive virtual reality (VR) applications for safety countermeasures, there is scanty research on the subject in the context of accident prevention during manufacturing processes and plant maintenance activities. This dissertation aims to explore and experiment with VR for accident prevention by targeting three workplace safety countermeasures: fire evacuation drills, hazard identification and risk assessments (HIRA), and emergency preparedness and response (EPR) procedures. Drawing on the virtual reality accident causation model (VR-ACM) (i.e., 3D modelling and simulation, accident causation, and safety drills) and the fire evacuation training model, two industrial 3D simulation models were utilized for the immersive assessment and training. These were a lithium-ion battery (LIB) manufacturing factory and a gas power plant (GPP). In total, five studies (publications) were designed to demonstrate the potential of VR in accident prevention during the manufacturing processes and maintenance activities at the facility conceptual stages. Two studies were with the LIB factory simulation to identify inherent hazards and assess risks for redesigning the factory to ensure workplace safety compliance. The other three studies constituted fire hazard identifications, emergency evacuations and hazard control/mitigations during the maintenance activity in the GPP simulation. Both study models incorporated several participants individually immersed in the virtual realm to experience the accident phenomena intuitively. These participants provided feedback for assessing the research objectives. Results of the studies indicated that several inherent hazards in the LIB factory were identified and controlled/mitigated. Secondly, the GPP experiment results suggested that although the maintenance activity in the virtual realm increased the perception of presence, a statistically significant delay was recorded at the pre-movement stage due to the lack of situational safety awareness. Overall, the study demonstrates that participants immersed in a VR plant maintenance activity and manufacturing factory process simulation environments can experience real-time emergency scenarios and conditions necessary for implementing the essential safety countermeasures to prevent accidents.Vaikka kiinnostus virtuaalitodellisuuden (VR) käyttöön turvallisuuden varotoimissa teollisuudessa on kasvanut, tutkimuksia ei ole juurikaan tehty onnettomuuksien ehkäisystä valmistus- ja kunnossapitotoiminnassa. Tämän väitöskirjan tavoitteena on tutkia ja kokeilla VR:ää tapaturmien ehkäisyssä kohdistuen kolmeen työpaikan turvallisuuden varotoimeen: paloharjoitukset, riskien arvioinnit sekä hätätilanteiden valmiusmenettelyt ja toimintasuunnitelmat (EPR). Kokemuksellisessa ja uppouttavassa koulutuksessa hyödynnettiin kahta teollisuuden 3D-simulointimallia, jotka nojautuvat virtuaalitodellisuuden onnettomuuksien aiheutumismalliin (VR-ACM) (eli 3D-mallinnus- ja simulointi, onnettomuussyy- ja turvallisuuskoulutus) sekä paloharjoitusmalliin. Nämä 3D-simulointimallit ovat litiuminoniakkuja (LIB) valmistava tehdas, joka rakennettiin Visual Components 3D-simulointiohjelmistolla (versio 4.0) ja kaasuvoimala (GPP) Unrealin reaaliaikaisella pelimoottorilla (versio 4.2). Yhteensä viisi tutkimusta (julkaisua) suunniteltiin havainnollistamaan VR:n potentiaalia tapaturmien ehkäisyssä valmistusprosessin layout-suunnittelun ja tehtaan konseptivaiheissa tehtävän kunnossapidon aikana. Kaksi tutkimusta tehtiin LIB-tehdassimulaatiolla vaarojen tunnistamiseksi sekä riskien arvioimiseksi. Tutkimukset tehtiin tehtaan uudelleensuunnittelua varten, työturvallisuuden noudattamisen varmistamiseksi. Muut kolme tutkimusta käsittelevät palovaaran tunnistamista, hätäevakuointia ja riskien vähentämistä huoltotoiminnan aikana GPP-simulaatiossa. Molemmissa tutkimusmalleissa oli useita virtuaalimaailmaan uppoutuneita osallistujia, jotka saivat kokea onnettomuudet yksilöllisesti ja intuitiivisesti. Osallistujat antoivat palautetta kokeen jälkeisessä kyselyssä. Kyselyn tuloksien avulla LIB-tehtaassa tunnistettiin ja lievennettiin useita vaaroja. GPP-kokeilun tulokset viittasivat siihen, että vaikka ylläpitotoiminta virtuaalimaailmassa lisäsi teleläsnäoloa, tilastollisesti merkittävä viive kirjattiin liikettä edeltävässä vaiheessa turvallisuustietoisuuden puuteen vuoksi. Kaiken kaikkiaan tutkimus osoittaa, että VR-laitoksen kunnossapitotoimintaan ja tuotantotehtaan prosessisimulaatioympäristöihin uppoutuvat osallistujat voivat kokea reaaliaikaisia hätäskenaarioita ja olosuhteita, jotka ovat välttämättömiä olennaisten turvallisuustoimien toteuttamiseksi.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Effects of an engaging maintenance task on fire evacuation delays and presence in virtual reality

The current study aims to investigate the capability of occupants of a powerhouse simulation to sense a fire and initiate evacuation while engaged with a task. For this reason, the study involved the maintenance task of replacing the air filter of a gas-powered engine through a series of instructions. The virtual reality-based accident causation model (VR-ACM) consisting of 3D modeling and simulation, accident causation, and safety training was adapted to address the study's aims. Two groups of participants were immersed in the virtual realm as occupants of the powerhouse to determine the pre-movement time and the evacuation duration under distinct scenarios. The first scenario constituted the experimental group (n = 26), who were assigned to replace the filters, while the second scenario (control n = 26) performed no task before the fire outbreak. An independent samples t-test revealed a significant difference in the pre-movement time of the groups, which suggested a decline in the perception of the experimental group due to the task. Further assessment revealed a consequential transfer of the delay at the pre-movement phase to the evacuation delay of the experimental group from the powerhouse. Secondly, the differences in interactivity implied that the experimental group exhibited a higher level of involvement and distraction in the Presence measurement than the control group. To this end, a virtual reality (VR) environment's performance and real-time functionality during a maintenance task simulation have been experimented with in an emergency fire evacuation scenario to ascertain safety concerns.© 2021 The Author. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Simulation-based assessments of fire emergency preparedness and response in virtual reality

The current study aimed at evaluating the prospects of a three-dimensional gas power plant (GPP) simulation in an immersive virtual reality (IVR) environment for fire emergency preparedness and response (EPR). To achieve this aim, the study assessed the possibility of safety situational awareness, evacuation drills and hazard mitigation exercises during a fire emergency simulation scenario. The study likewise evaluated the safety and ergonomics of the environment while addressing this aim. We employed the virtual reality accident causation model (VR-ACM) for the assessment with 54 participants individually in IVR. Participants were grouped into two according to whether they had work experience in engineering or not. The obtained results suggested that IVR can be realistic and safe, with the potential for presenting hazardous scenarios necessary for fire EPR. Furthermore, the results indicated that there were no statistically significant differences in the perceptions of both groups regarding the prospects of IVR towards EPR.© 2021 Central Institute for Labour Protection - National Research Institute (CIOP-PIB). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Finnish SMEs and the development of the innovative collaboration platform

Global patterns of innovative platforms for the collaboration of SMEs have resulted in the formation of SME ecosystems to connect with new markets. Finland is an innovative country, trying its best to form a national SME collaboration platform to later connect to global SME networks. The study investigates factors involved in the development of such collaborative platforms. First, the conceptual framework of collaborative platforms was synthesized from SME networking literature. Then 30 SMEs from Finland were surveyed and analysed by statistical tools. The results provided support for a conceptual framework in terms of a relationship between six factors and their impact on the development of the platform. An implication for managers is that if they are welcoming enough toward a collaborative platform, there will be better evaluation of the financial situation of the company.©2019 The International Society for Professional Innovation Management (ISPIM)fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Simulation-based assessments of fire emergency preparedness and response in virtual reality

The current study aimed at evaluating the prospects of a three-dimensional gas power plant (GPP) simulation in an immersive virtual reality (IVR) environment for fire emergency preparedness and response (EPR). To achieve this aim, the study assessed the possibility of safety situational awareness, evacuation drills and hazard mitigation exercises during a fire emergency simulation scenario. The study likewise evaluated the safety and ergonomics of the environment while addressing this aim. We employed the virtual reality accident causation model (VR-ACM) for the assessment with 54 participants individually in IVR. Participants were grouped into two according to whether they had work experience in engineering or not. The obtained results suggested that IVR can be realistic and safe, with the potential for presenting hazardous scenarios necessary for fire EPR. Furthermore, the results indicated that there were no statistically significant differences in the perceptions of both groups regarding the prospects of IVR towards EPR

Analysing Transdisciplinary Education : A Scoping Review

The present study sheds light on transdisciplinary education through the application of a scoping literature review, as a lack of a comprehensive synthesis in this area is evident. Thus, the overview frames and outlines the scattered research that has been fulfilled until now in this field. As a result, within transdisciplinary education, medical and adolescent themes form the main scopes, while within sustainable transdisciplinary education, pedagogical design, socio-efficiency, and philosophy are the major themes. Furthermore, the present study contributes to the understanding of transdisciplinary education by highlighting the avenues for future research. Consequently, the translation of transdisciplinary teaching practices to comparable languages and an increase of transparency in the application and reporting of the transdisciplinary design steps are suggested.©2021 Springer. This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in Science and Education. The final authenticated version is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11191-021-00277-0fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Effects of occupational health and safety assessment series (OHSAS) standard : a study on core competencies building and organizational learning

Promoting the human factor of every organization is an important component that needs to be continuously up held to build employee competencies. Ultimately, this strengthens the competitiveness and sustainability of the operations within the organization. The aim of this paper is to investigate the effects of occupational health and safety management system (OHSAS 18001-2007) and learning in organizations to building its core competencies. This case study was carried out by the Evolute web based research tool in four factories between May and August 2015. Results indicated that, the acquisition of OHSAS 18001:2007 standard improves employee work output as well as increases knowledge capacity. Thus, an appreciable level of occupational health and safety management system, practice and environment has positive employee effect and that, organizational learning can be facilitated by top management commitment and leadership. However, the need for an increase in tacit knowledge disbursement among employees was realized needed

Optimizing Occupational Safety Through 3-D Simulation and Immersive Virtual Reality

This paper evaluates the effectiveness of computer simulation and the immersive virtual reality (IVR) technology for occupational risk assessment improvement. It achieves this by conducting a risk assessment on a 3-D simulation of a Lithium-Ion battery (LIB) manufacturing factory. This is necessary since calls for the enhancement of occupational risk assessments continue to dominate safety improvement measures in manufacturing context. Meanwhile, industries such as aviation, mining and healthcare employ advanced versions of IVR for risks awareness with successes. However, applications for safety in manufacturing context is only at the infancy although it utilizes IVR profitably for product and production optimization issues. The study involved 19 participants who performed the assessment with the aid of a safety checklist followed by open-ended semi-structured questions and interviews. Results indicates an outstanding utilization capability of IVR for risk assessment. Furthermore, the assessment pinpoints specific safety issues in the factory that requires attention and improvement.© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019. This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in Advances in Human Factors and Simulation. AHFE 2019. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing. The final authenticated version is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20148-7_10fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed