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Globally, the process of assessing the risks to the health and safety of workers is implemented through the use of hundreds of dedicated tools, used in a flexible and complementary way, according to clearly specified criteria. Unfortunately, in the national practice of occupational risk assessment, only one method has become generalized, which is used in a proportion of 90-95%, and the major problem is that often it is not even applied only formally. This paper has an ambitious goal, aiming to offer practitioners in our country a case study on good practice on the procedural structure for achieving and capitalizing on the results of risk assessment, in a manner that is both complex and pragmatic. The concept proposed and successfully implemented at the investigated multinational company, offers a major potential to improve the management of occupational safety and health in economic organizations, regardless of their size, form of ownership or other categories of conditioning.

Europe wants to prepare its businesses and citizens for a sustainable and more prosperous human-centric digital future.The path to the translation into reality of the digital objectives will bring a complement to the existing rights and principles regarding the protection of data and private life, the digital rights of citizens as well as guidelines for companies regarding new technologies.Globally, the occupational health and safety risk assessment process is implemented using hundreds of dedicated tools, used in a flexible and complementary way, according to clearly specified criteria. Customized concepts offer a major potential for improving the management of safety and health at work in economic organizations, regardless of their size, form of ownership or other conditioning categories, sectors of activity or public institutions. This paper aims to make contributions regarding the forecasting and identification of new and emerging OSH challenges related to how digitization would change automated systems, work equipment and tools used, how work is organized, business models, hierarchies and relationships, the characteristics of the force of work, responsibilities for OSH management, skills, knowledge and information needed to work.

Until the present, addressing the behavioral aspects of work-related accidents and occupational diseases in Romania has been very sporadic. Most companies have adopted various programs and initiatives to enhance compliance with Occupational Safety and Health procedures. All these procedures are important for a successful safety process. Done correctly, they contribute to good safety performance. But today, these elements define the average safety effort, representing what everyone else is doing. If a company performs them well, it will achieve an average level of safety for their industry. While the injury rate will be affected by the consistency of these efforts, the result will basically be a normal variation above and below the industry average: some years better than average, some years worse. In this context, the paper presents some tools developed worldwide to improve consistently the safety and health of the employees. The basic objective of this study is to explore the human dynamics of occupational health and safety and to show how these can be managed to significantly improve performance. The principles and practical procedures are not based on common sense or intuition, but rather on reliable scientific investigations. Many recommendations seem different from traditional approaches to occupational safety.

The paper presents the implementation of a feedback loop controller for the suction valves used within the gas compressors skids manufactured by Romanian Research and Development Institute for Gas Turbines COMOTI. These compressors are installed at beneficiaries, in potentially explosive environments (e.g., gas extraction and transportation applications). The proposed solution addresses the problems observed due to the high suction pressures of screw compressors, which may occur at start-up or during operation, leading to failed start-ups or emergency shutdowns. An automatic sequence implemented in the control software and displayed on the operating panel, could assist the operator during high suction pressures (above 1.2 bar). These pressure conditions normally lead to alarm limits and to performing an automatic shutdown sequence for protecting the compressor. The paper herein discusses the implementation of a start-up sequence in the programmable logic controller’s software, which can be applied without critical interventions on the compressor packages, only through minor control software modifications which can safely extend the inlet pressure range and the exploitation of the compressors. Thus, since no hardware modifications are required, we also ensure maintaining the ATEX certifications of equipment and assemblies.

Industrial ventilation takes into account the quality of the air inside the IAQ (Indoor Air Quality) and the degree of exposure of workers. In industrial targets the emission regime of contaminants can be 10–100 times higher than in non-industrial targets, but for many pollutants the IAQ levels can be the same. The parameters of the state of the air which are of interest for the technique of ventilation and air conditioning are: air temperature and humidity, atmospheric pressure and air speed. For the study on the variation of the air state parameters inside the industrial ventilation installations, in the experiment laboratory, on the study of the industrial ventilation systems, the experiment was performed on the variation of the air state parameters in the conditions of circulation through the ventilation duct. an amount of carbon dioxide. Prior to the introduction of carbon dioxide into the duct, the ventilation system was started, at nominal parameters. During the experiment, the operating parameters of the drive motor were changed using a frequency converter on levels 50; 40; 30; 20; 10 and 5 Hz. The ventilation system used was structured by means of flow converters which were fixed in the open position. The ventilation system as well as the flow variators were operated by the SCADA type command and control system The paper will present the analysis of the variation of state parameters (temperature, humidity, absolute pressure and air speed) by introducing a constant amount of carbon dioxide in the ventilation duct.

Anthropogenic activities involve the extraction, transformation and use of natural resources. During the process of extracting useful mineral substances on the surface or underground, particles or gases appear in the work environment resulting from the removal or natural release from the rock mass. The process of transforming useful mineral substances takes place on the surface in closed premises and involves the use of complex technological processes. During these, gases, fog, dust or powders of an explosive or toxic nature can be released or reach the working atmosphere. Industrial pollutants in confined spaces are released into the atmosphere for worker safety. If workers are caught in fires or explosions caused by flammable or explosive substances, morbidity is extremely high. The paper presents the CFD analysis regarding the determination of methane dispersion dynamics at the level of a closed enclosure. Through the CFD analysis, the methane flow and dispersion paths were identified, respectively the areas with minimum concentrations in order to safely evacuate the workers.

Reducing the risk of occurrence of phenomena such as explosions, as a result of the untimely penetration of a certain amount of explosive gases, inside a ventilation installation, is a priority, regarding the health and safety of workers, material assets and the negative influence on the environment, due to the possible problems caused by the occurrence of explosive atmospheres, formed by mixing air with gases, vapors, mists and combustible dusts. The main measure to prevent explosive atmospheres is to provide adequate ventilation in closed or semi-closed industrial and non-industrial premises. In order to avoid dangerous situations at the level of poorly ventilated ventilation installations where explosive atmospheres can occur, it is necessary to know the behavior of explosive gases as well as their dispersion method. CFD technique was used to study the dynamics of methane circulation inside the piping of a ventilation installation with the help of the ANSYS MULTIPHISICS software package. The paper presents the CFD analysis regarding the influence of the state parameters on the methane flow dynamics inside the ventilation systems. Thus, the state parameters determined in the experimentation area and their introduction into CFD modeling are presented, namely the establishment of the methane flow and dispersion model in ventilation ducts with high complexity.

Technological installations for the vertical transport of cereal products, are affected by the presence of combustible dusts that can be mixed with air, in suspension, or in the form of dust layers of different thicknesses. The presence of these combustible dusts is a constant danger of fires or even explosions. In combustible dusts are swirled in the air in concentrations in their explosive range and there is also an ignition source, the dusts can burn quickly and even give rise to explosions, in which case the force and pressure developed is considerable. Since, in most cases, following a fire and especially a combustible dust explosion, the damage caused is quantified by immeasurable material damage and even by recording human losses, special attention must be paid to how they are identified and implemented protection and prevention measures to prevent fires and combustible dust explosions. In this paper, the principles and main factors that must be considered when quantifying the risk of fire and/or explosion for a bucket elevator used for the vertical transport of cereal products are highlighted. A number of recommendations for the safe use of these lifts are also presented.

The type of protection flameproof enclosure “d” consists in placing the parts that could ignite an explosive atmosphere inside of an enclosure that can withstand the pressure developed during an internal explosion of an explosive mixture and which prevents the explosion transmission to the explosive atmosphere surrounding the enclosure. The protection to explosion must remain valid even in case of an internal explosion. The maximum surface temperature of electrical equipment is defined as the highest temperature which is attained in service under the most adverse conditions (but within the specified tolerances) by any part or surface of equipment. When determining the maximum surface temperature of a flameproof equipment the temperature of external surfaces is considered. The increase of temperature due to an internal explosion is not considered. The purpose of this paper is to highlight this temperature increase during an internal explosion in case of a flameproof enclosure.

The paper presents the estimation of the uncertainty in the measurement of the maximum surface temperature of voltaic cells exposed to specific tests for the type of intrinsic safety protection. For this purpose, equivalent test conditions using the short-circuit test stand are considered. In the first part, the risk of explosion is presented and it is mentioned that the risk of explosion arises due to the presence of technical equipment in areas where flammable substances may be present. In the second part, the requirements for testing cells are briefly presented. It also introduces the configuration of the stand used for testing. The third part of the paper was devoted to presenting and discussing the results obtained. The analysis of the test results revealed that the measurement uncertainty depends on the test conditions and the application of the temperature sensors. This result would help estimate the surface temperature of cells considering the favorable conditions in terms of minimum uncertainty.

The principles of protection for electrical equipment against the ignition of a potentially explosive atmosphere differ from one type of equipment to another and they can be combined, but only if the principles clearly defined in the literature are respected. There are situations where two or more principles of protection applied to the same equipment are not compatible with each other in order to ensure a level of protection appropriate to the classification of the area endangered by the presence of a potentially explosive atmosphere. In this case, an appropriate selection of technical solutions is required to ensure the explosion protection requirements for designated equipment. This paper is intended to be a synthesis of the requirements imposed by the technical standards in the specific field of potentially explosive atmospheres - ATEX, as well as highlighting some situations of incorrect application of the types of explosion protection chosen, during commissioning, but also during the exploitation of equipment in installations operating in areas endangered by the presence of potentially explosive atmospheres.

The modelling of the throw effect of material fragments following the detonation of explosive materials with a harmful effect on the human component and/or nearby industrial/civil targets is based on the quantification of the impact of the throwing speed and mass of the material fragments. Models developed to generate trajectory calculations for ranges of mass, launch angles and launch velocity based on Monte Carlo simulations are sensitive to the predetermined ranges assigned to each trajectory variable, requiring long time intervals to run the simulations at the time of analysis and IT resources to match. Following the production of an explosion-type event, thousands of individual fragments characterized by their own mass and velocity parameters can be generated, resulting individual energy values that can be taken into account in a quantitative risk assessment, by grouping them into ten distinct classes, thus: Class 1st represents fragments with the highest kinetic energy and/or mass, and class 10th represents fragments with the lowest kinetic energy and/or mass. The paper will highlight the ten distinct classes of the kinetic energy parameter, with the maximum, average and minimum values for each class, as well as the average mass for each detached fragment associated with the energy classes.

According to the provisions of the 5th edition of the standard IEC 60079 – 7, equipment protection by increased safety “e”, for Level of protection “eb” and “ec” electrical machines, if the rated voltage exceeds 1 kV, type tests in explosive mixtures have to be carried out, in order to certify such an electrical machine. The purpose of this paper is to provide some considerations regarding the impulse ignition test for level of protection “eb” and ignition test for levels of protection “eb” and “ec” stator insulation systems of explosion proof electric motors and also to present a case study regarding such tests conducted in the specialized laboratory of INSEMEX Petrosani, on a stator insulation winding system of a 6 kV electric motor type of protection Ex eb IIC Gb, case study which will assist manufacturers in designing appropriate stator winding insulation systems for increased safety type of protection electric motors.

The paper presents the possibility of using aramids and para-aramids in order to increase the mechanical and thermal quality of individual protective equipment and the possibility of being used in harsh environments. The work will highlight the physico-chemical characteristics of aramids and para-aramids in comparison with the classic materials from which individual protective equipment is made in the present. The utility of the equipment will also be taken into account for their use underground in mining operations, a condition that is fulfilled by their chemical treatment.

The desire to reduce pollution and price instability generated by the major share of fossil fuel use requires firm solutions for green transition of economy, that must provide access to clean, safe and affordable energy. An important sector, seriously affected, being a competitive field with consistent limitations, is the transport system, where use of alternative fuels, the hydrogen, is perhaps a solution. Hydrogen can be used as a raw material, fuel, and can be stored with many other possible uses in industry sectors, not only transportation. Most importantly, it does not emit CO2 and almost does not pollute the air when in use. It therefore provides a solution for decarbonising industrial processes and economic sectors where carbon reduction is both urgent and difficult to achieve. All this makes hydrogen essential to support the EU's commitment to climate neutrality, on the one hand, and to global effort to implement the Paris Agreement, on the other. The present paper presents all aspects, through simulation in MATLAB-Simulink, of the production, storage and use of hydrogen as an alternative fuel source.

The development of human society involves the growth and diversification of industrial activities in which asphyxiating substances such as carbon dioxide are produced or formed. The presence of this gas in closed or semi-closed spaces can seriously affect the human body and when the concentrations are close to 12% Vol., death can occur. In order to establish preventive measures, it is very important to know how carbon dioxide affects the human body and how it is evacuate. Also, in order to establish the necessary measures, it is necessary to know the dispersion dynamics of carbon dioxide both horizontally and vertically. The paper presents the experiment on establishing the evacuation dynamics of carbon dioxide in a closed enclosure.

When transporting and storing liquid fuels, explosive atmospheres can form which, under certain conditions, can be initiated with different sources, of which static electricity has proven to be the source of ignition in many cases of fires and explosions that have occurred. As a result of the environmental regulatory requirements to reduce the noxes emitted by diesel engines, the oil industry introduced into production fuels with ultra-low sulfur content (ULSD Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel), clean burning diesel, and low sulfur content (LSD Low Sulfur Diesel). The new types of fuels present a greater risk of explosion than fuels with a high sulfur content because they have other explosive characteristics and are electrostatically charged much more easily. The paper presents some aspects regarding the risk of explosions during the transport and storage of liquid fuels with the highlighting of additional risks in the case of ULSD Also, the paper highlights the factors that must be taken into account when establishing the technical and organizational measures that must be taken to prevent ignition and that must be implemented in the work procedures of manufacturers, suppliers, transporters and users of ULSD.

Most of the equipment operating in potentially explosive atmospheres in oil and gas industry is represented by electric motors, which in most situations act on various other elements (e.g. pumps, valves, fans etc.). Evaluation of explosion-proof protected electrical equipment in scope of certification is extremely important considering the risk of explosion that has to be minimized in order to ensure life safety and health of workers and to prevent damaging of property and the environment, as well as free movement of goods when they meet the essential safety requirements at European level. Even if electric motors for explosive atmospheres are designed and manufactured following some of the same principles as the ones used for other electric machinery, they have certain particularities related to their field of use. Thus, a series of specific restrictions and tests are required to be considered in their case. A very important component on which the explosion protection depends is the surface temperature of the equipment. This is the highest temperature reached in operation under the most unfavorable conditions (but within the tolerances set), by any part or surface of the electrical equipment (in the case of gaseous explosive atmospheres which may occur in technical installations operating in oil and gas industry, this temperature may appear on an internal component or on the outer surface of the case , depending on the type of protection used). To prevent an explosion it is very important that the tests performed on the equipment are done correctly and in the most unfavorable conditions. The purpose of this paper is to present the importance of performing tests to determine the surface temperature for electric motors designed to be used in explosive atmosphere generated by gases and vapors.

The purpose of this paper is to present the importance of the specific tests for electric motors with type of protection increased safety „e” designed to be used in explosive atmosphere. This paper presents the voltage impulse ignition test applicable to electric motors with increased safety protection type. Due to the fact that electric motors with type of protection Increased Safety, whose supply voltage exceeds 1000 V, presents a high risk of sparks occurring in windings, it is necessary to perform tests to verify that the insulation of the windings is adequate and does not lead to electric discharge (through electric springs or sparks) at winding levels Evaluation of explosion-proof protected electrical equipment in scope of certification is extremely important considering the risk of explosion that has to be minimized in order to ensure life safety and health of workers and to prevent damaging of property and the environment, as well as free movement of goods when they meet the essential safety requirements at European level. The standard SR EN 60079-0 (Explosive atmospheres Part 0: General requirements) and one or more of the standards containing the specific requirements for the type(s) of protection applied to equipment (ex. SR EN 60079-7 for the type of protection increased safety “e”), are used to perform the assessment.

Coal deposits, especially hard coal deposits, contain in their structure large amounts of methane, which during exploitation is diluted through industrial ventilation and degassing technologies down to non-hazardous concentrations, reducing the major risk factor for the safety of workers and resources minerals. The amount of methane released and exhausted into the atmosphere by the degassing and ventilation stations of the mining units, in addition to being wasted instead of being used, is also a factor of environmental pollution, as a potential greenhouse gas (GHG). The environmental issues and the climate crisis faced by humanity compel the establishment of an Action Program on the methane issue, which includes the capture, recovery and exploitation of gas from active coal mines, or from virgin strata, from unexploited mining fields, with the help of currently available technologies and practices, which represent the chance to obtain clean energy and substantial climate benefits, in the short and long term. The solution to the use of methane gas from coal at active mining operations in Jiu a Valley - Romania, by burning it to obtain the thermal agent, brought important economic benefits by reducing energy costs and environmental protection by reducing methane emissions in the atmosphere. The present paper proposes an analysis of the benefits obtained as well as the development possibilities of methane usage for obtaining a clean fuel.

Coal continues to remain a basic energy source for industry, but the impact on the environment and underground security resulting from its extraction and use must be given ever-increasing attention. Ecological impact analysis is currently the most powerful tool for preventing pollution and environmental degradation, respectively for underground security, in any project related to coal mining. The current trend of restricting mining activity in more productive perimeters, but far from the main connections with the surface, implies a substantial increase in the demand for ventilation systems due to underground pollutants and implicitly the continuously increasing risk factors. The particularly complex conditions and with major implications in the security levels of mining operations require the objectification of control by monitoring security parameters, through systems, installations, devices and modern automatic programs in parallel with the manual control system with modern portable devices. The paper analyzes the possibility of monitoring security parameters related to the environment, mine fires and degassing installations specific to mining operations in the Valea Jiului coal basin, in order to remove several risk factors that endanger underground mining. The main safety parameters analyzed refer to the underground environment, endogenous fires and degassing of coal seams. The parameters that are followed in order to assess the efficiency of the degassing networks are: the depression in the degassing network, the methane concentration of the captured gas and the methane flow from the network.

The goal of integrated explosion safety is a concept that was developed to prevent the formation of explosive atmospheres as well as sources of ignition and, in the event that an explosion does take place, to immediately stop to it and/or to limit the damage it causes. Ignition of explosive atmospheres by non-electrical equipment occurs when energy supplied by equipment used for processing or conveying of material is converted into heat, usually as the result of a mechanical failure of the equipment or associated systems. In light of this fact, the manufacturer has a responsibility to take precautions with regard to the potential ignition sources. In addition, the non-electrical equipment must be designed and manufactured after a thorough analysis of the possible operating faults. This is done in order to prevent potentially dangerous situations as much as possible by taking into account any misuse that can be anticipated in a reasonable manner. The most important aspect of the ignition hazard assessment for the non-electrical equipment is the identification of the probable ignition sources. The paper shows the methodology of the ignition hazard assessment for the non-electrical equipment intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres.

In order to improve the safety and health protection of workers who may be exposed to a potential risk due to explosive atmospheres, in every industrial area where such atmospheres may occur, the employer shall ensure the development and updating of a document called Explosion Protection Document. The main chapter of this document is the Explosion Risk Assessment. Risk assessment is a complex process that involves identifying the risk, analyzing the risk and estimating the risk, the main purpose of assessing the level of risk being to establish the necessary protection measures to reduce it to acceptable levels. This paper identifies the factors that may influence the level of risk of explosions in the workplace in order to establish the protection measures required to reduce the risk to acceptable levels. Explosion risk assessment must be performed by competent persons with knowledge of technical, electrical and mechanical engineering and who understand the general principles of explosion protection.

All activities involving flammable substances capable of generating an atmosphere mixed with air, in the form of gases, vapors, flammable fog, or dust may involve a danger of explosion. The test to which equipment must be subjected to confirm explosion protection shall be governed by specific standards, depending on the type of protection adopted. The prevent ignition of the hazardous atmosphere, the equipment tested must meet the specific environmental conditions in which it operates. Thus, the designed equipment is evaluated about the requirements of the specific standard in the equipment evaluation process, and equipment samples are tested. To do this, the laboratory’s ability to perform the tests must comply with specific explosion protection standards. This paper focuses on tests for low-current equipment on the protection and operational safety of equipment and the risk of ignition of explosive atmospheres due to electrical equipment with a type of protection intrinsic safety ”i”, encapsulation ”m” and pressurization ”p”. A resulting conclusion emphasizes the importance of ensuring the quality of the test results to which the equipment was subjected, which confirms not only the conformity of the tested equipment but also the laboratory infrastructure.

The environmental directives within the European Union consider the necessary environmental protection, establishing strict protocols for controlling methane emissions in mining operations. On the other hand, the exploitation of coal mines has found in the degasification of methane an end in itself, providing a fuel of undoubted energy value that can be easily transformed into electrical or calorific energy. All this must be accompanied by a mining control that establishes the extraction of methane and the prior degasification of the layers as a fundamental task to guarantee the safety of coal mining. Following developments under the Research Fund for Coal and Steel “DD-MET” project (Advanced methane drainage strategy-technology employing underground directional drilling technology for major risk prevention and greenhouse gases emission mitigation), this paper will analyze the related problems, establishing a comparative scenario between Polish and Spanish mines. In Polish mines, it is essential to ensure maximum methane extraction, as the degassed methane has a high economic value in long shafts, while in Spanish mines, the priority is to minimise degassing to control the environmental impact of closed mines. After an analysis of the possible types of methane-emitting sources that could be found distributed throughout the large extensions of the mine surfaces, it is proposed to use as a first approximation to know the areas with environmental risk due to the presence of methane, that of creating a dynamic map of methane concentrations both along the surface of the mine and its surroundings, due to the possible movement of methane by air currents. Subsequently, methane concentration meters on the earth's surface will specify the areas on which we must act to capture or dilute methane until the environmental risk disappears. The results obtained have allowed us to locate the most important environmental concentrations in the access shafts for people and materials and in the ventilation shafts.

The growth of industrialization and the rapid expansion of densely populated urban areas have increased the risk caused by technological and man-made hazards. In particular, the accidental or intentional detonation of high explosives (e.g., improvised explosive devices IEDs), can cause damages to buildings and infrastructures and severe harm people. These risks can be minimized by a better planning, design, and construction, e.g., avoiding brittle construction materials, especially within the building envelope, and adopting more robust construction techniques. The study presented in the paper investigates the capacity of light steel-based wall panels to resist the effects of external explosions. The experimental results showed the ultimate capacity of the wall panels is strongly dependant on the initial design conditions and panel-to-structure fastening solution. A numerical model has been also calibrated using Etabs program.

About 99% of sulphur dioxide present in the atmosphere comes from anthropogenic activities, the main source being industrial activity that processes sulphur materials, including burning fuels (coal, oil or gas), thus releasing sulphur dioxide into the air. The purpose of this paper is to monitor the concentration of sulphur dioxide during two seasons, in the ambient air of Petroșani, with the aim of highlighting the possible atmospheric pollution caused by thermal power plants that use solid fuel during the winter period. The monitoring periods were distributed over a period of 6 months (three in summer and three in winter), namely the summer months (May, June, July of 2022), the winter months of December (2022), January and February of 2023. The main objective of the measurements is to identify if there is an increase in sulphur dioxide concentration in the atmosphere, resulting from the burning of solid fuels from household activities during the winter period. Results indicate that there is a higher degree of SO2 pollution in the winter period, but the recorded values are far below the limits set by national legislation. The paper presents some measures to limit sulphur dioxide pollution in the context of climate change.

Jiu Valley is an area with a tradition in the field of mining. Over time, coal mining has been the main driver of the local economy. The decrease in the level of coal use also led to the closure of mining units in the Jiu Valley. Such transitional actions require calibration to climate, environmental and health responsibilities. Air pollution specific to the area has, perhaps, the most significant impact on the quality of population’s life in terms of affecting health. The paper presents the air quality monitoring in the Eastern Jiu Valley for a period of four months (one sampling campaign/month), between February and May 2023, in six monitoring points, with the help of the Mobile Environmental Laboratory which has the facility of simultaneously determining several samples for quick identification of polluted areas. The established monitoring program includes the monitoring points, monitoring frequency and duration, as well as the areas where the mobile laboratory was located. The analysed data highlight the air quality in the Eastern Jiu Valley to establish the medium and long-term objectives in each area where the mobile laboratory was located, as well as the level of exposure of resident population. The concentration levels found in different urban areas illustrate the average concentrations of dust, gases and ozone caused by both activities in the area and road traffic.

The growing diversity of the workforce and the changing context of employment in the world present significant challenges for developing and implementing occupational safety and health training. New approaches to content development, format, and implementation need to be developed, as traditional training methods are often not effective with workers or do not account for changes in employment patterns and the way work is organized today. This paper reviews modern training methods from computer games to virtual reality, as found in the specialized literature published in the last 10 years. The article presents the results of a state of art literature review realized with the new version of PRISMA methodology, for systematic reviews, as a part of National Institute for Research and Development for Occupational Safety INCDPM Alexandru Darabont ongoing project "Development of informative content and online training system of occupational safety and health information in the context of intelligent specialization".

The objectives of the study focus on identifying the professional working conditions and the implementation of labor protection regulations in the mining field; identifying occupational diseases in the mining industry; identifying how these occupational diseases have been treated through various therapeutic forms. Through the questionnairebased survey, we collected both objective data (age, gender, marital status, etc.) and subjective data (opinions, aspirations, attitudes, beliefs, needs, etc.), considering this method appropriate for identifying and describing the aspects targeted by the research. The questionnaire was administered to a group of individuals with various levels of training (engineers, mining rescuers, miners, etc.) who work underground in harsh conditions, within mining enterprises in the Jiu Valley, Hunedoara County. It consisted of 22 questions structured around 4 important dimensions of analysis: professional data, conditions related to the workplace and the implementation of labor protection regulations, aspects related to occupational diseases in the mining industry, and personal data.The analyzed topic is important in the real world as the number of studies in this field is quite limited. The paper will also highlight and graphically present the results obtained from the subjects.

In today's context, training in the field of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) has become essential due to the increase in the number of employees and the diversification of industries. Globalization and the accelerated technologization of jobs have imposed the need to adapt and continuously update knowledge in this field. At the same time, the covid-19 pandemic has led to an increase in interest in online training, making access to quality information and training easier for more people, regardless of location. Thus, occupational health and safety training faces new challenges and opportunities in terms of course delivery and accessibility. In this paper, the advantages and disadvantages of the online training system in the field of OSH are presented, as they emerge both from the specialized literature and from the authors' own experience. This paper also provides a number of recommendations for improving the online OSH training system at the national level.

The paper presents the way of carrying out the tests necessary to substantiate the working hypotheses in order to fulfill the objectives set out in the ordinance for the technical expertise of pyrotechnic articles intended for entertainment purposes when we talk about the samples made available by the M.A.I., the General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police, based on a orderly from a criminal file. A pyrotechnic article intended for entertainment purposes shall be categorised under the Pyrotechnic Articles Directive 2013/29/EU(on the harmonization of the legislation of the Member States regarding the making available on the market of pyrotechnic articles) as a firework belonging to category F1, F2, F3 or F4. The tests required for the technical expertise of the pyrotechnic articles made available are the following: Determination of the content of the pyrotechnic articles, according to PI-97, based on SR EN 15947-4:2016; Checking the functionig of pyrotechnic articles, according to PI-98, based on SR EN 15947-4:2016, SR EN 16261-3:2016, SR EN 16263-4:2016; The categorization of pyrotechnic articles, according to PI-13.

In the current global context, where drinking water sources are constantly diminishing, surface water pollution has become an environmental problem that requires rapid action to conserve drinking water sources and protect aquatic biodiversity. Water pollution has many causes and can be caused by nitrates, detergents, pesticides, heavy metals, petroleum products and many other harmful substances that come from different sources. In this paper we analyzed the pollution of surface waters, respectively of the water course - Jiul de Est, with petroleum products, considering that in its immediate vicinity there are several points of sale and storage of motor fuels, but also pollution with petroleum products that come from cars that transit the roads in the vicinity of East Jiu.In order to be able to quantify the degree of oil pollution of the Eastern Jiu, water samples were taken in order to analyze them with the Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer determination method. The purpose of the work is to determine whether the degree of oil pollution of the Eastern Jiu is an environmental problem that requires the intervention of the competent authorities in order to reduce the effects that this type of pollution can have.

This paper presents an overview of the standardization activity in the field of explosive atmospheres both at the national and international level, as well as the evolution of this activity in different areas related to these explosive atmospheres. In the first part of the paper, the aspects regarding explosion risk, explosion prevention and protection, classification of explosive atmospheres, as well as factors influencing explosion protection are briefly presented. In the second part of the paper, the context of standardization at the national level is presented together with the reference institutions in the field of standardization for or in relation to explosive atmospheres. On this occasion, the international institutions that administer the standards that have an impact in the field of regulations for explosive atmospheres at the national level are also presented. In the last part of the paper, the analysis carried out for several representative standards in the field of explosion protection is presented, from the point of view of the significant changes made in the current edition compared to the previous edition.

Pyrotechnic articles fall into the field of dangerous products, Risk Class 1 - explosives, thus requiring the assurance of their security quality in order to make them available on the market. The family of pyrotechnic articles also includes pyrotechnic articles for vehicles. The main types of pyrotechnic articles intended for vehicles are: actuators (triggers), airbag gas generators, airbag modules, igniters, micro gas generators, semifinished products and seat belt pretensioners safety. Since pyrotechnic articles for vehicles are only used in the composition of security devices in vehicles, they must meet the essential security requirements, being subjected to trials and tests based on harmonized standards for this field. The paper highlights the results of the experimental tests that were obtained using the latest generation specialized equipment intended for the determination of the triaxial vibration parameter and under conditions of variable temperature with predetermined cycles, in order to evaluate the security quality of pyrotechnic articles intended for automobiles (pyrotechnic actuator for automotive use, seat belt pre-tensioner) included in category P1.

The paper presents some results of an applicative study on work related stress in transport activities. The premises of this research derived from a pilot study concerning psychosocial risk factors that could determine work related stress and effects on work behaviour and health state that was developed involving five fields of activity with high exposure on work related stress (education, health, transport, banks, financial consulting). The study aimed to identify the main psychosocial risk factors in transport field and to analyse the specific results in correlation with the outcomes of the pilot study. A complex ergonomic methodology was used, and one of the main instruments used to identify psychosocial factors was the Romanian version of Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ).

The present paper explores the change of the harmful factors by means of full-scale numerical models. In the numerical models, the tunnel length is 400 m; the slope gradient varies within 0-9%, with a 2% step; and the heat release rate is within 5-50 MW. The outdoor air temperature on the models was assumed to be 20℃, while the pressure difference between the portals on different models varied depending on the slope, and the variation range was 50-400 Pa. The modeling results show that the propagation of the harmful factors is characterized by stabilization as demonstrated by the fact that the distance of descending propagation of the harmful factors decreases for each specific tunnel gradient and eventually shows a pronounced asymmetry with respect to the seat of fire. This confirms the preferential and pronounced ascending movement of the ventilation flow with toxic products of combustion. Thus, the worst results during the natural ventilation are expected for ascending flows. Based on the isolines of temperature, as well as the concentrations of carbon monoxide and oxygen, the gradient factor can be calculated, which can be used to design ventilation systems for engine tunnels, ensure their safe operation and save human lives during the fire.

National legislation states that a pyrotechnician is a person who has specialist knowledge and is authorized to handle and use pyrotechnic entertainment items. It is necessary to acquire technical and practical knowledge, but above all the training of skills in the proper use of pyrotechnic articles, taking into account the specific risk and the complexity of the execution of the operations. At INCD INSEMEX Petro.ani, the technical and practical facilities for the organization of qualification courses in the profession of pyrotechnician have been developed, leading to an increase in the level of knowledge and the acquisition of practical skills. In this sense, the infrastructure for teaching and verifying the appropriate acquisition of the disseminated information was developed based on the application of modern pedagogical and psychopedagogical concepts to facilitate the learning process for people who come from a heterogeneous environment from the perspective of age differences and level of studies/ accumulated experience held. The paper highlights the results of the modernization of the methodological and practical infrastructure as well as the technical facilities in terms of optimizing and increasing the quality of the training process for the pyrotechnician qualification.

Heat is normally generated as a result of metabolic processes taking place in the body. As a result of muscle activity, when working or exercising, a considerable amount of heat is released. The amount of heat generated is proportional to the intensity of activities. Intervention and rescue activities in special conditions can be carried out exclusively by personnel trained and authorized in this regard, personnel using individual breathing protection equipment. The decisive factor in ensuring the success of an intervention and rescue operation in toxic or chemically aggressive environments resides in the optimal and efficient design of a training process of personnel, in correlation, among others, with their testing in high temperatures and humidity environments. The current paper presents the structuring of rescuers’ physical effort during training, taking into account high temperature and humidity environments, structuring that aims to make the training process of intervention and rescue personnel in toxic / explosive / flammable environments more efficient. The paper analyses a correlation between changes in the physiological parameters of intervention and rescue personnel and different values of temperature and humidity of the training environment.

High variation of efforts in the rescue activity entails very difficult demands in nature or intensity, but however limited they may be in the work process, they have an impact on the whole body. The predominance of body functions that are engaged in a professional activity, imprints the characteristics of work capacity. Thus, in the work capacity of underground personnel, whose activity requires a predominant physical effort, a main role is played by the locomotor apparatus and the kinaesthetic analyser and only secondarily by the visual and optical analysers. In the activity of rescue in toxic/explosive/flammable environments, physical and neuro-psychological demands intertwine and combine in an infinite number of variants. The paper will present the work capacity of the rescuers which is determined by a large number of factors: physiological factors, psychological factors, work environment and socio-economic factors.

In the activity of intervention and rescue, practical training has the primary role, thereby making it possible for rescuers to be permanently prepared to intervene in case of major incidents, accidents or events. In addition to classic training methods, namely training carried out in installations within production platforms, equipment endowment of the Rescue Risks Laboratory, allows different modern training scenarios to be developed using virtual reality or the mobile training ground. Virtual reality is increasingly present in training in many fields of activity, considering the fact that in the virtual environment dangers that cannot be created in reality (explosions, fires, falls from great heights) can be easily simulated and, thus, fear of such dangers can be outrun. Endowments of mobile training ground allow training scenarios to be created that emphasize the degree of physical preparation of rescuers, taking into account their physiological parameters that are monitored throughout the entire training. The paper aims to highlight the practical training of rescuers through modern training means resulting in their occupational selection and training of rescue teams that will intervene in critical situations.

Work represents the interaction of different components such as work environment, human factor and equipment. Occupational risks assessment associated with each workplace has the role of preventing work accidents and diseases. Among occupational risks, the psychosocial ones mainly refer to stress, being greatly influenced by individual perceptions. Work related stress represents an ongoing challenge, that occupational health and safety specialists have to deal with. As any other occupational health and safety risk, stress and psychosocial risks can be effectively managed. Many experts in the filed have pointed out the need to make the issue of protecting emergency workers against occupational health and safety risks a priority. As new technologies emerge and develop, so do occupational health and safety risks resulted from new demands on personnel, including intervention and rescue personnel. The current paper will discuss work-related stress issues and how occupational stress should be managed in the context of emerging technologies in toxic / flammable / explosive environments.

The specific risks and workloads of urban public transport drivers create a net for the development of several health issues. It is worth mentioning the impact of the work regime on this type of workers’ metabolic and cardiovascular health. This paper represents a sequence from an ample study that has followed the effects of this professional activity on worker’s health and work capacity and has established prevention / reduction of identified risk factors measures. The health state analysis was realized through a prevalence study on three cohorts (bus, tram, trolleybus drivers). The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was the highest in the group of the bus drivers, 16.7%. The 10-year fatal cardiovascular disease risk in both the increased risk category and very increased risk category was the highest in the trolleybus drivers’ cohort, 29%, respectively 6%. Major contributing pathology, such as hypertension and type II diabetes, starts in the 36-45 years of age group regardless of gender in all three cohorts signalizing an early wear and is already important in the 46-55 years of age group.

Before 1990, the problem of spatial development of lignite open pits was solved from the design phase, considering the fact that there were no restrictions related to land expropriation. The need for lignite in the energy sector justified any costs related to expropriation, demolition and environmental restoration. After the appearance of the legislation regarding the right to property on the land, major difficulties arose regarding the expropriation and compensation of the owners, and the lignite exploitation activity in open pits was often blocked either by the refusal of the owners or by the high prices demanded by them. Added to these difficulties are the ever-increasing costs related to environmental protection and the ecological restoration of degraded lands and ecosystems. In these conditions, it is necessary to find some solutions for the advance of the lignite open pits, so that the economic efficiency of the exploitation is maintained within acceptable limits. The paper presents such a situation and the solutions for the advancement of the open pit, in order to continue the supply of lignite to the thermal power plant it serves.

In addition to the technical and economic advantages of blasting rocks from open-pit mining, this method of extraction can produce effects with a direct impact in the area near the quarry. Blasting works generates effects such as seismic waves that cause vibrations, rock throws, noise and toxic gases. When their intensity and scope are not systematically evaluated and analysed, blasting works can cause serious consequences for people, civil / industrial buildings, the environment, thus affecting the health of the population and the stability / integrity of the buildings / slopes in the vicinity of the mining operations. The paper presents design / determination methods of areas where explosives may / may not be used in conditions of maximum safety in terms of seismic intensity, thus protecting the population and the civil / industrial objectives in the area of the mining work.

Temperature monitoring is very important both for large geographical and industrial environments, but equally for equipment or subassemblies in a technological process. Monitoring in all cases is important to prevent accidents or the occurrence of major defects. In this paper, a temperature monitoring solution is proposed for a number of up to 8 measurement points located at distances of up to 2 m by means of intelligent integrated sensors capable of transmitting information through the I2C industrial protocol. A flexible hardware structure and software development concept are presented to offer local information and to be integrated into a hierarchical temperature monitoring network.

The dangers associated with hydrogen mainly come from its wide flammability range, it’s extremely fast burning rate (having much more aggressive explosive properties than methane gas) and the considerable amount of energy released when it burns or explode. The development of new applications that use hydrogen as clean energy is constantly increasing, thus, hydrogen can be used on a large scale. This paper presents the use of computational fluid dynamics techniques, regarding the linear propagation of the explosion of air and hydrogen mixture in closed spaces, the main purpose being the determination of the overpressures to which a test stand of this processes is subjected.

Lightning strikes pose a significant threat to photovoltaic (PV) systems, which are increasingly utilized for renewable energy generation. This paper presents a comprehensive overview of the potential risks associated with lightning strikes on PV systems and explores various protection measures to enhance their resilience. The study delves into the characteristics of lightning and its interaction with PV installations, identifies vulnerabilities within the system, and discusses the principles and techniques for effective lightning protection. The paper emphasizes the importance of comprehensive risk assessment, surge protection devices, grounding systems, and maintenance practices to mitigate the damaging effects of lightning strikes. By implementing appropriate protection strategies, PV system owners and designers can safeguard their installations and ensure the longevity and reliability of their renewable energy infrastructure.

The paper analyzes the technical and safety factors for the storage of different gaseous products (air, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, methan gas, etc.), in the eligible salt caverns from Romania, especially in the compact salt caverns created by dillution process. This new approach to research and project results, will be an important contribution to the evaluation of large-scale storage capacities in Romania and is necessary for decision-makers to consider these technologies as some of the most appropriate in terms of risks. Especially was studied the geological and lithological diagrams and colected data from the conserved salt mines in order to analyze the storage conditions. The paper analized the Slanic river area, a Trotus tributarry, where disollution method was well implemented, near Targu Ocna town, Bacau County, Romania. The mining area is located near a well-known industrial center for chemical processing, Borzesti Chemical Works, with a great interes in the gas storage facilities. The storage of different gases implies different technologies for gas compression and gas transportation, this beeing in the near future a new challenge for research for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, according to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Along with the development of facilities that employ hydrogen in many aspects such as hydrogen production, storage systems, fueling stations, and so on, it is critical to understand the features of this gas, particularly those affecting the explosive qualities. Researchers can create advanced modeling approaches, risk assessment procedures, and safety standards to lessen the potential impact of accidents by researching the behavior of hydrogen explosions. The present paper deals with the design of a stand intended for hydrogen explosion experimentation, anticipating the possible values of the explosion overpressures to which the stand structure is subjected. To approximate these values, a computer simulation of the hydrogen explosion was carried out in the virtual environment, in two stages. The explosive process was first simulated in a strictly fluid environment, with overpressure values at the domain's limits being recorded. The values of the explosion overpressures from the first stage were taken in the second stage and applied to the surfaces where the fluid and solid environments came into contact, ultimately yielding the potential deformations of the stand construction. The map of the resulting deformations becomes a point of reference in the design of the stand considering, first of all, its safe use.