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The AEG 2024 Annual Meeting program provides information about exhibitors and events at the conference. Exhibitors include companies such as GEOKON, which produces high-quality instrumentation, and GEOVision, which applies geophysics to engineering and environmental investigations. The program also highlights organizations like the Japan Society of Engineering Geology, which aims to facilitate knowledge exchange. Other exhibitors include Maccaferri, RIZZO International, Rocscience, Schnabel Engineering, Scintrex, TabLogs, Terēan, the University of Pennsylvania, and York Analytical. These exhibitors offer a range of services and expertise in the field of engineering geology. [Extracted from the article]

The article deals with a legal dispute over compensation for pain and suffering for a police officer on duty. It is stated that a police officer cannot claim compensation for injuries that fall within the scope of average operational risks. When determining the amount of compensation for pain and suffering, the unlawfulness of the police action must be taken into account. It is emphasized that sufficient instruction is required before establishing identity, as otherwise the immediate coercion to enforce identity verification is unlawful. In this case, the plaintiff took repressive action against the defendant by conducting an identity check. The court found that the identity check was unlawful because the defendant was not informed of the alleged offense. The police officers acted repressively rather than preventively for hazard prevention, making the identity check disproportionate. [Extracted from the article]

This article explores the role of civil engineers in disaster zones, emphasizing the importance of designing infrastructure that can withstand natural disasters and protect people. It discusses the tasks involved in post-disaster recovery, such as initial response, damage assessment, and restoration of critical infrastructure. The article highlights the need for specialized training and safety precautions when working in these areas, as well as the importance of reducing risks for first responders. It provides practical advice on staying safe, including using specialized equipment, working in pairs, and debriefing after leaving the site. The article emphasizes the importance of professionalism and prioritizing safety in these challenging environments. [Extracted from the article]

The article describes a case before the Administrative Court of Freiburg in which an applicant opposes an identification procedure based on information from "Anom" chat conversations collected by the FBI and provided to German authorities. The court decides that there is no prohibition on the use of the messages from "Anom" chat conversations provided to the Federal Criminal Police Office. The applicant had previously been accused in a criminal investigation for violating the Narcotics Act, which was subsequently dropped. The court concludes that the identification procedure is necessary as the applicant has committed drug offenses in the past and there is a positive prognosis for future offenses. The applicant continues to be considered a suspect in a relevant crime based on evidence indicating involvement in drug trafficking and drug consumption. Drug offenses have a high likelihood of recidivism due to drug addiction. Police work plays an important role in combating drug-related crime, especially in cases of organized drug trafficking. The termination of a criminal proceeding or a suspended sentence does not change the necessity of an identification procedure. There is no reasonable doubt regarding the existing suspicion against the applicant based on documented conversations about drugs and weapons. The use of "Anom" chat conversations is highly likely to be permissible as the app was developed by the FBI to monitor the communication of criminal organizations. In the field of hazard prevention, there is a high probability that the chat conversations can be used as evidence. The summons of the applicant for an identification procedure is also likely to be lawful. [Extracted from the article]

The document provides a list of the Annual Safety Award winners and Department of the Air Force nominees for the Air Mobility Command. It highlights various individuals and teams who have been recognized for their exceptional contributions to flight safety and occupational safety within the Air Mobility Command (AMC). These individuals and teams have demonstrated their commitment to safety through their attention to detail, proactive measures, and innovative initiatives. Their efforts have resulted in improved safety protocols, reduced mishaps, and cost savings. The recognition they have received reflects their professionalism and dedication to ensuring the safety of personnel and equipment. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the importance of disaster prevention in the face of increasing extreme weather patterns and growing populations. It highlights the case of Bangladesh, a country prone to cyclones, which has managed to significantly reduce cyclone-related deaths through preparedness measures such as early warning systems and community involvement. The article also emphasizes the need for accurate data and a proactive mindset in disaster mitigation efforts. It provides examples from other countries, such as New Zealand and Vietnam, that have implemented successful strategies to mitigate the impact of earthquakes, wildfires, and floods. The article concludes by calling for more feedback and local examples to further understand and encourage disaster preparedness. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses how environmental justice communities can benefit from the climate adaptation and hazard mitigation planning programs of utility providers. Topics discussed include the impact of climate change on Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) and low-income communities, the role of utility and community participation in climate resilient development (CRD) climate management strategy, and recommendations for climate adaptation and hazard mitigation planning.

Floods are a recurrent natural phenomenon in India, including perennial occurrences in some parts of the country. Progressively, floods are transformed into flood hazards because of the anthropogenic activities in the flood plains and adjoining catchments, causing injuries, loss of lives, and property damage. Flood hazards, when considered in relation to vulnerability and exposure limits, describe the associated flood risk. This article aims to discuss the progression in flood risk assessment through several government policies and actions in India at a decadal scale from 1951 to 2020. While doing this, some important extreme flood events witnessed in those decades that shaped the perspectives, measures, action plans, and policies in the subsequent years are discussed. The review confirms that with the changing patterns of floods, associated hazards, and risks over the years, improvements in risk assessment approaches are noticeable on dual fronts. Technical advancements in flood risk assessment have corroborated the policy reforms. Albeit these developments, the issues related to the scale of study, data sources and resolutions, climatic variability, urban development, complex population dynamics, and their interrelationships in the context of flood risk need to be resolved with serious efforts. Addressing these issues through multidimensional strategies is imperative to aver robust flood risk assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the impending ban on engineered stone due to its link to silicosis and the rush for safer alternatives. Engineered stone workers face a high risk of silicosis, prompting a unanimous agreement by authorities to prohibit its use. However, concerns arise over delays and price hikes in finding suitable substitutes.

The article focuses on the evolving landscape of environmental, health, and safety (EHS) in the workplace, with an emphasis on the increasing importance of addressing mental health and ergonomic concerns alongside traditional safety issues. It highlights the need for holistic solutions that consider both physical and mental well-being and mentions the rising rates and costs associated with workplace injuries and mental health challenges.

The article deals with a constitutional complaint against covert investigative powers in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The Federal Constitutional Court has determined that these powers constitute serious infringements on fundamental rights, but are not always proportionate. In addition, regulations regarding the protection of private life and police surveillance have been deemed unconstitutional. The article also explains the legislative competence in the German legal system, whereby the states can act in the field of hazard prevention as long as the federal government has not made use of it. It is emphasized that the federal legislature has deliberately refrained from further state intervention norms. [Extracted from the article]

Confined spaces present unique fall hazards, but these risks can be mitigated through proper assessment, effective fall protection solutions, and thorough training. Falls to a lower level are the second leading cause of occupational deaths in confined spaces. To reduce the number of fall injuries and fatalities, it is important to implement preventative solutions like guardrails and fall restraint systems, as well as have appropriate rescue equipment on hand. Training should go above and beyond standard fall protection training, and workers should be prepared to perform pre-use inspections on their equipment. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the massive relief and rehabilitation effort during the Tsunami. Topics include nation-states and nongovernmental organizations (NGO's) aiming to reduce the impact of these tragedies through prevention, mitigation, and preparedness; government deposited large compensations for tsunami damage into newly open bank accounts; and government builded the permanent shelters for Nicobarese refugees.

Possible surface manifestations of liquefaction were evaluated by means of severity indices at a regional scale for the Jacó area, using information generated by fifteen CPTu, estimating the seismic demand in a deterministic manner for twenty-four scenarios, for expected accelerations from ground motion prediction equations for Central America, considering crustal and subduction earthquakes, both intraplate and interplate. The results allow the identification of three areas where different levels of damage would be expected, depending on the seismic hazard represented in the analyzes by means of the magnitude of an earthquake and the accelerations that it could produce, and prioritize those to be investigated in greater detail for the development of private projects, public infrastructure, and the location of essential buildings. The usefulness of the results is based on guiding municipal and emergency authorities to anticipate the response to the occurrence of an analysis scenario or another with intermediate conditions, knowing in advance the distribution of the sites where the damage could be greater in order to guide the immediate response and recovery efforts. It is expected that the results of this project, although preliminary, will serve as an input for the management of the risk associated with liquefaction through engineering and other measures, for purposes of land use planning and for the development of public policies for the district of Jacó, as could be a regulatory plan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On 6 February 2023, an earthquake with magnitude Mwc. 7.0 on the Narlı Fault, a fault sub-parallel to the East Anatolian Fault Zone (EAFZ), initiated a chain of large earthquakes on the EAFZ. The earthquakes occurred in a seismic gap with low geodetic strain rates and low background seismicity, where deformation is distributed across a wide fault zone and a long recurrence time of historical earthquakes. The c. 50 km long rupture of the Narlı Fault towards Pazarcık led to an Mw 7.8 left-lateral strike-slip earthquake breaking a c. 300 km section of the c. 600 km long EAFZ bilaterally with a total duration of more than 80 s. Toward the SW, the rupture propagated on the c. 100 km long Amanos segment with a peak surface offset of 5 m, before diminishing toward the Hatay graben. In the NE direction, the rupture reached a peak surface offset of 7 m before sharply declining at the termination of the 2020 Mw 6.8 Sivrice earthquake rupture. A second large earthquake with Mw 7.6 occurred 9 h later on the Çardak Fault, located at the western margin of (and sub-parallel to) the EAFZ and breaking the surface with almost 9 m of left-lateral slip (average of c. 4 m). Following these large earthquakes, the increase in the regional stress led to a rapid seismic activation in a broad region from central to eastern Anatolia, loading the faults at various scales and increasing seismic hazard. Two weeks after the initiation of the seismic crisis, a third earthquake with Mw 6.4 occurred at the southern boundary of the Hatay graben, near the southwestern termination of the Amanos rupture. The earthquakes caused significant loss of human life, devastating 12 cities. We evaluate the observations prior to the ruptures, and present preliminary seismological results with surface displacements from sub-pixel correlation of optical satellite images and the stress perturbations computed on the nearby faults based on preliminary slip models. The re-evaluation of the seismic potential in light of the recent and historical earthquakes provides some new insight on seismic hazard assessment. The recent series of events on the EAFZ is an important reminder that large faults can generate very large earthquakes on multiple segments. The seismic potential of large earthquakes on these fault zones can be estimated only by considering multiple seismic cycles and moment deficits from very large earthquakes. Supplementary material: Supplementary figures and tables are available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.6567094 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

National Disaster Risk Reduction Policy: The National Disaster Risk Reduction Policy provides a framework for disaster risk reduction in Pakistan. Pakistan is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world, with a history of frequent natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, and droughts. By implementing these measures, the energy sector of Pakistan can reduce the impact of disasters and ensure that the sector continues to provide uninterrupted energy supply to the people of Pakistan. [Extracted from the article]

The article is about a decision of the Administrative Court of Lüneburg regarding an order to keep a logbook. The plaintiff had committed a speeding offense, but the driver could not be identified. The order to keep a logbook serves the purpose of hazard prevention and enables the authorities to identify the driver in the future. The court confirmed the legality of the order to keep a logbook and decided that the plaintiff was identified as the owner of the vehicle and that a significant traffic violation occurred. The requirement to keep a logbook is appropriate, and the duration of the logbook order of six months is justified. [Extracted from the article]

Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) has been selected by the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) to receive the Shore Safety Award for the third time. FRCE has demonstrated a commitment to safety and occupational health excellence through its participation in the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) and the implementation of safety management systems. The depot enforces the use of personal protective equipment and has introduced various safety initiatives over the years. FRCE's safety culture and proactive approach to risk management have contributed to its success in reducing injuries and maintaining a safe work environment. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the milestone 200th launch of the BQM-177 subscale aerial target by the Pacific Target and Marine Operations (PTMO) team at the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division's China Lake Range in California. The launch required extensive coordination and collaboration among teams from across the center. The event, which involved presenting the targets for a live-fire exercise, took weeks to plan and resulted in an 11-minute flight. The article emphasizes the importance of teamwork, safety, and training in ensuring the success of such operations. [Extracted from the article]

A recent study conducted by the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research under the Chinese Academy of Sciences has found that lakes on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau have expanded by more than 10,000 square km in the past 30 years. The study, led by researcher Zhang Guoqing, utilized field surveys, remote sensing observations, and numerical modeling to assess future changes in lake surface area, water level, and water volume on the plateau. The findings suggest that by 2100, even under a low-emissions scenario, the surface area of endorheic lakes on the plateau will increase by over 50 percent and water levels will rise by around 10 meters compared to 2020. This expansion poses risks to critical infrastructure, human settlements, and key ecosystem components, emphasizing the need for water hazard mitigation and management in the region. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the risks and challenges associated with Max Endurance Operations (MEO) in air mobility platforms. With the emerging threat of Great Power Competition, aircrews are being pushed to fly longer sorties to enhance combat capabilities. However, fatigue is a significant concern, as long durations can affect mental resilience and lead to performance degradation. The article emphasizes the importance of mitigating fatigue through measures such as proper rest, scheduling requirements, health monitoring devices, and increased crew rest times. The Air Mobility Command (AMC) is committed to developing risk-mitigating procedures and operational rules to protect aircrews during MEO missions. Feedback and collaboration with industry partners, healthcare professionals, and data analysis from previous MEO test operations are being used to develop future MEO concepts of operations. The goal is to maintain a competitive edge while prioritizing crew health, welfare, and mission success. [Extracted from the article]

The U.S. Geological Survey Science Application for Risk Reduction (SAFRR) Project has created four major hazard scenarios--ShakeOut, ARkStorm, Tsunami Scenario, and HayWired--with multidisciplinary teams of scientists, academics, and practitioners. By presenting a clear and highly detailed narrative of potential damage from earthquakes, tsunamis, and winter storms, the scenarios are intended to foster science-based preparedness strategies and disaster risk reduction innovations. This evaluation explores the presence of these scenarios in cultures of preparedness and their role in disaster risk reduction, and reports barriers and enablers to creating and using these scenarios. To do this, the evaluation team developed a mixed-methods study that includes background research for each scenario, qualitative interviews, data collection of media and academic engagement, and examples of SAFRR scenario use in hazard planning. The data collection led to the development of a hazard scenario evaluation tool that combines theories from multiple disciplines to create a best practice set of categories that aid in scenario use and efficacy. The evaluation tool categories--actionable, longitudinal, educational, relevant, and thorough--are organized as a series of checklists that are used to determine how the scenario planners prioritized different aspects of the scenarios to achieve their goals. The tool could also be used to aid scenario planning for other regional disaster risk reduction scenarios of a similar scope. Findings from this evaluation include detailed narratives of scenario use over time, demonstrating that the scenarios have continued to be useful in hazard planning and preparedness across the globe. Examples of use include using the scenarios to advocate for resilient building and development policy, to promote hazard response exercises, and as source data for the development of new hazard models and science. The scenarios themselves are innovative, both in the hazard science created for scenario development and in their branding and public engagement as U.S. Geological Survey products. This SAFFR retrospective is a descriptive evaluation and does not formally address the effects of the scenarios. Nevertheless, this report does include evidence of scenario affects as discovered through qualitative interviews and research, which is presented to explore how the SAFRR scenarios have been received by cultures of preparedness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) is now becoming more and more welcome in modeling large deformation, soil failure and landslide in geotechnical and geological community. Aiming to solve the low efficiency problem in modeling large-scale long run-out landslide, this study implemented a GPU-accelerated SPH model based on the Drucker–Prager yield criterion with a non-associated flow rule on the open source platform DualSPHysics (v4.0). Two typical three-dimensional (3D) cases with simple boundary conditions were simulated to validate and demonstrate the high effectiveness and capacity of the GPU based elasto-plastic SPH model in modelling large deformation, failure, runout and deposit in a unified framework. Furthermore, we used the GPU-based elasto-plastic SPH model to simulate the Yigong avalanche and Shenzhen landslide to reproduce complete landslide dynamic processes and deposit detail, where a comparable deposit distribution with field survey was found. It is concluded that the implemented GPU-based elasto-plastic SPH model is able to simulate large scale long runout landslides on complex terrain to provide full process and deposit, which could be helpful for hazard assessment and mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]