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Raising concern over health, safety and environmental issues in industries in recent years, has resulted in developing integrated Health Safety and Environment Management System (HSEMS) in many organizations including Iranian petroleum and gas related companies. Yet, there was no study on the level of observation and implementation of these guidelines in these industries; therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the HSE management system in contracting companies of one of the petro-chemistry industries in Iran. This cross sectional study was conducted among 14 contracting companies and 483 randomly selected workers during 2013. Data collection tool included two forms, first form was related to HSEMS and the second was related to HSE related activities or indicators by workers. This study showed that HSEMS was established well, which is a reflection of the efficient regulatory monitoring of parent company; however, it was not sufficient for preventing injuries and ensuring health and safety of workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of noise on human health and productivity represent major environmental and occupational issues. This study examined the combined effect of noise type (steady, intermittent and fluctuating), level (75 dB, 85 dB and 95 dB) and frequency (roar and hiss) on speed (time taken to complete the task) and accuracy (time taken correcting errors and error volume) using a Steadiness Test. Ten participants responded once to each of the 18 conditions, plus an additional condition with no noise present. Frequency characteristics significantly impacted performance more than other noise attribute, with hiss noise having the biggest impact in terms of decreasing speed and increasing error time and volume. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study aimed to investigate land use planning around airports, by employing Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), in conjunction with an optimization algorithm using an Integrated Noise Model (INM) software, to establish the potential effects of aircraft noise at Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKIA) in Tehran. We also checked for land use compatibility with the noise levels around IKIA and the residents' reaction to the noise. The research was carried out in three stages: a) the establishment of Strategic Noise Map (SNM) scenarios of the airport operation in the years 2011, 2020 and 2030 using the INM software; b) the assessment of the results with emphasis on the study area land uses and application of RS and GIS and the exposure of residents at different levels of environmental noise; and c) the assessment of the intensity of aircraft noise annoyance at various times of day and night. The results indicated that developing IKIA together with the residential development will increase airport noise. Hence proper management and control of noise at IKIA is essential. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Presenting a risk pattern according to trucks technical problems by FMEA approach. • The best trucks in Fleet of HAZMAT Transportation in order to reduce accident. • The pattern based on ADR pattern for defining safety risk assessment indices. One of the most important problems in the road fleet transportation of hazardous materials is truck accidents in which the main influential factors are the type of truck and its safety conditions. This research aimed to propose the pattern of assessing safety risk of road fleet transportation of hazardous materials and classifying trucks with a safety approach. In this research, first the safety risk contributing factors (SRCF S) and sub-safety risk contributing factors (Sub-SRCF S) of road oil trucks were identified using job hazard analysis (JHA) method and finalized by expert consensus. Thereafter, fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP) was employed in order to weigh the determined SRCF S and Sub-SRCF S. Finally, the safety risk assessment pattern in road oil truck was presented considering failure modes and effect analysis (FMEA) approach. The results showed that the most important SRCF S in the road fleet of hazardous materials transportation in the carrier and tank groups were "technical characteristics of the carrier" and "technical characteristics of the tank". In addition, the most important Sub-SRCF S included unsuitable inspection of the truck (tank and carrier), poor brake system, and lack of the strength of front and rear shields of the carrier. The results showed that the main causes of increased accident risk are the lack of use of front and rear shields, brake system and inappropriate inspections. The lack of systematic inspection can be the most important case to increase the risk of road transport of hazardous materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noise pollution in urban areas has many harmful effects on the citizens. There are varieties of noise generation sources of which the traffic noise could be a major source. The point which is perhaps less noticed is that sound level is not the only parameter to indicate the extent and intensity of noise pollution. Situation of urban land uses, distribution of population centers and types of passages can deeply affect the concern on this environmental issue but not with a similar ratio. This article presents an overlaying technique to define noise prone areas using all different factors involved. A case study was carried out in the District 14 of Tehran Metropolitan City where there are busy streets and highways. For this purpose, the share of each criterion in noise pollution intensity was determined using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). Afterwards, the map layers were overlaid based upon the relative importance of the criteria to get the final map on which the noise prone areas are specified. The developed method could be used as a tool for indirect estimation of noise pollution by which instead of direct measurement of the equivalent sound level, it would be possible to predict noise susceptible areas considering the most important influential factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The scope of this paper is to study the performance of noise barriers treated with different diffusers with/without a perforated sheet. We investigated the barrier insertion loss using a 2D boundary element method (BEM). To obtain a better depth sequence, a Random Sequence Diffuser (RSD) was designed. The results clearly showed that employing a "RSD" instead of the most popular Schroeder diffusers (Quadratic Residue Diffuser and Primitive Root Diffuser) increased the acoustic performance. We also found that the diffuser performance improved by treating the diffuser with perforated sheets either on the top surface or inside the wells. The addition of these perforated sheets inside the "RSD" (barrier model "RPI2") improved the performance by 3.59dB (A). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]