Search

India endures numerous flood events every year due to its tropical monsoon climate. River delta regions affected by these disaster events are often heavily populated and experience considerable damage and loss of life through drowning. The life jacket currently in use by first responders in India negatively impacts performance with unsatisfactory levels of protection, comfort, and stowage. In addition, these products present fit and usability challenges and lack cultural sensitivity to end-users. This research project addresses the suitability of this life jacket to respond efficiently in an emergency by using a practice-led prototyping investigation to develop a specific flood rescue product that is reflective of the context of use and responsive to the cultural context of India. The outcome of this creative practice research is a ‘slot n slide’ panel life jacket inspired by the traditional Indian sari. This conceptual design accommodates a diverse range of body anthropometry in a one-size-fits-all solution, achieved by an innovative inter-panel strapping system with integrated side adjustments. This concept provides new and perceivable benefits, including improvements in utility for first responders, single product deployment, efficient stowage and provisioning with easier donning and doffing, broad size accommodation, and a single adjustment strap, improving usability for end-users.

Every year, worldwide, millions of people die and many are hospitalized due to food-borne diseases and illnesses caused by the consumption of contaminated food. Food safety has continued to be a concern for consumers, the food industry, and regulatory agencies. In China, there is almost a constant stream of reports about various food safety issues. Chinese consumers are concerned about the need for healthier and safer food. The development of science has provided more opportunities and possibilities to change the way we live. However, consumers’ overall confidence in Chinese food is not high and they are increasingly skeptical about new food. This research focuses on a new and not yet launched biological food, Lactic Acid Bacteria preserved vacuum-sealed chilled beef (LAB beef), as an example to examine what factors would have a significant correlation with consumers’ trust in this product and to examine if trust is the key factor impacting on consumers’ purchase intention. In order to complete the study objectives, a self-completed social survey was conducted in Shanghai City and Chengdu City, totaling 514 respondents. The analysis methods used included a measure of correlation, Gamma, principal component analysis and structural equation modeling. SPSS, Excel and Amos software were used. One outcome of this research was the finding that a number of socio-demographic factors were not strongly correlated with consumer trust in LAB beef, unlike some previous research that found such relationships with trust in new food technologies. Personal beef consumption habits, consumers’ past purchase experience with current used beef, products, product knowledge and food safety concerns based on their awareness, experience and media exposure were found to be important in establishing trust in LAB beef. The second outcome of this research is the confirmation of the importance of trust in determining consumers’ willingness to buy LAB beef, as well as the confirmation of the media

A reliable and effective traceability system is important to the food industry especially when a foodborne illness outbreak occurs. In particular, fresh fruit and vegetables are highly perishable, fragile, seasonal, diverse products with relatively short shelf life, thereby making their value chain complex and fast-paced. Hence, the traceability system in the fresh produce industry becomes critical in the event of a food crisis where products need to be tracked and traced in a timely manner. The objective of this study was to investigate current traceability systems in the fresh produce industry in New Zealand and also to explore potential improvement in the traceability system along the domestic supply chains. There were four different methods applied in this study: observation of traceability information available on fresh produce products, interviews with industry participants using a questionnaire, survey strategy by means of a questionnaire that was sent to growers, and a pilot study using GS1 technology to examine a modelled traceability system in two supply chains of strawberries. There were 336 fresh produce samples observed for traceability information analysis throughout the supply chain. Four growers, three wholesalers and one retailer from the fresh produce industry participated the face to face interviews. The questionnaire developed in the survey was sent to 578 growers with 40 of them responded and answered. Two pallets of strawberries were selected and GS1 (Global Standards One) barcodes and systems were used in the pilot study to track and trace each strawberry punnet throughout the supply chains. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from produce traceability data samples, interviewed industry stakeholders, surveyed growers, and the pilot study to generate empirical information on traceability systems along fresh produce supply chains in New Zealand. Subsequently, data were analysed using quantitative tools such as frequency distribution

Food poisoning cases involving non-dairy ingredients such as cereal grains have been reported. The addition of cereal grains to dairy products in the dairy industry has increased in recent years. This has the potential to contaminate final products with pathogenic, spoilage and toxic chemical contaminants. In this study, the microbial and chemical risks involved in the addition of cereal grains to dairy products were assessed using semi- quantitative risk assessment method. The results showed that the most critical microbiological hazard in the selected cereal grains is Bacillus cereus due to its ability to form spores and persist in cereal grains. The addition of cereal grains to dairy products with high water activity/moisture content such as liquid breakfast products were found to pose the highest risk. Cyanogenic glycosides (hydrocyanic acid) were found to be the most critical chemical hazard among natural plant toxins in selected cereal grains due to their adverse health effects and abundance in most cereal grains. The addition of cereal grains to dairy products with high solid content was found to pose a very low risk. The results have identified some knowledge gaps in conducting risk assessments and have also provided background information about the microbial and chemical risks involved in the addition of cereal grains to dairy products. The results highlight the importance of effective implementation of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP), Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Good Hygienic Practices (GHP) in the dairy industry.

Previous research conducted by GNS Science pre and post the 2016 Kaikōura Quake identified that the New Zealand public does not sufficiently understand the risks posed by tsunami hazards, and in particular there is limited awareness about the different responses required for local, regional, and distant-source tsunami events. This research was undertaken to delve deeper and generate new insights into the reasons behind that finding, specifically for one key audience: business leaders. This audience was primarily chosen because businesses play a key interdependent role in disaster response and community recovery. An audience-centred communication approach was chosen over the traditional mass communication approach most often applied in emergency management practice to date. A qualitative approach was selected because of its ability to provide complementary data to existing quantitative studies. Data were collected from twelve business-focussed community leaders, and business owners/senior managers in coastal Tauranga (Pāpāmoa) and Wellington (Rongotai), through a series of semi-structured interview conversations and email questionnaires. The data gathering instruments were designed to better understand the participants’: (1) tsunami knowledge and awareness; (2) tsunami risk perception; (3) existing tsunami preparedness; and (4) behavioural intent for future tsunami preparedness initiatives. Field observations and engagement with emergency management professionals provided greater depth of understanding and enhanced the contextual aspects of the research. The overall findings and themes emerging from this research suggest that: ● As indicated in the wider survey, there is a lack of tsunami awareness and preparedness among the business audience More specifically in the audience-centred context: ● There is confusion surrounding the roles and responsibilities of official emergency management organisations ● There is a need for improved organisational Health & Safety unde

Moving and handling of people (MHP) is a major reason for developing musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) in the healthcare sector worldwide. To reduce MSD from MHP, many national and state level guidelines targeting MHP have been developed. However, little is known about their impact on injury claims rates, how they are intended to work, if intended users are aware of and use them, which parts of the guideline are being used, and how they are implemented. Therefore, the overarching goal of this thesis was to contribute to understanding what makes a MHP guideline work. It was addressed by examining the effects of introducing the New Zealand Accident Compensation Corporation ‘Moving and Handling People: The New Zealand Guidelines’ (MHPG), using a mixed-methods approach in five sequential studies. An analysis of claims data (Study 1) showed that MHP related claims rates declined before, but increased after the introduction of the MHPG. A study of the MHPG programme theory (Study 2) showed that key actors for implementation were MHP coordinators, H&S managers, and therapists. The developers argued for implementing a multifaceted MHP programme where implementation of organisational systems should create the foundation for implementing the core components. A questionnaire analysis (Study 3) showed that a high proportion of MHP coordinators, H&S managers, and therapists were aware of the MHPG, while a high proportion of therapists used it. In contrast, fewer carers were aware of and used it. A second questionnaire analysis (Study 4) showed that more key actors were familiar with and used the core components compared to the organisational systems. A low proportion of actors experienced change after use. Case studies (Study 5) showed that organisational motivation to implement a MHP programme was initiated by MHP related staff injuries. The implementation process was gradual, changing MHP practices during multiple steps, and dependent on a dedicated person to drive implementatio

Previous studies have shown that vehicle collision repair workers may be at risk of solvent-induced symptoms of neurotoxicity. Changes in industry practices have likely resulted in reduced exposure, but little research has been conducted to assess whether this has reduced the risk of neurotoxicity. This thesis describes a series of studies, which aimed to assess: i) contemporary airborne solvent exposures in collision repair workers; ii) the determinants of airborne solvent exposures; iii) the prevalence of self-reported symptoms of neurotoxicity and objectively measured neuropsychological performance, compared to an unexposed reference group; iv) dose-response associations; and v) the effect of personal protective equipment (PPE) and good workplace hygiene on symptom prevalence. In total, 370 vehicle collision repair and 211 construction workers (reference group) were recruited. Personal airborne solvent exposure was assessed in 85 collision repair workers, and information on demographics, work practices and symptoms was collected by questionnaire. A sub-group of 47 collision repair and 51 reference workers also completed a battery of neuropsychological tests. Full-shift, airborne exposures were well below New Zealand and international occupational exposure limits (range, 0.04 – 16.5 ppm). Job title was the strongest predictor of exposure, and non-spraying tasks (e.g. mixing paint and cleaning equipment) were associated with higher exposures than spray painting itself. Collision repair workers reported significantly more symptoms of neurotoxicity than the reference group, with odds ratios (ORs) of 2.0, 95% CI 1.3-3.3; 2.4, 1.2-4.8; and 6.4, 1.8-23.0, for reporting ≥5, ≥10 and ≥15 symptoms, respectively. They also performed more poorly on neuropsychological tests, particularly those that measure attention/concentration and motor speed/dexterity (e.g. reference vs. collision repair group score on the RBANS total attention scale, -9.5, 95% CI, -15.9, -2.8). Consistent

Preparedness is a vital component of disaster risk reduction (DRR), but more often communities fail to prepare for disasters adequately. Theory-based approaches have found prominence for helping to identify the factors that drive preparedness behaviour of the population. However, there has been a limited empirical validation of these theories of preparedness in post-disaster recovery contexts. Further, their application has been mostly limited to culturally individualistic and developed countries, and there is a great need for their application in the setting of developing countries where disaster impacts are often most severe. This study, therefore, aimed to investigate the preparedness of a population in a post-disaster recovery scenario in a developing country. A mixed method research design with a household questionnaire survey (n=306) followed by a follow-up qualitative study driven by semi-structured interviews (n=11) was adopted to conduct this study. The outcomes of the study include 1) development of a conceptual model predicting earthquake hazard preparedness after reviewing the existing theories and models applied in the setting of natural hazards; 2) empirical validation of the proposed conceptual model predictions by analysing quantitative data collected through household survey conducted in two villages in Dhading district, of central Nepal; 3) identification of factors and processes underlying people’s decisions related to recovery efforts and preparedness to future events in a post-disaster context derived by developing a hierarchical value map from the qualitative interview data. The quantitative findings from the survey data justify the capability of the proposed model to assess the interaction of individual, community and institutional factors to predict household’s intentions to prepare in a post-disaster recovery scenario. Furthermore, the qualitative findings support the quantitative findings and provide evidence for the influence of socio-cult

This thesis examines three key, related elements; social sustainability, forestry and ergonomics, and explores two relationships between these elements. The first relationship is between social sustainability and the Chilean forestry sector, with a focus on the forestry sector workforce and forestry working conditions. The second relationship is between social sustainability and ergonomics and the interconnections between these two bodies of knowledge. The study on which this thesis is based involved data collection over a period of several months from 347 forestry workers from two Chilean forest companies, along with interviews with 7 managers and contractors associated with these two companies and 3 experts in the area of forestry. The overall objective of this study was to investigate the impact of working conditions on the workforce in the Chilean forestry sector. Health and safety problems within the Chilean forestry sector are well recognised. Statistical information on the forestry sector indicated a steady increase in the number of occupational health (OH) problems over the years, with previous research attributing this to the working conditions. This background research is evidence of the problems of social sustainability faced by the Chilean workforce in particular, as well as those faced by the forestry sector worldwide. This study examines the relationship between forestry sector working conditions and the workers and identifies causes of problems between these elements. It also examines the strategies the Chilean forestry companies are using to address these issues. The findings indicate that even though working conditions in the Chilean forestry sector have been improved they continue to have a negative impact on workers in terms of occupational health, which in turn has reduced the market attractiveness of the sector. This last aspect also influences replacement of the working population, which is resulting in an ageing population in the Chilean fores

Foodborne illnesses are among the most widespread public health issues, killing about 2.2 million people annually worldwide, and costing hundreds of billions of US dollars for governments, companies, families and consumers. In Brazil, foodborne illness in the home accounts for 44% of identified disease outbreaks and in New Zealand it represents 27% of notifiable disease outbreaks. Several studies have investigated aspects of consumer behaviour concerning food safety, but it remains a challenge to obtain a full picture of critical control points (CCPs) and key factors contributing to food contamination, pathogen growth or survival, when the food is under the consumer’s responsibility. This study aimed to assess threats to food safety in the home in Brazil and New Zealand. From August 2011 to March 2012, survey questionnaires from 2,775 consumers most responsible for cooking in the home in Brazil were collected. From September 2012 to November 2012, 658 households in New Zealand responded to the same survey. Both surveys found similar CCPs with the potential to threaten food safety in the domestic environment – food preparation, cooking and handling leftovers. Information from New Zealand suggests that choosing and purchasing food, and for Brazil food transportation, are also steps of concern. The age, marital status, gender, ethnicity, first-aid in response to illness and the way a person learned to cook had a significant influence in the risky practices of consumers in both countries, suggesting that similar consumer behaviour concerning food safety can be found in countries of substantially different degrees of economic development and culture. The young, the men, socioeconomic minorities, people most susceptible to illness and ethnic groups were people of most concern, often ranked at-risk, demanding special attention of public health authorities in both countries. The CCPs of most concern and contributing factors identified in this study were officially reported

Microbial count is an important index to measure the safety status of a food. This trial aimed to determine the safety of eight meals (four meats and four vegetarians) by using the agar plate counting method to measure the populations of total bacteria and specific pathogenic microorganisms during four day’ abusing. The results showed that chicken & lemon sauce, pork & cranberry loaf and lasagne veg can be considered as acceptable after a series of handling steps including heating and holding in different environments. BBQ beef, quiche golden and pie rice & vegetable were all marginal for the microbial load before heating, but afterwards all of them were acceptable. Casserole chickpea and hot pot sausage were in marginal for the microbial load by the end of trial.

With the rapid development of E-commerce, online food shopping has become popular in the past decade in China. Considering the high level of concern that the Chinese have about food safety, there are questions around trust in the safety of food purchased online. The aim of this study is to analyse the factors influencing trust in food safety when Chinese university students purchase food via the internet. In order to examine the trust of Chinese university students in the safety of food purchased online, a survey was conducted on students from four Chinese universities in 2013. Data analysis was conducted on 1403 valid questionnaires. A Structural Equation Model, Principal Components Analysis and LISREL software were used as statistical tools for analysis. Trust in food safety is a dynamic process and is based on food risk information transfer. The main outcome of this study was the development of a multi-factor conceptual model of Chinese university students’ trust in the safety of food purchased online. This model consists of two separate determinants: food safety and the online shopping environment. Chinese university students were influenced more by the online shopping environment than by concerns with food safety. Trust in food safety is mainly influenced by two dimensions: Food Control (the general and constant element of trust) and Risk information (the changeable element of trust). Trust in the online shopping environment is influenced by two dimensions: Aesthetics and Functionality. Fourteen factors were found contributing to the trust in online food safety; traceability, media and delivery risk need more attention by industry. Since university students will become important online food shopping buyers when they graduate, New Zealand food industries that export to China should consider these factors that influence sales via the internet.

Non-regulatory food safety management schemes, as a complement or alternative to mandatory regulation, have become a prevalent component of the food safety control system of the global food supply chain. This study focused on non-regulatory food safety management schemes implemented by the New Zealand food manufacturing industry, and examined the motivation for, challenges and impacts of, and the role of third-party certification bodies in the implementation of non-regulatory food safety management schemes. In particular, factors influencing the effectiveness of nonregulatory food safety management schemes and the quality of third-party food safety audits were examined. It was found that non-regulatory food safety management is a key component of the entire food safety management system in New Zealand. The implementation of nonregulatory food safety management schemes was mainly driven by major customers’ requirements, a desire to improve product quality and safety, and the desire to be recognized by the industry and the public. After the implementation of these schemes, enterprises experienced many desirable changes such as the improvement of product traceability, increasing food safety awareness of employees, and reduced customer complaints. Notably, the implementation improved the food safety culture. The major challenges encountered during the implementation of these schemes were increased paper work, and the cost of development and implementation. The service of thirdparty certification bodies was important for food companies to continuously improve their food safety management. Enterprise characteristics made a substantial difference to the propensity of food manufacturing enterprises to implement non-regulatory schemes. These characteristics made notable differences to the relative importance of different incentives to implement non-regulatory schemes and the food manufacturing enterprise’s experiences of the implementation of non-regulatory schemes. The effe

Adequate fluid consumption is essential for humans to function optimally. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that some aspects of the working environment of air traffic controllers and pilots may encourage hypohydration. In both professions a high level of cognitive performance is required; however, at 2% hypohydration fundamental cognitive abilities such as arithmetic efficiency, working memory, short-term memory and visuomotor tracking involving attention and motor speed are likely to be impaired. The aim of this thesis was to examine thirst and fluid intake, as a surrogate for hypohydration, in two key areas of the aviation industry (controllers and pilots) where fluid intake may at times be restricted. Also examined are why fluid intake is sometimes restricted and whether thirst is related to affect, psychological stress and fatigue. A 67-item questionnaire battery was completed by air traffic controllers in Mongolia and the pilot instructors and student pilots from a tertiary training institute in NZ. The battery included 2 measures of thirst, the Samn-Perelli Fatigue scale, the Perceived Stress Scale and a series of demographic questions. In total there were 101 participants (50 air traffic controllers and 51 pilots), representing an overall return rate of 80%. Thirst related sensations were significantly higher in controllers than in pilots. 14% of pilots restricted their fluid intake before flying to avoid needing to use the toilet and 48% of the reported starting a flight feeling thirsty; 38% of pilots reported having to rush to a toilet to urinate after a flight. Similar, although less pronounced effects were reported by air traffic controllers. Increases in subjective feelings of thirst were correlated with increases in the fatigue scale. Participants who reported higher subjective feelings of thirst and fatigue, also reported higher levels of stress. In conclusion, the findings in this thesis provide some insights regarding hypohydration in aviation pr

Background Falls are an unacceptable cost to the patient and their family/whanau and to the health care environment. A risk assessment tool to identify which hospital in-patients have a high risk of a fall enables staff to implement targeted fall prevention strategies. The tool should have good specificity and sensitivity, be clear and quick to complete and be acceptable to the staff members who use it. This study aimed to identify barriers for nurses and midwives using the Hendrich II Fall Risk Model. Method A non-experimental descriptive survey design was selected to explore the research questions. The validated questionnaire, the Barriers and Facilitators Assessment Instrument, was used to identify the barriers for nurses and midwives (n = 404) from medical, surgical and obstetric settings, in five hospitals and two continuing care facilities in one New Zealand District Health Board. Results An overall response rate of 31% was achieved. The barriers found were insufficient supportive staff, a lack of equipment, poor design of space, the specificity and flexibility of the Hendrich II Fall Risk Model, lack of care provider knowledge and motivation and that patients do not cooperate with their falls prevention plan. Results demonstrated that respondents work according to procedures, are able to adapt their practice to incorporate new routines and use the Hendrich II Fall Risk Model as a beginning point for falls prevention planning. Analysis of the responses of nurses in medical and surgical areas was different from responses from hospital staff in outpatient, paediatric, obstetric and emergency department areas. Conclusion The study identified a number of barriers to the use of the Hendrich II Fall Risk Model. The recommendations to the District Health Board included professional development for nurses about how to incorporate clinical judgment as part of falls risk assessment, to improve patient education regarding falls prevention, to review the Upright training

The purpose of this study was to investigate organisational response to two tsunami warnings issued for New Zealand in September 2009 and February 2010 following off-shore earthquakes: Samoa and Chile respectfully. Communication was at the forefront of the investigation with the aim to discover how communication could potentially affect response, coordination and planning. Four methods were applied using semi-structured questionnaires to obtain qualitative and quantitative information, literature reviews and reviews of technical and debriefing reports. Seventy nine organisations were approached to participate. Twenty five questionnaires were sent out to six organisations in various regions for staff to complete with 18 returned. Interviews were organised and were conducted, with 5 completed. One debriefing report provided relevant information and was treated as an interview. The results of the study indicated the majority of respondents (71%) considered their organisational response to the tsunami warnings in 2009 were effective (53%) and very effective (18%). The majority did encounter problems during the September 2009 tsunami warning with 29% indicating a less than effective response. In 2010, improvements were seen with 44% indicating the response was effective and 38% thought is was very effective and 19% indicating it was less than effective. Interagency communication was very effective for 14% in 2009; slightly increasing to 19% in 2010. In 2009 it was effective for 29%; increasing to 56% in 2010. Interagency communication was somewhat ineffective for 43% in 2009 reducing to 19% in 2010. Terminology was one issue raised by all respondents as this did cause confusion amongst response agencies. Intra-agency communication was believed to be very effective (12%) and effective (41%) in 2009; improving in 2010 (31% and 50% respectively). Some (41%) who did believed intra-agency communication was somewhat ineffective in 2009; reducing to 13% in 2010. Some indicated

Research was undertaken to examine the implementation requirements of a proposed rule, NZCAR Part 115,which has been developed with the intention to regulate “adventure aviation” activities in New Zealand. The regulation applies to a wide range of tourism focused airborne operations including the use of ex-military and aerobatic aircraft for joyriding, passenger flights in balloons, gliders, tandem parachuting and hang-gliding operations. The rule was considered necessary as there has been a lack of any recognized safety standards applicable to these activities when they are conducted beyond a purely recreational purpose. An increasing number of operators commercialise their activities by focusing on taking passengers for rides as opposed to conducting training or “trial flights” (which are assumed to be for the purpose of introducing people to the sport). Many of these operations use non-certified aircraft which have not been intended for the carriage passengers on a commercial scale. Where paying passengers are carried, safety is assumed to require a greater level of management. The regulator – the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority - considers that a formal system that applies standards similar to those of small airline would be more appropriate. A new rule was required due to the novel and diverse nature of activities, and the various types of aircraft used. Specialist legislation for adventure aviation would also open up the sector for further commercial opportunities and would provide the ability to regulate such activities within the civil aviation system. The thesis includes a review of literature which examines the basis of the legislatory requirements and defines the rationale for the rule-making standard, as well as introducing notions for defining and assessing risk within aviation. The review also looks at published industry reaction to the development of the Rule. A part of the research, the survey of operators, elicits their opinion as to the workab

Fish and fish products are among the most internationally traded food commodities of which approximately fifty percent originate in developing countries. This raises concerns about seafood safety and quality for the food industry. The Solomon Islands currently export tuna loins to the European Union (EU), which requires accreditation. This lucrative market requires the Solomon Islands to meet stringent standards stipulated by the EU for fishery products. The aim of the study was to explore and evaluate factors that influence the implementation of the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) food safety system at National Fisheries Developments Company Ltd (NFD Ltd) and Soltai Fishing & Processing Company Ltd (Soltai Ltd) in the Solomon Islands, and its effectiveness at meeting stringent EU requirements. A mixed methods research and design was adopted in the study, which involved non-experimental research, survey research and qualitative research (one on one (talanoa) interviews). The study revealed that NFD Ltd and Soltai Ltd are in general terms in compliance with the EU directives (EC 852/2004, EC 853/2004 and EC 854/2004) and the Solomon Islands Pure Food (fishery products) Regulation 2005. Furthermore, while NFD Ltd and Soltai Ltd do have a well documented HACCP system in place, the study showed that the majority of workers do not fully understand the HACCP system. The review of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) on board the fishing vessels revealed that the Chief Engineers, as far as histamine control and monitoring is concerned, are complying with EU Regulation EC 853/2004 and the Solomon Islands Pure Food (fishery products) Regulation 2005.The tests carried out to assess microbiological parameters revealed that, a large number of microorganisms were present at all four sites in the processing factory as indicated by Total Plate Counts, a good indicator of product/surface contamination from environmental sources. Furthermore, survey research revealed th

Current safety reports indicate a rise in the number of reported incidents involving both medium and small aeroplanes and helicopters. The purpose of this study is to identify specific threats, errors and Undesirable Aircraft States (UAS), present in safety-related occurrences reported to the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand (CAANZ). Threat and Error Management (TEM) is used to improve safety margins in aviation operations through the practical integration of human factors knowledge. The TEM framework is used to guide the investigation of reported safety-related occurrences in a way that systematically identifies specific threats, errors and UAS. This research employs the predictive safety method by investigating reported historical events, followed by analysing each event to list threats, errors and UAS. If a threat, error or UAS is identified in an occurrence, it is then marked ‘present’ under the corresponding column of the TEM taxonomic. After the completion of the classifications, solutions can be developed to prevent similar occurrences in the future. To test for accuracy and consistency of threat, error and UAS classifications, ten randomly chosen occurrences were provided to ten aviation professionals. These tests included Cohen’s Kappa test and a percentage of agreement test. Cohen’s Kappa results reached significant agreement with half of the respondents and an overall percentage of agreement of 68 per cent compared with the researcher’s classifications. Results from the TEM classifications show the majority of threats had environmental influences and procedural errors. The most common UAS resulted mainly from Ground Navigation and Aircraft Handling operational conditions. The TEM technique enabled a focus on the events that contributed to an incident rather than an accident. By applying the results from this TEM taxonomic, it is hoped that pilots will benefit from a better understanding of the importance of TEM and how frequently threat and errors

Recent world headline disasters such as the September 11 attacks, 2005 London transport bombings and 2003 Daegu Subway arson attacks sent a strong warning to all nations that mass-transit systems are highly susceptible to arson or terrorist attacks with catastrophic consequences. Whilst it may be impossible to ever eliminate all forms of threats, one thing remains clear-the effectiveness of crew response to emergency situations can make a key difference between a minor incident and a full blown disaster. Staff effectiveness relies upon corporate awareness, training and investment into safety. Even a state-of-the-art system requires suitably matched and experienced staff for smooth, efficient and incident-free operation. Unfortunately, incident reports reveal consistently that about 70% of aviation and railway incidents have roots in human factors, highlighting the need to invest in effective, safety-oriented training to expose staff to operational and emergency situations in order to minimise or mitigate human error consequences. In aviation, crew resource management (CRM) was developed to address this need. CRM's effectiveness in improving teamwork, communication and staff response to emergency results in its popularity in the medical, nuclear, and military sectors. Although some work had begun to modify CRM for the railway industry, none yet existed in China or Hong Kong. Having observed the effectiveness of CRM and line oriented training (LOT) in aviation, this work documents the introduction of CRM and LOT in Hong Kong in the West Rail (WR) division of the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC). One-hundred-and-twenty drivers, station and traffic controllers from WR took part in a three days CRM training program. The program used lectures, video aided training facilities (VAT) and integrated training facilities (ITF) to expose staff to CRM and safety related concepts. ITFs were used in LOT programs to simulate emergency and abnormal operation scenarios to tes

Crew Resource Management (CRM) is a widely implemented strategy in the aviation community as a training countermeasure to human error. The two most accessible criteria for CRM training evaluation are behaviour on line operation and attitudes showing acceptance or rejection of CRM concepts. The purpose of this research is to investigate CRM training effectiveness for cabin crew, achieved by assessing cabin crew's attitudes toward CRM and their performance during a the training drill. A questionnaire was created for assessing attitudes toward CRM and CRM training from the flight attendants' perspective at Air New Zealand. Comparing attitudes prior to and post the training suggested that the joint CRM training had a positive effect. The joint CRM training improved cabin crew's confidence in safety operation and commitment to their safety role. As some factors, such as job position, gender, age, work-year, aircraft type were likely to affect crewmembers' attitudes toward CRM, the survey also tried to test and finally disclosed that at least job position and gender had an effect on cabin crew attitudes. A series of behavioural markers were developed to measure cabin crew performance during a fire fighting drill. The observation results showed such behavioural markers were useful for assessing flight attendants' CRM skills and indicating the strength and weakness of cabin crew CRM skills showed in the fire fighting drills. In general the study suggests the overall CRM training in Air New Zealand is successful. It is advised that joint SEP/CRM training needs further concern about the balance of CRM and SEP training. It is also suggested which kinds of CRM skills are critical for cabin crew emergency control.

In the past two decades, fatigue has been widely studied and has proven scientifically to be a threat to flight operations and aircrews, as evidenced in disastrous aviation accidents. Internationally, it is recognised that the prevention or minimization of fatigue requires a collaborative approach, hence not just individuals. However, because of individual differences in coping with fatigue, the complex factors associated with fatigue, and the dynamics in aviation operations, it has proven unrealistic to expect to have a "one size fits all" policy to manage fatigue. Nevertheless, with increased competition in the aviation domain, aircrews are increasingly made to work according to organisational requirements through rosters or schedules that function in "24/7" settings. Such arrangements have been, and are still being mandated by flight and duty time limitations in civil aviation rules elsewhere. With increased knowledge on the effects of fatigue in the cause of accidents and incidents, it has for some time been known that the historical prescriptive approach does not address potential fatigue-related factors. Australia and New Zealand Civil Aviation Authorities have led the way in developing an alternative approach in the management of fatigue, in a move to operate beyond mandated flight and duty time limitations. Such an approach does not intend to breach current prescriptive rules, but rather incorporate industry views by establishing an alternative strategy in managing aircrew fatigue considered best for the operation, organisation and the pilot. Given the minimal information available on fatigue management in the New Zealand Aviation Industry, this study was initiated to gather perceptions from management, rostering staff and pilots on how their organisations are currently managing fatigue, via a questionnaire. Results of the study showed that 33% of participants reported maintaining AC119-2 in meeting their flight and duty time limits, 9% indicated using AC119

The Bell Logger is a fast highly mobile forestry machine used in close proximity to workers on foot. It can, along with other machines, inadvertently collide with workers, other machines or logs which subsequently hit workers. To date the only successful way to prevent injury to workers on foot is to completely remove them from the work area of the Bell Logger. This is often operationally difficult and does not prevent collisions between machines or other objects. One potential solution is to improve the rear vision of the machine operator. A literature search was carried out to review information on human vision, issues of driver vision from vehicles, epidemiology of forestry injury related to mobile machines, methods of assessing vision from vehicles and existing rear-view aids for vehicle drivers. A questionnaire was used to gather information from Bell Logger operators on their opinion of the rear view camera system. Video records of Bell Logger movements and operator head glance direction were analysed to characterise the operating environment and style without and with the rear view camera system. Mobile machine related injuries on the skid site are a significant problem resulting in 1304 lost work days in the period 1995 to 2002. The normal operational environment of the Bell logger operator is characterised by frequent machine changes in direction (eight to 10 per minute) and frequent head movements (four to five per minute) to see if the way is clear. Results indicate that the rear vision camera system appears to have potential as a valuable addition to the Bell Logger operating under typical New Zealand forestry conditions, and it resulted in a 20% increase in Bell Logger activity.

New Zealand logging has a high accident rate which has concerned health and safety personnel, accident insurers, researchers and members of the industry. Efforts to reduce logging accidents and to promote safety, have included development of better equipment and training methods, and understanding of patterns of accident occurrence. The research to date has been mainly quantitative, and focused on individual factors. The aim of the present study was to develop an understanding of the social processes which surround logging accidents to provide a broader perspective of accident causation and its implications for safety promotion. 47 loggers and 32 logging contractors from three regions of New Zealand participated in unstructured interviews which were recorded, transcribed and coded with the assistance of NUD.IST, a computer programme. Personal observations in the workplace and numerous informal discussions with a range of industry personnel, complemented the interviews. The qualitative methodology, Grounded Theory (Strauss & Corbin, 1990), was chosen to analyse the data. The results show that loggers perceive that individual factors such as risk-taking, violation of regulations, training, experience, equipment used, and the physical environment affect safety. The analysis of the data revealed that the impact of all these factors is moderated by the contractor who, in such an isolated environment, has a dominant role in the crew culture. The ability of the contractor to organise and motivate workers so that time can be allowed for learning and using appropriate techniques was critical to the safety of the crew. Frequent restructuring of the logging industry, together with falling log prices, have created instability which has impinged on the ability of contractors to run their crews safely. Increased expectations for production have placed pressure on safety systems. Some contractors managed to maintain safety through a proactive approach to training, efficient system

The use of Carbon Adsorption Technology for the development of a Prototype Portable Carbon Adsorption Unit was investigated. Carbon adsorption is a well-established treatment process. It is much safer and more economical in comparison with other conventional neutralisation techniques used for toxic chemical spill clean up. This thesis begins by examining the nature of toxic chemical spills, the effects on the environment and the economy, and the currently available response methods and treatment technologies. The discussion then continues into the use of Carbon Adsorption Technology for the treatment of toxic chemical spills. This is further developed by the conceptual design of a portable adsorption unit. Small scale column experiments were carried out in order to determine the flow configuration to be adopted by the unit. These experiments showed that an upflow configuration had greater potential to increase adsorption efficiency. From the conceptual design stage a full detailed design of the unit was done from which the unit was constructed. The constructed prototype portable adsorption unit was then evaluated by performing a series of adsorption experiments on a single column. The conclusion reached is that Carbon Adsorption Technology can be successfully applied on a small scale for the treatment of toxic chemical spills.

This study examined methods for increasing seatbelt usage in one type of heavy logging machine (the skidder). This machine is used extensively for extracting felled trees and transporting them from where they are cut down to a central processing area. Preliminary investigations suggested that the operators of these machines failed to wear their seatbelts because they were poorly designed and because the operators simply forgot. A survey of the literature on increasing safety behaviours found that the two most powerful techniques were behaviour modification and human factors engineering (or ergonomics). Therefore, these were the two techniques used here. The standard seatbelts were redesigned to make them easier to use and an orange flashing reminder light was installed into the machines of seven full-time skidder operators. These machines were operating in either Kaingaroa, Rotoehu, Tahorakuri or Te Whakao Forests in the central North Island of New Zealand. The experiment used a multiple baseline single subject design, with the subjects receiving each treatment twice. With the installation of the redesigned seatbelt, mean seatbelt usage for six subjects rose from 21% to 31%. One subject refused to wear a seatbelt throughout the experiment. Installing the reminder light increased seatbelt usage by a further 1%. Removing the new seatbelt design caused usage to drop 16%. A further decrease of 5% occurred with the return to baseline phase when the reminder light had also been removed. The second introduction of the new seatbelt resulted in an increase in usage from 10% to a mean level of 46%. This was increased a further 22% with the reintroduction of the reminder light. The results showed that an easier to use seatbelt in combination with a reminder light can increase the level of seatbelt usage. The results also provide further evidence of the power of both behaviour modification techniques and human factors engineering in the field of occupational safety.

Accident statistics indicate that the rate of mortality and financial loss associated with general aviation accidents is comparable with that of passenger transport operations. However, general aviation appears under­ represented in literature pertaining to the development of safety interventions. In this thesis, this apparent disparity is addressed in an investigation of pilot error in New Zealand general aviation. Using the precedent of accident modelling developed in industrial safety research, accident models taken from aviation, road transport and industrial settings are reviewed for their representation of human error. The Surry Model (1969), a twelve point sequence representing operator decision making processes, was selected for generalization to aviation. The selection of this model was congruous with research literature identifying poor decision making as a primary causal factor in air accidents. Each of the points in the model represents an opportunity for accident avoidance if certain information processing requirements are met. The model presents accident avoidance as the result of three processes: the correct recognition of stimuli, the correct cognitive processing of avoidance options, and the correct implementation of physiological responses. The accident sequence within which these processes occur is divided into two cycles: the build-up of danger in the system, and its subsequent release. The model was applied to a data base of 84 cases involving fixed wing aircraft engaged in general aviation, selected from 1980 to 1991. The point at which an error in pilot decision making occurred was identified and coded using the twelve points of the Surry Model. These data were combined with information concerning biographic characteristics of the pilots, and the number of passengers on board the flight. All pilots in the sample were male. Two research questions were investigated. The first questions whether the Surry Model is a useful tool in the analysis of