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The need to consider tunnel safety, especially with respect to fire, has been highlighted in the past by various severe tunnel fires that have occurred throughout Europe. This article provides a general overview of the current rules and regulations governing the fire resistance design of tunnel structures. Subsequently, the engineering perspective is presented, focusing on the assessment of fire severity and the resulting thermal loading on the tunnel structure, which may result in spalling of concrete. Thereafter, a scientific perspective is provided, reflecting recent advances made in numerical calculations with respect to the spalling mechanism. From the numerical results and comparison with observations from full-scale tests, it is concluded that thermal restraint is dominant for spalling. Spalling is triggered by the buckling of concrete layers loaded with strains imposed by temperature, which is a new perspective for future scientific research and innovative engineering solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the conducted research is the identification and determination of requirements of members of fire rescue brigades during operations in the conditions of high risk in order to minimize the possibilities for injury incidence during the intervention. The research is focused on examination, determination and identification of factors affecting the increasing number of occupational injuries of members of fire rescue brigades during interventions. Hypothetical framework of the research problem consists of general hypothesis and six special hypotheses. Results suggest that almost all respondents believe that their skills and abilities are applicable in the intervention phase, but less than a half believe that their skills are applicable in prevention phase. Two-thirds of respondents stated that in their organization they have support for further education and upgrading while a half of respondents stated that they need education concerning identification, assessment and management of risks that can lead to emergency situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrialisation developed in Europe particularly in the aftermath of the First World War, surfing the wave generated by an increasing need for reconstruction and modernisation in Western societies. In this context, the issue of workers’ physical fitness became an economic concern for both industry leaders and governments. Focus was on Ergonomics, as seen by the creation of the Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors in the UK in September 1949, and the publication of its journal Ergonomics in 1957. In France, the concern for enhancing a worker's performance through systematic training reached its climax in the mid 1950s. A doctrine was locally elaborated by educators and paved the way for a wider diffusion of new concepts, with France and at a later stage other European countries, organising several international congresses on the topic. The first three of these meetings, held in Paris in 1954, Brussels in 1958 and Helsinki in 1959 were of particular importance. There, the French perspectives took an important place in the final recommendations and resulted in the creation of the commission ‘Sport and Work’ within the International Council for Physical Education and Sport, and with the support of UNESCO. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

ARAMIS (Accidental Risk Assessment Methodology for IndustrieS) is an European project aiming to build up a new integrated risk assessment method that will be used as a supportive tool to speed up the harmonized implementation of Seveso II Directive. A part of ARAMIS is devoted to the identification of accident scenarios in process industries. First, a Methodology for the Identification of Major Accident Hazards (MIMAH) is defined. According to a bow‐tie approach, the major accidents are identified through generic fault and event trees. The term “Major Accidents” must be understood as the worst accidents likely to occur on an installation, assuming that no safety systems are installed. Second, a Methodology for the Identification of Reference Accident Scenarios (MIRAS) studies the influence of safety systems placed on the branches of generic trees. The deep study of causes of accidents, probability levels, safety systems effectiveness and safety management efficiency allows us to define Reference Accident Scenarios, representing the real hazardous potential of the installation. This approach is intended to give an acute estimation of the risk level and to promote the implementation of safety systems. Test cases were carried out in five companies across Europe in order to validate the application of ARAMIS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses the emergence of the EU maritime safety policy in the context of neoinstitutional perspectives. The focus is on the interactions between private interests, national governments and supranational institutions through the transformation of this issue–area from a least promising candidate for policy Europeanisation to one of the four pillars of the collective European maritime strategy. The study concludes that, within a context of unprecedented economic internationalisation, the dynamisms of the norms, rules and political institutions of the EU have a critical role to play in persuading key political actors to endorse the expansion of the European policy dimension. Taking advantage of the inefficiencies of pre–existing policies, the EU political institutions, principally the Commission, and their ideas have advanced policy initiatives and shaped policy details. The content, timing, and momentum of these institutions’ actions, the path opened by distinctive EU developments and the norms of the decision–making process have contributed in taking on board national governments and locked–in private actors of different economic importance that had longed argued against regional solutions of maritime safety problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outcomes of regulatory decision-making at the level of the European Community are extremely heterogeneous. Many attempts at regulation are constantly blocked in the Council, and others have been significantly watered down by inter-governmental bargaining. However, there are examples in the regulation of occupational safety and environmental protection which demonstrate that the deadlocks of intergovernmental bargaining can be overcome. Examples of best practice tell us that there are six main factors contributing to a successful regulatory policy at a high level: (1) The institudorial interests of supranational actors, particularly the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the Economic and Social Committee, in high-level regulation. (2) The influence of supranational actors on European decision- making procedures. (3) The role of advisory committees in the process of decision- making. (4) Legislative eclecticism as a strategy of gaining acceptance. (5) The inclusion of non-governmental actors from the member states. And (6) laxity in de facto implementation to ease acceptance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abstract of the article "Rollover Protective Structure (ROPS) Retrofitting on Agricultural Tractors: Goals and Approaches in Different Countries" by Eugenio Cavallo, Thierry Langle and David Bueno is presented.

The article offers information on the Healthy Workplaces campaign organised by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work. (EU-OSHA). It is intended at reducing work-related accidents and illnesses by focusing on health and safety risk assessment. Director Jukka Takala said they are proud to have many organisations decided to help them raise awareness on risk assessment. He added risk assessment is the key to preventing accidents and ill health. Major objectives of the campaign include raising awareness of the legal responsibility and the importance of risk assessment, promoting a five-step approach to risk assessment and promoting good practices which are transferable.

The article offers information on "Healthy Workplace. Good for you. Good for business," an information campaign designed to reduce work-related accidents and illness across Europe. The campaign, which was launched by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), focuses on the use of risk assessment to prevent workplace accidents. It emphasizes the need for risk assessment in relation to the Community Strategy for Health and Safety at Work. Jukka Takala, director of EU-OSHA, noted that the campaign aims to encourage business to conduct proper risk assessment and implement industrial safety approaches.