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This article will discuss the requirements for evaluating an equipment assembly for evidence of compliance to applicable standards, for the purpose of obtaining certification or a listing from a certification body. This would allow the equipment to be marked as suitable for use in explosive atmospheres. Historically there was little guidance for evaluating ex equipment assemblies and as such evaluations could be complicated and costly. In 2017, a technical specification, IEC TS 60079-46, was published for the evaluation of equipment assemblies for explosive environments. In 2018, Canada adopted the IEC TS 60079-46 with Canadian deviations, as CAN/CSA C22.2 No. 60079-46. The USA is in the process of adopting a version of IEC TS 60079-46 with national deviations. This is a step forward in being able to approve assemblies so that any additional investigation in the field is minimized or eliminated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A Quasi-Static FE based CDP model for analysis of GFRP-RC deep beams is proposed. • The impacts of main design variables on the behavior of GFRP-RC deep beams are assessed. • The suitability of five international design codes is evaluated. • A new design formula for the ultimate concrete shear contribution of the GFRP-RC deep beams is proposed. The main objective of this article is to propose a new, more robust, and comprehensive design equation for Glass-Fiber-Reinforced-Polymer (GFRP) reinforced concrete (RC) Deep Beams (DBs). The investigation is based on a numerical model using Quasi-Static Two-Dimensional FE simulation of GFRP-RC DBs. The numerical model is validated by calibrating four parameters (concrete dilatation angle ψ , concrete tensile strength f ct , fracture energy G f , mesh size) against data from ten full-scale experiments on GFRP-RC DBs available in the literature. Additionally, a numerical parametric study based on a full factorial design with 5 factors (and between 2 and 5 modalities) is conducted using the validated quasi-static FE model, which includes 360 large-scale GFRP-RC DBs. The impacts of primary design variables on the concrete contribution V c to the shear capacity of GFRP-RC DBs are assessed. The effects of various geometrical and mechanical variables, such as cross-sectional dimensions (width b × height H), concrete compressive strength grade (f c), GFRP properties (modulus E f , and strength f fu), GFRP reinforcement ratio (ρ f), and shear span to depth ratios (a / d f), are examined to understand the shear behavior of GFRP-RC DBs. The numerical simulations demonstrate that the proposed FE model accurately captures the behavior of GFRP-RC DBs. Building upon these findings, a new shear design equation is proposed for DBs, and its accuracy and robustness are compared with five established international design codes (ACI-440.1R-15, ISIS-Canada, CAN/CSA-S806-12, JSCE-1997, and BS-8110). The existing design codes significantly underestimate the concrete contribution to shear capacity, leading to uneconomical designs. In contrast, the new design equation provides a fair prediction of V c , with a standard error of 7.734 % and 20.84 % compared to the FE and experimental datasets, respectively. This represents a substantial improvement over the existing design guides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of feminist approaches to disciplines and professions has become common. In ethics, the attention of such approaches is focused on caring, community and responsibility. Discussions in planning are centred on women's needs and experiences as well as more collaborative approaches to professional practice. This article draws on discussion in a focus group of self-identified feminist planners in Ontario, Canada, to suggest how a feminist planning ethics might be expressed in a professional code. Such a code would emphasize values grounded in relationships, addressing power imbalances, equity, nurturing an emphasis on process and the natural environment. The code would be developed using principles of participation, accessibility and diversity. Finally, its role in the planning profession would be to educate, raise consciousness, provide standards and respond to the question, ‘what are planners and planning about?’. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examines employee, managerial, and ethics officer perceptions regarding their companies' codes of ethics. The study moves beyond examining the mere existence of a code of ethics to consider the role that code content and code process (i.e. creation, implementation, and administration) might play with respect to the effectiveness of codes in influencing behavior. Fifty-seven in-depth, semi-structured interviews of employees, managers, and ethics officers were conducted at four large Canadian companies. The factors viewed by respondents to be important with respect to code effectiveness include: provisions of examples; readability; tone; relevance; realism; senior management support; training; reinforcement; living up to standards; reporting requirement; anonymous phone line; communicating violations; and enforcement. The factors found to be potentially important include: justification for provisions; employee involvement; and sign-off requirements. Factors found not to be important include: objectives for the code; prior distribution; testing; and relating one's performance review to compliance with the code. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Are corporate codes of ethics necessarily ethical? To challenge this notion, an initial set of universal moral standards is proposed by which all corporate codes of ethics can be ethically evaluated. The set of universal moral standards includes: (1) trustworthiness; (2) respect; (3) responsibility; (4) fairness; (5) caring; and (6) citizenship. By applying the six moral standards to four different stages of code development (i.e., content, creation, implementation, administration), a code of ethics for corporate codes of ethics is constructed by which companies can be ethically audited for compliance. The newly proposed code of ethics for corporate codes of ethics was then applied to four large Canadian companies representing a variety of industries: telecommunications; banking, manufacturing, and high technology. The ethical audit of the four companies' ethics programs based on the proposed code indicates that all four companies have room to improve the ethical nature of their codes of ethics (i.e., content, creation, implementation, administration). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]