BACKGROUND: Workplace accidents in the petroleum industry can cause catastrophic damage to people, property, and the environment. Earlier studies in this domain indicate that the majority of the accident report information is available in unstructured text format. Conventional techniques for the analysis of accident data are time-consuming and heavily dependent on experts\' subject knowledge, experience, and judgment. There is a need to develop a machine learning-based decision support system to analyze the vast amounts of unstructured text data that are frequently overlooked due to a lack of appropriate methodology.
METHODS: To address this gap in the literature, we propose a hybrid methodology that uses improved text-mining techniques combined with an un-bias group decision-making framework to combine the output of objective weights (based on text mining) and subjective weights (based on expert opinion) of risk factors to prioritize them. Based on the contextual word embedding models and term frequencies, we extracted five important clusters of risk factors comprising more than 32 risk sub-factors. A heterogeneous group of experts and employees in the petroleum industry were contacted to obtain their opinions on the extracted risk factors, and the best-worst method was used to convert their opinions to weights.
CONCLUSIONS: The applicability of our proposed framework was tested on the data compiled from the accident data released by the petroleum industries in India. Our framework can be extended to accident data from any industry, to reduce analysis time and improve the accuracy in classifying and prioritizing risk factors.

Traditionally, working time arrangements to limit fatigue-related risk have taken a prescriptive approach, which sets maximum shift durations in order to prevent excessive buildup of fatigue (and the associated increased risk) within shifts and sets minimum break durations to allow adequate time for rest and recovery within and/or between shifts. Prescriptive rule sets can be successful when, from a fatigue-related risk standpoint, they classify safe work hours as permitted and unsafe work hours as not permitted. However, prescriptive rule sets ignore important aspects of the biological factors (such as the interaction between circadian and homeostatic processes) that drive fatigue, which are critical modulators of the relationship between work hours and fatigue-related risk. As such, in around-the-clock operations when people must work outside of normal daytime hours, the relationship between regulatory compliance and safety tends to break down, and thus these rule sets become less effective. To address this issue, risk management-based approaches have been designed to regulate the procedures associated with managing fatigue-related risk. These risk management-based approaches are suitable for nighttime operations and a variety of other non-standard work schedules, and can be tailored to the particular job or industry. Although the purpose of these fatigue risk management approaches is to curb fatigue risk, fatigue risk cannot be measured directly. Thus, the goal is not on regulating fatigue risk per se, but rather to put in place procedures that serve to address fatigue before, during, and after potential fatigue-related incidents. Examples include predictive mathematical modeling of fatigue for work scheduling, proactive fatigue monitoring in the workplace, and reactive post-incident follow-up. With different risks and different needs across industries, there is no \"one size fits all\" approach to managing fatigue-related risk. However, hybrid strategies combining prescriptive rule sets and risk management-based approaches can create the flexibility necessary to reduce fatigue-related risk based on the specific needs of different work environments while maintaining appropriate regulatory oversight.

A substantial body of literature indicates that shift workers have a significantly higher risk of workplace accidents and injuries, compared to workers in regular daytime schedules. This can be attributed to work during nights which require workers to stay awake during normal sleeping hours and sleep during natural waking hours, leading to circadian desynchronization, sleep disruption and cognitive impairment. A fatigue-risk trajectory model developed by Dawson and McCulloch has been used to describe the series of events which may precede fatigue-related incidents. This includes insufficient sleep opportunities, impaired sleep, fatigue-behavioral symptoms, and fatigue-related errors. The purpose of this paper is to provide examples of control measures along each level of the fatigue-risk trajectory, which include: (i) work scheduling strategies to include breaks for adequate sleep opportunities; (ii) training and educational programs to help workers make best use of recovery times for quality sleep; (iii) fatigue-detection devices to alert workers and safety managers of fatigue-related behaviors and errors. A brief introduction to Fatigue-Risk Management systems is also included as a long-term sustainable strategy to maintain shift worker health and safety. The key statements in this paper represent a consensus among the Working Time Society regarding a multi-level approach to managing occupational sleep-related fatigue.

Today\'s employers are hiring a more age-diverse workforce. As Americans work longer, age-related changes often create activity limitations. Musculoskeletal disorders affect many older workers heightening their risk of workplace injury. Compounded by multiple comorbidities, older workers will need occupational health nurses with expert knowledge to maintain safe and productive workplaces. Older workers do not experience as many injuries as younger workers, but when they are injured, recovery is longer. The author developed and conducted a survey of New Jersey occupational health nurses. The results showed that overexertion injuries are the most frequently treated injuries in employee health offices. For occupational health nurses to keep employees safe, best practices must be delineated; this musculoskeletal safety guideline provides recommendations for evidence-based care of older workers.

In 2007, the National Children\'s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety (NCCRAHS) published Agritourism Health and Safety Guidelines for Children to provide helpful recommendations for protecting the health and safety of children visiting agritourism farms. Supplement A: Policies and Procedures Guide and Supplement B: Worksite Guide were subsequently published in 2009 and provided agritourism farms with checklists to use in reviewing, planning, and implementing their own health and safety practices. In order to better understand what would be required of a farm wishing to implement the guidelines using Supplements A and B, the North Carolina Agromedicine Institute conducted a single-family farm demonstration project with support from the NCCRAHS. The aims of the project were to (1) determine child health and safety risks associated with an existing agritourism farm; (2) determine the cost of making improvements necessary to reduce risks; and (3) use project findings to motivate other agritourism farms, Cooperative Extension agents, and agritourism insurers to adopt or recommend Agritourism Health and Safety Guidelines for Children for their own farms or farms with which they work. At the conclusion of the study, the target farm was in compliance with an average of 86.9% of items in Supplements A and B. Furthermore, 89% of individuals self-identifying as farmers or farm workers and 100% of Cooperative Extension agents and agritourism insurers attending an end-of-project workshop indicated their intent to adopt or recommend Agritourism Health and Safety Guidelines for Children for their own farms or farms with which they work.

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The North American Guidelines for Children\'s Agricultural Tasks (NAGCAT) were developed to reduce the risk of childhood agricultural injury. The purpose of this study was to evaluate compliance with NAGCAT-recommended work practices (WPs) when youth work with large animals. On a daily basis, over a period of 10 weeks, youth self-reported the number of minutes they worked with a large animal and whether they followed the associated NAGCAT WP guidelines. Statistical analyses were conducted to compare boys to girls and to consider the effect of factors such as youth age, farm residence status, and selected parental characteristics. A high proportion of youth exhibited relatively low compliance for most of the five WPs evaluated. Respirators were rarely worn, but checking for people and obstacles in the area while working with large animals was commonly reported. In general, boys, especially the older boys, exhibited higher compliance than did girls. The results of our study demonstrate, in general, that youth are not following recommended NAGCAT WPs when working with large animals, identifying an area in agricultural safety and health requiring focused attention.

The North American Guidelines for Children\'s Agricultural Tasks (NAGCAT) were developed to reduce childhood agricultural injuries by assisting adults in assigning appropriate chores and providing needed supervision and training. To develop an effective intervention to increase adherence to NAGCAT among farm parents, formative research (focus groups and pilot-testing) was conducted. Protection motivation theory (PMT) was used to guide this research and inform intervention development. Focus group results suggested how PMT constructs might be addressed to increase adherence. A home visit intervention, using a standardized presentation in POWERPoint™, was developed to (a) introduce NAGCAT, (b) increase motivation to use NAGCAT and enhance safe work behaviors, and (c) ultimately reduce agricultural work-related injuries among youth. Process evaluation data suggests that the intervention was well received by farm parents. Conducting theory-guided formative research identified motivational barriers and strategies for overcoming these barriers that might not have been otherwise apparent.

The possibility of a fall into rope protection and subsequent suspension exists in some industrial situations. The action to take for the first aid management of rescued victims has not been clear, with some authors advising against standard first aid practices. To clarify the medical evidence relating to harness suspension the UK Health and Safety Executive commissioned an evidence-based review and guideline. Four key questions were posed relating to the incidence, circumstances, recognition and first aid management of the medical effects of harness suspension. A comprehensive literature search returned 60 potential papers with 29 papers being reviewed. The Scottish Intercollegiate Guideline Network (SIGN) methodology was used to critically review the selected papers and develop a guideline. A stakeholders\' workshop was held to review the evidence and draft recommendations. Nine papers formed the basis of the guideline recommendations. No data on the incidence of harness suspension syncope were found. Presyncopal symptoms or syncope are thought to occur with motionless suspension as a consequence of orthostasis leading to hypotension. There was no evidence of any other pathology, despite this being hypothesised by others. No evidence was found that showed the efficacy or safety of positioning a victim in a semirecumbent position. In any case of harness suspension, the standard UK first aid guidance for recovery of a semiconscious or unconscious person in a horizontal position should be followed. Other recommendations included areas for further research and proposals for standard data collection on falls into rope protection.

BACKGROUND: In 2007, a new set of guidelines for blood exposure incidents was introduced in The Netherlands to standardize management and reduce use of hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIg). Accidents now have to be assigned into risk categories with the corresponding medical intervention.
OBJECTIVE: To study the consequences of the guidelines on overall risk assessment and costs of hepatitis B virus (HBV) prevention.
METHODS: Incidents (n = 461) from both hospital as well as non-hospital health care workers and others registered by a call centre from the year 2005 were reassessed and reclassified as \'no-risk\', \'high-risk\' or \'low-risk\' according to the corresponding risk categories of the new guidelines. The differences in classification, use of HBV immunoglobulin, source testing and the costs of the HBV prevention strategy were evaluated.
RESULTS: Of all incidents, 86% could be reassigned directly into the new risk categories. However, there was a significant shift from \'low-\' to \'high-risk\' incidents. Overall, administration of HBV vaccination increased and administration of HBIg decreased significantly, although within the group of high-risk incidents, administration of HBIg increased. There was no effect on the frequency of reference serum taken after an incident. While fewer incidents needed intervention, the total costs of HBV prevention still increased by 50%. Total costs increased by 13%, due to a shift in classification.
CONCLUSIONS: The use of the new protocol facilitated standardized risk assessment for blood exposure accidents. HBIg administration and source testing decreased. An increased proportion of high-risk classifications resulted in an increase in the associated costs.