• Title/Summary/Keyword: safety and risks

Search Result 1,179, Processing Time 0.028 seconds

Sea Fog Level Estimation based on Maritime Digital Image for Protection of Aids to Navigation (항로표지 보호를 위한 디지털 영상기반 해무 강도 측정 알고리즘)

  • Ryu, Eun-Ji;Lee, Hyo-Chan;Cho, Sung-Yoon;Kwon, Ki-Won;Im, Tae-Ho
    • Journal of Internet Computing and Services
    • /
    • v.22 no.6
    • /
    • pp.25-32
    • /
    • 2021
  • In line with future changes in the marine environment, Aids to Navigation has been used in various fields and their use is increasing. The term "Aids to Navigation" means an aid to navigation prescribed by Ordinance of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries which shows navigating ships the position and direction of the ships, position of obstacles, etc. through lights, shapes, colors, sound, radio waves, etc. Also now the use of Aids to Navigation is transforming into a means of identifying and recording the marine weather environment by mounting various sensors and cameras. However, Aids to Navigation are mainly lost due to collisions with ships, and in particular, safety accidents occur because of poor observation visibility due to sea fog. The inflow of sea fog poses risks to ports and sea transportation, and it is not easy to predict sea fog because of the large difference in the possibility of occurrence depending on time and region. In addition, it is difficult to manage individually due to the features of Aids to Navigation distributed throughout the sea. To solve this problem, this paper aims to identify the marine weather environment by estimating sea fog level approximately with images taken by cameras mounted on Aids to Navigation and to resolve safety accidents caused by weather. Instead of optical and temperature sensors that are difficult to install and expensive to measure sea fog level, sea fog level is measured through the use of general images of cameras mounted on Aids to Navigation. Furthermore, as a prior study for real-time sea fog level estimation in various seas, the sea fog level criteria are presented using the Haze Model and Dark Channel Prior. A specific threshold value is set in the image through Dark Channel Prior(DCP), and based on this, the number of pixels without sea fog is found in the entire image to estimate the sea fog level. Experimental results demonstrate the possibility of estimating the sea fog level using synthetic haze image dataset and real haze image dataset.

Standardization of Identification-number for Processed Food in Food-traceability-system (가공식품에 대한 이력추적관리번호 부여체계의 표준화 방안)

  • Choi, Joon-Ho
    • Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
    • /
    • v.27 no.2
    • /
    • pp.194-201
    • /
    • 2012
  • Facing a number of global food-related accidents, the concept and system for food traceability have been designed and introduced in many countries to manage the food-safety risks. To connect and harmonize the various food traceability-information in food traceability system according to the food supply chain, the coding system of identification-number for food-traceability has to be standardized. The GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) barcode system which has been globally standardized and implemented, is reviewed with the mandatory food-labeling regulation in expiration date of processed foods. The integration of GTIN-13 bar-code system for food-traceability is a crucial factor to expand its function in the food-related industrial areas. In this literature, the standard coding system of identification-number for food-traceability is proposed with 20 digit coding number which is combined with GTIN-13 bar-code (13 digit), expiration date (6 digit), and additional classification code (1 digit). This proposed standard coding system for identification-number has a several advantages in application for prohibiting the sale of hazard goods, food-recall, and inquiring food traceability-information. And also, this proposed coding system could enhance the food traceability system by communicating and harmonizing the information with the national network such as UNI-PASS and electronic Tax-invoice system. For the global application, the identification-number for food-traceability needs to be cooperated with the upcoming global standards such as GTIN-128 bar-code and GS1 DataBar.

Acute toxicity of antifouling agents(TBT, Sea-nine, Cu-pyrithione and Zn-pyrithione) to rockfish Sebastes schlegeli and amphipod Monocorophium acherusicum (방오도료(TBT, Sea-nine, Cu-pyrithione과 Zn-pyrithione)의 조피볼락 Sebastes schlegeli 과 단각류 Monocorophium acherusicum에 대한 급성독성 비교)

  • Park Kun-Ho;Lee Kyu-Tae;Lee Jung-Suk;Han Kyung-Nam
    • Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
    • /
    • v.9 no.1
    • /
    • pp.21-28
    • /
    • 2006
  • Since the usage of tributyltin(TBT) has been banned, many chemicals including Sea-Nine 211, Cu-pyrithione, and Zn-pyrithione were developed to use as antifouling agents for ships and coastal structures. However, the toxicity of these antifouling chemicals have not been systematically evaluated in ecotoxicological and biological studies. In this study, we investigated the effect of four antifouling substances on survival of estuarine rockfish, Sebastes schlegeli and amphipod, Monocorophium acherusicum. Survival of S. schlegeli and M. acherusicum during the 96-h exposure period were used to estimate the median lethal concentrations(LC50s) of test chemicals for each test species. Among antifouling agents, Cu-pyrithione($56{\mu}g{\cdot}1^{-1}$;96-h LC50) was most toxic to S. schlegeli, followed by $TBT(73{\mu}g{\cdot}1^{-1}),\;Sea-Nine(184{\mu}g{\cdot}1^{-1})\;and\;Zn-pyrithione(l707{\mu}g{\cdot}1^{-1})$, while TBT($26{\mu}g{\cdot}1^{-1}$) was most toxic to M. acherusicum followed by Sea-Nine($49{\mu}g{\cdot}1^{-1}$), Cu-pyrithione($119{\mu}g{\cdot}1^{-1}$) and Zn-pyrithione($334{\mu}g{\cdot}1^{-1}$). Effect concentrations of the antifouling chemicals estimated in this study can be used when assessing the potential risks of these substances, of which usage is increasing in the coastal environment.

  • PDF

From Radon and Thoron Measurements, Inhalation Dose Assessment to National Regulation and Radon Action Plan in Cameroon

  • Saidou;Shinji Tokonami;Masahiro Hosoda;Augustin Simo;Joseph Victor Hell;Olga German;Esmel Gislere Oscar Meless
    • Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
    • /
    • v.47 no.4
    • /
    • pp.237-245
    • /
    • 2022
  • Background: The current study reports measurements of activity concentrations of radon (220Rn) and thoron (220Rn) in dwellings, followed by inhalation dose assessment of the public, and then by the development of regulation and the national radon action plan (NRAP) in Cameroon. Materials and Methods: Radon, thoron, and thoron progeny measurements were carried out from 2014 to 2017 using radon-thoron discriminative detectors (commercially RADUET) in 450 dwellings and thoron progeny monitors in 350 dwellings. From 2019 to 2020, radon track detectors (commercially RADTRAK) were deployed in 1,400 dwellings. It was found that activity concentrations of radon range in 1,850 houses from 10 to 2,620 Bq/㎥ with a geometric mean of 76 Bq/㎥. Results and Discussion: Activity concentrations of thoron range from 20 to 700 Bq/㎥ with a geometric mean of 107 Bq/㎥. Thoron equilibrium factor ranges from 0.01 to 0.6, with an arithmetic mean of 0.09 that is higher than the default value of 0.02 given by UNSCEAR. On average, 49%, 9%, and 2% of all surveyed houses have radon concentrations above 100, 200, and 300 Bq/㎥, respectively. The average contribution of thoron to the inhalation dose due to radon and thoron exposure is about 40%. Thus, thoron cannot be neglected in dose assessment to avoid biased results in radio-epidemiological studies. Only radon was considered in the drafted regulation and in the NRAP adopted in October 2020. Reference levels of 300 Bq/㎥ and 1,000 Bq/㎥ were recommended for dwellings and workplaces. Conclusion: Priority actions for the coming years include the following: radon risk mapping, promotion of a protection policy against radon in buildings, integration of the radon prevention and mitigation into the training of construction specialists, mitigation of dwellings and workplaces with high radon levels, increased public awareness of the health risks associated with radon, and development of programs on the scientific and technical aspects.

A Study on Occupational Environment Assessment Strategies for Respirable Particulate Matter at Coal-Fired Power Plants (석탄화력발전소 호흡성분진 작업환경 평가 전략 사례에 관한 연구)

  • Eun-Seung Lee;Yun-Keun Lee;Dong-Il Shin
    • Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
    • /
    • v.33 no.3
    • /
    • pp.375-383
    • /
    • 2023
  • Objectives: Coal-fired power plants feature diverse working conditions, including multi-layered employment structures and irregular work cycles due to outsourcing and non-standardized tasks. The current uniform occupational environment measurement systems have limitations in accurately assessing and evaluating these varied conditions. This study aims to propose alternative measurement and assessment strategies to supplement existing methods. Methods: Major domestic coal-fired power plants were selected as the study targets. To prepare for the study and establish strategies, work processes were identified and existing occupational environment measurement results were compared and analyzed. The study proceeded by employing three strategies: specific exposure groups (SEGs) measurement, continuous monitoring, and supplementary measurements, which were then compared and discussed. Results: Previous exposure index evaluations (5,268 cases) indicated that crystalline silica, a type of respirable particulate matter, had detection limits below the threshold (non-detectable) in 82.6% (4,349 cases) of instances. Exposures below 10% of the exposure limit were observed at a very low concentration of 96.1%. Similar exposure group measurements yielded results where detection limits were below the threshold in 38.2% of cases, and exposures below 10% of the limit were observed in 70.6%. Continuous monitoring indicated detection limits below the threshold in 12.6% of cases, and exposures below 10% of the limit were observed in 75.6%. Instances requiring active workplace management accounted for more than 30% of cases, with SEGs at 11.8% (four cases), showing a higher proportion compared to 3.0% (four cases) in continuous monitoring. For coal dust, exposures below 10% of the limit were highest in legal measurements at 90.2% (113 cases), followed by 74.0% (91 cases) in continuous monitoring, and 47.0% (16 cases) in SEGs. Instances exceeding 30% were most prevalent in SEGs at 14.7% (five cases), followed by legal measurements at 5.0% (eight cases), and continuous monitoring at 2.4% (three cases). When examining exposure levels through arithmetic means, crystalline silica was found to be 104.7% higher in SEGs at 0.0088 mg/m3 compared to 0.0043 mg/m3 in continuous monitoring. Coal dust measurements were highest in SEGs at 0.1247 mg/m3, followed by 0.1224 mg/m3 in legal measurements, and 0.0935 mg/m3 in continuous monitoring. Conclusions: Strategies involving SEGs measurement and continuous monitoring can enhance measurement reliability in environments with irregular work processes and frequent fluctuations in working conditions, as observed in coal-fired power plants. These strategies reduce the likelihood of omitting or underestimating processes and enhance measurement accuracy. In particular, a significant reduction in detection limits below the threshold for crystalline silica was observed. Supplementary measurements can identify worker exposure characteristics, uncover potential risks in blind spots of management, and provide a complementary method for legal measurements.

A Study on Obtaining Feedback Function of Disaster Information Management using Information & Communication Technology (ICT기술을 이용한 방재정보 관리의 환류기능 확보에 관한 연구)

  • Ko, Jaesun
    • Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
    • /
    • v.11 no.1
    • /
    • pp.73-88
    • /
    • 2015
  • Due to the cases of recent global warming and unusual weather etc., large-scale natural disasters such as typhoons, floods, snow damage occur frequently across the continents such as Southeast Asia and North America, South America etc. and risks of earthquakes and tsunami are also increasing gradually in Korea which has been regarded as a safe zone and disaster types are also being diversified such as typhoons, floods, heat waves, heavy snow and damage scale is also enlarged. In addition, due to geographical characteristics or lack of infrastructure, disasters tended to occur intensively around a specific region or city in the past but disasters occur throughout the country in recent years so preparation for disaster prevention has emerged as an urgent challenge issue. Therefore, considering that the plan of obtaining the effective feedback function of disaster Information is very important in the proactive and software aspects for disaster reduction, this paper analyzed this three aspects of contents, procedural and contextual aspects and proposed the plan. First, in the content aspect, building disaster prevention information communication Infrastructure, building urban and regional disaster prevention system, obtaining concurrency and sharing of information and second, in the procedural aspect, active utilization of ICT(Information and Communication Technology) of the prevention stage, disaster prevention information collection and analysis reinforcement of the preparation stage, improvement of decision-making structure and field command system of the response stage, recovery system related information promotion of the recovery stage were proposed as alternatives and finally, in the contextual aspect, if disaster prevention information is effectively managed through maintenance of disaster prevention information related systems, obtaining domainality by disaster prevention work, improvement of the ability to judge the situation, obtaining comprehensive and feedback function etc, it is considered to significantly contribute to reducing natural disasters.

Monitoring and Risk Assessment of Pesticide Residues in Commercial Environment-Friendly Agricultural Products Distributed Using LC-MS/MS in Seoul Metropolitan Area (LC-MS/MS를 이용한 수도권에 유통되는 친환경 농산물의 잔류농약 모니터링 및 안전성 평가)

  • Kim, Jong-Yul;Jung, Youmin;Oh, Hanseul;Kang, Sung-Tae
    • Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
    • /
    • v.47 no.3
    • /
    • pp.306-320
    • /
    • 2015
  • This survey was carried out in 2014 to estimate the pesticide residue levels in commercial environment-friendly agricultural products in Seoul metropolitan area. Pesticide residues in 27 commodities were examined and analyzed using LC-MS/MS, which can simultaneously detect up to 85 pesticides. A total of 441 samples were collected and analyzed. Among the detected samples, the residue levels in 1.2% of organic agricultural products and 2.2% of pesticide-free agricultural products exceeded the maximum residue limits (MRLs); hence, 1.8% of the total samples exceeded the MRLs. The safety of the detected pesticides was assessed by monitoring the acceptable daily intake level (ADI) and acceptable dietary exposure (ADE) to the pesticides via consumption of the commodities. ADI and ADE are found to be 0.07728-9.46530% and 0.00141-0.17210%, respectively, which means that the residual pesticides in the environmental-friendly agricultural products in Korea are below the safe limit and therefore, pose no potential public health risks.

Development of Risk Analysis Structure for Large-scale Underground Construction in Urban Areas (도심지 대규모 지하공사의 리스크 분석 체계 개발)

  • Seo, Jong-Won;Yoon, Ji-Hyeok;Kim, Jeong-Hwan;Jee, Sung-Hyun
    • Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
    • /
    • v.26 no.3
    • /
    • pp.59-68
    • /
    • 2010
  • Systematic risk management is necessary in grand scaled urban construction because of the existence of complicated and various risk factors. Problems of obstructions, adjacent structures, safety, environment, traffic and geotechnical properties need to be solved because urban construction is progressed in limited space not as general earthwork. Therefore the establishment of special risk management system is necessary to manage not only geotechnical properties but also social and cultural uncertainties. This research presents the technique analysis by the current state of risk management technique. Risk factors were noticed and the importance of each factor was estimated through survey. The systemically categorized database was established. Risk extraction module, matrix and score module were developed based on the database. Expected construction budget and time distribution can be computed by Monte Carlo analysis of probabilities and influences. Construction budgets and time distributions of before and after response can be compared and analyzed 80 the risks are manageable for entire whole construction time. This system will be the foundation of standardization and integration. Procurement, efficiency improvement, effective time and resource management are available through integrated management technique development and application. Conclusively decrease in cost and time is expected by systemization of project management.

Attitude, Beliefs, and Intentions to Care for SARS Patients among Korean Clinical Nurses: An Application of Theory of Planned Behavior

  • Kim Cho-Ja;Yoo Hye-Ra;Yoo Myung-Sook;Kwon Bo-Eun;Hwang Kyung-Ja
    • Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
    • /
    • v.36 no.4
    • /
    • pp.596-603
    • /
    • 2006
  • Purpose. This study examined Korean clinical nurses' intentions to care for SARS patients and identify determinants of the intentions. Theory of planned behavior was the framework to explain the intentions of Korean nurses for SARS patients care. Methods. A convenient sample of six hundreds and seventy nine clinical nurses from four university-affiliated hospitals located in Seoul and in Kyung-gi province was used. Self-administered (83-items) questionnaire was used to collect data. Intentions, attitude, subjective norm, perceive behavioral control, behavioral beliefs, normative beliefs, and control beliefs were the study variables. All items were measured using 7point Likert scale (-3 to +3). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation method, and stepwise multiple regression methods. Results. Intentions and attitudes toward SARS patient care among Korean clinical nurses were moderate, but their subjective norm and perceive behavioral control of SARS patients care were negative. Stepwise multiple regression analysis indicated that attitude toward SARS patient care, perceived behavioral control, subjective norm were the determinants of the intentions for SARS patients care as theory proposed. Among the behavioral beliefs, 'SARS-patient caring would be a new experience', 'during SARS-patient caring, I should be apart from my family', 'after completing SARS-patient caring, I would be proud of myself being able to cope with a stressful event' and 'with my SARS-patient caring, patients could recover from SARS' were the significant determinants. Among the normative beliefs, colleague approval, spouse approval, and physician approval were significant determinants of the intentions. Among the control beliefs, 'SARS-patient caring would be a challenge' 'SARS-patient caring is a professional responsibility', 'tension during the care of SARS patients' and 'support from team members' were the significant determinants of the intentions. Conclusions. Korean clinical nurses in this study were not willing to care for SARS patients and showed negative attitude toward the care. They believed their friends and family were not approved their care for SARS patients. Nurses were in conflicts between professional responsibilities to care for SARS patients and personal safety. This study was the first to understand stress and burden of Korean clinical nurses who are in front line to care for newly developed communicable disease such as SARS. Under the circumstance where several fatal communicable diseases are predictable, conflicts between professional responsibility and their personal risks should be taken into considerations by nurses themselves and by nursing administrators in order to improve quality of care.

A Study on the Status of Market, Technology and Legal System of the UAV and its Useful Policies (무인항공기 시장·기술·법제도 실태분석 및 정책적 대응방안 연구)

  • Park, Cheol-Soon
    • The Korean Journal of Air & Space Law and Policy
    • /
    • v.30 no.2
    • /
    • pp.373-401
    • /
    • 2015
  • The UAV(Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, Drone) technology has been undergoing rapid progress, accompanied with a growth in the market. However, domestic industry standards and technology lag behind such progress happening on the international scene, and in particular in developed countries. Related regulations are also deemed lacking to address the issues that arise with such developments. Meanwhile, as the rise of UAV technology is a fairly recent phenomenon, the gap between Korea and developed countries is not too big. As this technology has high relevance to information and communication technologies, it also offers ample leeway for Korea to catch up in the field of UAV. As such, this paper seeks to provide a survey of the overall technology, market and regulations concerning UAV to identify possible measures on how to address any issues that may arise through proper policies. Due to the progress made in the field of UAV technology and increased penetration rate, striking a right balance between putting in place a proper regulatory system and establishing policies that foster growth in the field has risen as a very important issue. While the importance of establishing a legal system that helps prevent possible risks is indeed important, it must also be acknowledged that excessive regulation can also hinder technological progress. This, in turn would stagnate the market and dampen the entrepreneurial spirit in the society. In the case of new, practical technologies such as UAV, a prompt establishment of regulatory systems and policy measures in terms of policies is a requisite. In brief, in order to promote progress in the UAV industry and at the same time, for public safety and the protection of privacy, there should be an appropriate level on the easing and tightening of the regulation.