An analysis on the statistics of occupational accidents in Turkish fisheries and aquaculture sector; 2013-2019 period

This study was carried out to make a holistic evaluation on the occupational health and safety (OHS) of fisheries and aquaculture sector with its subsectors and to reveal the actual situation of fisheries and aquaculture sector by comparing relevant OHS statistics reported in Turkey. Annual average of accidents in the fisheries and aquaculture sector was found to be 312 (± 147.6), of which 2.14 (± 1.57) resulted in permanent incapacity and 1.57 (± 1.51) of them with fatality. While general incidence rate, fatal incidence rate, permanent incapacity incidence rate and work accident frequency rate were calculated as 2211.8 (±574) 103.6 (±13.4), 5.88 (±2.41) ve 8.36 (±1.93), these values for fisheries and aquaculture sector were determined to be 3579.1 (±1549.3) 175.65 (±152.34), 240.67 (154.62) ve 13.65 (±5.84), respectively. In 2019, the fatal accident rate in Turkey was found to be 0.27% in general, 0.34% in the mining sector, 0.77% in construction and 0.80% in transportation. This ratio was calculated as 1% in the fisheries and aquaculture sector. It was determined that there were more work accidents and fatal incidents in fisheries and aquaculture activities in the seas than in fresh water. Difference between number of work accidents and the duration of temporary incapacity as a result of work accidents in fisheries and aquaculture activities in marine and fresh waters were also significant (p<0.05). Number of fatal accidents in aquaculture sector was found to be more than 4 times than in fisheries. It was determined that the all types of incident rates, work accident frequency rates and fatality rates per work accident in fisheries and aquaculture sector were higher than that of Turkey in general. Evaluation of occupational accidents in the fisheries and aquaculture activity was found to be riskier than expected. Although some evaluations and suggestions are put forward to reduce the number of accidents and the severity of these accidents, a systematic and legislative approach will be more effective. Therefore, it would be a suitable approach to raise the hazard classes of fisheries and aquaculture economic activity to the “very dangerous” class. In this way, the training period of the sector employees on occupational risks and the titles and numbers of OHS professionals working in the sector will be increased, a more qualified specialization will be realized, and control and audit activities will be more frequent.

INVESTIGATION OF OIL TANKER ACCIDENTS BY USING GIS

This study focuses on marine accident data regarding accidents that occurred between the years 1998-2010 for ships within the oil tanker category. Data in the study include accident reports, which are recorded in the Global Integrated Shipping Information System (GISIS) and country reports. Textual accident data in the GISIS database were tabulated, thus creating a systematic database. By using accident data from this database, a marine accidents map for oil tankers was developed via the ArcGIS 10 program, the areas with the highest accident incident rates were determined, and reasons for oil tanker accidents were revealed through the assessment of factors such as accident type, accident incident number, accident scope, ship tonnage, navigational sea area type, and accident’s impacts on the environment, economy and personnel. The study showed that very high risk areas for oil tanker marine accidents include the Singapore Strait and Oresund, and high risk areas are the Bristol Channel, Suez Channel, Strait of Hormuz, Great Belt, Piraeus, Hull, İstanbul Strait, and Amsterdam, respectively. The study also established that oil tanker accidents are related to ship tonnage and navigational sea area type.

The Effect of Neonatal Sepsis on Risk of Autism Diagnosis

Objective The study aimed to examine the association between neonatal sepsis and autism risk among children and whether the risk varied with the timing of exposure, child's sex, and race/ethnicity. Study Design We conducted a retrospective cohort study using electronic health records (EHR) extracted from Kaiser Permanente Southern California Health Care System. Mother–child dyads were constructed by linking records of children born to member mothers and continuing to receive care through the system during the follow-up period with those of their biological mothers (n = 469,789). Clinical health records were used to define neonatal sepsis. Diagnosis of autism was made by medical specialists. Potential confounders included maternal sociodemographic factors, obstetrical history, child's age, sex, race/ethnicity, and maternal and child medical history. Incident rates and adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) were used to estimate the associations. Results Compared with children without the diagnosis of autism, children with the condition were more likely to be from Asian/Pacific Islander descent and male sex. Exposed children showed higher rates of autism as compared with unexposed children (3.43 vs. 1.73 per 1,000 person-years, aHR: 1.67–95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.39–2.00). Both preterm (aHR: 1.47; 95% CI: 1.09–1.98) and term (aHR: 1.63; 95% CI: 1.29–2.06) births were associated with increased risk for autism. Although the magnitude of the HRs and incidence ratios for neonatal sepsis to increase autism risk varied between race ethnicities, neonatal sepsis was associated with significantly increased likelihood of autism diagnosis for all race-ethic groups except for Asian/Pacific Islanders. Although neonatal sepsis was associated with significantly increased autism risk for both boys and girls, incident rates and HR point estimates suggested that the effect may be stronger in girls. Conclusion Neonatal sepsis is associated with increased risk of autism diagnosis in preterm- and term-born children. The association was significant for both girls and boys and all race ethnicities except for Asian-Pacific Islanders. Key Points

Phase Portraits Of An Epidemic model With Incident Rates

In this thesis, an epidemic model with nonlinear incidence rate is investigated. The ranges of the parameters involved in the model are given under which the equilibria are positive. By carrying out the qualitative behaviour analysis, it is shown the disease free equilibrium can exhibit saddle-nodes, saddle point or stable node depending on the ranges of the parameters. It is shown that the interior equilibria are saddle point, stable or focus nodes. Furthermore, several numerical solution and graphics are given to support the theoretical analysis.

Phase Portraits Of An Epidemic model With Incident Rates

In this thesis, an epidemic model with nonlinear incidence rate is investigated. The ranges of the parameters involved in the model are given under which the equilibria are positive. By carrying out the qualitative behaviour analysis, it is shown the disease free equilibrium can exhibit saddle-nodes, saddle point or stable node depending on the ranges of the parameters. It is shown that the interior equilibria are saddle point, stable or focus nodes. Furthermore, several numerical solution and graphics are given to support the theoretical analysis.

Designing Impactful Construction Safety Training Interventions

Construction workplaces still report an unacceptable number of safety incidents every year. To tackle these disproportionate incident rates, safety training interventions are adopted widely in construction workplaces. Despite their adoption, poor safety performance continues to be a universal and global problem in the industry. In fact, recent research has called into question the effectiveness of training programs that are commonly adopted in the industry. There is also evidence that suggests that training interventions, in many cases, do not yield tangible benefits and may sometimes simply reduce to wasted resources. Therefore, it is important for industry stakeholders to possess a good understanding of the characteristics of training interventions that translate to superior safety performance. Towards achieving this goal, the present article concisely summarizes specific safety training intervention elements, which when integrated into training programs, can translate into superior safety performance and outcomes. The objectives of the research were achieved by performing a review of the construction safety training literature from diverse sources. The findings demonstrate that training interventions that integrate visual cues to guide hazard recognition, immersive experiences in virtual environments, andragogical training principles, personalization of training experiences, testing and feedback, and other elements can improve training effectiveness and outcomes. The article will serve as a resource for industry professionals that seek to address the weaknesses of existing training interventions. Researchers may also use this as a resource to inform the development of the next generation of safety training interventions. Together, the presented research can be leveraged to reduce the number of undesirable safety incidents experienced in construction workplaces.

Demyelinating Events Following Initiation of Anti-TNFα Therapy in the British Society for Rheumatology Biologics Registry in Rheumatoid Arthritis

ObjectiveTo establish the incidence of demyelination in patients who have received anti–tumor necrosis factor alpha (anti-TNFα) therapy, through analysis of adverse events reported in a prospective cohort of patients receiving biological therapies.MethodsA cohort study was performed on prospectively acquired data via the British Society for Rheumatology Biologics Register in Rheumatoid Arthritis. All potential demyelinating events during follow-up were extracted and classified as definite, probable, or possible blinded to treatment data. The point of starting an anti-TNF therapy in individuals with no prior reported demyelination was the time of exposure. Crude rates of demyelination and standardized incident rates (SIRs) compared with the general UK population were calculated.ResultsThirty-five individuals with demyelinating events were identified from a total pool of 13,489. The median age at study entry was 44 years, and the median disease duration was 8 years; 71% were female. Events occurred a median of 3 (interquartile range 1–5) years from the start of the first anti-TNF therapy. Twenty-six events occurred in individuals still taking anti-TNFα therapy; of the other 9, 6 were within 90 days of drug withdrawal. The raw incidence of demyelination was 19.7/100,000 patient-years (95% CI 13.7–27.3). The SIR in the whole population was 1.38 (95% CI 0.96–1.92) and 0.83 (0.51–1.26) limited to definite/probable cases.ConclusionsDemyelination following anti-TNF therapy is uncommon. Patients receiving anti-TNFα therapy show a marginally increased SIR; this is lost in sensitivity analyses. Patients concerned about anti–TNFα-associated demyelination can be relatively reassured by these data.