Implementing an Integrated Management System (IMS) at an Aerospace Manufacturing Facility

This project analyzes the challenges, issues, benefits, and lessons learned that several companies experienced while implementing integrated management systems. Based on previous experiences, this paper defines several strategies that an organization should use to increase the probability of implementing an integrated management system (IMS) successfully. Strategies include completing a feasibility analysis, creating a policy, allocating resources, developing objectives, modifying documentation, and creating a continuous monitoring process. Moreover, an organization can reduce potential obstacles by promoting a culture that encourages management commitment and employee participation. Results indicate the implementation of an IMS provides the framework to manage environmental, health, and safety programs effectively. By implementing an IMS, an organization can save time and money, as well as proactively control risk.

Rapid Scan Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) and Digital EPR Development

Rapid scan electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) was developed in the Eaton laboratory at the University of Denver. Applications of rapid scan to wider spectra, such as for immobilized nitroxides, spin-labeled proteins, irradiated tooth and fingernail samples were demonstrated in this dissertation. The scan width has been increased from 55 G to 160 G. The signal to noise (S/N) improvement for slowly tumbling spin-labeled protein samples that is provided by rapid scan EPR will be highly advantageous for biophysical studies. With substantial improvement in S/N by rapid scan, the dose estimation for irradiated tooth enamels became more reliable than the traditional continuous wave (CW) EPR. An alternate approach of rapid scan, called field-stepped direct detection EPR, was developed to reconstruct wider EPR signals. A Mn2+ containing crystal was measured by field-stepped direct detection EPR, which had a spectrum more than 6000 G wide. Since the field-stepped direct detection extends the advantages of rapid scan to much wider scan ranges, this methodology has a great potential to replace the traditional CW EPR. With recent advances in digital electronics, a digital rapid scan spectrometer was built based on an arbitrary waveform generator (AWG), which can excite spins and detect EPR signals with a fully digital system. A near-baseband detection method was used to acquire the in-phase and quadrature signals in one physical channel. The signal was analyzed digitally to generate ideally orthogonal quadrature signals. A multiharmonic algorithm was developed that employed harmonics of the modulation frequencies acquired in the spectrometer transient mode. It was applied for signals with complicated lineshapes, and can simplify the selection of modulation amplitude. A digital saturation recovery system based on an AWG was built at X-band (9.6 GHz). To demonstrate performance of the system, the spin-lattice relaxation time of a fused quartz rod was measured at room temperature with fully digital excitation and detection.

Leading Safety Indicators: Proactively Monitoring Safety Performance

Traditional measures or indicators of workplace safety performance reflect unrecognized hazards, unsafe conditions, reckless behavior, and other safety program shortcomings only after a worker is injured or falls ill. In contrast to traditional or lagging indicators, leading indicators can predict poor safety performance to ensure that safety program failings are addressed before an occupational injury or illness actually occurs. This Capstone Project identified a variety of proactive safety management practices, policies, and activities shown to have a positive impact on workplace safety as leading safety indicators. The end result is a comprehensive framework of leading safety indicators that employers can use to proactively gauge safety program performance and address unrecognized hazards, unsafe conditions, reckless behavior, and other safety program deficiencies.