Employee perceptions regarding the effectiveness of occupational road safety initiatives

A range of risk management initiatives have been introduced in organisations in attempt to reduce occupational road incidents. However a discrepancy exists between the initiatives that are frequently implemented in organisations and the initiatives that have demonstrated scientific merit in improving occupational road safety. Given that employees’ beliefs may facilitate or act as a barrier to implementing initiatives, it is important to understand whether initiatives with scientific merit are perceived to be effective by employees. To explore employee perceptions pertaining to occupational road safety initiatives, a questionnaire was administered to 679 employees sourced from four Australian organisations. Participants ranged in age from 18 years to 65 years (M = 42, SD = 11). Participants rated 35 initiatives based on how effective they thought they would be in improving road safety in their organisation. The initiatives perceived by employees to be most effective in managing occupational road risks comprised: making vehicle safety features standard e.g. passenger airbags; practical driver skills training; and investigation of serious vehicle incidents. The initiatives perceived to be least effective in managing occupational road risks comprised: signing a promise card commitment to drive safely; advertising the organisation’s phone number on vehicles for complaints and compliments; and consideration of driving competency in staff selection process. Employee perceptions were analysed at a factor level and at an initiative level. The mean scores for the three extracted factors revealed that employees believed occupational road risks could best be managed by the employer implementing engineering and human resource methods to enhance road safety. Initiatives relating to employer management of identified risk factors were perceived to be more effective than feedback or motivational methods that required employees to accept responsibility for their driving safety. Practitioners can use the findings from this study to make informed decisions about how they select, manage and market occupational safety initiatives.

Incident investigation : on a collision course towards a national standardised approach

The investigation of rail incidents is a highly specialised and important area within the rail industry. Historically training for investigators has been disjointed, with no standard approach being applied consistently. Currently in Australia, rail incidents are investigated by the various rail operators and regulators of each State, with the more serious incidents investigated by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB). However, it is hoped with the introduction of a National Safety Regulator for the industry, a standardised competency framework for rail incident investigators can be developed. Consequently, this will also lead to more standardised training across the industry for these specialised career paths. A previous scoping report published by the CRC for Rail Innovation highlighted a need within the industry for a standardised competency framework and training package. Based on the results of the scoping report, a comprehensive Training Needs Analysis for the rail industry was undertaken. This paper will examine potential barriers and facilitators that the industry may face when implementing this national training. Furthermore, based on the results of the Training Needs Analysis, differences and similarities in the needs of rail organisations as well as between operators and regulators will be examined.

Outcomes following inpatient rehabilitation of lower limb amputees

Introduction: Lower-limb amputations are a serious adverse consequence of lifestyle related chronic conditions and a serious concern among the aging population in Australia. Lower limb amputations have severe personal, social and economic impacts on the individual, healthcare system and broader community. This study aimed to address a critical gap in the research literature by investigating the physical functioning and social characteristics of lower limb amputees at discharge from tertiary hospital inpatient rehabilitation. Method: A cohort study was implemented among patients with lower limb amputations admitted to a Geriatric Assessment and Rehabilitation Unit for rehabilitation at a tertiary hospital. Conventional descriptive statistics were used to examine patient demographic, physical functioning and social living outcomes recorded for patients admitted between 2005 and 2011. Results: A total of 423 admissions occurred during the study period, 313 (74%) were male. This sample included admissions for left (n = 189, 45%), right (n = 220, 52%) and bilateral (n = 14, 3%) lower limb amputations, with 15 (3%) patients dying whilst an inpatient. The mean (standard deviation) age was 65 (13.9) years. Amputations attributed to vascular causes accounted for 333 (78%) admissions; 65 (15%) of these had previously had an amputation. The mean (SD) length of stay in the rehabilitation unit was 56 (42) days. Prior to this admission, 123 (29%) patients were living alone, 289 (68%) were living with another and 3 (0.7%) were living in residential care. Following this amputation related admission, 89 (21%) patients did not return to their prior living situation. Of those admitted, 187 (44%) patients were discharged with a lower limb prosthesis. Conclusion: The clinical group is predominately older adults. The ratio of males to females was approximately 3:1. Over half did not return to walking and many were not able to return to their prior accommodation. However, few patients died during their admission.

Carers' hope, wellbeing and attitudes regarding recovery

Carers are important to the recovery of their relatives with serious mental disorder however, it is unclear whether they are aware of, or endorse recent conceptualisations of recovery. This study compared carers’ and mental health workers’ recovery attitudes, and undertook multivariate predictions of carers’ wellbeing, hopefulness and recovery attitudes. Participants were 82 Australian family members caring for a relative with psychosis. Carers’ average recovery attitudes were less optimistic than for previously surveyed staff. Carers’ recovery attitudes were predicted by perceptions that their relative’s negative symptoms were more severe. Hopefulness and wellbeing was predicted by more positive and less negative caregiving experiences. Hopefulness was also predicted by less frequent contacts with their affected relative, and unexpectedly, by perceptions of more severe psychotic symptoms. Carers’ wellbeing was further predicted by having a partner and having no lifetime history of a mental disorder. Hope and wellbeing are affected by everyday challenges and positive experiences of caregiving.

Extending the explanatory utility of the EPPM beyond fear-based persuasion

In the 20 years since its inception, the EPPM has attracted much empirical support. Currently, and unsurprisingly given that is a model of fear-based persuasion, the EPPM’s explanatory utility has been based only upon fear-based messages. However, an argument is put forth herein, which draws upon existing evidence, that the EPPM may be an efficacious framework for explaining the persuasive process and outcomes of emotion-based messages more broadly when such messages are addressing serious health topics. For the current study, four different types of emotional appeals were purposefully devised and included a fear, an annoyance/agitation, a pride, and a humour-based message. All messages addressed the serious health issue of road safety, and in particular the risky behaviour of speeding. Participants (N = 551) were exposed to only one of the four messages and subsequently provided responses within a survey. A series of 2 (threat: low, high) x 2 (efficacy: low, high) analysis of variance was conducted for each of the appeals based on the EPPM’s message outcomes of acceptance and rejection. Support was found for the EPPM with a number of main effects of threat and efficacy emerging, reflecting that, irrespective of emotional appeal type, high levels of threat and efficacy enhanced message outcomes via maximising acceptance and minimising rejection. Theoretically, the findings provide support for the explanatory utility of the EPPM for emotion-based health messages more broadly. In an applied sense, the findings highlight the value of adopting the EPPM as a framework when devising and evaluating emotion-based health messages for serious health topics.

Road Pricing - Is it Acceptable for a Developing Country?

Dhaka, which is the capital of Bangladesh, is facing serious traffic congestion and whole traffic situation in Dhaka is in chaos. Government has initiated some projects; such as BRT, MRT and elevated expressway; to improve the situation. Road pricing is very popular concept, which can be implemented in Dhaka with BRT and MRT as an integrated manner. Even though it is very popular concept not many countries except some developed countries implemented road pricing practically. None of the developing countries adopted this policy. For success of road pricing it has to be acceptable among the stakeholders. Public are the main stakeholders for road pricing. This paper will explore whether road pricing will be acceptable in Dhaka considering only work trip in Dhaka. A sample of workers had been surveyed randomly. They were asked some demographic questions, such as age, gender, income and educational qualification; how they travelled to work; and whether they would accept road pricing; and if they would not accept road pricing the reasons behind that. Also respondents were given several hypothetical choices to see how respondents react with different road charge by choosing travel mode for their work trip. The methodological approach taken for analysis is qualitative and quantitative analysis. For quantitative analysis Binary Logit Regression analysis was carried out to find out the significant factors for accepting or not accepting road pricing.

Relationships between self-reported bicycling injuries and perceived risk of cyclists in Queensland, Australia

The focus of governments on increasing active travel has motivated renewed interest in cycling safety. Bicyclists are up to 20 times more likely to be involved in serious injury crashes than drivers so understanding the relationship among factors in bicyclist crash risk is critically important for identifying effective policy tools, for informing bicycle infrastructure investments, and for identifying high risk bicycling contexts. This study aims to better understand the complex relationships between bicyclist self reported injuries resulting from crashes (e.g. hitting a car) and non-crashes (e.g. spraining an ankle) and perceived risk of cycling as a function of cyclist exposure, rider conspicuity, riding environment, rider risk aversion, and rider ability. Self reported data from 2,500 Queensland cyclists are used to estimate a series of seemingly unrelated regressions to examine the relationships among factors. The major findings suggest that perceived risk does not appear to influence injury rates, nor do injury rates influence perceived risks of cycling. Riders who perceive cycling as risky tend not to be commuters, do not engage in group riding, tend to always wear mandatory helmets and front lights, and lower their perception of risk by increasing days per week of riding and by increasing riding proportion on bicycle paths. Riders who always wear helmets have lower crash injury risk. Increasing the number of days per week riding tends to decrease both crash injury and non crash injury risk (e.g. a sprain). Further work is needed to replicate some of the findings in this study.

The use of CCTV to police public spaces : a case of big brother or big friend?

This paper considers the role of CCTV (closed circuit television) in the surveillance, policing and control of public space in urban and rural locations, specifically in relation to the use of public space by young people. The use of CCTV technology in public spaces is now an established and largely uncontested feature of everyday life in a number of countries and the assertion that they are essentially there for the protection of law abiding and consuming citizens has broadly gone unchallenged. With little or no debate in the U.K. to critique the claims made by the burgeoning security industry that CCTV protects people in the form of a ‘Big Friend’, the state at both central and local levels has endorsed the installation of CCTV apparatus across the nation. Some areas assert in their promotional material that the centre of the shopping and leisure zone is fully surveilled by cameras in order to reassure visitors that their personal safety is a matter of civic concern, with even small towns and villages expending monies on sophisticated and expensive to maintain camera systems. It is within a context of monitoring, recording and control procedures that young people’s use of public space is constructed as a threat to social order, in need of surveillance and exclusion which forms a major and contemporary feature in shaping thinking about urban and rural working class young people in the U.K. As Loader (1996) notes, young people’s claims on public space rarely gain legitimacy if ‘colliding’ with those of local residents, and Davis (1990) describes the increasing ‘militarization and destruction of public space’, while Jacobs (1965) asserts that full participation in the ‘daily life of urban streets’ is essential to the development of young people and beneficial for all who live in an area. This paper challenges the uncritical acceptance of widespread use of CCTV and identifies its oppressive and malevolent potential in forming a ‘surveillance gaze’ over young people (adapting Foucault’s ‘clinical gaze’c. 1973) which can jeopardise mental health and well being in coping with the ‘metropolis’, after Simmel, (1964).

Calcite precipitation induced by clay-bleach cation exchange in andesitic reservoir rocks

Experiments were carried out on the sodium hypochlorite bleach sensitivity of a deep subsurface andesitic reservoir in order to predict possible deleterious mineral transformations during a downhole clean-up job. Experiments involved examination of core samples from the reservoir using an Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope (ESEM) with an attached Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (EDS) before and after the samples were immersed in bleach. Bleach immersion of whole-rock samples resulted in rapid (less than 1 min) precipitation of abundant 3.0-10.0-μm-wide calcite rhombs within clay-associated micropores and on clay and feldspar grain surfaces. Abundant microporefilling calcite rhombs also formed in pure separates of constituent chlorite/corrensite, whereas no calcite formed in a pure separate of constituent zeolite. These experiments indicate that corrensite is the likely calcium source in this experimental fluid-rock system. Formation of calcite occurs via a cation exchange reaction in which calcium in the smectitic interlayers of corrensite exchanges for sodium in the bleach. Serious formation damage due to calcite precipitation would have occurred in the andesite reservoir had it been exposed to bleach. This finding gives credence to earlier suggestions that cation exchange reactions have the potential to cause calcite precipitation in some sandstone reservoirs when exposed to drilling, completion or stimulation fluids. © 1993.

Inside the pleasure dome : cultural tourism on Australia’s Gold Coast

The City of the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, will host the Commonwealth Games in 2018. In advance of the Games, the City is beginning to reposition the traditional marketing programs that were based around the four S’s- ‘sun, sand, surf and sex.’ There is a new emphasis on urban sophistication, sport, science, education and the environment. At the same time, local communities are asking for renewed attention to residential issues, particularly relating to recognising the importance of culture to the region. In this paper I explore the development of integrated computer technologies (ICTs) as a way of linking tourism, culture and place in the experience economy of the Gold Coast. The discussion is framed by theories of the post-tourist, contemporary cultural tourism and the role of mobile technologies, and the figure of the ‘referential tourist.’ An examination of stakeholder responses to changing business and social frameworks on the Gold Coast shows how discussions about a range of issues coalesce around cultural tourism. Local communities have the opportunity to engage with the new tourist as they move quickly between leisure and cultural experiences, at once connected to tourist expectations but increasingly self-directed. The Surfers Paradise Nights campaign, which is based around social media, is a case in point. This campaign aims to interest visitors in becoming a part of a familiar third place, an online space, but one that will sustain an emotive connection to the physical location and events. The paper also draws on research carried out in Brisbane, Queensland, in relation to building connections between place and culture on designated, self-directed journeys via iPhone technology. Participant responses indicate the importance of narrative to developing cultural frameworks.

Grey St. Xchange 2.0 by QUT

Partnerships between universities and public institutions such as this offer the beginning of a long term relationship to actively influence public policy, procedures and new ways to engage the many diverse communities to be integral in shaping the environments in which they live. It offers an opportunity to apply authentic positioning of research theories and build new methodologies for consulting, analysing and implementing innovation. SBC, as an established corporation offers a unique precinct to research and develop models with its different offers of tourism, leisure and neighbourhood. The Parklands and Little Stanley Street are well advanced in the goals however Grey Street, which connects the precinct to the greater surrounds, has been a complex issue that is now ready to be addressed. This project offers the ability to be of real worth at this critical time of development with the history of the past development combined with the desire for future visioning to be realised over the next 5 years. QUT has the unique opportunity to be part of this future.

A safe system-based approach to selection of clear zones, safety barriers and other roadside treatments

On average, 560 fatal run-off-road crashes occur annually in Australia and 135 in New Zealand. In addition, there are more than 14,000 run-off-road crashes causing injuries each year across both countries. In rural areas, run-off-road casualty crashes constitute 50-60% of all casualty crashes. Their severity is particularly high with more than half of those involved sustaining fatal or serious injuries. This paper reviews the existing approach to roadside hazard risk assessment, selection of clear zones and hazard treatments. It proposes a modified approach to roadside safety evaluation and management. It is a methodology based on statistical modelling of run-off-road casualty crashes, and application of locally developed crash modification factors and severity indices. Clear zones, safety barriers and other roadside design/treatment options are evaluated with a view to minimise fatal and serious injuries – the key Safe System objective. The paper concludes with a practical demonstration of the proposed approach. The paper is based on findings from a four-year Austroads research project into improving roadside safety in the Safe System context.

SAIVT-QUT@TRECVid 2012 : interactive surveillance event detection

In this paper, we propose an approach which attempts to solve the problem of surveillance event detection, assuming that we know the definition of the events. To facilitate the discussion, we first define two concepts. The event of interest refers to the event that the user requests the system to detect; and the background activities are any other events in the video corpus. This is an unsolved problem due to many factors as listed below: 1) Occlusions and clustering: The surveillance scenes which are of significant interest at locations such as airports, railway stations, shopping centers are often crowded, where occlusions and clustering of people are frequently encountered. This significantly affects the feature extraction step, and for instance, trajectories generated by object tracking algorithms are usually not robust under such a situation. 2) The requirement for real time detection: The system should process the video fast enough in both of the feature extraction and the detection step to facilitate real time operation. 3) Massive size of the training data set: Suppose there is an event that lasts for 1 minute in a video with a frame rate of 25fps, the number of frames for this events is 60X25 = 1500. If we want to have a training data set with many positive instances of the event, the video is likely to be very large in size (i.e. hundreds of thousands of frames or more). How to handle such a large data set is a problem frequently encountered in this application. 4) Difficulty in separating the event of interest from background activities: The events of interest often co-exist with a set of background activities. Temporal groundtruth typically very ambiguous, as it does not distinguish the event of interest from a wide range of co-existing background activities. However, it is not practical to annotate the locations of the events in large amounts of video data. This problem becomes more serious in the detection of multi-agent interactions, since the location of these events can often not be constrained to within a bounding box. 5) Challenges in determining the temporal boundaries of the events: An event can occur at any arbitrary time with an arbitrary duration. The temporal segmentation of events is difficult and ambiguous, and also affected by other factors such as occlusions.

Static analysis of executables for collaborative malware detection on Android

Smartphones are getting increasingly popular and several malwares appeared targeting these devices. General countermeasures to smartphone malwares are currently limited to signature-based antivirus scanners which efficiently detect known malwares, but they have serious shortcomings with new and unknown malwares creating a window of opportunity for attackers. As smartphones become host for sensitive data and applications, extended malware detection mechanisms are necessary complying with the corresponding resource constraints. The contribution of this paper is twofold. First, we perform static analysis on the executables to extract their function calls in Android environment using the command readelf. Function call lists are compared with malware executables for classifying them with PART, Prism and Nearest Neighbor Algorithms. Second, we present a collaborative malware detection approach to extend these results. Corresponding simulation results are presented.

Effects of average speed enforcement on speed compliance and crashes : a review of the literature

Average speed enforcement is a relatively new approach gaining popularity throughout Europe and Australia. This paper reviews the evidence regarding the impact of this approach on vehicle speeds, crashes rates and a number of additional road safety and public health outcomes. The economic and practical viability of the approach as a road safety countermeasure is also explored. A literature review, with an international scope, of both published and grey literature was conducted. There is a growing body of evidence to suggest a number of road safety benefits associated with average speed enforcement, including high rates of compliance with speed limits, reductions in average and 85th percentile speeds and reduced speed variability between vehicles. Moreover, the approach has been demonstrated to be particularly effective in reducing excessive speeding behaviour. Reductions in crash rates have also been reported in association with average speed enforcement, particularly in relation to fatal and serious injury crashes. In addition, the approach has been shown to improve traffic flow, reduce vehicle emissions and has also been associated with high levels of public acceptance. Average speed enforcement offers a greater network-wide approach to managing speeds that reduces the impact of time and distance halo effects associated with other automated speed enforcement approaches. Although comparatively expensive it represents a highly reliable approach to speed enforcement that produces considerable returns on investment through reduced social and economic costs associated with crashes.