This book is a useful reference work for practicing engineers in their evaluation and design of systems for the control of the industrial in-plant environment. It provides design criteria, useful calculations and proven techniques to control the environment in oil refineries and chemical industries.

The interest of AI in problems related to understanding sounds has a rich history dating back to the ARPA Speech Understanding Project in the 1970s. While a great deal has been learned from this and subsequent speech understanding research, the goal of building systems that can understand general acoustic signals--continuous speech and/or non-speech sounds--from unconstrained environments is still unrealized. Instead, there are now systems that understand "clean" speech well in relatively noiseless laboratory environments, but that break down in more realistic, noisier environments. As seen in the "cocktail-party effect," humans and other mammals have the ability to selectively attend to sound from a particular source, even when it is mixed with other sounds. Computers also need to be able to decide which parts of a mixed acoustic signal are relevant to a particular purpose--which part should be interpreted as speech, and which should be interpreted as a door closing, an air conditioner humming, or another person interrupting. Observations such as these have led a number of researchers to conclude that research on speech understanding and on nonspeech understanding need to be united within a more general framework. Researchers have also begun trying to understand computational auditory frameworks as parts of larger perception systems whose purpose is to give a computer integrated information about the real world. Inspiration for this work ranges from research on how different sensors can be integrated to models of how humans' auditory apparatus works in concert with vision, proprioception, etc. Representing some of the most advanced work on computers understanding speech, this collection of papers covers the work being done to integrate speech and nonspeech understanding in computer systems.

For novices and experienced health and safety professionals alike, the Respiratory Protection Handbook fills a critical gap in the respiratory protection literature. This extensive guide provides all the information you need to dramatically expand your understanding of the concepts and day-to-day operations of respiratory protection. It is a fully self-contained text that expertly accomplishes two goals: first, for the novice, it clearly explains how to establish and implement an effective respiratory protection program; and second, for the experienced professional, it provides in-depth knowledge that goes beyond basics. Respiratory Protection Handbook addresses the development of respiratory protection devices, the capabilities and limitations of specific respirators, the respirator certification system, how to select appropriate filters, how to predict the service life of sorbents, fit testing methods, assigned protection factors, and much more. Nowhere else will you find a single source on this topic containing so much information.

As life spans expanded dramatically in the United States after 1900, and employers increasingly demanded the speed and stamina of youth in the workplace, men struggled to sustain identities as workers, breadwinners, and patriarchs-the core ideals of twentieth-century masculinity. Longer life threatened manhood as men confronted age discrimination at work, mandatory retirement, and fixed incomes as recipients of Social Security and workplace pensions. They struggled to somehow sustain manliness in retirement, a new phase of life supposedly defined by the absence of labor. Ironically, retiring men pursued ways to stay "productive": retirees created new daily routines of golf and shuffleboard games, tinkered with tools in garages, attended social club meetings, armed themselves for hunting and fishing excursions, and threw themselves into yard work. Others looked for new jobs or business ventures. Only unending activity could help to ensure that the "golden years" would be good years for older men of the twentieth century.

Usually the defeat of one union official by another would not occasion great interest by historians. The highly charged atmosphere after World War II and at the beginning of the cold war however led to a strongly disputed election which left Walter Reuther the new president of the UAW. The opinions as to why Reuther unseated the incumbents are many and varied. Dr. Goode goes into these in depth in his interesting and well documented work dealing with this watershed event in American Unionism. The research for the work has been done with the aid of union archives, published material, and oral history from some of the participants in the event.

Managing Electrical Safety provides an overview of electric basics, hazards, and established standards that enables you to understand the hazards you are likely to encounter in your workplace. Focusing on typical industrial environments which utilize voltages much higher than household or office circuits the author identifies the eight key components of an electrical safety program and examines each using a model safety management process. You'll learn how to identify electrical hazards, how to prescribe necessary electrical Personal Protective Equipment, how to ensure that equipment is de-energized, and how to safely plan for work on or around exposed live parts.

When this book was first published in 1967, it was one of the first pieces of research to systematically examine the manpower problems associated with rapidly changing technology. It discusses issues such as technological change and unemployment, changes in the structure of employment, the mobility of labour, occupational structure and adjustment, hours of work, and labour-management relations. Its findings suggest that structural unemployment and redundancy are only two of a host of difficulties accompanying technical progress. Although the book originated in Sweden its relevance is clear to other Western european countries and researchers and policy-makers in the USA.

On the 50th anniversary of In Place of Strife, this scholarly study makes extensive use of previously unpublished archival and other primary sources to explain why Harold Wilson and Barbara Castle embarked on legislation to regulate the trade unions and curb strikes, and why this aroused such strong opposition, not just from the unions, but within the Cabinet and among backbench Labour MPs. This opposition transcended the orthodox ideological divisions, making temporary allies of traditional adversaries in the Party. Even Wilson's threats either to resign, or call a general election, if his MPs and Ministers failed to support him and Castle, were treated with derision. His colleagues called Wilson's bluff, and forced him to abandon the legislation, in return for a 'solemn and binding' pledge by the trade unions to 'put their own house in order' in tackling strikes. -- .

The Behavior-Based Safety Process Since the behavior-based approach to accident prevention was launched in 1980 by the author and his associates, safety performance is increasingly prominent on the agendas of many companies. Several powerful factors contribute to this trend. The widespread reorganization of personnel into work-groups that are leaner and more self-directed, the increasing importance of international competition, the growing awareness of critical environmental issues—these and related factors highlight the value of any mechanism that promotes continuous improvement in safety performance. Detailing a step-by-step approach to just such a mechanism for continuous improvement, The Behavior-Based Safety Process is a path-breaking guide that represents an important resource for anyone concerned with performance related issues in the workplace. As the title indicates, the focus is on process versus programs. The reason is simple: off-the-shelf safety imposed from the top down does not meet the safety needs of most organizations. This fact has been abundantly demonstrated in facility after facility throughout the 1970s and 1980s. In genuinely meeting the need for continuous improvement in safety performance, the behavior-based approach presents many parallels with the quality improvement process. Both of these approaches use scientific methods to identify, measure, and provide feedback on upstream factors of excellence. In the case of the behavior-based approach to safety, these upstream factors are critical behaviors that are the leading indicators of safety performance in the organization, targeting areas of concern in advance of even first-aid incidents. For an in-depth treatment of how to integrate behavioral and statistical methodologies, see the author’s companion volume from Van Nostrand Reinhold: Employee-Driven Systems for Safe Behavior. In addition to presenting these parallels with quality. The Behavior-Based Safety Process also provides powerful techniques aimed at implementation issues: organizational development, trainer-training, and employee involvement. The author and his associates developed these techniques over a decade of consultation with a variety of industries, working closely in that time with such safety leaders as Monsanto, Shell Chemical Company, ARCO Chemical, ALCOA, Rohm and Haas, Scott Paper Company, Georgia Gulf Corporation, The Pillsbury Company, and Chevron U.S.A.

The UAW's Southern Gamble is the first in-depth assessment of the United Auto Workers' efforts to organize foreign vehicle plants (Daimler-Chrysler, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, and Volkswagen) in the American South since 1989, an era when union membership declined precipitously. Stephen J. Silvia chronicles transnational union cooperation between the UAW and its counterparts in Brazil, France, Germany and Japan, as well as documenting the development of employer strategies that have proven increasingly effective at thwarting unionization. Silvia shows that when organizing, unions must now fight on three fronts: at the worksite; in the corporate boardroom; and in the political realm. The UAW's Southern Gamble makes clear that the UAW's failed campaigns in the South can teach hard-won lessons about challenging the structural and legal roadblocks to union participation and effectively organizing workers within and beyond the auto industry.

The end of the post-World War II 'long boom' in the mid-1970s proved the beginning of a process of political-economic change that has fundamentally transformed labour law, both in Australia and across the developed world more generally. This is a phenomenon with deep ramifications for social justice. The dissolution of productive industry, the fragmentation of employment categories, the rise of profound employment precarity and an increasingly hostile legal environment for trade unionism have been of immense significance for key social justice issues, including income inequality, the rise of a new working-underclass, and the marginalization of organised labour. By combining the concepts of the Parisian Regulation Approach with an explicitly Marxist jurisprudence, this study offers a theoretically rigorous yet empirically sensitive account of legal transition, with key case studies in the metal, food processing and retail sectors. Given the similar development logic of post-World War II capitalism in Western societies, this theory, although operationalised in the Australian context, can be used in the effort to explain labour law change more broadly.

20 murders every week. 18,000 assaults in the same time. All on the job. Sharp increases in workplace violence continue to take an unfortunate toll on American business-and its employees, families and communities. Preventative measures may be well-intentioned, but pose troubling conflicts in themselves, pitting each employee's privacy vs. overall worker protection. A full-self evaluation of your business and its personnel may be the key to safeguard against workplace violence. Thomas D. Schneid's Occupational Health Guide to Violence in the Workplace provides the important guidelines for that careful, all-encompassing examination. Most books on workplace violence focus on psychological profiles. In a change of pace, Schneid examines the issue from a safety/health professional's viewpoint, taking all angles, legal issues, and potential ramifications into account. Chapters focus on not only in-house efforts to prevent violent incidents, but also government and legal standards directly or indirectly related to worker's rights and corporate liability. Make every effort to prevent workplace violence from hitting home: start with advice from the Occupational Health Guide to Violence in the Workplace

Since the 1980s, the world's governments have decreased state welfare and thus increased the number of unprotected 'informal' or 'precarious' workers. As a result, more and more workers do not receive secure wages or benefits from either employers or the state. This book offers a fresh and provocative look into the alternative social movements informal workers in India are launching. It also offers a unique analysis of the conditions under which these movements succeed or fail. Drawing from 300 interviews with informal workers, government officials and union leaders, Rina Agarwala argues that Indian informal workers are using their power as voters to demand welfare benefits from the state, rather than demanding traditional work benefits from employers. In addition, they are organizing at the neighborhood level, rather than the shop floor, and appealing to 'citizenship', rather than labor rights.

Robert J. Alexander traces organized labor from its origins in colonial Cuba, examining its evolution under the Republic, noting the successive political forces within it and the development of collective bargaining, culminating after 1959 in its transformation into a Stalin-model labor movement. In Castro's Cuba, organized labor has been subordinate to the Party and government and has been converted into a movement to control the workers and stimulate production and productivity instead of being a movement to defend the interests and desires of the workers.

Starting with the organization of tobacco workers and a few other groups in the last years of Spanish colonial rule, Robert J. Alexander traces the growth of the labor movement during the early decades of the republic, noting particularly the influence of three political tendencies: anarchosyndicalists, Marxists, and independents. He examines the generally unfavorable attitudes of early republican governments to the labor movement, and he discusses the first central labor body, the CNOC, which was at first under anarchist influence, and soon captured by the Communists. The role of the CNOC vis-a-vis the Machado dictatorship, including the deal with Machado in 1933 is also discussed. Alexander then looks at the unions during the short Grau San Martine nationalist regime of 1933 and the near-destruction of organized labor by the Batista dictatorship of 1934-1937; the revival of the labor movement after the 1937 deal of the Communists with Batista and the establishment of the Confederacion de Trabajadores de Cuba, as well as the struggles for power within it, resulting in a split in the CTC in 1947, with the dominance of the Autentico-party controlled group. During this period regular collective bargaining became more or less the rule. He then describes the deterioration of the Confederacion of Trabajadores de Cuba under the Batista dictatorship of 1952-1959. Alexander ends with a description of organized labor during the Castro regime: the early attempt of revolutionary trade unionists to establish an independent labor movement, followed by the Castro government's seizure of control of the CTC and its unions, and the conversion of the Cuban labor movement into one patterned after the Stalinist model of a movement designed to stimulate production and productivity--under government control--instead of defending the rights and interests of the unions' members.

Based on an extensive review of Cuban materials as well as Alexander's numerous interviews, correspondence, and conversations with key figures from the late 1940s onward, this is the most comprehensive English-language examination of organized labor in Cuba ever written. Essential reading for all scholars and students of Cuban and Latin American labor and economic affairs as well as important to political scientists and historians of the region."

European trade unions are among the most influential and powerful institutions within Western economies, in many cases cooperating with the government and employers' associations in socio-economic decision-making processes. Consequently they also play an important role in the formulation of policies relating to immigration and the migrant workers, who are arriving and becoming part of the workforce the unions are representing and protecting against employers and other authorities. However, trade unions have not always fulfilled their role as the most obvious organization to defend the interests of foreign workers to the extent they could be expected. The reasons for this are complex and due to conflicts of interests that arise from their intermediary position between employers, government authorities, and indigenous workers. This volume offers a rich analysis of the situation in seven major European countries but also a comparison of the data found and an attempt to account for the differences established. It ends with some conclusions on the prospects of trade unions within the European Union, and on the lessons to be learned from the present analysis.

This book explores the changing role of trade unions as products of, and agents for, democracy. Despite conventionally being portrayed as politically marginalised and in terminal decline, trade unions continue to represent a significant component of society within most industrialised countries and have demonstrated a capacity for revival and renewal in the face of difficult corcumstances. It brings together a distinguished panel of leading and emerging scholars in the field, and provides a critical assessment of the current role of trade unions in society, their capacity to impact on state policies in such a manner as to ensure greater accountability and fairness, and the nature and extent of internal representative democracy within the labour movement. This volume will be of interest to students and academics in industrial relations, critical management studies, political studies and sociology. -- .

Filled with practical insights, solutions, and tools, this book will help even veteran safety professionals better understand behavioral approaches to safety, improve safety performance and employee involvement, and obtain senior management support. Manning's book presents a simplified, non-technical explanation of the human relations and psychology of safety and uses anecdotes and real-life experiences from the author's own professional experiences.

Occupational accidents have a massive personal and social cost as well as a major financial cost. The construction industry is one of the most dangerous industries, accounting for around 20-30% of all occupational deaths worldwide. The accompanying financial cost is either absorbed directly or passed on in the form of higher insurance costs. In addition, regulatory bodies have started to impose legal accountability on all the parties along the construction supply chain. OHS is hard to implement. Construction projects are complex, with a fluid workforce, and the regulatory framework is highly elaborate. OHS Electronic Management Systems for Construction presents a theoretical framework which is designed to overcome these difficulties, integrating OHS management in construction using knowledge management and web technologies. This framework is explained in a clear step-by-step way, as are features such as a systematically developed corporate safety memory, and a virtual learning portal to facilitate on-demand safety training. The ultimate aim of this book is to aid the development of an established safety culture at the organisational level, and the formation of an industry-wide community of safety practice. This is essential reading for OHS professionals and construction managers attempting to change their industry for the better, as well as advanced students and researchers.

While it has aided far many more than it has harmed, radiation is forever etched in the public's mind as an indiscriminate and particularly pernicious killer. Consequently, it is especially critical in this age of terrorist threats that we equip ourselves with accurate information and practical tools that will serve us in the rare chance that we find ourselves in a radiation crisis. Radiation Threats and Your Safety: A Guide to Preparation and Response for Professionals and Community offers a calm and authoritative approach to crisis preparation. Written by a health physicist from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the book informs us about what we should know ahead of time, how to prepare, and the best ways to respond to a nuclear or radiological incident either as an emergency responder or community/family member. Organized to serve both as a preparation guide and as a reference in a crisis, this book - Uses common language while avoiding unnecessary scientific jargon Details protocols for both accidental and intentional radiation emergencies such as nuclear explosions and dirty bombs Shows how to prepare a family emergency plan Covers medical responses to radiation emergencies including radiation drugs Provides an emergency supply list Discusses radiation from microwaves and cellular phones as well as food irradiation There is no reason why we should feel helpless when faced with a radiation emergency. We can take action to protect ourselves, our families, and our communities. How we react to a radiation emergency will determine its true final impact. To this end, we need information and leaders we can depend upon. This book provides the factual details and the approach needed to proactively prepare for any radiation emergency, while a

Professionals striving for accident reduction must deal with systems in which both technical and human elements play equal and complementary roles. However, many of the existing techniques in ergonomics and risk management concentrate on plant and technical issues and downplay human factors and "subjectivity." Safety Management: A Qualitative Systems Approach describes a body of theories and data that addresses safety by drawing on systems theory and applied psychology, stressing the importance of human activity within systems. It explains in detail the central roles of social consensus and reliability and the nature of verbal reports and functional discourse. This text presents a new approach to safety management, offering a path to both greater safety and to economic savings. It presents a series of methodological tools that have proven to be reliable through extensive use in the rail and nuclear industries. These methods allow organizational and systems failures to be analyzed much more effectively in terms of quantity, precision, and usefulness. The concepts and tools described in this book are particularly valuable for reliability engineers, risk managers, human factors specialists, and safety managers and professionals in safety-critical organizations.

Professionals in environmental health and safety (EHS) management use statistics every day in making decisions. This book was created to provide the quantitative tools and techniques necessary to make important EHS assessments. Readers need not be statistically or mathematically inclined to make the most of this book-mathematical derivations are kept to a minimum and subjects are approached in a simple and factual manner, complemented with plenty of real-world examples. Chapters 1-3 cover knowledge of basic statistical concepts such as presentation of data, measurements of location and dispersion, and elementary probability and distributions. Data gathering and analysis topics including sampling methods, sampling theory, testing, and interference as well as skills for critically evaluating published numerical material is presented in Chapters 4-6. Chapters 7-11 discuss information generation topics-regression and correlation analysis, time series, linear programming, network and Gnatt charting, and decision analysis-tools that can be used to convert data into meaningful information. Chapter 12 features six examples of projects made successful through statistical approaches being applied. Readers can use these approaches to solve their own unique problems. Whether you are a EHS professional, manager, or student, Health, Safety, and Environmental Data Analysis: A Business Approach will help you communicate statistical data effectively.

A Practical Guide to the Safety Profession: The Relentless Pursuit will help reshape the way we talk about safety, prompt action, and engage workers from all levels of an organization. The book includes real-life experiences and characters that are relatable to anyone who has worked in the safety and health field for any amount of time. It will provide answers for every safety professional who has ever asked: "Is this actually making people safer?" It shines a light on ineffective practices that drive a wedge between the safety professional and the people they support and then provides meaningful alternative practices. Features Provides a streamlined process for eliminating high impact hazards Emphasizes concepts that are immediately actionable with little to no investment costs Includes real-life studies and examples

A Winner of the Educational Award by the World Safety Organization Contractor safety management is often seen as nothing more than a subset of general safety management in that no special consideration needs to be given to understanding the difficulties of the contract environment. This leaves contractors endlessly juggling competing and sometimes contradictory demands made by the principal in the name of safety and health. Instead of managing the work in accordance with the contract and the agreed health and safety management plan, contractors find themselves having to cope with moveable, ever-changing expectations about the way that health and safety is supposed to be managed. Contractor Safety Management explores how the contracting-principal relationship can influence safety outcomes and how a principal's role in "overseeing" the safety performance of its contractors is different from managing safety in its own organization. It brings together perspectives from different disciplines including legal, health and safety management, operational, and contract and procurement management. The editor and chapter authors examine real-life cases, the issues that they present, and the way that safety management was handled. By sharing lessons across disciplines, the book identifies critical issues in contractor safety management and raises awareness of its complexity and importance. It provides wide-ranging and comprehensive insight into the concerns confronting organizations, managers, and safety managers in contracting relationships. Offering guidance on how critical issues might be addressed, the book uses real-life cases to draw conclusions from successes and failures that can guide future contracting strategies for effectively controlling health and safety risks in a contracting environment.

The relationship between health and work is widely recognized as complex and multifaceted. In the context of an aging population, our ability to enable individuals with health issues to continue working is becoming more critical. Addressing these current policy concerns, "Work, Health and Wellbeing" brings together new, original research from diverse disciplinary backgrounds to investigate how we can define and act on a biopsychosocial model of ill health to improve work participation in middle and later life.

The healthcare industry is changing daily. With the advent of the Affordable Care Act and now the changes being made by the current administration, the financial outlook for healthcare is uncertain. Along with natural disasters, new diseases, and ransomware new challenges have developed for the healthcare security professional. One of the top security issues effecting hospitals today is workplace violence. People don't usually act violently out of the blue. There are warning signs that can be missed or don't get reported or, if they are reported, they may not be properly assessed and acted upon. Healthcare facilities need to have policies and procedures that require reporting of threatening or unusual behaviors. Having preventive policies and procedures in place is the first step in mitigating violence and providing a safe and security hospital. Persons working in the healthcare security field need to have information and tools that will allow them to work effectively within the healthcare climate. This holds true for security as well. Security professionals need to understand their risks and work to effectively mitigate threats. The author describes training techniques that can be accomplished within a limited budget. He explains how to manage staff more efficiently in order to save money and implement strategic plans to help acquire resources within a restricted revenue environment. Processes to manage emergent events, provide risk assessments, evaluate technology and understand information technology. The future of healthcare is uncertain, but proactive prevention and effective resolution provide the resources necessary to meet the challenges of the current and future healthcare security environment.