Physical factors affecting deposition of combustion submicrometer particles in the human lung. Particles generated from combustion sources have a profound effect on human health, yet there is lack of scientific understanding of the role of different physical mechanisms on particle deposition in the lung. This program will advance scientific knowledge in this field through multidisciplinary efforts of a team from QUT and the University of Salzburg, Austria. It aims at quantification of particle d ....Physical factors affecting deposition of combustion submicrometer particles in the human lung. Particles generated from combustion sources have a profound effect on human health, yet there is lack of scientific understanding of the role of different physical mechanisms on particle deposition in the lung. This program will advance scientific knowledge in this field through multidisciplinary efforts of a team from QUT and the University of Salzburg, Austria. It aims at quantification of particle deposition in human lung through experimental studies and advanced modelling. The program will enhance and strengthen the existing collaboration between the universities and its outcome will be of significance in the vital area of human health and risk assessment.Read moreRead less
Work related road safety countermeasures in a large fleet (QFleet). Despite accounting for more than 20% of the road crashes, relatively little research has been conducted on fleet safety in Australia. This research will develop guidelines for current best practice and design, implement and evaluate several new countermeasures. More importantly, it will develop a comprehensive model for future design, implementation and evaluation of fleet safety that will extend the frontier of knowledge in cra ....Work related road safety countermeasures in a large fleet (QFleet). Despite accounting for more than 20% of the road crashes, relatively little research has been conducted on fleet safety in Australia. This research will develop guidelines for current best practice and design, implement and evaluate several new countermeasures. More importantly, it will develop a comprehensive model for future design, implementation and evaluation of fleet safety that will extend the frontier of knowledge in crash analysis and prevention. By working closely with QFleet, current fleet safety thinking will be advanced to reduce the frequency and severity of road crashes thereby reducing road trauma and increasing business effectiveness.Read moreRead less
From Compliance to Mindfulness. Safety in hazardous organisations does not simply depend on compliance with safety rules. It depends on a more elusive quality, organisational mindfulness. The aim of this project wil be to identify ways in which rule based culture can be transformed into a culture of mindfulness.The focus will be on a power station which is seeking to trasform a rule-based culture into a culture of mindfulness. If this can be done it will not only enhance safety at this po ....From Compliance to Mindfulness. Safety in hazardous organisations does not simply depend on compliance with safety rules. It depends on a more elusive quality, organisational mindfulness. The aim of this project wil be to identify ways in which rule based culture can be transformed into a culture of mindfulness.The focus will be on a power station which is seeking to trasform a rule-based culture into a culture of mindfulness. If this can be done it will not only enhance safety at this power station but it will identify the way other organisations can make the same transition.
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High Reliability Organisations. Organisations which operate risky technologies with few if any major incidents - High Reliability Organisations - exhibit a distinctive charactertistic - mindfulness. This study looks at a particular organisation - Airservices Australia - which aspires to this ideal, and examines how it measures up. It will also demonstrate how other organisations which aspire to be HROs can move towards this ideal. The study also examines how Airservice Australia and another simi ....High Reliability Organisations. Organisations which operate risky technologies with few if any major incidents - High Reliability Organisations - exhibit a distinctive charactertistic - mindfulness. This study looks at a particular organisation - Airservices Australia - which aspires to this ideal, and examines how it measures up. It will also demonstrate how other organisations which aspire to be HROs can move towards this ideal. The study also examines how Airservice Australia and another similarly mindful organisation identify warnings of danger and act on them before it is too late. This will again provide a model for other organisations.Read moreRead less
The Effect of Fuel Type on Health and Environmental Risks Caused by Motor Vehicle Emissions. Motor vehicles constitute one of the most significant sources of air pollutants but the state of knowledge on the quantity of some of these does not permit for projection of the risk they create. This project aims at quantification of emissions of pollutants contributing to deterioration of health, ozone formation, global warming and acid rain as a function of fuel type, using a novel on-road sampling m ....The Effect of Fuel Type on Health and Environmental Risks Caused by Motor Vehicle Emissions. Motor vehicles constitute one of the most significant sources of air pollutants but the state of knowledge on the quantity of some of these does not permit for projection of the risk they create. This project aims at quantification of emissions of pollutants contributing to deterioration of health, ozone formation, global warming and acid rain as a function of fuel type, using a novel on-road sampling method. Resultantly, a holistic picture of integrated health and environmental risk will be developed that will build a scientific foundation for future fuel,transport and land use to protect the community and the environment.Read moreRead less
Risk assessment for environmental health in Adelaide based on weather, air pollution and population health outcomes. This is the first systematic assessment of the effect of climate variation and air pollution on population health in an Australian temperate region. It is one of the ARC's research priorities (PG 7: Responding to climate change and variability). The results will provide a more complete picture of association among air pollution, climate variability and population health in Austral ....Risk assessment for environmental health in Adelaide based on weather, air pollution and population health outcomes. This is the first systematic assessment of the effect of climate variation and air pollution on population health in an Australian temperate region. It is one of the ARC's research priorities (PG 7: Responding to climate change and variability). The results will provide a more complete picture of association among air pollution, climate variability and population health in Australia. They will also provide important information to policy-makers and communities for their relevant actions, including changes in resource management systems and the operation of these systems, a range of socioeconomic actions, infrastructure establishment, disaster prevention and emergency events response regulation, and health education and promotion campaigns.Read moreRead less
Developing and validating an air quality assessment model for application in human exposure assessment, housing/urban planning and policy setting. At present there does not exist a model for assessing human exposure to airborne pollutants in places where people live, work and rest. In addition, experimental exposure assessments display large discrepancies dependent on the measurement method used. This research aims at developing and validating an air quality assessment model that would enable ....Developing and validating an air quality assessment model for application in human exposure assessment, housing/urban planning and policy setting. At present there does not exist a model for assessing human exposure to airborne pollutants in places where people live, work and rest. In addition, experimental exposure assessments display large discrepancies dependent on the measurement method used. This research aims at developing and validating an air quality assessment model that would enable predictions of air quality in various mircoenvironments for the purpose of exposure and risk assessment, housing and urban planning, and policy setting. This research will provide scientific foundation and a tool for developing future directions for management and control to protect the community and the environment.Read moreRead less
Dynamic spatio-temporal approach to environmental health modelling. Maintenance and enhancement of environmental health (EH) is an important aspect of sustainable development (SD). There has been an increasing realisation that an appropriate modelling approach needs to be developed to measure and promote EH. However, a framework for the development of EH models to facilitate environmental management decision-making has not been attempted to date. This research aims to increase fundamental knowle ....Dynamic spatio-temporal approach to environmental health modelling. Maintenance and enhancement of environmental health (EH) is an important aspect of sustainable development (SD). There has been an increasing realisation that an appropriate modelling approach needs to be developed to measure and promote EH. However, a framework for the development of EH models to facilitate environmental management decision-making has not been attempted to date. This research aims to increase fundamental knowledge on the relationship between environmental exposures and community well-being, to develop a dynamic and systematic approach to EH modelling, and to assess implications of EH models in the planning of SD and environmental management.Read moreRead less
In vivo Assessment of Radiation Dose from Inhalation of Radioactive Dust in the Mining and Milling of Radioactive Ores. The project will use a combination of in vivo gamma-ray spectrometry measurements and modelling to determine quantities of retained radioactive materials in mine workers exposed to long-lived radioactive dust and the radiation doses from those materials. These studies will provide better indications of dose in a range of mining environments. Current indirect dose estimation tec ....In vivo Assessment of Radiation Dose from Inhalation of Radioactive Dust in the Mining and Milling of Radioactive Ores. The project will use a combination of in vivo gamma-ray spectrometry measurements and modelling to determine quantities of retained radioactive materials in mine workers exposed to long-lived radioactive dust and the radiation doses from those materials. These studies will provide better indications of dose in a range of mining environments. Current indirect dose estimation techniques will be tested and improved. This benefits both industry and workers as it allows greater optimisation of work practices and greater confidence for workers and their communities about the real risks from radiation exposure. Our project will enhance the viability of the Australian mining industry.Read moreRead less
Development of strategies for early detection of respiratory microbial infections possibly imported to Australia by humans and animals. The impact of global terrorism, SARS and Avian influenza underlines the importance to Australia of having advanced early-warning systems for airborne disease threats. Our new technique will provide continuous monitoring, rapid detection, and viability reporting on pathogenic microorganisms transmitted by air. The technique is non-invasive and is feasible to anal ....Development of strategies for early detection of respiratory microbial infections possibly imported to Australia by humans and animals. The impact of global terrorism, SARS and Avian influenza underlines the importance to Australia of having advanced early-warning systems for airborne disease threats. Our new technique will provide continuous monitoring, rapid detection, and viability reporting on pathogenic microorganisms transmitted by air. The technique is non-invasive and is feasible to analyse much larger populations of humans and animals with their minimal disturbance. This will benefit Australia and protect the country in the areas of public and animal health, and defence against bioterrorism or biowarfare. The technology has worldwide export potential, creating new high-tech enterprises and jobs.Read moreRead less