An evaluation of occupational health risk assessment methodologies from South African enterprises: noise risk assessment field study

Background: The South African occupational health and safety regulations, prescribing risk assessments be conducted by employers, are non-prescriptive with regard to the tools and techniques to be used. Consequently, companies freely adopt the numerous available tools and techniques from which risk management decisions are derived. Thus, risk management, ensuing from the results derived from these tools and techniques, is likely to vary from company to company. Objective: The objective of the study was to evaluate risk assessment processes and methodologies that are used and recorded in noise risk assessment reports, in four manufacturing companies. Methods: This was a case study, whereby risk assessment records were obtained from four South African companies with different operational units, from the manufacturing and utilities sectors. Results: There were inter- and intra-company variations in the processes related to the legal context in which the risk assessments were conducted, the risk assessment tools and techniques used, the risk criteria definitions, the statements about the effectiveness of controls in use, and the risk evaluation outcomes. Inter- and intra-company variations in risk rankings and risk prioritisation outcomes were also observed ­ a consequence of the risk perceptions of the assessors assigning a risk level to the noise hazard. In some instances, the adopted risk assessment tools and techniques categorised the risk from noise that was at or above regulated health and safety standards as 'insignificant', which those companies used as justification for taking no further measures to eliminate or reduce the risk. Conclusion: The use of different risk assessment processes, tools and techniques resulted in some facilities categorising noise as an insignificant hazard, which may contribute to high noise emissions and uncontrolled exposures.

Risk assessment of pesticide residues in domestic ginsengs / 中国中药杂志

The study aims at taking risk assessment of pesticide residues in ginseng and high risk pesticides were picked up in order to provide a scientific basis for the establishment of maximum residue limits(MRLs) for pesticides in ginseng. Residues of 246 pesticides in 80 ginseng samples collected from different place were detected by GC-MS/MS and LC-MS/MS method. Acute and chronic intake risks were evaluated by using deterministic approach, and the matrix ranking developed by the Veterinary Residues Committee of the United Kingdom was referred to assess risk score of pesticides. The 25 kinds of pesticide residues were detected in ginseng samples, the detection rate of quintozene(PCNB) was 78%, which was the most frequently detectable pesticide. The chronic dietary intake risks of 25 pesticide residues expressed as %ADI were 0.00%-2.6%, and their acute dietary intake risks expressed as %ARfD were 0.00%-104.2%. Among them the acute dietary intake risks of PCNB was 104%,which was the highest. The 25 pesticides were divided into 3 groups by risk score, high risk group(4 pesticides), medium risk group(6 pesticides), and low risk group(15 pesticides). Hexachlorobenzene, phorate, PCNB and BHC were classified as high risk group. It is necessary and effective to establish the limit of residual organic chlorine in ginseng from Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2015 edition). MRLs for PCNB and hexachlorobenzene in ginseng were proposed to be revised based on the results of risk assessment.

Medical disputes analysis based on DRGs mortality risk ranking / 中华医院管理杂志

Objective@#To analyze cases in different groups of DRGs mortality risk ranking regarding overall medical dispute cases of the hospital from 2012 to 2017, and to study various groups of such ranking for these disputes as faced by different clinical departments, for the purpose of targeted intervention into medical risk exposures.@*Methods@#Inpatient medical dispute cases in 2012-2017 period were selected, and classified into the various mortality groups by the standards and definition of BJ-DRGs. These data were used to calculate medical dispute incidence in each group, and analyze the difference between internal medicine and surgery departments.@*Results@#Medical disputes of the hospital were mostly found in case groups of mortality free and those of low mortality risks, accounting for 66% of the total cases. This figure was the highest in surgical departments, having a percentage as high as 72%, and the CMI values of these cases were low as well (0.765 and 1.416 respectively).@*Conclusions@#As case groups of mortality free and low risks tend to attract disputes, the hospital is recommended to enhance the risk awareness and training of its medical staff and key medical regulations.