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PubMed2004

Sex-specific time patterns of suicidal acts on the German railway system. An analysis of 4003 cases.

OBJECTIVE: To examine sex-specific time patterns of suicidal behaviour on railway tracks as basis of suicide preventive strategies. METHOD: Cases were derived from the National Central Registry of all person accidents on the German railway net (STABAG) between 1997 and 2002 satisfying the operational definition of suicidal behaviour and included sex, age, date, clock time and outcome of the incidence. RESULTS: Over the 6-year observation period, 4003 fatal and non-fatal suicidal incidences were documented. Male to female ratio was 2.70:1 (p<0.0001). The female subgroup was significantly older than the male subgroup (p<0.0001). The monthly distribution revealed a bimodal pattern (p=0.01), particularly in men younger than 65 years, with an excess risk in April and September. This circannual pattern attenuated in the second half of the observation period as shown by adjusted Poisson regression. Monday and Tuesday proved to be high risk days for both sexes. For males and females, a bimodal diurnal distribution pattern with a morning and an evening peak was observed. While both sexes followed the same pattern in the winter half year, in summer females showed a pronounced excess risk in the morning hours while for men the evening peak was substantially amplified (p<0.0001). Risk assessment revealed a marked broadening by approximately 6 h of the time window in the summer half year compared to the winter half year. LIMITATIONS: About 30% of cases were excluded because of missing data on sex specification. However, cases with and without sex information did not differ significantly in the variables under investigation. CONCLUSION: The analysis revealed marked seasonal, weekly and diurnal peaks of railway suicide intensity. Differences between men and women indicate sex-specific processes underlying their suicidal behaviour. The findings may increase alertness of railway and security personal for particular vulnerable time windows of excess risk for railway suicides.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Factors associated with failed and completed railway suicides.

BACKGROUND: The present analysis aimed to assess the proportion of survivors of railway suicides and to compare survivors and completers in terms of personal characteristics and temporal patterns surrounding the event, to identify potential differences between those who completed suicide and those who survived a serious suicide attempt. METHODS: A total of 5731 suicide victims (including 4003 cases with complete documentation on sex) of the German central railway registry of person accidents covering a six-year observation period of 1997 to 2002 and satisfying the operational definition of an act of suicidal behaviour according to the ICD-10 were included into the data set. To assess the impact of sex, age, local and temporal factors on case fatality, a multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed. RESULTS: A minority of 540 (9.4%) subjects survived the suicidal event leading to a fatal to non-fatal ratio of 9.6:1 (chi(2)-test for equal proportions, p<0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified the following variables as risk factors for fatal outcome: men (vs. women: Odds ratio (OR)=2.05; 95% CI: 1.65-2.56), night (vs. day: OR=1.80; 95% CI: 1.43-2.27), open track (vs. station area: OR=2.95; 95% CI: 2.36-2.67) and main railway line (vs. local railway line: OR=2.29; 95% CI: 1.43-3.68). Interactions between two factors on fatal outcome were multivariate tested but showed no significance. CONCLUSIONS: Close to 10% of all railway suicide attempts are nonfatal. Fatality of suicidal behaviour on railway tracks is significantly associated with male sex pointing to a certain degree of ambivalence. Higher odds to die on open track area, fast track lines and during night-time suggest a reduced opportunity to survive due to circumstances.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Space use optimisation and sustainability-environmental comparison of international cases.

As a follow-up to our first paper in this journal, this paper discusses projects involving intensive and multiple use of space recently completed or still being developed around railway stations in London (Broadgate and Canary Wharf), Paris (Seine Rive Gauche and La Défense) and Amsterdam (Zuidas and Bijlmer). The cases were compared on the basis of spatial, functional and environmental indicators, as treated in our first paper. The environmental performance of each of the cases was determined through comparison with a theoretic reference project for an equal number of users, yet with average West-European urban values for spatial, functional and environmental properties. The case studies revealed that a high floor space index is easily achievable in urban plans, implying efficient use of land and preservation of green area outside the city. For a mono-functional office area it is easier to achieve a high FSI than for a functionally diverse area with, e.g. apartments and shops. Therefore, with respect to a reference functionally equal to the cases, the predominant office character of Canary Wharf, Broadgate and La Défense results in good environmental performance. However, on the basis of a functionally diverse reference, for which monofunctional cases were enlarged with additional area for housing and amenities, the varied areas of Zuidas and Seine Rive Gauche perform best. With respect to average urban plans, the cases achieved environmental improvement of factor 1.5. This performance is restricted by the energy consumption of buildings, which has by far the most influence on the end result. The impact of stacking on the use of building materials and energy consumption of buildings is limited, and specific sustainability measures on the building scale were not involved in the calculations. The environmental benefits of intensive and multiple use of space are mainly demonstrated by the great improvement factors for the green area preserved and transport fuel consumption. The environmental costs used for these parameters were however relatively low, leading to a limited influence on the end results. Additional effective improvements to the environmental performance of dense and functionally diverse urban plans are sustainable building design and an integrated approach to urban utilities based on sustainable technologies.

Cities↗
PubMed2006

A GIS-based approach for the screening assessment of noise and vibration impacts from transit projects.

Urban transportation projects are essential in increasing the efficiency of moving people and goods within a city, and between cities. Environmental impacts from such projects must be evaluated and mitigated, as applicable. Spatial modeling is a valuable tool for quantifying the potential level of environmental consequences within the context of an environmental impact assessment (EIA) study. This paper presents a GIS-based tool for the assessment of airborne-noise and ground-borne vibration from public transit systems, and its application to an actual project. The tool is based on the US Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) approach, and incorporates spatial information, satellite imaging, geostatistical modeling, and software programming. The tool is applied on a case study of initial environmental evaluation of a light rail transit project in an urban city in the Middle East, to evaluate alternative layouts. The tool readily allowed the alternative evaluation and the results were used as input to a multi-criteria analytic framework.

Environmental Monitoring↗
PubMed2004

Organisational accidents investigation methodology and lessons learned.

The purpose of this paper is to reflect on accident analysis methods. As the understanding of industrial accidents and incidents has evolved, they are no longer considered as the sole product of human and/or technical failures but also as originating in an unfavourable organisational context. After presenting some theoretical developments which are responsible for this evolution, we will propose two examples of organisational accidents and incidents. We will then present some properties of organisational accidents, and we will focus on some "accident-generating" organisational factors. The definition of these factors comes from an empirical approach to event analysis. Finally, we will briefly present their implications for accident and incident analysis.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed2004

Training rail accident investigators in UK.

In the UK a number of high severity rail accidents, combined with structural change in the rail industry led to the need for revised accident investigation procedures. The revised procedure addressed identified issues with accident investigation, but to ensure maximum benefit in terms of identification of underlying causes of accidents and the production of good recommendations, training for rail industry accident investigators was required. The development of training followed the development of the revised procedure, with key decisions including the scope of the training and the delivery method that promotes the highest degree of information transfer and individual learning. The training has been delivered to the rail industry with considerable success but has, and continues, to face challenges as the industry structure continues to evolve.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed2004

Accident versus near miss causation: a critical review of the literature, an empirical test in the UK railway domain, and their implications for other sectors.

An essential assumption for the usefulness of basing accident prevention measures on minor incidents is the common cause hypothesis: that causal pathways of near misses are similar to those of actual accidents (such as injuries and damages). The idea of a common cause hypothesis was originally proposed by Heinrich in his seminal book "Industrial Accident Prevention" [McGraw-Hill, New York]. In this paper, it is argued that the hypothesis of similarity of causes for major and minor accidents has become confounded with the interdependence of the ratio relationship between severity and frequency. This confounded view of the hypothesis has led to invalid tests of the hypothesis and erroneous conclusions. The evidence from various studies is examined and it is concluded that the hypothesis has not been properly understood or tested. Consequently, such a proper test was carried out using data from the UK railways which were analysed using the confidential incident reporting and analysis system (CIRAS) 21 cause taxonomy. The results provide qualified support for the common cause hypothesis with only three out of the 21 types of causes having significantly different proportions for the three consequence levels investigated: 'injury & fatality', 'damage' and 'near miss'.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed2004

Chlorine transfer hose failure.

On the morning of 14 August 2002, a 1 in. transfer hose used in a rail tank car unloading operation at DPC Enterprises, near Festus, Missouri, catastrophically ruptured and initiated a sequence of events that led to the release of 48,000 pounds of chlorine--a toxic gas--into neighboring areas. The facility repackages bulk dry liquid chlorine into 1 ton containers and 150 pound cylinders for commercial, industrial, and municipal use in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Fortunately, the wind direction on the day of the release limited the effects of the chlorine plume on the surrounding community. However, 63 people sought hospital treatment due to exposure, and hundreds of others were affected by the release (the community was advised to shelter-in-place for 4 h, and traffic was halted on Interstate 55 for 1.5 h). The US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) investigated this incident for the following reasons: This paper presents the lesson-learned from this incident to help prevent similar occurrences. This paper is based on US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board Report Number 2002-04-I-MO, which was approved by the Board on 1 May 2003. This paper has not been independently approved by the Board and is published for general informational purposes only. Every effort has been made to accurately present the contents of the Board-approved report in this paper. Any material in the paper that did not originate in the Board-approved report is solely the responsibility of the author and does not represent an official finding, conclusion, or position of the Board. A complete copy of the Board investigation report upon which this paper is based is available on the CSB website at "Completed Investigations."

Chemical Industry↗
PubMed2005

A survey of accidents occurring during the transport of hazardous substances by road and rail.

A study of 1932 accidents that occurred during the transport of hazardous substances by road and rail from the beginning of the 20th century to July 2004 was carried out. The results obtained show an increase in the frequency of accidents over time. More than half of the accidents happened on roads (63%). The most frequent accidents were releases (78%), followed by fires (28%), explosions (14%) and gas clouds (6%). The various causes of the accidents, the type of substance involved and the consequences for the population (number of people killed, injured or evacuated) were also analysed. Among the diverse measures taken to improve this situation, the training of professional people involved in transportation seems to be of major importance.

Accidents↗
PubMed2005

A prospective study of the psychological effects of "person under train" incidents on drivers.

Previous studies have shown that person under train (PUT) accidents cause psychological distress to drivers during the first year following the incident. Our aims were to assess the psychological consequences of PUT accidents on drivers prospectively, and to identify risk factors for psychological effects. In this prospective, one-year, follow-up study, a consecutive series of PUT drivers (n=202) were compared with a group of matched control drivers (n=186). Psychological state was assessed 15 days, 3 months and 1 year after the event, using the GHQ-28 questionnaire and a standardised diagnostic interview (the v4.4 MINI). Fifteen days after the event, PUT drivers had significantly higher GHQ-28 scores (p<0.0001) and more acute stress disorder (p=0.008) than control drivers. No significant differences were found 3 months and 1 year after the accident. Significant explicative variables were the presence of acute and chronic psychosocial stressors (OR=3.30 and 3.68) and the availability of immediate help (OR=0.46). We thus confirm previous findings that train drivers who have experienced a PUT accident experience acute psychological disturbances. Our results also highlight the utility of the systematic prevention programme provided.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed2006

Trespassing on the tracks: a review of railway pedestrian safety research.

INTRODUCTION: Train-pedestrian collisions have been shown to be the leading cause of fatality in train-related accidents worldwide, yet there is remarkably little research in this area. METHOD: In this paper, the major types of railway transportation accident research are briefly highlighted to indicate the general context of research concerning train-pedestrian collisions, which are then reviewed. Themes emerging from the diverse research are identified, the various strategies that have been proposed for prevention of railway pedestrian accidents are discussed, and the empirical evidence for their efficacy examined in the light of the much more extensive literature on road pedestrian accidents. Finally, it is proposed that application of current theory in behavioral and cognitive psychology may usefully inform future research in transportation safety.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed2004

Association between lower P300 amplitude and smaller anterior cingulate cortex volume in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder: a study of victims of Tokyo subway sarin attack.

Previous investigations of auditory P300 event-related potentials have provided electrophysiological evidence for attentional problems in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The present study sought to evaluate the relationship between P300 deficits and underlying brain morphological abnormalities in never-treated, comorbidity-free patients with PTSD following the Tokyo subway sarin attack. Out of 47 victims recruited, 8 victims with PTSD and 13 victims without PTSD were identified. Correlational analyses were performed between auditory P300 amplitude at Pz electrode site elicited in an oddball task and anterior cingulate gray matter volume that was shown to be reduced in our previous study using voxel-based morphometry on magnetic resonance imaging. Victims with PTSD showed significantly lower amplitudes of P300 compared with victims without PTSD, and the lower P300 amplitudes at Pz were significantly associated with higher avoidance/numbing scores in the PTSD group. Furthermore, in the PTSD group only, the P300 amplitudes showed a trend toward significant positive correlation with voxel densities of the anterior cingulate cortex gray matter. These results provide the first evidence that electrophysiological deficits of controlled attention observed in patients with PTSD may be linked to underlying brain morphological abnormalities.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Susceptibility of automated external defibrillators to train overhead lines and metro third rails.

INTRODUCTION: Immediate accessibility to automated external defibrillators (AED) is recommended for highly frequented public areas. In train terminals and metro stations electromagnetic interference (EMI) is present. In preparation for a public access defibrillation (PAD) programme in this environment possible effects on AED safety and accuracy were studied. METHODS: In typical public transportation settings 11 different AED models were bench tested for their sensitivity and specificity of ECG analysis with shockable and nonshockable rhythms provided by an ECG simulator. The devices were exposed to the electromagnetic interference of a rail system operating with 15 kV alternating current (ac) with a frequency of 16 2/3 Hz and a subway system powered with 750 V direct current (dc). AED cables were setup parallel and perpendicular to the tracks, the tests were carried out at 3 m distance from the rails in an empty station and with incoming trains. RESULTS: A total of 5280 tests were recorded, each device was tested a total of 480 times. Fifteen kilovolts 16 2/3 Hz ac interfered more than 750 V dc with the tachyarrhythmia detection systems (P < 0.0001). An AED setup with electrode cables perpendicular to track and power line reduced interference (P < 0.0001), while incoming trains had no significant effect on ECG analysis (P = 0.19). Depending on the AED model, sensitivity ranged from 60 to 100% and specificity from 54 to 100%, representing a positive likelihood-ratio from 1.3 to 241 and a negative likelihood-ratio from 0.7 to 0.0. In the public transportation setting tested, four AED models were unsuitable for automated defibrillation as these devices demonstrated an unacceptable performance in respect of accuracy and safety. In the train setting two devices performed with an accuracy of 57 and 65%. One AED recommended shocks for sinus rhythm at normal frequency. In the metro setting one AED did not advise shocks for ventricular tachycardia. CONCLUSION: Shock advisory systems of some AED models are susceptible to electromagnetic interference, especially in terminals with 15 kV 16 2/3 Hz ac power supplies. Interference is minimized, if patient position is parallel and electrode cables are perpendicular to overhead line. The choice of AED model for train or metro stations depends on its lack of susceptibility to typical electromagnetic interference.

Defibrillators↗
PubMed2005

Manganese concentrations in the air of the Montreal (Canada) subway in relation to surface automobile traffic density.

Methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT) is an organic derivative of manganese (Mn), used since 1976 in Canadian gasoline as an octane enhancer. Its combustion leads to the emission of Mn particles. Several studies carried out by our research group have established a correlation between atmospheric Mn concentrations and automobile traffic density, suggesting that MMT in gasoline could play a significant role. This study aims to measure Mn concentrations in the air of the underground subway in Montreal (Canada) and to examine the relation with nearby surface automobile traffic density and, by extension, with the use of MMT in gasoline. Three subway stations were chosen for their location in different microenvironments with different traffic densities. Respirable (MnR<5 microm) and total Mn (MnT) were sampled over two weeks, 5 days/week, 12 h/day. For the station located in the lower traffic density area, relatively low levels of MnR and MnT were found, with averages of 0.018 and 0.032 microg/m(3), respectively. These concentrations are within the range of the background levels in Montreal. For the other two stations, the average concentrations of MnR were twice as high and exceeded the US EPA reference concentration of 0.05 microg/m(3). Although there may be several sources of Mn from different components of the subway structure and vehicles, no correlation was found between subway traffic and atmospheric Mn in the subway. Since the air in the underground subway is pumped directly from outside without filtration, our findings strongly suggest that the combustion of MMT in automobiles is an important factor.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed2006

Comparison of genotoxic and inflammatory effects of particles generated by wood combustion, a road simulator and collected from street and subway.

The health effects of exposure to airborne particles are of increasing concern in society. In order to protect public health, a clarification of the toxic properties of particles from different sources is of importance. The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the genotoxicity and the ability to induce inflammatory mediators of nine different particle types from wood and pellets combustion, from tire-road wear and collected from an urban street and a subway station. The comet assay was used to assess genotoxicity after exposure of the human lung cell line A549. Inflammatory effects were measured as induction of IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-alpha after exposure of human macrophages. We found that all particles tested caused DNA damage and those from the subway caused more damage than the other particles (p<0.001) likely due to redox-active iron. In contrast, particles collected from an urban street were most potent to induce inflammatory cytokines. Particles from tire-road wear collected using a road simulator were genotoxic and able to induce cytokines. Finally, more effective combustion of wood led to less emission of particles, but those emitted did not show less toxicity in this study.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed2001

An evaluation of a suburban railway pedestrian crossing safety programme.

This study evaluated a programme of educational and environmental (access prevention) interventions designed to reduce the incidence of illegal and unsafe crossing of the rail corridor at a suburban station in Auckland, New Zealand. Immediately after the programme of interventions, the proportion of those crossing the rail corridor by walking across the tracks directly rather than using the nearby overbridge had decreased substantially. Three months later, the decrease was even greater. However, the educational and environmental interventions were introduced simultaneously so that the effects of each could not be separated; nor could other unmeasured factors be ruled out. Anonymous surveys administered immediately before and 3 months after the interventions indicated that while awareness of the illegality of walking across the tracks had increased slightly, perception of risk had not changed. This suggests that the educational interventions may have had less effect than the access prevention measures.

Accident Prevention↗