Purpose

This study aims to improve the reliability of emergency safety barriers by using the subjective safety analysis based on evidential reasoning theory in order to develop on a framework for optimizing the reliability of emergency safety barriers.

Design/methodology/approach

The emergency event tree analysis is combined with an interval type-2 fuzzy-set and analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method. In order to the quantitative data is not available, this study based on interval type2 fuzzy set theory, trapezoidal fuzzy numbers describe the expert's imprecise uncertainty about the fuzzy failure probability of emergency safety barriers related to the liquefied petroleum gas storage prevent. Fuzzy fault tree analysis and fuzzy ordered weighted average aggregation are used to address uncertainties in emergency safety barrier reliability assessment. In addition, a critical analysis and some corrective actions are suggested to identify weak points in emergency safety barriers. Therefore, a framework decisions are proposed to optimize and improve safety barrier reliability. Decision-making in this framework uses evidential reasoning theory to identify corrective actions that can optimize reliability based on subjective safety analysis.

Findings

A real case study of a liquefied petroleum gas storage in Algeria is presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology. The results show that the proposed methodology provides the possibility to evaluate the values of the fuzzy failure probability of emergency safety barriers. In addition, the fuzzy failure probabilities using the fuzzy type-2 AHP method are the most reliable and accurate. As a result, the improved fault tree analysis can estimate uncertain expert opinion weights, identify and evaluate failure probability values for critical basic event. Therefore, suggestions for corrective measures to reduce the failure probability of the fire-fighting system are provided. The obtained results show that of the ten proposed corrective actions, the corrective action “use of periodic maintenance tests” prioritizes reliability, optimization and improvement of safety procedures.

Research limitations/implications

This study helps to determine the safest and most reliable corrective measures to improve the reliability of safety barriers. In addition, it also helps to protect people inside and outside the company from all kinds of major industrial accidents. Among the limitations of this study is that the cost of corrective actions is not taken into account.

Originality/value

Our contribution is to propose an integrated approach that uses interval type-2 fuzzy sets and AHP method and emergency event tree analysis to handle uncertainty in the failure probability assessment of emergency safety barriers. In addition, the integration of fault tree analysis and fuzzy ordered averaging aggregation helps to improve the reliability of the fire-fighting system and optimize the corrective actions that can improve the safety practices in liquefied petroleum gas storage tanks.

Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) storage fires and explosions occur due to uncontrolled gas leaks and the gradual breakdown of associated safety barriers. By installing an effective safety barrier, these accidents can be greatly reduced. However, this study assesses the probability of failure of emergency safety barriers (ESBs) to help decision makers understand how they can support decisions to reduce the risks associated with LPG storage. In this context, an extension of the event tree analysis is proposed named emergency event tree analysis (EETA). The aim of this paper is to develop an integrated approach that uses interval type-2 fuzzy sets and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method and emergency event tree analysis to handle uncertainty in the failure probability assessment of emergency safety barriers (ESBs). In addition, a case study on the failure probability assessment of the emergency safety barriers of the LPG plant in Algeria based on the proposed methodology is provided and carried out to illustrate its effectiveness and feasibility. The results demonstrated the ability of interval type-2 fuzzy sets and the AHP method to provide highly reliable results and to evaluate the failure probability of emergency safety barriers in emergencies situations. However, the classical event tree analysis (CETA) does not take into account the possibility of assessing the emergency consequences of different accident scenarios. Consequently, it only allows you to estimate the occurrence probability of accident scenarios. The results of this study show that the value of the probability of failure of the emergency safety barriers can be used to estimate the probability of occurrence of emergency consequences under different accident scenarios, improved the reliability and help prioritize emergency improvement measures. The study provides scientific and operational references for analyzing emergency consequences of the various accident scenarios in all fields such as petrochemical, maritime industry, and health occupational.

The fire-fighting system is one of the proactive technical barriers related to liquefied petroleum gas storage tank safety. This paper presents an integrated approach that uses fuzzy set theory, an improved-dependent uncertain ordered weighted averaging operator and fault tree analysis to handle uncertainty in the unavailability assessment of fire-fighting systems. In this study, the center of area is used to defuzzify triangular fuzzy numbers. Furthermore, for the fire-fighting system fault tree, importance analysis, including Fussell–Vesely importance measure and risk reduction worth of basic events, are performed to identify the weak links of the fire-fighting system. In addition, a real case study on a fire-fighting system for a liquefied petroleum gas storage system in an LPG unit in Algeria is provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology. The research results show that the proposed methodology makes it possible to assess the unavailability of the entire system by analyzing weak links. Consequently, some suggestions are given to take preventive–corrective actions in advance, in order to reduce the failure probability of fire-fighting system and assist the practitioners in setting priorities for improving safety procedures in liquefied petroleum gas storage tanks. The study provides references for analyzing safety barriers in a complex system.

Industrial systems are becoming more sophisticated, and their failure can result in significant losses for the company in terms of production loss, maintenance costs, fines, image loss, etc. Conventional approaches to modeling and evaluating the failure mechanisms of these systems do not consider certain important aspects, such as the interdependencies between failure modes (FMs) with information and data containing uncertainties as they are generally collected from experts’ judgments. These restrictions may lead to improper decision-making. The use of more advanced techniques to model and assess the interdependencies among components’ failures under uncertainties seems to be more than necessary to overcome these deficiencies.

It is in this context that the proposed approach fits. It consists of proposing a hybrid multicriteria decision-aking (MCDM) approach that combines several techniques for a better selection of maintenance strategies. Using the failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) technique, the potential FMs of components, along with their causes and effects, are identified. The relative importance (or weight) of these FMs is determined using the fuzzy simple additive weighing (FSAW) method based on how they affect the system’s goals. The causal relationships between FMs and their final weights are determined by the fuzzy cognitive maps (FCM) method and the nonlinear Hebbian learning and differential evolution (NHL-DE) algorithm. Finally, based on the final FM weights provided by the FCM, the simple additive weighing (SAW) method is used to select the optimal maintenance strategies. The results of applying the proposed approach to an operating compressor lubrication and sealing oil system demonstrate its importance and usefulness in assisting system operators to efficiently allocate the optimal maintenance strategies, considering the strong correlation between FMs and their effects on system performance while accounting for the uncertainties associated with experts’ judgments. These correlation effects have led to changes in the assigned weights of the selected FMs. Specifically, the FM related to the low output of the lube/seal oil pump, which was initially assigned a lower priority, and with the correlation effects has become the first critical FM. This shift in prioritization emphasizes the need to address this particular FM promptly. By focusing on addressing these high-priority FMs, maintenance efforts can be optimized to prevent or mitigate more severe consequences. Among the various maintenance strategies evaluated, it was determined that the combination of condition-based maintenance (CBM) and precision maintenance (PrM) yields the most favorable outcome in terms of mitigating the impact of accidental failures and undesired events on the selected system.

Most road crashes at work are caused by Driver Behavioral Drift (DBD). This DBD has become a recurring issue on congested road sections.

In this context, this study proposes a method called (MASOCU-DBD) which allows to analyze this DBD problem in two steps: assessment of the dynamics of DBD occurrence using a model called BM-NSA and analysis of DCC using a Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) weighted by the Analysis Hierarchical Process (AHP).

The application of the MASOCU-DBD on a road section of an Algerian city's entry highlighted the problem of the DBD in terms of its occurrence and uselessness in the studied section.

The merit of the proposed method is that it uses multi-criteria analysis tools (AHP and CBA) as well as a mathematical model (BM-NSA) to analyze professional drivers' behavioral deviations.

Purpose

The reliability prediction is among the most important objectives for achieving overall system performance, and this prediction carried out by anticipating system performance degradation. In this context, the purpose of this research paper is to development of methodology for the photovoltaic (PV) modules' reliability prediction taking into account their future operating context.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed methodology is framed by dependability methods, in this regard, two methods of dysfunctional analysis were used, the Failure Mode and Effects Criticality Analysis (FMECA) method is carried out for identification of the degradation modes, and the Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) method is used for identification the causes of PV modules degradation and the parameters influencing its degradation. Then, based on these parameters, accelerated tests have been used to predict the reliability of PV modules.

Findings

The application of the proposed methodology on PWX 500 PV modules' in different regions of Algeria makes it possible to predict its reliability, taking into account the future constraints on its operation. In this case, the temperature and relative humidity vary from one region to another was chosen as constraints. The results obtained from the different regions confirms the reliability provided by the designer of the Saharan cities Biskra, In Salah, Tamanraset, and affirms this value for the two Mediterranean cities of Oran and Algiers.

Originality/value

The proposed methodology is developed for the reliability prediction of the PV modules taking into account their future operating context and, the choice of different regions confirms or disproves the reliability provided by the designer of the PV modules studied. This application confirms their performance within the framework of the reliability prediction.

Background

A positive Patient Safety Culture (PSC) is considered as the main barrier to adverse events (AEs) that affect healthcare quality and safety. Thus, the assessment of PSC became a priority for healthcare providers in order to identify problematic areas that need improvement actions.

Method

A cross sectional multi-center study was conducted to evaluate quantitatively PSC in 10 Algerian healthcare establishments (HEs) within the framework of the Algerian Observatory of Safety Culture (ASCO Project). The French version of the HSOPSC was used as a measurement tool where it was administered to participants (N = 1370) using convenience sampling.

Results

A total of 1118 respondents, all professional categories included, participated in this study. The response rate was estimated at 69% of the sample size (N = 1370). After statistical processing, 950 questionnaires were retained. Internal consistency was above 0.7 for all dimensions. Problematic PSC dimensions were identified, mainly ‘Non-punitive response to error’, ‘Staffing’ and ‘Communication openness’.

Conclusions

This article sheds light on the critical situation of PSC in the Algerian national health system. Quantitative findings were introduced in the framework of the Algerian Safety Culture Observatory project that will serve as a baseline for different stakeholders to guide long-term promotion actions.

Fire safety barriers installed in atmospheric storage tanks have an important role in the prevention and the mitigation of accident scenarios triggered by lightning strike. The aim of the present study is the integration of the role of fire safety barriers in the probabilistic analysis of accident scenarios triggered by lightning strike on atmospheric storage tanks of flammable liquids. A statistical analysis of past similar accidents was performed to show their importance with respect to other naturel events such as floods and earthquakes. Depending on the tank type, different event trees are provided to describe the possible event sequences and consequences following lightning impact. Fault tree method was used to quantify the expected availability of fire safety barriers, which are integrated in event trees. The event tree related to external floating roof tanks and fault trees of safety barriers have been converted to an equivalent Bayesian network for performing sensitivity analysis, in order to identify the most critical basic elements of fire safety barriers that need to be improved. The application of the methodology to a real case study proved the importance of the integration of all relevant safety barriers performance and the influence of amelioration measures on the annual probability of lightning-triggered accidents.

In the context of the industrial process safety, the domino effect has become a topical issue for scientists and managers of companies given the diversity of factors that contributed to the aggravation of this phenomenon such as; proximity to industrial facilities, transport networks, development of industrial complexes, storage of hazardous substances and population growth. The purpose of this article is the MICDE method (Method of Identification and Characterization of Domino Effects) application on industrial zone of LPG storage in SONATRACH-Algeria Group for analyzes the domino effects caused by a major industrial accident.

Our study is adopted on the MICDE method which constitutes an aid in the integration of the domino effects problem in hazard studies and safety studies. In our application, it aims to formalize the points relating to the domino effects due to the BLEVE (Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion) phenomenon of an LPG storage sphere.

The results obtained show that the hazardous equipment in the vicinity is seriously affected by the thermal and overpressure effect of the main accident, and may be seats in a new accident. The MICDE method is a promising method can be applied in several fields since it studies the phenomenon. This method facilitates decision-making in the prevention of domino effects for the sustainability facilities

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the interest of focusing public policies for wildfire management on behavioral changes supported by sustainable development projects dedicated to the Algerian forest heritage. Thus, the Aurès region in the eastern part of Algeria will be used as an example to illustrate the proposed new strategy.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed method, guided by projects' management in sustainable development, consists of developing a responsible citizenship strategy focused on behavioral changes of citizens. Therefore, the title of the proposed method: The Construct of Responsible Citizenship.

Findings

In order to cope with forest fires, the proposed approach highlights the interest of promoting responsible citizenship. Likewise, it outlines a tool for sustaining behavioral changes based on the principle of continuous improvement and field follow-up using a multicriteria approach known as “goal programming.”

Practical implications

The proposed new forest fire protection plan addresses the shortcomings in Algeria's current forest fire management policy, which appears unable to deal with the increasing severity of forests' fire risk that the country has been experiencing in recent decades.

Originality/value

The aim is to highlight the interest of investment in forest fires prevention within the framework of the sustainable development of Algerian forest heritage, specifically, to work toward citizen subcontracting of the Algerian forest heritage.

Purpose

Workplace violence is a universal phenomenon that is constantly increasing. In this regard, this study aims to investigate the prevalence of violence committed against Algerian health professionals.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional survey, based on an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire, was conducted in healthcare settings of eastern Algeria (where 144 respondents participated in this study). Besides, socio-demographic characteristics and data related to violence, including its prevalence, different forms, perpetrators, reporting and the way it is handled, were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Findings

Half of the respondents were victims of violence. More specifically, 90.1% of them were verbally abused. Compared to physical violence, verbal violence was significantly perpetrated against women and young health professionals (p < 0.05). However, nurses and those with less than or equal to five years of work experience were the most vulnerable to both types of violence (p < 0.05). Moreover, the main perpetrators were the patients' relatives (70%) followed by the patients themselves (51.4%). In terms of risk treatment, aggressors were verbally warned (60%). For violence reporting, 31% of the respondents observe such a fact as not being important. Finally, 65.7% of the participants reported that their employers had provided them with security measures (guards).

Originality/value

This is the first study conducted in Algeria that examines the prevalence of violence and its relationship with socio-demographic characteristics. Authorities must react effectively to solve this problem by implementing preventive and anticipatory strategies.

Purpose

The objective of this article is to carry out an exploratory study on the emergence of health and safety committees (HSC) in Algerian companies.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology chosen, governed by the systemic approach, is centered on the exploration of HSC emergence factors in companies.

Findings

The suggested method consists in defining hypotheses found in the literature on the emergence of HSC in order to affirm or refute them in the case of Algerian companies.

Research limitations/implications

Despite the fact that a good number of Algerian industrial companies were solicited; the number of respondents was limited. This limitation confirms the difficulty commonly encountered in exploratory studies by questionnaire.

Practical implications

The results of this exploratory study serve as a basis for the elaboration of a national action plan dedicated to HSC emergence in Algerian companies.

Originality/value

This is the first study conducted in Algerian companies on HSC emergence. The identification of emergence problems allows drawing up an effective action plan to solve them.

The assessment of Patient Safety Culture (PSC) is often conducted using a quantitative approach based on questionnaires or a qualitative one focused on the deployment of Patient Safety Culture Maturity Models (PSCMM). These two approaches suffer from a number of limitations and their resolution is only possible by exploiting the possible complementarity that exists between them. Indeed, to overcome their inherent limits, it is imperative to merge the two PSC approaches in a single approach called quali-quantitative evaluation of PSC. This article fits into this context and aims to materialise the merger of PSC approaches through their co-deployment. This will make it possible to capitalise the scores of the HSOPSC dimensions in terms of PSC maturity levels.

Purpose

The assessment of patient safety culture (PSC) is a major priority for healthcare providers. It is often realized using quantitative approaches (questionnaires) separately from qualitative ones (patient safety culture maturity model (PSCMM)). These approaches suffer from certain major limits. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to overcome these limits and to propose a novel approach to PSC assessment.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed approach consists of evaluating PSC in a set of healthcare establishments (HEs) using the HSOPSC questionnaire. After that, principal component analysis (PCA) and K-means algorithm were applied on PSC dimensional scores in order to aggregate them into macro dimensions. The latter were used to overcome the limits of PSC dimensional assessment and to propose a quantitative PSCMM.

Findings

PSC dimensions are grouped into three macro dimensions. Their capitalization permits their association with safety actors related to PSC promotion. Consequently, a quantitative PSC maturity matrix was proposed. Problematic PSC dimensions for the studied HEs are “Non-punitive response to error”, “Staffing”, “Communication openness”. Their PSC maturity level was found underdeveloped due to a managerial style that favors a “blame culture”.

Originality/value

A combined quali-quantitative assessment framework for PSC was proposed in the present study as recommended by a number of researchers but, to the best of our knowledge, few or no studies were devoted to it. The results can be projected for improvement and accreditation purposes, where different PSC stakeholders can be implicated as suggested by international standards.

Various facilities are used in mineral processing to prepare raw material. Practically, two types of balls are used, cast balls and forged balls. They are respectively made from high chromium cast iron and forged steel and are supplied in different sizes and chemical compositions. The cast and forged balls have different microstructures and consequently display dissimilar wear behavior. The target aimed in this work is to achieve a comparative study taking into account the type of microstructure, mechanical properties, and wear behavior of these two kinds of materials. Specimens have undergone chemical, metallographic and XRD characterizations. Subsequently, these samples were subjected to hardness measurements, abrasion and friction tests in order to evaluate their wear behaviour. Tribological tests, under unlubricated environment, are carried out on both types of grinding balls in order to study the wear system. Corrosion tests are also performed on forged steel and high chromium cast iron ball samples. The obtained results reveal a large difference in terms of chemical composition and microstructural components. Chromium cast iron balls are more resistant to friction, whereas forged balls are more resistant to abrasion. Additionally, the corrosion tests reveal a narrow discrepancy in corrosion behaviour between the studied materials.

Purpose

The objectives of this paper are the application of sensitivity analysis (SA) methods in atmospheric dispersion modeling to the emission dispersion model (EDM) to study the prediction of atmospheric dispersion of NO₂ generated by an industrial fire, whose results are useful for fire safety applications. The EDM is used to predict the level concentration of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) emitted by an industrial fire in a plant located in an industrial region site in Algeria.

Design/methodology/approach

The SA was defined for the following input parameters: wind speed, NO₂ emission rate and viscosity and diffusivity coefficients by simulating the air quality impacts of fire on an industrial area. Two SA methods are used: a local SA by using a one at a time technique and a global SA, for which correlation analysis was conducted on the EDM using the standardized regression coefficient.

Findings

The study demonstrates that, under ordinary weather conditions and for the fields near to the fire, the NO₂ initial concentration has the most influence on the predicted NO₂ levels than any other model input. Whereas, for the far field, the initial concentration and the wind speed have the most impact on the NO₂ concentration estimation.

Originality/value

The study shows that an effective decision-making process should not be only based on the mean values, but it should, in particular, consider the upper bound plume concentration.