Journal of Safety and Sustainability最新文献

{"title":"Toward intelligent construction safety: A systematic review of IMU-based fall-from-height detection and a data-driven framework for proactive risk management","authors":"Syed Ammad,&nbsp;Sherif Mostafa,&nbsp;Rodney A. Stewart","doi":"10.1016/j.jsasus.2026.05.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsasus.2026.05.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Falls from height (FFH) remain the leading cause of fatalities in the construction industry globally, accounting for 36% of workplace deaths in the Australian construction sector between 2009 and 2019. Despite the growing adoption of safety technologies, existing reviews remain fragmented, frequently conflating FFH with the same level of falls and failing to examine inertial measurement unit (IMU) based systems within a structured, construction-specific framework. This study addresses these gaps through a systematic review guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) of IMU-based research on fall-from-height detection in construction environments. From 892 records retrieved across four academic databases (Web of Science, ScienceDirect, ASCE Library, Emerald) spanning 2015–2025, 20 peer-reviewed studies were included following rigorous screening and QUADAS-2 quality assessment. A bibliometric analysis identified construction safety, deep learning, and risk assessment as the dominant research themes across 10 geographic regions. Three critical gaps were identified: the absence of standardised pre-fall detection mechanisms, a lack of benchmarking frameworks for hybrid sensor systems, and a shortage of field-deployable solutions tailored to the complexity of real construction environments. To address these gaps, a data-driven modular framework is proposed, structured into three interconnected blocks: real-time posture monitoring via tri-axial IMU sensing; threshold-based fall event confirmation using empirically calibrated acceleration and angular velocity parameters; and automated, severity-graded emergency notification via IoT-enabled communication. The framework introduces a three-tier severity classification based on quantified sensor parameters, enabling proportionate emergency response rather than binary fall/no-fall detection. This review advances the shift toward intelligent, proactive, data-driven construction safety management. It establishes a foundation for future adaptive machine learning integration, construction-specific FFH dataset development, longitudinal field validation and Building Information Modeling (BIM)-enabled digital twin deployment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100831,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Safety and Sustainability","volume":"3 3","pages":"Pages 247-265"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149072201","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Study on emission law and disaster-causing mechanism of floor oil-type gas in coal-oil-gas symbiotic mines—A case study of No.2 Coal Mine in Huangling Mining Area","authors":"Dongdong Chen,&nbsp;Zhiqiang Zhang,&nbsp;Siqing Sun,&nbsp;Kaige Zheng,&nbsp;Kai Yang,&nbsp;Bingyi Jia,&nbsp;Bin Wang,&nbsp;Le Liu,&nbsp;Xuelong Li","doi":"10.1016/j.jsasus.2026.07.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsasus.2026.07.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Aiming at abnormal emission of floor oil-type gas in No.2 Coal Mine, Huangling Mining Area, this study combines field measurement and FLAC3D numerical simulation to analyze emission laws and disaster-causing mechanisms. Results show that oil-type gas mainly emits from floor heave fractures 5–10 m ahead of the working face, with a maximum concentration of 95%. Borehole emission follows a power-law pattern and attenuates rapidly within one week, with an attenuation coefficient of 1.24–2.14 d⁻¹ and a fitting correlation coefficient <em>R</em>² of 0.89–0.99. Emission intensity decreases with an increasing distance between the gas reservoir and coal seam. In-situ stress, geological structures, and gas pressure are the three main controlling factors, and 72% of abnormal emission points are located in anticline structures. Mining forms an approximately 40 m pressure-relief gas conduction zone ahead of the working face. Oil-type gas emission occurs only when the reservoir is within this zone. The results provide a key quantitative basis for the prevention and control of oil-type gas hazards in coal-oil-gas symbiotic mines.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100831,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Safety and Sustainability","volume":"3 3","pages":"Pages 226-236"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149072199","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Compliance safety vs front-line safety: Understanding the disconnect in aircraft maintenance","authors":"Florin Necula","doi":"10.1016/j.jsasus.2026.08.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsasus.2026.08.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The aircraft maintenance industry is governed by highly regulated safety systems that emphasize procedural compliance, documentation and audit conformity. While these systems ensure traceability and standardization, an overreliance on rule-following can inadvertently obscure the complex, adaptive realities of frontline maintenance work. This study introduces and contrasts two paradigms—compliance safety, which equates safety with procedural adherence and front-line safety, which recognises safety as the outcome of context-sensitive decision-making, resilience and informal adaptation. The compliance safety framework (CSF) is proposed as a conceptual model illustrating how excessive proceduralising and audit logic may mask real-world risks and suppress vital frontline feedback. Through a synthesis of human factors literature, cross-industry case comparisons and the author's direct operational experience, the study critiques the assumption that regulatory compliance alone ensures safety. It aligns the CSF with, and contrasts it to, Safety-I, Safety-II and Just Culture, revealing how institutional misapplication of these models may weaken their efficacy. Furthermore, the paper advocates for an integrative approach where adaptive leadership, competence beyond certificates and diplomas and dynamic safety management systems (SMS) play pivotal roles in bridging the procedural-practical divide. The findings argue for a cultural and systemic shift, from enforcing compliance to enabling adaptability, while preserving regulatory integrity. The article concludes by outlining practical recommendations and proposes future empirical testing of the CSF model to assess its applicability across diverse aviation contexts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100831,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Safety and Sustainability","volume":"3 3","pages":"Pages 237-246"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149072200","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Paving a road to safety and sustainability: Construction of theoretical framework for positive systematology and its outlook","authors":"Chao Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.jsasus.2026.07.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsasus.2026.07.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To pave the way toward safety and sustainable development and to promote the broader applications of systems science, this study divides systematology into positive systematology and negative systematology by adopting an extreme thinking approach. To make this distinction, logical speculation and scientific discipline-building methods are employed to construct a theoretical framework for positive systematology. The fundamental theoretical research proceeds as follows: defining and elucidating the connotation of positive systematology, establishing its sub-conceptual system, delineating its research scope and principal contents, summarizing its basic principles, presenting its research methods and paradigms, and identifying its future research directions and frontier topics. Furthermore, the relationship between negative/positive systematology and Safety-I/Safety-II is compared, and positive systematology is also compared with Safety-III from a multi-dimensional perspective. The findings indicate that positive systematology can serve as a new branch of systems science dedicated to enhancing the positive emergent properties of systems and strengthening engineering resilience, thereby advancing the goals of safety and sustainability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100831,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Safety and Sustainability","volume":"3 3","pages":"Pages 196-208"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149072202","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Editorial Board Member","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/S2949-9267(26)00045-4","DOIUrl":"10.1016/S2949-9267(26)00045-4","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":100831,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Safety and Sustainability","volume":"3 3","pages":"Page i"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149072197","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Workplace safety barriers in global supply chains: Insights from the leather tanning industry","authors":"Dewan Ahsan,&nbsp;Md Asif Mustafa,&nbsp;Jan Vang Brambini-Pedersen,&nbsp;Mohammad Sarwar Morshed,&nbsp;Abu Hamja,&nbsp;Md Mahfujul Haq,&nbsp;Mongsathowai Marma","doi":"10.1016/j.jsasus.2026.07.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsasus.2026.07.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The global leather supply chain has been widely criticized for poor workplace safety and inadequate sustainability practices. Drawing on the Institutional Logics Perspective, this study examines the barriers to workplace safety and the improvement of occupational health and safety (OHS) in Bangladeshi tanneries. Data was collected through 23 semi-structured interviews and floor observations across six tanneries. The findings reveal that safety logic is largely absent, while market and financial logics dominate organizational decision-making, prioritizing profitability over workplace safety improvements. As a result, safety compliance is predominantly audit-driven and symbolic rather than embedded as a core business policy. In addition, community logic regulates workers’ acceptance of unsafe practices. This study contributes to the global supply chain literature by applying Institutional Logics Theory to OHS governance in a Global South industrial context, an area that remains underexplored. The research also illustrates the potentially influential role of global brands in improving workplace safety and promoting the sustainability of leather supply chains.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100831,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Safety and Sustainability","volume":"3 3","pages":"Pages 209-217"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149072203","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Study on the explosion characteristics of hydrogen/ammonia and the influence of key factor in a confined vessel","authors":"Shaochen Sun,&nbsp;Xingyan Cao,&nbsp;Zhirong Wang,&nbsp;Weiming Chen,&nbsp;Min Zhang,&nbsp;Zhanwu Ding,&nbsp;Duo Liu,&nbsp;Shaolin Liang,&nbsp;Yingxia Sheng","doi":"10.1016/j.jsasus.2026.06.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsasus.2026.06.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This experiment researched on the explosion characteristics of ammonia and hydrogen mixed gases and the effects of the equivalence ratio, the hydrogen doping ratio, the ignition energy, and the initial pressure on explosion characteristic parameters based on a self-developed visualization experimental apparatus. The results show that the flame underwent a transient development process from the “spherical” to “ellipsoidal”, “finger” and “tulip” structures in sequence. Meanwhile, the impact of equivalence ratio on explosion parameters emerged a trend of increasing first and then decreasing, and the explosion reaction was the most intense at an equivalence ratio of 1.0. The hydrogen doping ratio exhibited an evident promoting effect on the explosion, further increasing the reaction activity and evidently enhancing the corresponding explosion parameter. When the hydrogen doping ratio was raised from 25% to 75%, the peak values of explosion parameters were all greatly increased. The ignition energy mainly accelerated the reaction rates of ammonia and hydrogen explosions by improving the activation energy and ignition area during the ignition stage. Noteworthily, the velocity history of flame propagation showed a change of increasing first and then decreasing during the transition from negative pressure to positive pressure. Nevertheless, the pressure and its rise rate presented an increasing trend of change. The corresponding temperature peak value also appeared the same pattern.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100831,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Safety and Sustainability","volume":"3 3","pages":"Pages 218-225"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149072196","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Failure mechanisms of rectangular tunnels under coupled geometric and stress variations: insights from DEM and conformal-mapping analysis","authors":"Qingchun Hu,&nbsp;Shen Zhang,&nbsp;Zheng Yang,&nbsp;Xihong Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.jsasus.2026.07.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsasus.2026.07.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Stress redistribution around noncircular tunnels is a key mechanism controlling damage and instability in deep underground engineering. However, under constant-area conditions, how geometric ratio, inclination, and confining pressure jointly control crack initiation, spalling evolution, and final failure in rectangular tunnels remains insufficiently understood. This study combined discrete element method (DEM) with an elastic theoretical solution based on conformal mapping to investigate rock specimens containing a rectangular tunnel. A total of 180 cases were analyzed while the tunnel area was kept constant. The varied parameters were geometric ratio <em>R</em> (1.00–2.00), inclination <em>α</em> (0°–90°), and confining pressure <em>q</em> (0–30 MPa). DEM was used to reproduce the full process from crack initiation to specimen-scale instability, whereas the elastic theoretical solution was used to identify boundary local stress extrema and near-field stress-zone partition before failure. Confining pressure was found to be the primary factor controlling both peak strength and failure-mode transition, while inclination and geometric ratio mainly altered crack-initiation position and local spalling extent. Under zero confinement, failure exhibited an X-shaped mixed tensile/shear mode with localized tensile bands. With increasing confinement, the pure tensile zones contracted continuously, tensile cracks disappeared progressively, and the final failure converged toward a more concentrated X-shaped compression-shear mode. The integrated framework provides a mechanical basis for stability assessment and support optimization of rectangular and other noncircular tunnels.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100831,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Safety and Sustainability","volume":"3 3","pages":"Pages 183-195"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149072198","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"When more becomes less: Re-examining permit-to-work, procedures, and communication as risk-management controls","authors":"Mashel Gonyora","doi":"10.1016/j.jsasus.2026.04.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsasus.2026.04.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Chemical process industries (CPIs) play a central role in the global economy, contributing substantially to employment, exports, and GDP in South Africa. However, major accident hazards present significant risks to operations, human life, the environment, and economic stability. Many incidents arise from human and organisational factors (HOFs) or equipment failures, making an understanding of human factors essential within complex CPI environments. Organisations in high-hazard settings often respond to operational failures by modifying procedures rather than addressing system-level weaknesses. This typically increases procedural volume, detail, and communication demands, yet failures in communication, especially during shift handover, remain major contributors to industrial accidents worldwide, raising concerns about the effectiveness of procedure-driven interventions. This study examined employees’ perceptions of HOFs, focusing on procedures, communication, permit-to-work (PTW), risk management, competence, and incident occurrence. A quantitative survey was administered to 339 respondents selected through simple random sampling from a population of 2834 employees in a South African CPI facility. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) were used for exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling. Survey data and participant comments (<em>n</em> = 36) were analysed to assess how procedural volume, communication frequency, and PTW practices influence maintenance-related risk. The results show that: increasing procedures or making them more detailed does not enhance risk management performance; increasing communication events does not improve risk management; and PTW serves as a vital safety barrier, with deficiencies in PTW significantly raising operational risk. These results challenge assumptions that more procedures or communication inherently strengthen safety, highlighting the importance of usability, clarity, and PTW integrity instead.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100831,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Safety and Sustainability","volume":"3 2","pages":"Pages 150-165"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148575907","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evolution law of crack propagation in sandstone with holes and fractures under loading","authors":"Xuelong Li,&nbsp;Kai Yang,&nbsp;Shumin Liu,&nbsp;Fan Feng","doi":"10.1016/j.jsasus.2026.04.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jsasus.2026.04.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To reveal the evolution law of crack propagation in sandstone under the coupling effect of holes and fractures under loading, uniaxial compression tests were carried out on red sandstone specimens prefabricated with different hole diameters (0–20 mm) and fracture dip angles (0–90°). Combined with stress–strain monitoring, real-time image observation and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis, the mechanical properties, dynamic crack evolution and microscopic fracture characteristics were systematically studied. The results show that the peak strength of sandstone exhibits a U-shaped variation with fracture dip angle and reaches the minimum at 60°. The peak strength decreases continuously with the increase of hole diameter, and specimens with larger hole diameters are less sensitive to changes in dip angle. The peak strain presents an M-shaped variation with fracture dip angle, and the strain of specimens with different hole diameters tends to be consistent (about 0.009) at 90°. The crack initiation position varies with dip angle: cracks initiate from the hole at 0–30° and from the fracture tip at 45–90°. The failure modes are classified into tensile-shear failure (0°, 15°, 30°, 90°) and shear failure (45°, 60°, 75°). Microstructural fracture analysis indicates that specimens with both steep and shallow inclinations predominantly exhibit coexisting intergranular and intragranular fracture, while specimens with medium dip angles are dominated by intergranular slip failure. The research results clarify the control mechanism of hole–fracture parameters on sandstone failure, and provide theoretical support for stability evaluation of deep coal mine rock masses and instability prediction of underground engineering rock masses.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100831,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Safety and Sustainability","volume":"3 2","pages":"Pages 138-149"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148575906","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}