Warning Beacons for Front Line Service Worker Safety

前线服务人员安全警示灯

• 批准号: 8733186
• 负责人: MARK S REA
• 金额: $ 53.22万
• 依托单位: RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-09-01 至 2017-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/8733186
• 关键词: Warning; Beacons; Front; Line; Service

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Proposed is a collaboration between Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Pennsylvania State University to systematically improve the visual information from warning beacons used by front line service workers (FLSWs), who make up 13% of the U.S. workforce but are involved in 36% of workplace fatalities, with vehicle incidents the most common cause of fatalities, according to the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA). [This is inherently understood by the example of "Move Over" legislation now being enacted in 49 of 50 states in the U.S., several of which include maintenance and utility vehicles in addition to police and emergency vehicles. However, the high proportion of crashes involving FLSWs suggests that drivers do not have the visual information required to make the best driving maneuvers needed to comply with "Move Over" laws.] To address crashes involving FLSWs, several integrated, multidisciplinary studies are proposed leading to performance specifications for new-generation warning beacons using the latest sensor and light source technologies. Visibility of warning beacons will be characterized in these studies through psychophysical measures including response times, closure detection performance, correct identification of location, electroencephalographic (EEG) measures, and self-reports of visibility and glare. Both scale model laboratory experiments and full-scale closed-track studies are proposed. Also proposed are optical simulation studies to ensure that the psychophysical findings from the laboratory and closed-track experiments can be implemented practically using available lighting, control and sensor technologies. The studies will address the following specific aims: Aim 1: To identify the luminous intensity distributions of warning beacons needed to provide visible signals without creating glare under different ambient conditions to support the safety of FLSWs. Aim 2: To identify the temporal and chromatic requirements of warning beacons to convey information about the relative speed and orientation of vehicles around which FLSWs are located. Aim 3: To establish whether synchronizing the frequency and phase of multiple warning beacons would help drivers more quickly and accurately make appropriate decisions to reduce risk exposure of FLSWs. Aim 4: To confirm the findings from Aims 1 through 3 in closed-track field studies. RPI and PSU have successfully collaborated previously, and have an established track record of working together. It is anticipated that the results of the proposed collaborative research activities under this R01 application will lead to innovative and practical performance characteristics of warning beacons that will provide drivers with the visual information needed to quickly and confidently perform necessary driving maneuvers for improved worker safety, thus addressing an important research need identified by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in its National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA).

描述（由申请人提供）：提议由伦斯勒理工学院和宾夕法尼亚州立大学合作，系统地改进一线服务人员（FLSWs）使用的警告信号的视觉信息，他们占美国劳动力的13%，但涉及36%的工作场所死亡，车辆事故是最常见的死亡原因，根据国家职业研究议程（NORA）。美国50个州中有49个州颁布了“Move Over”立法，其中一些州除了警车和紧急车辆外，还包括维修和多功能车辆。然而，涉及FLSWs的撞车事故的高比例表明，司机没有必要的视觉信息来做出最好的驾驶动作，以遵守“让位”法律。为了解决涉及FLSWs的事故，提出了几项综合的多学科研究，从而采用最新的传感器和光源技术制定新一代警告信标的性能规范。在这些研究中，预警信标的可见性将通过心理物理测量来表征，包括响应时间、关闭检测性能、正确识别位置、脑电图（EEG）测量以及可见性和眩光的自我报告。提出了比例模型实验室实验和全尺寸闭合轨迹研究。还建议进行光学模拟研究，以确保实验室和封闭轨道实验的心理物理发现可以使用可用的照明、控制和传感器技术实际实施。研究的具体目标如下：目标1：在不同的环境条件下，确定在不产生眩光的情况下提供可见信号所需的警告信标的发光强度分布，以支持