Warning Beacons for Front Line Service Worker Safety

描述（申请人提供）：伦斯勒理工学院和宾夕法尼亚州立大学提议合作，系统地改善前线服务人员（FLSW）使用的警告信标的视觉信息，FLSW占美国劳动力的13%，但涉及36%的工作场所死亡事故，车辆事故是最常见的死亡原因，根据国家职业研究议程（诺拉）。[This美国50个州中有49个州正在制定“跨越”立法，除了警车和急救车外，其中几辆还包括维修车和多用途车。然而，涉及FLSW的碰撞比例很高，这表明驾驶员没有必要的视觉信息来做出最佳驾驶操作，以遵守“靠边”法律。 为了解决涉及FLSW的碰撞问题，提出了几项综合的多学科研究，以制定使用最新传感器和光源技术的新一代警告信标的性能规格。在这些研究中，将通过心理物理学措施（包括响应时间、关闭检测性能、正确识别位置、脑电图（EEG）措施以及能见度和眩光的自我报告）来表征警告信标的可见性。提出了缩尺模型实验室试验和全尺寸封闭轨道研究。还建议进行光学模拟研究，以确保利用现有的照明、控制和传感器技术，切实落实实验室和封闭轨道实验的心理物理学研究结果。目的1：确定在不同环境条件下提供可见信号而不产生眩光所需的警告信标的发光强度分布，以支持 FLSW的安全 目标二：确定警告信标的时间和色度要求，以传达FLSW所在车辆的相对速度和方向信息。 目标3：确定同步多个警告信标的频率和相位是否有助于驾驶员更快、更准确地做出适当的决策，以降低FLSW的风险。 目的4：在封闭田径场研究中确认目的1至3的结果。 RPI和PSU以前曾成功合作过，并且有着良好的合作记录。预计， 根据R01申请提出的合作研究活动将导致警告信标的创新和实用性能特征，这些特征将为驾驶员提供快速和自信地执行必要的驾驶操作所需的视觉信息，以提高工人的安全性，从而解决了国家职业安全与健康研究所（NIOSH）在其国家职业研究议程中确定的重要研究需求（诺拉）。

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).