Myths prevention

B.N. Ames and L.S. Swirsky Gold, Cancer Prevention and the Environmental Chemical Distraction, Environment and Health Myths and Realities, Eds., K. Okonski and J. Morris, International Policy Press, London, UK, 2004, 24, 21. 

Our analysis and interviews suggest that the reality is different from the above myths about chemical LBOs. For example, the facts are quite contrary to the be-Hef that health, safety and environment (HSE) issues in chemical plants are compromised under LBO firm ownership. One manager spoke of a radical change under an LBO owner from a situation where the HSE record was so poor it was impossible to get insurance to one where the compan/s reception area is plastered with safety awards. Another LBO, Victrex, won awards from the UK s Royal Society for Prevention of Accidents in each of the first two years foUowing the buy-... 

An early acquaintance with the concept of inventorship can prevent the personal disappointments that sometimes arise when cold air dispels the myths trailing patents. 

A classic myth is that safety conflicts with achieving other goals and that tradeoffs are necessary to prevent losses. In fact, this belief is totally wrong. Safety is a prerequisite for achieving most organizational goals, including profits and continued existence. 

Reviewing Heinrich Dislodging Two Myths from the Practice of Safety This chapter examines two myths that should be dislodged from the practice of safety. They arise from the work of H. W. Heinrich and can be found in the four editions of Industrial Accident Prevention A Scientific Approach. The myths are ... 

An article titled Reviewing Heinrich Dislodging Two Myths from the Practice of Safety was published in Professional Safety (Manuele, 2011). One of the myths considered was that unsafe acts of workers are the principal causes of occupational accidents. This article was written because of encouragement from colleagues who encountered situations in which a speaker would quote the source of the myth—H. W. Heinrich s (1950) book on Industrial Accident Prevention—and proceed to... 

This chapter was written as a result of encouragement from several colleagues who encountered situations in which these premises were dted as fact, with the resulting recommended preventive actions being inappropriate and ineffective. Safety professionals must do more to inform about and refute these myths so that they may be dislodged. 

Wolak, J., Finkelhor, D., Mitchell, K., and Ybarra, M. (2008). Online predators and their victims Myths, realities and implications for prevention and treatment. American Psychologist, 63, 111-128. 

Training employees to avoid these five fall protection myths and misconceptions can prevent injuries and fatalities and save your company money. 

Many enzymes that mediate phosphoryl transfer from ATP are thought to do so via the formation of a phosphorylated imidazole residue of histidine (Scheme 49). Spontaneous reactions of amines with ATP are legendarily slow, but now a systematic study, involving trapping of the phosphorylated amine with F , has shown that amines (pyridines, imidazoles) react with ATP 30-100-fold faster than do water or alcohols. To complicate the interpretation of the results, it was found that the rate constant for the reaction of F with ATP tetraanion is similar to rate constants for reaction of uncharged amine and oxygen nucleophiles, thus dispelling the myth that reactions of ATP and other phosphoryl anions with anionic nucleophiles are prevented by electrostatic repulsion in aqueous solution. ... 

Rees LP, Minney SF, Plummer NT et al (1993) A quantitative assessment of the antimicrobial activity of gmlic (Allium sativum). World J Microbiol Biotechnol 9 303-307 Ricdardiello L, Bazzoli F, Foghano V (2011) Phytochemicals and colorectal ctmcer prevention-myth or reality Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 8 592-596 Romero-Pdrez GA, Ominski KH, McAllister TA et al (2011) Effect of environmental factors and influence of rumen and hindgut biogeography on bacterial communities in steers. Appl Environ Microbiol 77 258-268... 

In a Safety-I view, the focus is on adverse events. This can be as either the absolute number of adverse events or as the relative number. The focus on the absolute number is a corollary of the myth that all accidents are preventable, usually expressed as the goal or ideal of zero accidents, zero work site injuries, or even zero car accidents. (To be fair, this is presented as a virtually zero car accidents. ) The idea of zero accidents can be found in the mission statements of many large companies, as well as a service offered by numerous consultants. The focus on the relative number corresponds to a more probabilistic view, for instance that the probability of an accident must be below a certain value, or that there should be freedom from unacceptable risks. ... 

In contrast to a cause, a countermeasure can be defined by anofiier —more objective - criterion its effectiveness in crash prevention or its cost/benefit. This implies that while a cause can be identified as a human frctor the solution might be sought elsewhere. In fact, we see this all the time whenever a road is upgraded to a multi-lane divided highway the number of crashes -especially head-on crashes - diminishes greatly even though most of the crashes eliminated were caused by human errors . In the same context of driver errors that cause crashes, Anderson (1976) noted the nut behind the wheel myth does not account for the literally hundreds of documented studies which clearly indicate the value of environmental improvements in reducing accidents (pp. 20-21). Finally, a specific behavior - such as... 

The book dispels the myths that currently drive societies (misguided) view of traffic safety— the bad behavior myth and the official myth that everything that can be done is being done—and how these myths limit progress in reducing death and serious injury. It presents current scientific knowledge and draws parallels with other areas of public safety and health. The book draws on examples from the media and from public policy debates to paint a clear picture of a flawed public policy approach. It presents a model for a preventive medicine approach to traffic safety policy to get beyond an ego-centric culture to a communal safety culture. 

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