Industrial Crane Accidents Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Industrial Crane Accidents - Essay Example To date, many reports relay crane-related accidents that could have been avoided if safety regulations were carefully considered. Industrial crane operators are required to apply strict safety procedures to carry out their job properly. Several regulations have been existent internationally to prevent accidents and hazards in every industrial workplace. Nevertheless, the current literature reflects a number of accidents related to the use of cranes in many workplaces around the world, both on land and offshore (i.e., gas mining platforms). Therefore, it is important to consider how such accidents have occurred in order to promote safety in the industrial workplace. Industrial crane accidents can happen anytime if workers practice negligence. The complex and heavy structure of the crane implies the high demand for safety during operation in the workplace. Relevantly, only certified workmen can handle industrial cranes, thus workers who would like to be crane operators should undergo t he specific training for operating cranes and other similar machines. A simple negligence on the part of the operator could lead to accidents, and later on, to permanent disability and even deaths. In such cases, the company will be held liable for the loss, not just the operator or the driver concerned could lose his job if the results of the investigations suggest negligence on his part. However, crane accidents have more bearing on the company because the company has the sole liability in such cases. A number of cases of negligence can be found in the literature, pointing either to the company or the crew as the one at fault. For instance, Jerner (2010) reports about a crane accident in which the crane boom separated from the mobile carrier. Based on the investigations, the turntable bearing did not function properly because it was improperly placed and showed signs of being worn out. Notably, the first problem that reveals improper placing of the turntable could be attributed to the staff, whereas the second cause, which is the worn out characteristics of the turntable implies the liability of the company. The use of old and worn out turntable can be attributed to the company’s cost-cutting measures. In another accident report by Jerner (2010), the same problem of substandard crane parts was detected as the bolts of the boom attached to three crane boom sections broke, thus separating the attached sections from the main boom. The accident occurred during operation as the crane was used to remove a water tank crane boom from a water tower. Although there were no casualties, the accident expectedly caused delay in the company’s operation. In a report made by the Iowa FACE Program (n.d.) of a 1997 accident that occurred in a wind farm in Iowa, the author noted the shifting of the tower-type crane whose outrigger pad slid to the northwest, leading to the death of the 36-year–old crane operator. The crew was about to install generators on a windmill when the accident happened. The owner of the mill, who was situated perpendicular to the windmill and saw the whole accident reported that the crane was tilted a little before the accident happened.  

Cultural Features of China Today Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cultural Features of China Today - Research Paper Example The people of China have been heavily influenced by these changes in China. This paper discusses some of those changes that signify the contemporary Chinese culture and society and discusses their impact on the people of China. One of the most remarkable changes the world politics has seen in the start of the 21st century is China’s rise of power. The culture of China today serves as a resource for soft power whose use has helped China surface as a powerful country in the world. â€Å"THE SOFT POWER OF A COUNTRY RESTS PRIMARILY ON THREE RESOURCES: ITS CULTURE (IN PLACES WHERE IT IS ATTRACTIVE TO OTHERS), ITS POLITICAL VALUES (WHEN IT LIVES UP TO THEM AT HOME AND ABROAD), AND ITS FOREIGN POLICIES (WHEN THEY ARE SEEN AT LEGITIMATE AND HAVING MORAL AUTHORITY)† (Nye and Jisi 25). One of the most important outcomes of the rise of China’s soft power that has affected the lives of the people of China is growth of multiculturalism. Chinese students are studying with fore igners in their own universities and colleges, and the streets and beautiful places of China have attracted the attention of tourists from all over the world. Overall, the exposure of Chinese people to the global scenario and foreign cultures has increased manifolds. This has helped the Chinese people easily integrate into foreign cultures and reap the benefits of studying and working in advanced countries. â€Å"WHILE THE VOICE OF AMERICA WAS CUTTING ITS CHINESE BROADCASTS FROM NINETEEN TO FOURTEEN HOURS A DAY, CHINA RADIO INTERNATIONAL WAS INCREASING ITS BROADCASTS IN ENGLISH TO TWENTY-FOUR HOURS A DAY† (Nye and Jisi 26). The importance of soft power in China can be estimated from the fact that it has entered the official language of China. Hu Jintao, in the speech that he made at the Communist Party of China’s (CPC) 17th National Congress, emphasized upon a need for the CPC to â€Å"ENHANCE CULTURE AS PART OF THE SOFT POWER OF OUR COUNTRY TO BETTER GUARANTEE THE PE OPLE’S BASIC CULTURAL RIGHTS AND INTERESTS† (Jintao cited in Nye and Jisi 28). He recognized culture as a very important source of innovation and national cohesion whose significance in China’s strength has grown over the decades. Public diplomacy as a cultural trait has developed in China comprehensively and systematically. A major example of this is the cultural-cum-language center of China, the Confucius Institute that has been designed and established to increase the drive for learning the national Chinese language that has rapidly spread in the recent years all over the world. Similarly, â€Å"IN 2004, CHINA ESTABLISHED THE LEADING SMALL GROUP FOR FOREIGN CHINESE LANGUAGE EDUCATION UNDER THE STATE COUNCIL, WHOSE OBJECTIVE WAS TO ESTABLISH 100 CONFUCIUS INSTITUTES THROUGHOUT THE WORLD† (Cho and Jeong 471). Such measures have facilitated the people of China a lot. Wherever they go in the world, they get to meet people who understand their language and c an communicate with them in their native Chinese language. This has helped the people of China overcome the effects of their deficiency of competence in the English language. â€Å"NOW, WHAT IS IN COMMON WITH NEW YORK, HAWAII, KANSAS, CALIFORNIA, MEXICO, FRANCE, SERBIA, SOUTH KOREA, EGYPT, AUSTRALIA, RUSSIA, AND RWANDA? ALMOST NOTHING, EXCEPT THAT THEY NOW HOST THE CONFUCIUS INSTITUTE, A LANGUAGE AND CULTURE CENTER MASSIVELY PRODUCED BY THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT AS ONE OF ITS LARGE-SCALE CHARM OFFENSIVES TO ENHANCE ITS SOFT POWER† (â€Å"Background Information†). Establishment of these institutes has helped the government of China strengthen the Chinese language as well as soft power. Concluding, two of the most important features of the contemporary culture of China include the increased use and