Browsing by Author "Leão, Celina Pinto"
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- Defining risk acceptance criteria in occupational settings: A case study in the furniture industrial sectorPublication . Rodrigues, Matilde; Arezes, Pedro; Leão, Celina PintoThe use of appropriate acceptance criteria in the risk assessment process for occupational accidents is an important issue but often overlooked in the literature, particularly when new risk assessment methods are proposed and discussed. In most cases, there is no information on how or by whom they were defined, or even how companies can adapt them to their own circumstances. Bearing this in mind, this study analysed the problem of the definition of risk acceptance criteria for occupational settings, defining the quantitative acceptance criteria for the specific case study of the Portuguese furniture industrial sector. The key steps to be considered in formulating acceptance criteria were analysed in the literature review. By applying the identified steps, the acceptance criteria for the furniture industrial sector were then defined. The Cumulative Distribution Function (CDF) for the injury statistics of the industrial sector was identified as the maximum tolerable risk level. The acceptable threshold was defined by adjusting the CDF to the Occupational, Safety & Health (OSH) practitioners’ risk acceptance judgement. Adjustments of acceptance criteria to the companies’ safety cultures were exemplified by adjusting the Burr distribution parameters. An example of a risk matrix was also used to demonstrate the integration of the defined acceptance criteria into a risk metric. This work has provided substantial contributions to the issue of acceptance criteria for occupational accidents, which may be useful in overcoming the practical difficulties faced by authorities, companies and experts.
- Practical Work and Assessment to Stimulate Students' Participation and Motivation in Fluid Transport IssuesPublication . Sena-Esteves, Maria Teresa; Morais, Leonilde Cristina; Guedes, Anabela; Pereira, Isabel M. B.; Ribeiro, Margarida; Soares, Filomena; Leão, Celina PintoAcademic education comprises developing new teaching and learning tools, regulating the assessment methodologies, and adjusting the learning programs to the professional activities. Technology developments allow teachers to explore new ways of teaching as well as to adjust new ways of assessing students' performance, giving to students a relevant feedback on their learning. Following this trend, a case study on Fluid Transport Systems in the Chemical Engineering course is presented. The main goal of this study is to evaluate the impact of different assessment methodologies in the final students' grades, to evaluate students' perceptions regarding these changes, and to know which teaching/learning methodologies are most effective. The study allows concluding that students prefer the traditional teaching/learning methodology and consider more beneficial for their learning the assessment through several questions/problems and small tests during the theoretical lessons instead of carrying out a single moment of evaluation and test. The majority of students were able to identify that the development of the practical work (PW) and several moments of assessment help in providing knowledge to the area under study, encourage their collaborative work and stimulate their intellectual curiosity.
- Risk criteria in occupational environments: critical overview and discussionPublication . Rodrigues, Matilde; Arezes, Pedro; Leão, Celina PintoThe current work can be seen as a starting point for the discussion of the problematic on risk acceptance criteria in occupational environments. Some obstacles to the quantitative acceptance criteria formulation and use were analyzed. A look to the long tradition of major hazards accidents was also performed. This work shows that organizations can have several difficulties in acceptance criteria formulation and that the use of pre-defined acceptance criteria in risk assessment methodologies can be inadequate in some cases. It is urgent to define guidelines that can help organizations in the formulation of risk acceptance criteria for occupational environments.
- Student’s perceptions regarding assessment changes in a fluid mechanics coursePublication . Sena-Esteves, Teresa; Morais, Cristina; Guedes, Anabela; Pereira, Isabel Brás; Ribeiro, Margarida Marques; Soares, Filomena; Leão, Celina PintoThe main objective of this study is to evaluate students’ perceptions regarding different methods of assessment and which teaching/learning methodologies may be the most effective in a Fluid Transport System course. The impact of the changes in the assessment methodology in the final students’ grades and attendance at theoretical classes is also analysed, and the results show that students’ attendance at theoretical classes changed significantly. The students prefer and consider more beneficial for their learning assessment through several questions/problems and small tests during theoretical lessons instead of a single moment of evaluation. For them, the traditional teaching/learning methodology is still considered the most effective one. At the same time, students perceive that the development of the Practical Work (PW) and several moments of assessment had positive repercussions on the way they focus on the course content and keep up with the subjects taught, providing knowledge on the area under study, encouraging collaborative work and stimulating the students’ intellectual curiosity. Largely, students agree that the PW is an important tool in their learning process and recommend it as a teaching activity. In general, students are confident with the knowledge acquired with the PW and feel able to size fluid transport systems.