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The purpose of this paper is to propose a novel evidence-based Haddon matrix that identifies intervention options for organizations and governments responding to an epidemic in a developing economy.

A literature review of articles published within a year of the cholera outbreak in Haiti. Two separate types of literature sources are used – academic and non-academic – to apprehend the value and role of interventions implemented and/or identified.

The Haddon matrix helps break down the challenges involved in the containment of an epidemic into smaller, manageable components. This research shows that the matrix enables visualization of past evidence, help dissect various informational sources, and increase collaboration across humanitarian organizations. It will also serve as a building block for academics to identify new research directions to respond to epidemic outbreaks.

The analysis focuses on the cholera epidemic in Haiti. Future work will be directed to generalize the identified recommendations and insights to a broader context.

This paper presents an evidence-based Haddon matrix that infers recommendations and insights based on past evidence for each phase (pre-event, response, and post-event) and factor (agent, host, physical environment, and socio-cultural environment) of an epidemic and for various stakeholders (humanitarian organizations, governments, and academics). The matrix provides a structured framework to identify interventions and best practices to address challenges during an epidemic outbreak.

Purpose – This chapter gives an overview of methods for defining and analysing crash severity.

Methodology – Commonly used methods for defining crash severity are surveyed and reviewed. Factors commonly found to be associated with crash severity are discussed. Approaches for formulating and estimating models for predicting crash severity are presented and critiqued. Two examples of crash severity modelling exercises are presented and findings are discussed. Suggestions are offered for future research in crash severity modelling.

Findings – Crash severity is usually defined according to the outcomes for the persons involved. The definition of severity levels used by law enforcement or crash investigation professionals is less detailed and consistent than what is used by medical professionals. Defining crash severity by vehicle damage can be more consistent, as vehicle response to crash forces is more consistent than that of humans. Factors associated with crash severity fall into three categories – human, vehicle/equipment and environmental/road – and can apply before, during or after the crash event. Crash severity can be modelled using ordered, nominal or several different types of mixed models designed to overcome limitations of the ordered and nominal approaches. Two mixed modelling examples demonstrate better prediction accuracy than ordered or nominal modelling.

Research Implications – Linkage of crash, roadway and healthcare data sets could create a more accurate picture of crash severity. Emerging statistical analysis methods could address remaining limitations of the current best methods for crash severity modelling.

Practical Implications – Medical definitions of injury severity require observation by trained medical professionals and access to private medical records, limiting their use in routine crash data collection. Crash severity is more sensitive to human and vehicle factors than environmental or road factors. Unfortunately, human and vehicle factor data are generally not available for aggregate forecasting.

Building a culture of safety in transportation is not dissimilar from building a culture of safety in health. Public health is widely known for protecting the public from diseases through milk pasteurization and chlorination of drinking water, and from injuries by implementing environmental and occupational safeguards and fostering behavioral change. Lifestyle and environmental changes that have contributed to the reductions in smoking and heart disease can also help change driving, walking and cycling behaviors, and environments. Stimulating a culture of safety on the road means providing safe and accessible transportation for all. The vision for a culture of traffic safety is to change the public’s attitude about the unacceptable toll from traffic injuries and to implement a systems approach to traffic injury prevention as a means for improving public health and public safety. Framing the motor vehicle injury problem in this way provides an opportunity for partnerships between highway safety and public health to improve the culture of safety.

The purpose of this paper is to follow the general question, how technical rebreather divers ensure their survival during performing of highly demanding dives – and what organisations could learn from these practices. As one form of complex adaptive system, technical divers perform different routines before and during the dive. These practices are formally trained and also informally mediated and developed. After investigating theoretical concepts like high reliability organising, Safety-I and -II as well as organisational resilience management, the authors scope on the existing risk and resilience practices in technical rebreather diving. Finally, the insights of the empirical research are used to make the transfer to the field of management studies – and ask relevant questions regarding their applied resilience intelligence.

The empirical research is analysed by applying Hollnagel’s Functional Resonance Analysis Method (FRAM) which leads to the reconstruction of an extended resilience management model for technical rebreather diving. The model development bases on a field study which comprised 300 hours of observations.

The findings are depicted in an FRAM model that exactly shows how technical divers perform high reliability operations and thus manages and increase the resilience of their socio-technical system.

Research results show the depicted model and the potential learnings for organisations and organisational resilience. However, the research remains inductive and is qualitative. Deductive and quantitative research would enrich and complete the picture.

The research is informative and offers an interdisciplinary but comprehensive bridge between the specific high reliability organisations/resilience practice of technical divers and the potential learnings for organisations. Companies can take the identified categories and mechanisms to match them to their own resilience activities.

Increasing organisational resilience means to increase societal resilience and thus sustainability. The research aims to support this interdisciplinary learning process.

The originality lies in the research object itself (technical diving practices), that never has been researched with an FRAM before. It is an interesting, comprehensive and interdisciplinary show case that is used to derive practical considerations for companies to strengthen their organisational resilience.

Informal settlements are inherently unstructured in nature, lack adequate services, regularly have high population densities and can experience social problems. Thus, fires can easily propagate rapidly through such areas, leaving thousands homeless in a single fire. The purpose of this paper is to present an appraisal of various interventions and strategies to improve fire safety in informal settlements in South Africa (globally, similar settlements are known as slums, ghettos, favelas, shantytowns, etc.), considering aspects of both technical suitability and social suitability.

This paper focusses on three specific aspects: ignition risk management, active fire protection interventions and passive fire protection interventions. These are presented within a framework to outline how they may mitigate the impact of fires.

Often “solutions” proposed to improve fire safety either lack a sound engineering basis, thus becoming technically inefficient, or do not consider social circumstances and community responses in settlements, thereby becoming practically, socially or economically unsuitable. It must be understood that there is no “quick fix” to this significant problem, but rather a combination of interventions can improve fire safety in general. A broad understanding of the various options available is essential when addressing this problem, which this paper seeks to provide.

This paper seeks to provide an overview to guide policymakers and organisations by illustrating both the advantages/benefits and disadvantages/challenges of the interventions and strategies currently being rolled out, as well as potential alternatives.

A broad but succinct appraisal is provided that gives insight and direction for improving fire safety in informal settlements. It is hoped that the challenges associated with the fire safety interventions discussed can be addressed and improved over time.

Crisis-prone organizations are reactive and unprepared, and are characterized by deficiencies in damage containment mechanisms (DCMs), which are tools and processes intended to prevent and/or manage crises. In the literature, DCMs are usually studied piecemeal and have not been studied in health organizations in a broader organizational context. Thus, this study aims to identify the use of DCMs and the frequency with which they are inspected, maintained and reviewed for design flaws.

Data were obtained by questionnaire from decision-making executives in hospitals, medical centers, aged care, pharmacies, dental clinics and practices in physiotherapy, chiropractic and podiatry.

Heavy reliance was placed on planning and technological DCMs while human and social methods were typically not considered. Organizations considered limited crisis types and there was a disconnect between the types of DCMs and the crises they targeted. Over half the organizations reviewed DCMs annually or more frequently. Backup DCMs mostly consisted of on-call staff and first responders with some auxiliary communications systems. Interviewees stated that these were designed to prevent financial, equipment breakdown, human resource and occupational safety crises.

Most organizations had inadequate DCMs due to a lack of top-down support, planning and foresight. Furthermore, these health organizations demonstrated a lack of understanding of what DCMs are and how they function. The conclusion is that most of the health organizations surveyed are crisis-prone and health leaders need to put more effort into looking broadly at DCMs to improve organizational preparedness.