Health and Safety Executive

Water has long been a strategic resource in the semi-arid landscapes of Mesopotamia, a region spanning Turkey, Syria, and Iraq, where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers form the lifeline of societies. As water scarcity intensifies due to a combination of climatic stressors and anthropogenic pressures, the governance of transboundary rivers has become critical for ensuring health, food security, and regional stability. The stakes are particularly high in this basin, where upstream–downstream asymmetries shape political relations and exacerbate vulnerabilities.The long-standing dispute between Turkey, the upstream hegemon, and Syria, a downstream user, has deepened in the past decade with the emergence of a de facto Kurdish administration in northern and eastern Syria along Turkey’s southern border. This political reality adds complexity to water governance, intersecting with security concerns and competing narratives of resource control. Despite the centrality of water in these dynamics, empirical verification of water availability and flow remains limited. Data scarcity, driven by sparse in-situ measurements and restricted access to hydrological information, hampers assessment of scarcity and its implications for conflict and cooperation.Against this backdrop, this study examines whether upstream reservoir dynamics at the Atatürk Dam in Turkey are reflected in storage variations at the downstream Tishrin reservoir in Syria, and whether these hydrologic changes are accompanied by detectable signals in agricultural activity. We compiled multi-year satellite-derived time series for both reservoirs and nearby agricultural zones, including reservoir surface water level, precipitation, temperature, evapotranspiration, soil moisture, and NDVI-based vegetation activity. Variables were harmonized to a common monthly scale and prepared for anomaly-based analysis to reduce seasonal confounding.A qualitative review of the time series indicates baseline hydroclimatic contrasts between the two study regions. Precipitation, soil moisture, and baseline NDVI appear lower in the Tishrin-side agricultural area than in the Atatürk-side agricultural area, suggesting a more water-limited system and greater sensitivity to variability in water availability. These background differences provide context for downstream vulnerability but do not explain the temporal structure of reservoir storage fluctuations and associated vegetation anomalies. The reservoir and vegetation time series suggest downstream dynamics are constrained within a lower-productivity envelope, consistent with stronger exposure to moisture stress and limits in irrigation reliability.To move from qualitative evidence to attribution, we test whether upstream and downstream reservoir dynamics are coupled once hydroclimatic controls are considered. We use time-series comparison and statistical controls to separate signals linked to reservoir operations from those attributable to regional climate variability, drawing on precipitation, temperature, evapotranspiration, and soil moisture as contextual drivers. We then investigate whether vegetation activity across surrounding agricultural areas covaries with local reservoir conditions and hydroclimatic stress, using NDVI anomalies as an integrated measure of crop response. Finally, land use/land cover trajectories will be evaluated to place short-term variability in a longer-term landscape context, with mapping consistency to ensure apparent shifts in cultivation are not conflated with classification artifacts. This integrated satellite-based framework offers a robust, adaptable basis for evaluating transboundary water-management influences on downstream storage and agricultural conditions in a politically complex setting.

Introduction: There is currently no tool to support personalised mean arterial pressure (MAP) targets in sepsis. Clinical practice varies widely; meanwhile, routinely collected data remains largely untapped for informing real-time clinical decisions. STRIVE-MAP is a machine learning-based decision support system that estimates the expected clinical benefit of different MAP levels by comparing ICU patients in real time with similar historical cases. Methods: STRIVE-MAP performs behaviour policy evaluation rather than learning a treatment strategy. It uses deep phenotyping and patient matching to estimate the clinical reward of maintaining specific MAP levels. The reward function integrates in-hospital survival and organ recovery to support precision haemodynamic management. We validated STRIVE-MAP on two datasets: a held-out MIMIC-IV test set (USA) and SICdb (Austria). To estimate treatment effect, we built a Marginal Structural Model with Inverse Probability of Treatment Weighting (MSM-IPTW). This emulates a causal longitudinal analysis comparing outcomes under observed care during periods aligned vs misaligned with STRIVE-MAP targets, adjusting for time-varying confounders. Results: STRIVE-MAP generated individualised MAP targets for 26,606 patients in MIMIC-IV (1.35M hours) and 8,794 patients in SICdb (404K hours). Alignment between AI and clinician MAP (within the same 5 mmHg bin, e.g. 65-70 mmHg) occurred in 16.0% (MIMIC-IV) and 14.3% (SICdb) of observations. In 42-44% of cases, AI suggested a lower MAP; in 42%, a higher one. After weighting, covariate balance improved substantially, with all standardized mean differences (SMDs) reduced to < 0.1, indicating successful adjustment for confounding. Alignment with STRIVE-MAP was associated with lower in-hospital mortality (MSM-IPTW OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.84–0.90, p< 0.001 in MIMIC-IV; 0.87, 0.83–0.92, p< 0.001 in SICdb). Conclusions: Under causal modelling assumptions, following the STRIVE-MAP policy was associated with lower marginal mortality risk compared with observed practice. This novel AI system estimates the expected benefit of personalised treatment targets based on historical patient data, avoiding untested AI recommendations and preserving interpretability and safety.

Thermal runaway from chemical reactions is the result of competition between heat generation and heat dissipation in industrial chemical vessels. However, the worldwide used TD24 (the temperature at which time to maximum rate under adiabatic conditions equals 24 h) focuses solely on heat generation for abnormal conditions of cooling failure, which account for only an insignificant portion of thermal runaway incidents. In contrast, the temperature of no return (TNR), defined by the balance of heat generation and heat dissipation, provides a more relevant threshold for process upsets in industrial chemical vessels. As the operating temperature approaches the TNR, minor thermal disturbances can precipitate thermal runaway. To estimate this threshold, calorimetry is coupled with reactor-scale energy-balance modeling. Kinetic parameters are determined using accelerating rate calorimetry (ARC), with corroborating measurements from differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), vent sizing package (VSP) calorimetry, and micro reaction calorimetry (μRC). In this work, the downside of TD24 for runaway hazard assessment is first analyzed. Guided by the Semenov diagram, a heat-balance model for stirred-tank reactors (STRs) is established, and based on ARC tests on a 20 wt % solution of di-tert-butyl peroxide (DTBP) in toluene under adiabatic conditions, a heat-generation-rate expression and a coolant heat-dissipation-rate expression are derived. A computational procedure is then proposed to determine TNR. Relative to adiabatic TD24, TNR supports optimization of reactor-cooling design, enhancing alarms and interventions under abnormal conditions, and quantitative assessment of reaction hazards.

Processing of electronic waste (e-waste) causes the release of toxic substances which may lead to occupational exposure. The study aimed to gather information on potential occupational exposure during e-waste recycling, with a focus on biomonitoring of chromium, cadmium, mercury and lead. In eight European countries, 195 workers involved in the recycling of lead batteries, white goods, brown goods and metals and plastics were studied. These workers were compared to 73 controls with no direct involvement of e-waste recycling or other metal processing activities. The samples collected consisted of urine, blood and hair samples, along with personal air samples, hand wipes, settled dust samples and contextual information. Chromium, cadmium, mercury and lead was measured in urine, hair, air samples, hand wipes and settled dust; cadmium and lead in whole blood and chromium in red blood cells. Results showed that lead exposure is of concern, with workers from all five types of e-waste showing exposure, with elevated measurements in all matrices. Internal exposure markers were positively correlated with markers of external exposure, indicating workers are not adequately protected. Exposure to mercury and cadmium was also observed but to a much lesser extent with raised cadmium concentrations in urine and blood of all workers when compared to controls and raised mercury concentrations were found in brown goods workers when compared to controls. This study has highlighted exposure concerns when processing e-waste, particularly for lead across all waste categories studied, indicating a need for improved control measures in this sector.

Background: Social homecare workers are crucial in the provision of end-of-life care but are not part of the healthcare multidisciplinary team. Little is known about why they are excluded within interprofessional working practices. Aim: To explore experiences of delivering and receiving end-of- life homecare, from multiple perspectives including HCWs and managers, people receiving care, carers, and social and healthcare practitioners. Design: A qualitative multiple case study adopting a unique approach across three diverse sites using semi-structured interviews, and the option of Pictor- a visual diagram of relationships between those involved in care provision. Data were analysed using a reflexive thematic analysis. An adaptation of Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory was used to inform the analysis. Setting/participants: 133 participants were recruited from three economically and culturally different geographic areas within England. Results: Although examples of good practice were seen, common barriers to collaboration between other practitioners and homecare workers were also identified. These included: lack of healthcare practitioner training on homecare workers' role and its value/importance, lack of direct communication systems, gatekeeping of communication by managers, asynchronous working practices, one-sided communication, and restricted access to respective documentation and systems. Conclusion: The homecare worker role was often poorly understood, undervalued, and with inadequate communication and interaction between practitioners, potentially impacting on quality of care. Collaborative practice is necessary for continuity of provisions of high-quality care. but our findings indicate this was often absent due to knowledge, professional and organisational barriers. Further research should explore suggested strategies to address the barriers identified.

This paper provides an in-depth analysis of the regulatory overhaul following the Grenfell Tower fire, which exposed critical flaws in the UK’s building safety framework. The paper introduces the Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA) and its associated legislation, detailing their transformative impact on building safety management in England. Aimed at building surveyors, structural engineer, and related professionals, this paper demystifies the complex regulatory environment and outlines the pivotal roles of the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) and new dutyholder provisions. The paper explores the key changes introduced by the BSA, including the definition of higher-risk buildings, the establishment of gateway processes, and the introduction of the “golden thread” for maintaining a digital record of safety-critical information throughout a building’s life cycle. It provides practical insights into compliance requirements, enforcement powers, and the expanded responsibilities of clients, designers and contractors. Readers will gain a comprehensive understanding of the new regulatory framework, including the roles of the accountable person (AP) and principal accountable person (PAP) in managing safety during building occupation. The paper also highlights reforms to the building control profession, such as the creation of Registered Building Inspectors (RBIs) and Registered Building Control Approvers (RBCAs). Professionals will be equipped with the knowledge to navigate the BSA’s provisions effectively, ensuring compliance, contributing to safer buildings, and supporting a cultural shift prioritising safety and accountability in the built environment.