RISK-DISASTER-AND-INSURANCE

Diante das modernizações ocorridas no território brasileiro nas últimas décadas e o repensar das funções do Estado em face ao aprofundamento das desigualdades sócio-espaciais especialmente após os anos 80, as empresas passam a assumir um novo papel como mitigadoras destes problemas por meio da chamada responsabilidade social. Este discurso configura toda uma psicosfera inédita promovida pelas fundações e institutos empresariais que se multiplicam neste período, juntamente com as certificações e normas privadas voltadas para a promoção do novo papel social das empresas. Procuramos, primeiramente, fazer uma periodização que buscasse os fundamentos das ações sociais das empresas e os valores que ditaram a relação entre estas e os lugares onde se encontram. No período atual, ao pesquisar como estas ações ocorrem territorialmente, estabelecemos três organizações básicas: ações concentradas, pontuais e dispersas. Cada tipo de organização pressupõe uma combinação específica de verticalidades e horizontalidades que conduzem a relações diferenciadas entre a dinâmica do lugar e as ações empresariais. Deste modo, buscamos desmistificar a estratégia empresarial através da sua concretização no uso do território.

This timely Reader brings together, for the first time, key writings on the relation between law and geography in an effort to clarify the connections between these two increasingly complex concepts

Since the 1980s, reform, the open-door policy, and rapid economic growth have encouraged Chinese cities to become fast-growing and highly dynamic urban areas. They are subject to both innovations and international connectivity as well as to rising socioeconomic and ecological vulnerability. In this paper we sketch the main transformation processes of a traditional Chinese village in the megacity Guangzhou, South China, processes that are linked to the construction of a new railway station in its close proximity. Our research addresses the issue of how the inhabitants of this village view the restructuring of their living environment. What kind of demands or opportunities do they perceive? Do they feel stress with regard to 'harm/loss', 'threat', or 'challenge' and how do they cope with the changing structures and processes? People living in the same environment appraise exposure to certain risks differently, which explains varying coping modes. In this context the question is considered as to whether coping necessarily results in 'visible' outcomes (eg building houses to rent out and thus benefiting from in-migration) or whether it encompasses 'invisible' person-related processes. The primary aim of this paper is to enrich the geographical debate on vulnerability by taking a psychological perspective and presenting and applying the transactional stress model of Lazarus. This conceptual framework from cognitive psychology and schematises person and environment antecedents of stress and coping as well as appraisal and coping as mediating processes between the person and the environment. To facilitate understanding, the transactional stress model is exemplified on the basis of selected research data collected in the transforming village. With reference to different stress appraisals, examples of varying coping modes and coping efficiency are discussed.

The sister cities of El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua form one of the largest manufacturing complexes in the world, and provide a unique context in which to examine transnational patterns of environmental injustice. In this paper, we explore residential patterns of environmental injustice related to the location of industrial facilities (ie maquiladoras and facilities regulated by the Toxics Release Inventory) in the El Paso - Juárez metropolis, taking a comparative approach. Our results indicate a striking injustice in the raw level of industrial hazard confronted by residents on the Mexican side of the border compared with those on the US side-a direct result of location within the global economy. In terms of multivariate spatial regression results, patterns of exposure to residential hazards diverged between the two cities. In Mexico, generally marginal neighborhoods (based on low social class and higher proportions of migrants to the city) were located farther away from industry, whereas they were located closer in the US. We explain these findings on the basis of sociospatial differences in urbanization, social marginality, and industrial development between El Paso and Juárez, which reflect the two cities' juxtaposition vis-à-vis global political - economic dynamics. Future research is needed to test relationships between social marginality and industrial hazards in transnational and Southern contexts to determine if similar or divergent patterns exist.

There are numerous international treaties that address the subject of marine pollution. Of these the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea by Oil, which was adopted at London on 12 may 1954, prohibits pollution of the sea and prescribes preventive methods without assigning responsibility for the act of pollution. This was superseded in part by the MARPOL Convention of 1973/78 which has a multiplicity of Annexes dealing extensively with oil pollution in the sea. A landmark treaty was the OPRC Convention of 1990 which addresses emergency and contingency plans to counter oil pollution by ships and offshore installations. The London Convention of 1972 requires Contracting States to adopt effective measures that would prevent marine pollution by ocean dumping and calls for the unification of policies and practices in that regard. The United States is a Party to the MARPOL and London Conventions, along with the Intervention on the High Seas Convention of 1969 and can legislate on marine pollution at two levels - at the Federal level and State level.

The effects that natural events have on the environment directly and indirectly may be harmful to people. Forest fires and volcanoes harm air quality. Hurricanes and floods can contaminate water supplies and damage wastewater facilities. Any of these can spread contaminated materials into the environment. People's response to natural events can also harm either themselves or the environment. Improper use of portable generators or supplemental heating devices can release deadly carbon monoxide. De-icing agents and ice melting compounds can pollute waterways. Exceptionally large amounts of debris can present serious disposal problems for state and local communities.

Although asbestos was once considered a miracle mineral, today even the word itself has ominous implications for all strata of our society. Incorporated in the past into over 3000 different industrial and consumer products, as well as in building materials and military equipment, opportunities for exposure continue to be ever present in our environment. Of all of us who are potentially exposed, blue collar workers are at greatest risk. Countless thousands of workers and servicemen in a wide variety of trades were disabled or have died consequent to the health effects of asbestos, and many more can be expected to be affected in years to come. Litigation continues, and financial awards in the billions have bankrupt many Fortune 500 companies and numerous smaller companies. While one might implicate our forefathers in this widespread, relentless medical catastrophe, it has been only in recent decades that science has appreciated the complexities of the problem and the long latencies before the asbestos-associated diseases appear clinically. After all these years, prevention remains the hallmark of disease control, as modern treatments remain, to a large extent, futile.

On January 3, 1977, Howell Township, New Jersey closed its schools while scientists tested for dangerous levels of asbestos. After reports of unexplained ailments in some children, the parents of 4,500 elementary school children had threatened to boycott classes until the Board of Education removed asbestos-containing materials. Similar cases occurred across the country. In February, 1977, the New York Times reported that the child whose illness had been attributed to asbestos actually had mononucleosis. Was the reaction of parents and officials unwarranted? Did scientific evidence exist indicating that asbestos in schools caused children to become ill? Was all the relevant information - including the impact of their decisions on public policy in the future - considered? Environmental Public Health Policy for Asbestos in Schools addresses these questions by focusing on the development, institutionalization, and consequences of federal environmental policy for asbestos in schools. This unique and timely book explores the history of asbestos in schools and buildings and how this issue shaped the development of public health policy. Insight into past policy, including how, why, and who caused action to be taken, will enlighten and guide the scientific and regulatory communities in the future. The story of asbestos is a cautionary tale. Other toxic agents, such as lead, nitrogen dioxide and radon, could follow the same model as asbestos, raising similar questions. Written in a straightforward style, Environmental Public Health Policy for Asbestos in Schools explains technical concepts in language easily understood by non-experts. Understanding the factors and judgments involved in this issue gives insight into how the government - and society - perceives, assesses, and develops public health policy. « Menos

Were mining and manufacturing companies, as they claimed, the victims of imperfect science and inadequate state regulation? Since the 1930s growing evidence of the health risks was often suppressed by companies and the South African government. Is enough being done to clean up the environmental damage caused by the mines? Large areas of the northern Cape have been made permanently hazardous by asbestos mining. Windborne fibre continues to spread that hazard in an ever widening circle of risk. During 2001 the South African government allocated R100 million to clean up un-reclaimed mines, but far more will be necessary to make the landscape itself safe. Should British companies be held responsible for the behaviour of their South African subsidiaries? The prosperity of the asbestos industry in South Africa depended on apartheid. Company profits and the dividends paid to British shareholders were fuelled by the lowly paid and hazardous work of women and juveniles in South African mines. JOCK MCCULLOCH is a Lecturer in the Faculty of the Constructed Environment, RMIT University, Australia North America: Indiana University Press; South Africa: Juta

Asbestos was once known as the 'magic mineral' because of its ability to withstand flames. Yet since the 1970s, it has become a notorious and feared 'killer dust' that is responsible for thousands of deaths and an epidemic that will continue for many years

In the early twentieth century, asbestos had a reputation as a lifesaver. In 1960, however, it became known that even relatively brief exposure to asbestos can cause mesothelioma, a virulent and lethal cancer. Yet the bulk of the world's asbestos was mined after 1960. Asbestos usage in many countries continued unabated. This is the first global history of how the asbestos industry and its allies in government, insurance, and medicine defended the product throughout the twentieth century. It explains how mining and manufacture could continue despite overwhelming medical evidence as to the risks. The argument advanced in this book is that asbestos has proved so enduring because the industry was able to mount a successful defense strategy for the mineral--a strategy that still operates in some parts of the world. This defence involved the shaping of the public debate by censoring, and sometimes corrupting, scientific research, nurturing scientific uncertainty, and using allies in government, insurance, and medicine. The book also discusses the problems of asbestos in the environment, compensating victims, and the continued use of asbestos in the developing world. Its global focus shows how asbestos can be seen as a model for many occupational diseases--indeed for a whole range of hazards produced by industrial societies. The book is based on a wealth of documentary material gained from legal discovery, supplemented by evidence from the authors' visits and researches in the US, the UK, Canada, Kazakhstan, Zimbabwe, Australia, Swaziland, and South Africa.

Amiante, un scandale improbable: sociologie d'un problème public Emmanuel Henry 0 Resenhas Presses universitaires de Rennes, 2007 - 308 páginas La vie d'un ouvrier vaut-elle moins que celle d'un étudiant du cinquième arrondissement de Paris ? Voici la question qui pourrait résumer les problèmes posés par l'amiante depuis le milieu des années 1970. Aujourd'hui, analystes et commentateurs s'accordent à définir l'amiante comme un scandale de santé publique. Pourtant, un regard rétrospectif montre que dix ou quinze ans auparavant les mêmes acteurs s'accommodaient assez bien d'un problème perçu comme relevant principalement du domaine professionnel. Cette acceptation est d'ailleurs toujours pleinement d'actualité vis-à-vis de l'ensemble des autres cancers professionnels. Cet ouvrage montre que c'est lorsque le risque lié à l'amiante a été redéfini comme un risque environnemental menaçant l'ensemble de la population que l'intérêt à son égard a pu être considérablement élargi. Il décrypte les mécanismes et raisons de ce processus, en expliquant pourquoi les cancers liés à l'amiante n'auraient pas pu être constitués en problème majeur de santé publique s'ils étaient restés principalement définis comme des cancers professionnels.Au-delà des interrogations sur le cas même de l'amiante, ce livre fournit des clés d'analyse originales pour comprendre les processus de publicisation des problèmes. En proposant une sociologie des problèmes publics, il invite à réexaminer certains lieux communs des débats relatifs à la médiatisation ou à l'espace public, notamment ceux liés au " pouvoir " des journalistes et des médias ou à la place des victimes dans l'espace public, en replaçant ces questions dans une perspective de sociologie politique du pouvoir et de la domination.

About the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE), a bureau in the U.S. Department of the Interior, is the Federal agency that manages the nation's natural gas, oil and other mineral resources on the outer continental shelf (OCS). It also collects, accounts for and disburses an average of $13.7 billion per year in revenues from Federal offshore mineral leases and from onshore mineral leases on Federal and American Indian lands. The program is national in scope and is headquartered in Washington, D.C. The Bureau is comprised of two major programs: Offshore Energy and Minerals Management and Minerals Revenue Management. The Offshore program, which manages the mineral resources on the OCS, is comprised of three regions: Alaska, Gulf of Mexico, and the Pacific. The Minerals Revenue Management program is headquartered in Washington, D.C., but operationally based in Denver, Colorado.

Offshore Risk Assessment was the first book to deal with quantified risk assessment (QRA) as applied specifically to offshore installations and operations. Risk assessment techniques have been used for some years in the offshore oil and gas industry, and their use is set to expand increasingly as the industry moves into new areas and faces new challenges in older regions. This updated and expanded second edition has been informed by a major R&D programme on offshore risk assessment in Norway (2002-2006). It starts with a thorough discussion of risk analysis methodology with subsequent chapters devoted to analytical approaches to escalation, escape, evacuation and rescue analysis of safety and emergency systems. Separate chapters analyze the main hazards of offshore structures: fire, explosion, collision and falling objects. Risk mitigation and control are discussed, as well as a thorough discussion of how the results from quantitative risk assessment studies should be presented.Not only does Offshore Risk Assessment describe the state of the art of QRA, it also identifies weaknesses and areas that need development. A comprehensive reference for academics and students of marine/offshore risk assessment and management, the book should also be owned by professionals in the industry, contractors, suppliers, consultants and regulatory authorities.

Well Testing is recognised by many operating oil and gas companies to be the most hazardous operation they routinely undertake. Therefore, it is of great importance that such operations are extremely well planned and executed. This handbook covers all the major "Operational Aspects of Oil and Gas Well Testing" and uses a structured approach to guide the reader through the steps required to safely and effectively plan a well test operation under just about any circumstances world wide. Safety procedures and well testing recommended practices are rigorously addressed in this book, as are the responsibilities of those persons involved in well testing operations. Perforating equipment, drill stem test equipment and bottom hole pressure gauges are discussed in detail in the book. There is also a very valuable section on sub sea equipment, an area often not well understood even by experienced engineers who may have been primarily involved with land or jackup rigs. A major part of the book is the detailed coverage of the equipment and instrumentation that makes up a surface well testing package. It also covers operational and testing related problems such as, hydrates, wax and sand, and offers the reader some possible solutions. There are useful chapters on sampling, onsite chemistry, coil tubing and nitrogen operations and basic stimulation as they relate to well testing. Finally there is an extensive section of appendices covering useful engineering calculations and there is a complete example of a detailed well testing programme

As with his 1994 book, Advanced Blowout and Well Control, Grace offers a book that presents tested practices and procedures for well control, all based on solid engineering principles and his own more than 25 years of hands-on field experience. Specific situations are reviewed along with detailed procedures to analyze alternatives and tackle problems. The use of fluid dynamics in well control, which the author pioneered, is given careful treatment, along with many other topics such as relief well operations, underground blowouts, slim hole drilling problems, and special services such as fire fighting, capping, and snubbing. In addition, case histories are presented, analyzed, and discussed. Provides new techniques for blowout containment, never before published, first used in the Gulf War. Provides the most up-to-date techniques and tools for blowout and well control. New case histories include the Kuwait fires that were set by Saddam Hussein during the Gulf War.