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The marked improvement in workplace safety levels in the past few decades has resulted in companies experiencing fewer safety accidents than before, thus making it less effective to argue that money spent on workplace safety and on injury prevention will yield much bottom-line benefit. To make a compelling business case for workplace safety investment, one must link safety objectives to other business objectives. The objective of this study is to determine whether workplace safety as a business objective adds value to the business bottom line. This research reviews published case studies to determine if there is a relationship between safety initiatives and increased productivity, quality, and cost efficiencies. Eighteen case studies (17 published by the National Safety Council) were analyzed using the Workplace Safety Intervention Appraisal Instrument. The appraisal scores ranged from 0.55 to 1.27, with an average of 0.91. The case studies were relatively strong in the Evidence Reporting and Data Analysis categories, as compared to the Subject Selection, Observation Quality, and Generalization to Other Populations categories. Following workplace safety initiatives, the studies revealed an average increase of 66% (2%-104%) in productivity, 44% (4%-73%) in quality, 82% (52%-100%) in safety records, and 71% (38%-100%) in cost benefits. In a few reported cases, it took only 8 months to obtain a payback in terms of monetary investment in the safety initiative. Although the studies did display a correlation between safety, productivity, and quality, there is insufficient evidence to categorically state that the improvements in productivity, quality, and cost efficiency were brought about by the introduction of an organization-wide safety culture. Notwithstanding, there is demonstrable evidence to indicate that safety as a business objective can assist an organization in achieving the long-term benefit of operational sustainability, that is, achieve a long-term competitive advantage by balancing business costs against social costs. Further research is required to conclusively prove the exact (possibly quantifiable) impact of safety investment on increased productivity, quality, and cost efficiency. C 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Background Though several reviews investigating the health effects of particulate matter on human health exist, none of them focus exclusively on the impact of particulate matter in the ultrafine range. Objective This research consists of a critical appraisal of qualifying studies that investigates the impact of ultrafine particles on cardiopulmonary and circulatory health among humans. Methods The published articles were obtained from a search of electronic databases and bibliographies of identified articles. The critical appraisal was conducted using an Epidemiological Appraisal Instrument. Results Seven articles satisfied the inclusion criteria adopted in this research. The assessed quality of the published studies ranged from marginal to good. Conclusions The appraisal reveals that ultrafine particle exposure has different consequences compared to fine particle exposure. Also, it is likely that ultrafine particles do pose a health risk to human subjects who are already susceptible to cardiopulmonary disease. Further research is needed to extrapolate findings from lab studies and to determine the exact biological mechanism by which ultrafine particle exposure results in cardiopulmonary symptoms. Significance The reported findings indicate the need to investigate standards for ultrafine particle exposure and to list the three major cardiopulmonary symptoms resulting from ultrafine particle exposure. C