Testing Global Sectoral Industry Approaches to Address Climate Change: Interim report of a CEPS Task Force. CEPS Task Force Reports, 4 December 2007

Successful global sectoral industry approaches could become an effective means of broadening the range of contributions by all parties to greenhouse gas reductions, and of addressing competitiveness concerns in trade-exposed industries. This report puts these two hypotheses to the test and identifies the key requirements for global sectoral industry approaches to work. The analysis is based on ongoing work within a CEPS multi-stakeholder Task Force on “Sectoral industry approaches to address climate change”, supported by the Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI) of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. The Final Report will be published in spring 2008

The European Commission's Science and Knowledge Service Joint Research Centre - Evaluation of its relations with industry

A panel of high-level experts from the world of industry and business evaluated the JRC’s relationship with European industry. They see the JRC as the Science and Knowledge Service of the European Commission fulfilling its roles and functions in ‘science for policy’, running a nuclear research programme and emulating the unique pan-European public research and technology organisation (RTO). Many of the EU policies, regulations and standards supported by the JRC have a direct influence on industrial performance, competitiveness and the functioning of the internal market. Hence, the question whether there is scope for enhancing the JRC’s relationships with industry receives a solid ‘yes’ as an answer. The panel expresses the wish that the report facilitates a more effective relationship in the future. The report concludes with detailed advice and suggestions to achieve further success, grouped in three headline recommendations: • Organise specific operational improvement • Work more consciously with industry • Take initiative to enhance the EU innovation ecosystemJRC.DDG2-Deputy Director-General in charge of Directorates B,C,D,E,F,

Health status and quality of life among road users with permanent medical impairment several years after the crash

ObjectiveImprovements in road infrastructure and vehicle safety have been achieved in many countries during the last decades. As the number of fatalities have dropped, the consequences of non-fatal injuries have been brought into focus. Therefore, the objective was to investigate self-reported health status and health-related quality of life several years after the crash for road-users that sustained injuries resulting in permanent medical impairment (PMI).MethodsA self-administered questionnaire using instruments to measure if health, health-related quality of life and physical activity had been affected by the crash, were used. The injured road-users were identified from insurance policy holders of the Folksam Insurance Group. The response rate was 29%, a total of 2078 responses were received from the 7174 road-users with PMI that received the questionnaire.ResultsIn total 85% were still suffering from the injuries several years after the crash (8-18 year after the crash). Furthermore, road-users with injuries to the spine were having highest pain intensity. Older road-users had poorer self-reported health status than younger road-users. Although, younger road-users had the greatest change in physical activity when comparing before and after the crash. Before the crash in total 63% were physically active while only 34% after the crash. The higher the PMI the higher it affected health several years after the crash.ConclusionsThe Swedish definition of serious injury, an injury leading to PMI, was found to correlate with self-reported health loss; 85% of the injured road-users reported that they still had remaining symptoms several years after the accident. The injured body region leading to PMI after an accident can vary from the body regions reported to cause long-term health loss. It was found that the higher the degree of PMI the higher the health loss. Sustaining a PMI regardless severity and injured body region has the same effects on general health for men and women. Sustaining a PMI will both lower the health-related quality of life and physical activity after the crash compared to before

Evaluation of seatbelt use among pregnant women in Sweden

A digital questionnaire was distributed through social media targeting women who were or had been pregnant.The primary objective was to investigate self-reported seatbelt use and misuse during pregnancy. The secondobjective was to study if, and to which extent, women had received information regarding seatbelt use and howto wear it during pregnancy.The survey of 2,030 women who were or had been pregnant showed a total seatbelt wearing rate of 99%.However, 39% were wearing the seatbelt wrongly. In 35% of cases, the shoulder section of the seatbelt wasincorrectly positioned, and the lap section of the seatbelt in 8% of cases. In 4% of cases, both the shoulder andlap belt parts of the seatbelt were incorrectly positioned.The majority (66%) had not received any information regarding proper seatbelt use during pregnancy. Of the 700women (34%) who had received information, most of them had actively sought out information about how theseatbelt should be worn during pregnancy. This subgroup had significantly lower misuse rate, although a third ofthe group wore the seatbelt incorrectly. Very few (6%), had received information via a health care provider.Present data highlight the need for improved seatbelt fit for pregnant women. The result from the survey showsthat misuse was lower among the women whom actively searched for information regarding how to wear theseatbelt. To reach other user groups, it should be a priority for several stakeholders to communicate informationregarding proper seatbelt use during pregnancy

Rural road design according to the safe system approach

In this chapter, the reader is introduced to the topic of driver distraction: its definition and mechanisms; its impact on driving performance and safety; approaches to preventing it; evidence-based injury prevention and mitigation countermeasures; and new frames of reference for conceptualizing distraction as traditional driving functions and tasks become increasingly automated. Some strategies that might be considered by societal stakeholders in setting a coordinated agenda for the management of distracted driving going into the future are also presented. Until all vehicles can safely drive themselves, in all conditions, all of the time, it is unlikely that, for driver distraction, Vision Zero will be achieved. In the meantime, however, there is much that can be done to slow its spread and mitigate it effects

En ny grön våg?

Mat är grunden för vår existens och en viktig del av var människas kultur och tradition. Idag är intresset för mat och hälsa stort hos den svenska konsumenten, samtidigt som allt färre lantbrukare producerar vår mat i Sverige. De lantbrukare som fortsätter driva lantbruk ökar istället sin produktivitet och blir mer storskaliga. Idag är det bara några få procent av Sveriges befolkning som håller på med lantbruk. Detta arbete handlar om Community Supported Agriculture och dess utveckling i Sverige. Community Supported Agriculture innebär att konsumenten och producenten skriver ett direktavtal mellan varandra, där konsumenten köper en andel i den kommande skörden eller djuret från gården. I arbetet undersöker jag även Community Supported Agricultures bidrag till hållbar utveckling. Jag har använt en kvalitativ arbetsmetod och genomfört litteraturstudier, intervjuer, deltagande observationer och följt digitala medier inom området. Resultatet visar att Community Supported Agriculture fortfarande är relativt nytt i Sverige men att det blir allt vanligare. Det är främst de senaste 3-4 åren som antalet gårdar har ökat och idag finns gårdar utspridda i hela Sverige. Dessa bidrar till hållbar utveckling på den svenska landsbygden, både ekologiskt, ekonomiskt och socialt.This study is about the development Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in Sweden. Community Supported Agriculture is a business model but also a social movement. CSA means that the consumer and the producer writes a direct agreement between one another where the consumer byes a share in the coming harvest from the fields or a share from the animal produced on the farm. In this study I also examine the Community Supported Agricultures contribution to sustainable development. I have used a qualitative method and perform literature studies, interviews, participant observation and I have also followed the digital media in the area. The result shows that CSA model is still relatively new in Sweden, but it is becoming more common. It is primarily the last 3-4 years that the number of farms has increased and today there are farms spread all over Sweden. These contribute to sustainable development both ecologically, economically and socially

How to reduce pedestrian fatalities: a case-by-case study to evaluate the potential of vehicle and road infrastructure interventions

In line with the UN’s global goals on sustainability several initiatives are promoting walking. However, if effective interventions are not implemented an increased number of pedestrians will lead to more road casualties. It is important to take appropriate decisions on interventions to reach Vision Zero adopted by the Swedish Government. This study describes the characteristics of fatal crashes with pedestrians on Swedish roads and investigates the potential of different vehicle and road infrastructure interventions to save lives. The Swedish Transport Administration (STA) in-depth database of fatal crashes was used for a case-by-case investigation. Out of the 226 fatally injured pedestrians during 2011–2016 in Sweden the most common accident scenario was a vehicle hitting a pedestrian while crossing the road. Most crashes occurred in darkness on rural roads (63%), but for urban areas the majority (53%) occurred in daylight. In general, interventions related to vehicle speed were found to address a larger proportion of the studied pedestrian fatalities on urban roads compared to on rural roads, while separated pedestrian paths outside the carriageway were found to address a larger proportion on rural roads compared to on urban roads. The intervention with the largest total potential was pedestrian crossings with speed calming measures for the motor vehicles, which had the potential to address 36% of the identified fatalities. A reduced speed limit in combination with speed calming interventions had the potential to prevent 29% of the studied fatalities while separate pedestrian paths outside the carriageway had the potential to prevent approximately 15%. It was estimated that the vehicle safety technology with the highest potential was autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection for passenger cars. With this system available on all cars, 58% of the studied fatalities could potentially be prevented. Most (up to 93%) of the studied fatally injured pedestrians could potentially be saved with known vehicle safety and road infrastructural technologies. However, the analysis of the potential effect of interventions show that it will take a long time until the advanced and potentially effective vehicle safety technologies will be widely spread. This shows the importance of speeding up the implementation. A fast implementation of effective interventions in the road infrastructure is also necessary, preferably using a plan for prioritization. There are two main approaches of doing that, separating road user groups, or reducing vehicle speeds in areas with mixed rod user groups to survivable levels, which is recommended to be 30\ue2€‰km/h. There is a need to identify areas where most pedestrian accidents occur and then use the most effective interventions. The results of this study could be helpful in this process

The female entrepreneur in rural areas : a case study of lifestyles of the female entrepreneurs in rural areas

This study is about the female entrepreneur in rural areas in Sweden. Five women were interviewed with the aim to examine their way of living (livsform), their motivation, what significance it is to be a woman in business and how female entrepreneurs can be encouraged to start their own business. The conclusions : • The women in this study live an independent life , but the their way of life (livsform) has changed during their life • Female entrepreneurship can be promoted trough greater knowledge of the female business, better advice to the entrepreneurs, more networking groups and reducing bureaucracy. • The driving forces for the women is to do what they like and are interested in, at the same time as they have time for the family and children. They also like to work in the rural areas. • Female entrepreneurship can be promoted through greater knowledge of female businesses in the community, by creating virtual meeting places such as networking groups and mentor groups on internet. It would also be easier if the administrative work could decrease.Detta arbete är en fallstudie av den kvinnliga företagaren på landsbygden. Fem kvinnor har intervjuats som alla lever i Västra Götalandsregionen. Syftet var att undersöka deras livsform, drivkrafter, vilken betydelse det har att vara kvinna i näringsliv och hur kvinnligt företagande kan främjas. Slutsatserna är: • Livsformen är inte densamma hela livet utan kan ändras, däremot kan en ideologi finnas kvar. • Livsformen kvinnorna lever i är självständighetslivsform kombinerat med husmorslivsform • Drivkrafterna är att göra det de trivs med och tycker är roligt, att få styra och planera sin egen tid samtidigt som det ger tid till familjen och att jobba för en levande landsbygd. • Kvinnligt företagande kan främjas genom ökad kunskap om kvinnligt företag i samhället som helhet, att skapa virituella mötesplatser, exempelvis nätverksgrupper och mentorsgrupper på nätet. Det skulle även underlätta om administrativt arbete kunde minska

Sequence analysis of sickness absence and disability pension in the year before and the three years following a bicycle crash; a nationwide longitudinal cohort study of 6353 injured individuals

Background:Bicyclists are the road user group with the highest number of severe injuries in the EU, yet little is known about sickness absence (SA) and disability pension (DP) following such injuries.\ua0Aims: To explore long-term patterns of SA and DP among injured bicyclists, and to identify characteristics associated with the specific patterns. Methods: A longitudinal register-based study was conducted, including all 6353 individuals aged 18–59 years and living in Sweden in 2009, who in 2010 had incident in-patient or specialized out-patient healthcare after a bicycle crash. Information about sociodemographic factors, the injury, SA (SA spells > 14 days), and DP was obtained from nationwide registers. Weekly SA/DP states over 1 year before through 3 years after the crash date were used in sequence and cluster analyses. Multinomial logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for factors associated with each identified sequence cluster. Results: Seven clusters were identified: “No SA or DP” (58.2% of the cohort), “Low SA or DP” (7.4%), “Immediate SA” (20.3%), “Episodic SA” (5.9%), “Long-term SA” (1.7%), “Ongoing part-time DP” (1.7%), and “Ongoing full-time DP” (4.8%). Compared to the cluster “No SA or DP”, all other clusters had higher ORs for women, and higher age. All clusters but “Low SA and DP” had higher ORs for inpatient healthcare. The cluster “Immediate SA” had a higher OR for: fractures (OR 4.3; CI 3.5–5.2), dislocation (2.8; 2.0–3.9), sprains and strains (2.0; 1.5–2.7), and internal injuries (3.0; 1.3–6.7) compared with external injuries. The cluster “Episodic SA” had higher ORs for: traumatic brain injury, not concussion (4.2; 1.1–16.1), spine and back (4.5; 2.2–9.5), torso (2.5; 1.4–4.3), upper extremities (2.9; 1.9–4.5), and lower extremities (3.5; 2.2–5.5) compared with injuries to the head, face, and neck (not traumatic brain injuries). The cluster “Long-term SA” had higher ORs for collisions with motor vehicles (1.9;1.1–3.2) and traumatic brain injury, not concussion (18.4;2.2–155.2). Conclusion: Sequence analysis enabled exploration of the large heterogeneity of SA and DP following a bicycle crash. More knowledge is needed on how to prevent bicycle crashes and especially those crashes/injuries leading to long-term consequences

Fatalities in value chains—an attempt to classify road traffic crashes in accordance with the United Nations General Assembly resolution 74/299

Large corporations are today expected or obliged to report on accidental deaths and serious injuries to employed or contracted employed as a part of reporting on sustainability and workplace safety. Data about road crashes are part of such events and are therefore, but not separately, collected and presented. In Europe, 40% to 60% of all work-related accidents resulting in death has been reported to be road traffic accidents. In 2020, the Stockholm Declaration urged all corporations to report on their safety footprint including their entire value chain. The aims of the present study were to use a new definition of safety footprint and to quantify those killed as employed and at work, and those killed in a crash where the other part was at work, as so called third parties, to transports for duty with employed drivers. The Swedish Transport Administration (STA) in-depth database of fatal crashes was used, that covers all fatalities classified as road traffic related and consists of information from the police, medical journals, autopsy reports, accident analyses performed by STA, and witness statements. All fatalities excluding suicides or those caused by sickness occurring during year 2019 were investigated (n = 214). 11% (23/214) of the fatalities occurred when the killed person was at work and 16 while commuting. 37% of the fatal accidents occurred when the killed road user or the other part was at work. In total, almost half of the fatalities in the road transport system were related to work in some way when including both the fatally injured and their collision partners. A larger proportion of non-privately owned and procured vehicles was found for the vehicles of the collision partners compared to the vehicles of the fatally injured. In approximately one third of the fatal accidents a procurement of a transport service was involved. The Swedish Work Environment Authority (SWEA) identified 10 of the 23 fatalities at work investigated and none of these accidents was found to be investigated by the police as a crime related to the work environment. In conclusion, almost half of the fatalities in the road transport system in 2019 were related to work in some way, either the fatally injured or their collision partners were at work or while commuting. When including the third-party casualties, the problem becomes much bigger and more complex. In Sweden fatalities related to work are under reported, as the SWEA does not receive basic data. Efforts are needed to improve reporting of work-related road fatalities. It was found that the police did not investigate road traffic fatalities as death at workplace. It is crucial that the police start to follow the intention of regulations linked to workplace safety. If not, the possibility to collect relevant data for organizations to report on their safety footprint is limited. It is complicated to collect, classify and analyse value chain fatal crash information, mainly due to that the police do not investigate fatal road crashes as possibly work-related events. It is recommended that organizations manage their own data collection if they wish to report on their safety footprint data