The Role of Hazardousness and Regulatory Practice in the Accidental Release of Chemicals at U.S. Industrial Facilities

This article presents the results of an analysis of the accident history data reported under section 112(r) of the Clean Air Act Amendments. These data provide a fairly complete record of the consequences of reportable accidental releases occurring during the time frame 1995-1999 in the U.S. chemical industry and covering 77 toxic and 63 flammable substances subject to the provisions of section 112(r). As such, these results are of fundamental interest to the affected communities, regulators, and insurers, as well as to owners and managers in the chemical industry. The results show the statistical associations between accident frequency and severity and a number of characteristics of reporting facilities, including their size, the hazardousness of the processes and chemicals inventoried, and the regulatory programs (in addition to section 112(r)) to which these facilities are subject. The results are interpreted in light of economic drivers of protective activity and regulatory priorities for monitoring and enforcement.     

Disasters and subjective assessments of recovery in the long run

Population and Environment - Researchers and policymakers often claim that harsh climate conditions intensify the risk of armed conflict by acting as a “threat multiplier.” Yet, new...     

Performativity Double Standards and the Sexual Orientation Climate at a Southern Liberal Arts University

This study employs quantitative and qualitative methods to examine how heterosexual, bisexual, and gay students rate and describe a Southern, religiously affiliated university’s sexual orientation climate. Using qualitative data, queer theory, and the concept tyranny of sexualized spaces, we explain why non-heterosexual students have more negative perceptions of the university climate than heterosexual male students, in both bivariate and multivariate analyses. Although heterosexual students see few problems with the campus sexual orientation climate, bisexual men and women describe being challenged on the authenticity of their orientation, and lesbian and, to a greater extent, gay male students report harassment and exclusion in a number of settings. These distinct processes are influenced by broader heteronormative standards. We also shed much-needed light on how gendered sexual performativity double standards within an important campus microclimate (fraternity parties) contribute to creating a tyrannical sexualized space and negatively affect overall campus climate perceptions.     

‘Go on,Go on,Go on’: Sexual Consent,Child Sexual Exploitation and Cups of Tea

This novel paper critically addresses a currently popular sex education resource which compares sexual consent to tea drinking. Drawing from a study which considered the meaning of consent through focus groups and interviews with young people and professionals, we argue that the central ‘risk avoidance’ message of such resources individualises the potential risks of non‐consensual sex and ignores the gendered social structures which shape interpersonal relationships. We suggest that simplifying and extrapolating sexual consent from broader cultural understandings is problematic. Conversations with young people are important, but they need to address the complexity of sexual consent, coercion and gendered sexual norms.     

Lean Production Practices: International Comparisons in the Auto Components Industry1

In recent years the application of lean production principles has been forcefully expounded as the route to high-performance manufacturing. This paper examines the relationship between lean production and performance empirically, using data from a benchmarking study of 71 plants in the international automotive components industry. The top performing plants (and their suppliers and customers) showed consistently better process control than did the lower performing plants. UK plants did not perform very well in terms of either quality or productivity, and links between economic context and manufacturing performance are discussed in relation to the UK.     

Assessing Health Risks Associated with DDT Residues in Soils in California: A Proposition 65 Case Study

Population growth in California has increased the pressure to convert agricultural land to commercial, industrial, or residential uses. In the ensuing property transactions, buyers and sellers must address the presence of toxic materials in soils such as pesticides, several of which are known to the State of California to cause cancer under Proposition 65. While this statute does not specifically address soil contaminants, the potential scope of its enforcement is sufficiently broad that owners of former agricultural properties may be obliged to provide warning of exposure to potential buyers, occupants, or construction workers about exposure to residues in soil from pesticide applications. However, Proposition 65 provides no guidance on how to assess exposures to chemicals in soil. The U.S. EPA Risk Assessment Guidance for Superfund (RAGS) provides a method for assessing soil-related exposure pathways that is consistent with the intent of Proposition 65. Using this approach, we have calculated the lifetime average concentrations of DDT in soil corresponding to the no-significant-risk level stipulated under Proposition 65 (1 × 10⁻⁵) for a hypothetical residential exposure scenario. The concentration of DDT in soil corresponding to a no-significant-risk ranges from 7.9-18.8 mg/kg, depending upon which exposure pathways are deemed to be complete for residential land use. It is argued that Proposition 65 forces the assessment and possible cleanup of such a situation through the threat of creating a health risk perception that could affect the market value of a property.     

Changes in the influence of early marriage on the educational attainment of men and women

We test hypotheses regarding generational differences in the effects on organizational loyalty of workplace insecurity, restructured workplace temporalities, and technological access to the workplace. We argue that large-scale social changes have eroded the social employment contract and impacted these features of the workplace. Further, these new working conditions will have a greater impact on the organizational loyalty and commitment of older cohorts of workers whose expectations were formed under the previous social contract than on more recent cohorts. With the exception of insecurity, our results generally support our hypotheses. They also have some intriguing implications that the conditions that dampen the loyalty of older cohorts enhance that of younger. Likewise, they raise important questions about what factors affect the loyalty of younger generations of workers and what role the increasing reliance on technology for work outside of “normal” working hours might play in fostering loyal employees.     

Neutralized Hegemonic Banter: The Persistence of Sexist and Racist Joking Among Undergraduate Students

Using a mixed methods approach, this article explores factors that contribute to undergraduate students' beliefs about the harm caused by racist and sexist jokes. Quantitative results indicate that, net of other demographic control variables, college men are less likely to agree that sexist and racist jokes are harmful. Qualitative findings shed light on this pattern via a process we call neutralized hegemonic banter. By connecting students' perspectives about the perceived harm caused by racist and sexist jokes with their larger campus experiences, we extend the literature and demonstrate the role that hegemonic masculinity plays in normalizing racist and sexist joking.