Francesco Santoro

Reliability Analysis Of Slopes

In this paper has been described a new procedure by which the characteristic limit state line of a geometrically known slope can be calculated. This approach is based on an intuition, applied to a deterministic evaluation of slope stability to look for a slope characteristic failure curve. Subsequently, concerning probability perspective, has been considered Lows interpreting the reliability index. Linking prior studies together and to the Characteristic Resistance Envelope Procedure an Overall Approach has been developed. A simple computed case is included in order to show computing potentialities of this new approach.

Exposure of farm workers to electromagnetic radiation from cellular network radio base stations situated on rural agricultural land

The electromagnetic field (EMF) levels generated by mobile telephone radio base stations (RBS) situated on rural-agricultural lands were assessed in order to evaluate the exposure of farm workers in the surrounding area. The expected EMF at various distances from a mobile telephone RBS was calculated using an ad hoc numerical forecast model. Subsequently, the electric fields around some RBS on agricultural lands were measured, in order to obtain a good approximation of the effective conditions at the investigated sites. The viability of this study was tested according to the Italian Regulations concerning general and occupational public exposure to time-varying EMFs. The calculated E-field values were obtained with the RBS working constantly at full power, but during the in situ measurements the actual power emitted by RBS antennas was lower than the maximum level, and the E-field values actually registered were much lower than the calculated values.

Improvements in Citrus Packing Lines to Reduce the Mechanical Damage to Fruit

Improvements in Citrus Packing Lines to Reduce the Mechanical Damage to Fruit Giuseppe Manetto*, Emanuele Cerruto, Simone Pascuzzi, Francesco Santoro Department of Agricoltura, Alimentazione e Ambiente (Di3A), University of Catania, Via S. Sofia 100, 95123 Catania, Italy Department of Agricultural and Environmental Science (DiSAAT), University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via Amendola 165/A, 70126 Bari, Italy gmanetto@unict.it

Osh Risk Evaluation Within Agro-Industrial Plants: the Case of an Olive Mil

The risk related to the presence of low frequency electromagnetic fields can be a serious OSH risk within different kind of agro-industrial plants. In this paper, an experimental analysis aimed at measuring electromagnetic fields in the productive areas of an olive mill recently built in the Bari district was accomplished. The analysis’ main goal was to assess the workers’ health risk level due to the presence of extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (30 ÷ 300 Hz) mainly due to the presence of electrical distribution lines and electric motors operating at a frequency of 50 Hz with reference to a specific type of processing plants, widely spread in the Apulia region. A first analysis of the spatial layout of the electric machine was carried out, referring to their duty cycles and to workers’ tasks (taking into particular account the working places) identifying 12 most significant points in which the measurements of effective value of the electrical and magnetic field would have been carried out. Effective values of the electric field (ERMS) as well as effective values of the magnetic induction field (BRMS) measured in each testing point, were both significantly lower than the limit values required by law. Peak values of both the electric field (Epeak) and the magnetic induction field (Bpeak) measured in the different testing points at the frequency of 50Hz, were lower than the corresponding effective values ERMS and BRMS. The results of the tests highlight that, inside the analysed olive mill, in the period of its maximum productivity, risks for the workers’ health related to their exposure to low frequency electric and magnetic fields are not relevant.