American Association of Medical Assistants Essay Example for Free

American Association of Medical Assistants Essay Introduction Throughout the medical community there are a growing number of organizations whom offer certification exams for those looking to enter the medical assisting field or other allied health profession. Few of these organizations offer the high standard of quality and largely respected and recognized credentials as that of The American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) and The American Medical Billing Association (AMBA). The American Association of Medical Assistants The American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1955 by The Kansas Medical Assistants Society. Over the last fifty-seven years the AAMA has been steadily growing with over 20,000 members to date. The goal of this organization is â€Å"to provide the medical assistant with education, certification, credential acknowledgment, networking prospects, scope-of-practice protection, and advocacy for quality health care.† (AMAA, 1996-2012, Mission and Core Values) The AAMA administers the CMA certifications exam that is overseen by the National Board of Medical Examiners. This exam includes approximately 200 multiple-choice questions which are broken into a total of four 40-minute sections. The maximum allotted time for completion of this exam is 195 minutes. The certification that comes along with passing this exam is known to be the premier credentialing when it comes to the medical assisting field due to the AAMA’s diverse and on-going training requirements even after the CMA exam has been successfully completed. Each and every person that has earned the CMA(AAMA) credentialing must complete sixty hours of Continuing education units in the three required categories every five years and hold a current CPR certification at all times in order to recertify their membership and credentials with the AAMA. â€Å"The CMA (AAMA) exam is the only one credential that requires candidates to be graduates of a programmatically accredited medical assisting program† (AAMA, 2007-2008, Occupational Analysis of the CMA(AAMA)) An individual whom has earned this prestigious credential, possesses not only general medical office and administrative skills and knowledge but is also certified to perform numerous clinical duties as well. The training and versatility that is held by any individual whom earns the title of CMA (AAMA) makes them an asset to any medical office setting. American Medical Billing Association The American Medical Billing Association (AMBA) was founded in 1998 by Cyndee and Larry Weston whom have been the owners of a medical billing center in Davis, Oklahoma since 1989. Over the years, they have seen the start of many medical billing associations that were more self-serving and for-profit companies rather than out to serve the needs of their joining members. The Weston’s made it their mission to design an organization that would work for the needs of the small biller, thus AMBA was born. â€Å"AMBA is dedicated to helping its members become successful Certified Medical Reimbursement Specialists†, (American Medical Billing Association, 1998-2012, Information on Joining AMBA) which they do through medical billing certification, online training courses, coding certification prep and webinars, to name a few. AMBA also holds a certification exam, the Certified Medical Reimbursement Specialist exam and has been for the past 10 years. AMBA is the only organization that offers an exam that is specifically designed for the medical billing professional. â€Å"Although there is no state or Federal requirement of a medical billing professional to become certified to practice medical billing,† it is the goal of AMBA â€Å"to provide a professional certification exam that upholds a high ethical standard of knowledge that recognizes the competency of a certificant.† (American Medical Billing Association, 1998-2012,Certified Medical Billing Specialist) This exam includes a wealth of information such as ICD9, CPT4, HCPCS coding, HIPPAA. OIG compliance, insurance claims, billing, denials and appeals and much more. The exam itself is taken online and consists of over 800 questions with a minimum grade of 85 in order to receive certification, which is then valid for 1 year. The CMRS is broken down into 16 different sections which must be completed with 45 days of the start date of your exam. AMBA does require those whom have passed the CMRS to complete 15 continuing educations units per year in order to recertify. As the CMRS is the only exam of its kind, those whom earn this credentialing have the proven knowledge and skills thus giving them an edge in their field. Medical Terminology Medical terminology creates a standardized communication between all of the numerous professions that make up the medical community. â€Å"Medical Language is the key to a successful career in healthcare. If you want to â€Å"walk the walk† then you have to â€Å"talk the talk† of medical language† (Turley, 2011, p. 2) As I pursue my education and aspire to one day become a medical administrative assistant, I realize the importance of having a strong grasp on medical terminology in my field. For any person in or looking to enter a position in the medical field, being able to fully understand medical terminology is vital to their success, and an asset to not only themselves but those whom employ them as it can aid in communication to other medical professionals and also to the patients, increase the quality of care, and reduce liability. Conclusion Both the American Association of Medical Assistants and the American Medical Billing Association offer high quality and well regarded credentialing to those in the medical assisting and billing fields. Having a large knowledge base of medical terminology will aid in the completion of the exams given by these two organizations and also in working towards a successful carrier in the medical industry in the future. References American Association of Medical Assistants (1996-2012) Mission and Core Values. Retrieved September 28, 2012 , from American Association of Medical Assistants. http://www.aama-ntl.org/about/mission.aspx American Association of Medical Assistants (2007-2008) Occupational Analysis of the CMA (AMAA) Retrieved September 28, 2012, from American Association of Medical Assistants. http://www.aama-ntl.org/medassisting/OA.aspx American Medical Billing Association (1998-2012) Information on Joining AMBA Retrieved September 28, 2012, from American Medical Billing Association (AMBA) http://www.ambanet.net/ambainfo.htm American Medical Billing Association (1998-2012) Certified Medical Billing Specialist Retrieved September 28, 2012, from American Medical Billing Association (AMBA) http://www.ambanet.net/CMRS.htm Turley, S.M. (2011). The Structure of Medical Language, Medical Language Immerse Yourself (2nd ed). (p. 2) New Jersey: Pearson

The queer Experience in Popular Culture Essay Example for Free

The queer Experience in Popular Culture Essay According to Gordon Lynch (2005), arriving at a concrete and solid definition of popular culture is filled with a certain degree of complexities or difficulties (p. 1). This particular concept has been often a topic of various heated debates and arguments in many academic discourses and scholarly analyses. Whenever popular culture becomes the center of attraction, the mere definition of the term seems to instigate tons of both criticisms and skepticisms alike. Lynch (2005) explained that this seemingly antagonistic issues of popular culture stems from the fact that different fields of expertise have their own interpretations and understanding of the matter (p. 1). This situation implies two things. First, either popular culture is too broad—broad in the sense that it covers a wide array of issues and topics that creating a more specific definition seems to be way too impossible. On the other hand, it can be also argued that popular culture, is indeed an abstract idea that is capable of touching every field or domain , thus a concrete definition is prone to being misinterpreted as something that denotes exclusivity and power struggle. But then again, if one has to take a closer look, the problems that popular culture experience can be attributed to the fact that popular and culture imply two major complex ideas and concepts. Once and for all, culture is widespread. It embodies different facets of life and various ideological beliefs and opinions. In the meantime, identifying the objects or personalities or establishing criteria for an object or an individual to be categorized as popular is also beset with difficulties. Once and for all, there are instances wherein popularity is achieved simply because it is embedded in one’s culture. However, this situation cannot be really understood within the context of popular culture. There are also instances wherein a certain object, symbol, or value has nothing to do with culture yet popular. This situation cannot be also seen as a manifestation of popular culture. Indeed the seemingly encompassing and abstract nature of popular culture makes it hard for one to understand the whole matter in just one sitting. But this does not necessarily mean that the matter should be immediately dismissed as something that is of less importance. Although popular culture is responsible for the continuous clash of ideas and beliefs, it cannot be denied that such is too influential that eliminating it within academic discourses can be seen as a total disrespect for the matter. Popular culture tends to affect the manners and behaviors of many individuals. In recent years, it is apparent that popular culture did not only influence the lives of many—to a certain extent, it seems that popular culture has also dictated the ways wherein mankind expresses its existence and social contribution. Browne and Fishwick (1988) described that popular culture is considered as the so-called â€Å"lifeblood of one’s existence and way of life (p. 1). † This one leads to the conclusion that popular culture pertains to the socially-relevant practices and values that man acquired, practiced and readily shared. As Browne and Fishwick (1988) explained, popular culture is mainly comprised of the daily practices and routines that an individual goes through (p. 1). In addition to that, popular culture also echoes, even the nitty-gritty sentiments of an individual (Browne Fishwick 1988, p. 1). Given this situation at hand, if popular culture tends to act as the voice of each and every community, then it would not come as a surprise if issues regarding sexuality and preferences are also articulated by popular culture. Sexuality and sexual preferences is a way of life. It is also the lifeblood of one’s existence and to top it all, it is something that should be readily expressed and manifested. One cannot also deny that both sexuality and sexual preferences are also influential. However, due to certain norms and conventions that society has established, there are certain aspects of sexuality and sexual preferences that are still considered as taboo or not worthy to be discussed, moreso, to be expressed in public. This scenario is most especially true as for the case of queers who have to hide their true identities in utmost secrecy to avoid the scrutiny of a judgmental public. This dilemma is very much manifested in traditional and conservative communities or social settings. This is where popular culture comes into place. Through popular culture, the conservatism and judgment that is rendered towards queers is slowly transformed into ultimate tolerance. Take note that the term â€Å"tolerance† instead of absolute â€Å"acceptance† is used in this case. Tolerance and acceptance are different from each other. Yet, there are many instances wherein the two are interchangeably understood and interpreted by many. This discussion will provide insights on how popular culture is able to permeate the tolerance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender expression. To enrich this study, the focus will revolve around Asian communities wherein popular culture is instrumental in the tolerance, rather than acceptance of various queer expressions. Chinese Cinema and Popular Culture Sigley and Jeffreys (1999) elucidated that topics regarding sexuality in China is still viewed differently (p. 51). To many, sex cannot be considered as something sacred. Tackling these matters tend to go beyond the borders of ethics and morality (Sigley Jeffreys 1999, p. 1). Moreover, mass media, which often perceived as the institution responsible for the educating the public and knowledge dissemination, is often blinded by the unconscious fear to discuss this matter (Sigleys Jeffreys 1999, p. 52). Based from this, it seems that China tends to shy away from discussing sexually-related issues and topics primarily because its cultural orientation requires a private manner of addressing these concerns. If sex, in its simplest context tends to raise eyebrows for many critics, then it would not come as a surprise if queer topics are most likely to be seen on the peripheral side. If sex between heterosexuals cannot be openly discussed by China’s mass media, then more prohibitions is expected to emanate as for the case of many queers. However, although China’s mass media has remained quiet and reserved regarding this matter, there is already the attempt to touch these issues and eventually present it into the public’s eyes. Although this may not be thoroughly expressed and given full attention in news organizations or programs, other forms of mass media, such as film for example, played an important role in presenting and proliferating queer themes. This has led Yang (1999) to the contention that China is yet, one of the prominent hodge-podges wherein explorations of the queer life and concept of reality can be accomplished (p. 338). Yang (1999) shared that films such as those of Wong Kar Wai’s Happy Together and Stanly Kwan’s Yang and Yin: Gender in the Chinese Cinema, have been consistent attempts to showcase the homosexual experience and lifestyle (p. 338). Slowly, but surely, these films have the capacity to destroy the cultural barriers and conventions that are often attributed to many queers. It has been often said that films present a specific portion of reality, which are often ignored and taken for granted by many viewers or audiences. Films are usually described as symbols or reflection of reality. The existence of queers and their corresponding lifestyles are the ones that are often taken to the side and are voluntarily taken out of the picture. These realities are then depicted into the movies that are focusing on these particular issues. On the other hand, it cannot be also denied that films are often considered as part of popular culture. Thus, through these aspect, what was once perceived or viewed as taboo or even explicit for that matter now have the chance of being expressed. However, although films greatly contributes into the gradual acceptance of queer culture in China, Berry (2000) explained that the societal conventions are still pretty much apparent as queers, to be more specific, gays are often depicted and portrayed as individuals who are often subject to sadness due to the lack of a loyal and faithful partner vis a vis companion (p. 187). Solitary moments in Chinese cinemas are also coupled with the enduring process of waiting for the â€Å"right one† to eventually come (Berry 2000, p. 187). Although this stance seem to imply a certain degree of queer stereotyping in Chinese cinema, the solitary experiences, the search for loyalty and companionship as well as the longing for the perfect partner, are indeed a portion of realities that are existent in many queers—not only to gays per se, but also to lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders. Thus, presenting these into movies, somehow, the conservatism that is within conservative communities, are challenged and put into a serious test. Manga and Japanese homosexuality Whenever one mentions the terms manga and anime, it all boils down to one country, Japan. Aside from Japan’s highly technological skills and capabilities, mangas also brings an intense degree of popularity in the nation. Almost every Japanese is aware of these materials. But then again, one should always bear in mind that mangas has literally taken the world by storm. Mangas’ acceptance cannot be solely attributed to their abilities to provide pleasure and entertainment. More than anything else, these have been the heralds of the Japanese experience. The recognition and acceptance that mangas received, made Dooley and Heller to (2005) a conclusion that such are perpetuators of popular cultures in Japan (146). But as the years passed by, mangas is no longer constricted or imposed to place heavy emphasis on romantic and adventure themes. As time goes by, mangas has also dabbled into the arena of discussing queer issues. McLelland (2005) implied that the growth of queer communities in Japan was triggered by certain channels of communication, print media, to be more specific (p. 0). McLelland (2005) stressed that during the times wherein internet connections were still not widely used by the public, it was print media that eventually provided a platform for â€Å"queer social networking (p. 10). From it here it can be seen that the incorporation of queer themes and issues in mangas are not purely coincidental. It is rather expected. Perhaps, the only thing that is coincidental in this aspect is that manga happens to be a symbolic manifestation of Japan’s popular culture. Since queer related topics are easily incorporated to managas, one can lead into the assumption that homosexuality is readily accepted in Japan. Once and for all, mangas are cultural products that are patronized and appreciated not only by Japanese, but also by individuals from the other side of the world. However, bringing it, within the Japanese context, if mangas can be easily distributed and at the same time, if such is a manifestation of Japanese culture, then mangas generally provide a platform wherein queers can express their beliefs and sentiments. As a matter of fact, it can be argued that the easy articulation of queer themes in mangas tend to purport that queers are warmly accepted in this country. The truth of the matter is, many queers have decided to create their own mangas and eventually share their experiences through this medium and eventually disseminate and share it to the public (Berry, Martin Hue 2003, p. 70). Accepted or Tolerated? While popular culture has managed to present the queer experience via films and print media, one cannot really see it as a form of acceptance. As mentioned earlier, popular culture as an instrument for queers to voice out their views and opinions has not managed to produce total queer acceptance within the community. Take for example in China, one thing that contributes to the failure of popular culture to achieve queer acceptance stems from the fact that (homosexuality) is seen as an influence of the West (Chua 1993, p. 38). Therefore, it can be seen that there is already a socially-constructed denial of the queer’s existence. Even though, there are little facts to support the contentions that homosexuality is a western influence, still this cultural belief is still engraved into the minds of many. Popular culture then finds it too difficult to go against such a strong and seemingly invincible system of belief. In the meantime, Chinese cinema’s portrayals and depictions of queers as individuals longing for the ideal relationship and partner that will last for the rest of time comes really short in presenting the authentic and genuine queer experience (Berry 2000, p. 87). What happens is that queer stereotypes are instead made and from time to time, the directors or producers of such movies are having a hard time in going against the country’s cultural convictions. Once and for all, there is a question of why several Chinese films often focus on the lonely side of the queer experience. This further places queer communities in a much derogatory stance. There is still the attempt to reconcile with the overall perspectives regarding queers. If there is already acceptance, then Chinese cinema should strive to stay-away from presenting how queers are prone to loosing their perfect partners and wait for another one. Although, this is something common in homosexual relationships, this area alone is just a portion of the colorful yet highly challenging queer life. In the meantime, as for the case of mangas, queers and popular culture in Japan, Grossman (2000) shared that while there are instances wherein mangas may present sexually related content, it is still permissible—not because it is already accepted (p. 41). Rather it is more on the fact that queer themes and even explicit content are highly tolerated since it simply inhibits â€Å"fantasies (Grossman 2000, p. 141). † Inhibiting fantasies are tolerated by the actual act is still not permissible (Grossman 2000, p. 141). Grossman (2000) further discussed that the market potential of mangas is seen from a positive light and it is tolerated with the intention to lessen the curiosity of the public and therefore lessen the occurrence of queer-related incidents and sex crimes (p. 141). Conclusion Popular culture is indeed influential and somehow it was able to give a voice to many queers. However, due to strong cultural orientations which often contradicts the queer existence, the matter is simply tolerated and still on the process of being readily accepted. Popular culture, in its articulation of queer themes and experiences is still at its infancy and insinuating to totally accept these matters still have a long way to go. As of the moment, the only thing that popular culture can offer to queers is tolerance. Acceptance can be only determined by time.

Safety Passport Scheme For Power Generation Sector Construction Essay

Safety Passport Scheme For Power Generation Sector Construction Essay Since the evolution of humans, people have been injured, maimed and killed during the course of their work right from carrying their work as hunters, to the modern day nuclear power plants. Implementation of health and safety practices dates back to the Hammurabi era (1780 BC), where death sentences were imposed to the builders who do not build it safer for the residents. As years passed, health and safety practices had good responses. It had many accidents, disasters and transformations to achieve a status of what health and safety practices mean to every industry now. Importance and awareness of health and safety practices among the workers are essential and also it is their right to have the information on health and safety practices. Before doing any work, one should know about the health and safety hazards in the work he does, to safeguard himself and those who work with him, he needs to be informed with the potential health and safety hazards in the environment. Health and safe ty practices became business and among many business models of health and safety practices, the model for informing and training an individual about the health and safety practices in the industry he/she works is Safety Passport Scheme. It is not just a business or a way for income, it became a business for the values it spread to the individuals who undergoes it. Health and safety at work is an area of management activity which, no matter how an organization perceives it, cannot be disregarded. Only professionals in health and safety can deliver the values to them. Health and safety became a subject of research where now we have even courses provided my many universities on health and safety practices. Safety Passport scheme generally is a passport for the individuals who hold it to enter the site they work for. A safety passport holder will have all the basic knowledge of the health and safety hazards around him and his colleagues and practices to follow in order to avoid them. A responsible manager on working site considers the safety passport as a way to have and ensure a safe environment in and around the site. Initially, safety passport schemes were developed generally which will apply to almost all industries. But as the technologies and methodologies changed drastically, specialisation and update was needed for the health and safety practices. In any sector, now only specialists are valued much. Gone are the days where people were looking for generic interests. In any field, only specialists are welcomed and recruited, specialists will have the deepest knowledge of that particular field they are involved with and they will excel in it. Though power generation sector falls under construction industry, it varies drastically from it. Technology, engineering, method of construction and erection of equipment, panels, testing and also hazards compared to the general construction industry, it has many potential hazards. In the research, I have done a market r esearch for a Safety Passport Scheme which is specially designed for the power generation sector by the health and safety specialists for the industry. The market research is conducted for United Kingdom. Report Background United Kingdom produces a total of 78,293MW of energy. As a single entity, British Energy is the market leader by producing 10,723MW of energy. Table below shows the market share of key players of power generation industry in UK. Major Players MW British Energy 10723 RWE Npower 10115 E.ON 9988.27 Scottish and southern energy 9176.4 Scottish power 6404 International power 4984 EDF 4928.4 Drax power 3945 Centrica 3530 Magnox 1622 Premier power 1156 Others 11720.93 Total 78293 The organizations have their own portfolio within their power production. Portfolios of power generation are decided by the fuel type they use for the production of electricity. Each fuel type has its own engineering process and construction, out of them few has similar engineering processes and construction only with minor changes, but they are regarded as same. So according to them, the categories I have decided are 1. Nuclear, 2. Hydro, 3. Combined Cycle Gas Turbine, 4. Coal/Oil/Gas, 5. Wind, 6. Others such as mine gas, poultry waste. According to the categories, the market share by fuel type is given in the table below. Fuel Type MW Coal/Gas/Oil 39298.3 CCGT 22091 Nuclear 10137 Hydro 4245.4 Wind 2297.6 Others 223.7 Total 78293 Out of the above categories, Nuclear does not support safety passport schemes and the safety passport scheme on which I am conducting the market research is not applicable to hydro power generation. I have identified the major players in other fuel categories for my research. In INDG381 the HSE (2003b) indicate that a safety passport training course should cover areas such as the hazards and risks that workers may face and how to identify them; having identified them what to do to either eliminate the hazard or control the risk; how to take steps to control the risks to themselves and others; where to find health and safety related information in connection with their job and how to follow a safe system of work. It is with this guidance in mind that the following reviews have been carried out. Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) CSCS was set up by the construction industry with the aims (amongst others) raising standards of health and safety to reduce risks and accidents throughout the industry (CSCS, 2007). The members of CSCS comprise employers trade bodies and Trade Unions including Construction Confederation; Federation of Master Builders; National Specialist Contractor Council; GMB Trade Union; Transport and General Workers Union; Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians, Construction Industry Council. The holder of a CSCS card is in theory able to prove his training and by implication competence in the role he is undertaking. There are several categories of CSCS card visitor (to a construction site) trainee, construction site operative, experienced worker, skilled worker, supervisor, experienced manager, senior manager and professionally qualified person. The structure of the card system is, for the worker and supervisor section of the workforce, largely hierarchical. For example a construction site operative would be expected to, either through practical experience, induction or other training and under supervision carry out basic activities such as using relevant hand tools, using PPE, organising work, reporting of accidents and handling material and components using accepted and safe methods and procedures. To receive a skilled worker card, in addition to the requirements above, the applicant must be in possession of a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) or Scottish Nation al Vocational Qualification (SNVQ); or have completed a a recognised trade or employer sponsored apprenticeship and completed a City and Guilds of London Institute Craft Certificate. The other standard requirement is that applicants for all cards must successfully pass a health and safety test. The basic test is of 30 minutes duration and, in addition to English is currently available in German, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian and Welsh. There is no requirement for any pre-test training course. The basic core test contains à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦either 2 or 3 questions from each of the 15 Core sections with 40 questions in total (CITB, 2000).The core sections include accident prevention and reporting; health and welfare; manual handling; working at height; Personal Protective Equipment (PPE); emergency procedures and first aid; safe use of hazardous substances and are heavily biased towards traditional construction of the building site type. The publication CITB ( 2000) also covers some specialist areas these include supervisory and management; demolition; plumbing or gas; highway works; specialist working at height and lifts and escalators. Summary CSCS is heavily biased towards traditional construction and covers the hazards and risks involved with traditional construction work at a basic level. Only two of the specialist areas (supervisory and management and working at height) have any real relevance to power station outage work. There is little emphasis on behavioural aspects of safety Engineering Services Skillcard The Engineering Services Skillcard, created by the Heating and Ventilation Contractors Association (HVCA), is similar in concept and affiliated to the CSCS scheme it has the aim of registering à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the skills and competence of people working throughout the mechanical services sector of the building services engineering industry (HVCA, 2009). Accreditation in health and safety is achieved by undertaking the CSCS affiliated health and safety test. Other similar schemes affiliated to CSCS include Construction Plant Competence Scheme (CPCS0; Construction Industry Scaffolder Record Scheme (CISRS); Northern Ireland Construction Skills Register ((NI)CSR); Certificate of Competence of Demolition Operatives (CCDO); Joint Industry Board Electrotechnical Certification Scheme (ECS); Plumbing Mechanical Engineering Services scheme (PMES) and Joint Industry Board for Plumbing in Scotland and NI (SNI JIB Plumbing) Summary Skillcard is an extension of CSCS above with exactly the same health and safety content and requirements. The CISRS and ECS affiliated schemes may have some relevance to outage work in certain circumstances. Client Contractor National Safety Group (CCNSG) The aim of the CCNSG Safety Passport Scheme is to ensure a basic knowledge of health and safety for all site personnel to enable them, after appropriate site induction, to work on site more safely with lower risk to themselves and others (CCNSG, 2009). Membership of the CCNSG includes the Construction Industry Association (CIA), the Trades Unions and the Training Providers. The Group is chaired by a member elected from the Client Group. The CCNSG Secretary is provided by the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB), the organisation who now manages the scheme. The CCNSG safety passport is differentiated from the CSCS (and other similar card schemes) in two main areas. It is a specific accredited two day training course followed by an end test and it is claimed that it is designed for the Engineering Construction Industry rather than the Construction Industry. However it is the clients on individual sites who specify which card or cards is or are acceptable as a demons tration of competency on their sites. The CCNSG National Course includes a wide spectrum of directly safety related training including Safe Behaviour at Work; Safe Place of Work; Confined Space Entry; Excavations; Permit to Work Systems Safe Use of Access Equipment Working at Heights; Site Transport; Protecting the Environment; Safe Lifting and Manual Handling; Safe Systems of Work; Asbestos; Hazardous Substances; The Lifting Equipment and Lifting Operations Regulations( LOLER); The provision and Use of Workplace Equipment Regulations (PUWER); Electricity; Isolation; Hand-Arm Vibration; Noise. Summary Training for the CCNSG passport is carried out by accredited (by the ECITB) independent organisations and its quality is open to being variable. The hazards and risks covered in the training are mainly focussed on construction but more aspects of the syllabus appear to apply to power station outage work and some aspects of behavioural safety are covered Assuring Competence in Engineering Construction (ACE) Closely allied to the CCNSG and also supported by the ECITB is the Assuring Competence in Engineering Construction (ACE) scheme. ACE is an industry initiative supported by all areas of engineering construction in the UK including, in addition to the ECITB, Contractors the Engineering Construction Industry Association (ECIA), the National Joint Council (NJCECI), the ECITB and the Trade Unions. The ECITB (2009) say that the aim of ACE is to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ensure that the competence of workers in the UK engineering construction industry is validated against National Occupational Standards in a flexible and cost effective way, with minimum disruption to ongoing productivity. Furthermore since June 2008 ACE has become affiliated to CSCS and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦a joint Assurance in Competence in Engineering Construction (ACE) and CSCS card will be available to individuals who meet the competence and health and safety awareness requirements relevant to NVQ Level 3. (ECITB, 2009b).This involves reaching a competency level in standard health and safety modules involves having a working knowledge of health and safety legislation, hazards, safety reporting, first aid procedures and procedures for reporting. Working knowledge is described as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ the minimum level of knowledge and understanding sufficient to perform your role in a manner that would normally be associated with the minimum acceptable performance of a competent person undertaking your role (ECITB, 2009c). Information from ACE (2009) indicates that the driver for the ACE scheme is that of technical competence validated by ECITB NVQ or SNVQ and this is currently available in a restricted number of engineering trade roles (e.g. welding and plating; [steel] erecting; mechanical fitting (including maintenance); pipefitting (including Instrument); electricians and rigging) Summary Although the main thrust of the ACE card is raising the skill levels in engineering construction in, currently a limited number of craft areas, the health and safety modules appear to have a closer synergy with outage work than other schemes. Behavioural aspects of safety are dealt with in the relevant health and safety modules. Basic Electrical Safety Competence (BESC) The BESC registration scheme is intended for anyone who carries out work either directly or indirectly on or near operational plant and equipment associated with the transmission and distribution of electricity. The scheme was developed by a task force of the Electricity Association Management Co-ordinating Committee (Distribution Transmission) with the assistance of the Electricity Company Training Managers and of the Electrical Training Association. The managers of the BESC scheme, Energy Utility Skills (EU Skills), label it as a workplace competency assessment and registration process, dealing with entering, moving around and exiting three specific work areas namely, substations, overhead lines; and underground cables. The basic safety requirements of the scheme are those relating to safe entry and exit, equipment identification, use of the correct PPE and carrying out of tasks in a safe manner. They are based on standards taken from the City Guilds N/SVQ awards and in particul ar specific relevant modules from the Electricity System Technology Engineering Support and Electricity System Technology Engineering awards. Summary BESC is specific specialist training and qualification directed towards electricity distribution companies and National Grid with specific reference to the hazards from working adjacent to live high voltage electricity equipment and so has limited relevance to power station outage work. The Safety Pass Alliance (SPA) Renewable Energy Sreenivasan et al (2003) portray the SPA as a UK organisation whose objective is to design and implement Safety Passport Training Schemes, delivered through accredited training providers and committed to providing a nationally recognised standard of health and safety training. SPA passports comprise a core section along with an industry sector specific section. To obtain acceptance into any additional sectors the holder of a current passport would need to attend the appropriate sector specific training session to upgrade it. Sectors with specific modules include industrial utilities, building maintenance food and drink, renewable energy, ports and shipping, quarries and pharmaceutical. The core health and safety training covers the following areas Organising for safety (health and safety law, responsibilities and risk assessment); the workplace (Including safe behaviour, welfare, and access and egress); plant and machinery (including tools, electricity and workplace transport); heal th (including PPE, COSHH, musculoskeletal problems); procedures (fire and first aid) and the environment. One of additional industry specific modules is the Renewable energy which focuses on those issues of particular concern for those who work within the renewable energy. This course comprises of nine modules: Workplace risk, Licenses permits and passes, Plant and equipment, Explosive atmospheres, Environment, Electricity, Working at height, Occupational health, Personal Safety (Safety Pass Alliance, 2010). Summary assuming that the relevant Renewable energy module is undertaken this offers the prospect of a close match of relevance to outage work but it is little used within Generation currently. The only client for this is ATKINS and Atkins was involved in designing this course. Some aspects of behavioural safety are addressed in the core health and safety training module. The European Dimension There have been an increasing number of non UK nationals working in the UK, figures from the Statistics Commission (2009) indicate that there were 2 million foreign nationals of working age in the UK in 2007out of a total working age population of 27.2 million. Generation has seen increased incidences of foreign workers on sites during outages and because of this the landscape of competence assessment schemes is infinitely more complex. In addition to foreign language versions of the CCNSG safety passport, currently offered in the UK in Polish and Portuguese amongst others there are several similar passport schemes existing in other EU member states including Health and Environment Checklist Contractors (SCC) in the Netherlands, FAS Safe Pass Health and Safety Awareness in Eire and the Occupational Safety Card in Finland. Both the latter are the national equivalents of CSCS. In the review of safety passport schemes Sreenivasan et al (2003) explains that although originally intended f or the petro-chemical and pharmaceutical associated industries in the Netherlands, SCC covers a range of other industries involved in hazardous work including construction and civil works. The scheme is now widespread across Belgium, France, Germany, and Austria and can be used without restrictions in Belgium and the Netherlands. The SCC qualification has the basic elements that broadly cover the contents of the CCNSG syllabus. The SCC has recognised, however, that there is a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦wide variation and an (excessively) wide bandwidth in the exams set by the various examination bodiesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ [possibly due]à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦to the excessively vague definition of the attainment targets (SCC, 2003). Included in this is a reference to Romiszowskis taxonomy that discriminates between knowledge (knowing something) and skills (being able to do something). Included within the attainment targets are the requirements to cover both these aspects of competence. Summary The SCC process does recognise that competence in health and safety does include more than the successful completion of a training package and although one of the target industry sectors petro-chemical has similarities with the Generation business, there is little evidence of the particular qualification having been used to any great extent within the UK. Advantages and Disadvantages of Safety Accreditation Schemes There are advantages and disadvantages to all accreditation/passport schemes discussed by Sreenivasan et al (2003). Advantages include the possession of a safety passport gives readily available evidence that the contractor has some form of basic health and safety training. A passport shows that a worker has up-to-date basic health and safety or health, safety and environment awareness training (HSE, 2003b) what they crucially do not do is demonstrate a way of knowing or identifying that a worker is competent (HSE, 2003b).Furthermore they are à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ generally not designed to correct the major faults in competence or diligence that usually result in the major accidents à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Sreenivasan et al, 2003). A recognised widespread scheme with a standard syllabus and acceptable attainment standards does however give some modicum of standardisation across an industry or an industry sector. The possession of a passport takes the form of a credit card-sized plastic card, usu ally with the employees name, photograph and identification number. If this is accompanied by a centrally held database directly accessible by subscribers it is a straightforward way of ensuring a passports validity. Finally passports do provide the contract company with a demonstration and audit trail that they are providing some of the suitable and sufficient training required by health and safety legislation. One of the main disadvantages of all accreditation and passport schemes is their financial implications in terms of training cost and lost productive time. These may well be able to be absorbed by a large company as part of its training budget but may well become a burden for both SMEs and individuals who act as freelance contractors. For businesses some of the costs may be able to be off set by grants (for example from the CITB Construction Skills levy) and a demonstration that most of a companys staff are in possession of a recognised safety accreditation may result in inc reased business. Additionally, although there is no empirical evidence to substantiate this, there is the possibility that there is a financial pressure on the accredited training provider to provide evidence of his worth and doing this by ensuring that he has an acceptable success rate in the assessment from his candidates. Aims and Objectives The report analyses the market for safety passport scheme for the power generation sector. The main aims of this market research are To provide evidence based approach for the acceptance of Safety Passport Scheme designed for power sector in UK. To capture the perceptions, opinions and aspirations of the potential target consumer market in relation to the safety passport scheme for the power sector in UK. Objectives were to identify Current schemes available and accepted. Which ones are most popular and why. Report on size of potential market in UK for a power generation specific safety passport scheme. Research into whether a sector specific passport would be accepted by Power Generators and associated contractors; specifically aimed at benefits and possible demerits. Confirm that an Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) scheme will have widespread acceptance. Research current pricing and if new scheme were developed what price should be set to achieve the Return on Investment. Review on how to roll this project out sustainably, assuming that new scheme is acceptable own resources, licensing to other providers to propose alternatives. Definitions Senior Executives The group consists of Directors of power generation organizations, managing directors of power generation organizations, and Senior Health and Safety professionals with massive experience in Health and Safety practices. Plant Managers The group consists of Health and Safety professionals responsible for power plants, and directors of power plants. Contractors The group consists of Managers of the construction contractors firms, Health and Safety directors of the firm, and Health and Safety managers. For current Schemes and their popularity Interviewed people from IOSH, ECITB, CCNSG, SPA, UKCG, CIC, and questionnaires distributed among contractors and plant managers. Potential Market in UK The market for safety passport scheme for power sector is the workers of the contractors who work for power generation industry. Data obtained from Office of National Statistics (ONS), UK. Acceptance of sector specific passport scheme with IOSHs accreditation For Power Sector Questionnaire distributed among senior executives, plant managers and contractors. Study of the environment by looking through variables like Regulation, News from power generators, Interview with health and safety professionals who had massive experience in the field, Political views, News from national skills academy of power. Economic patterns on Health and Safety spending Current Pricing Schemes Interviewed people from SPA, CCNSG/ECITB, CSCS, etc., including training providers Review on how to roll this project sustainably References from services marketing cases Market research for the Safety Passport Scheme was conducted during the period when the halted constructions of new power plants due to the recession for the past two years resumed their work. Spending was stopped during the recession on construction projects. The construction industry was overcoming the recession where the contribution of construction industry towards GDP of the country was increasing again. After a series of job cuts and cost cutting processes, the employment rate of construction industry had a significant increase during the period. Economic Trends Cost-cutting programmes, internationalization, commercial principles, shareholder value and sustainability, In all high value bids, safety is given more importance than bids of low value (Amec takes central role in  £20bn nuclear programme., 2009). Market Size Market for Safety Passport Scheme for power generation sector is the construction workers who work for the power generation industry. More than one million people are employed for the construction industry (Construction workers, 2008). Industry Structure Spending on health and safety Contractors fear that after years of improvements in health and safety standards, it could be undone if power generation organizations exploit the recession to drive down the construction costs. If power generation organizations force below-cost bidding, contractors could go backwards in health and safety standards. Power generation organizations could get really cheap prices but something has to give, they cannot expect contractors to come up with rock-bottom prices and then expect fantastic safety standards (Cheap deals could hit safety, warn contractors., 2009). Safety director of EDF said that contractors chosen to deliver EDFs new build schemes are expected to be productive, modern site committed to safety. The statement proves that power generation organizations are committed to Health and Safety practices. The construction director at EDF also announced that he is willing to help the suppliers to improve its safety competence (Power station sites face tight surveillance., 2009). In a statement released by UK Contractors group, they have agreed that Safety Passports cut risks in contract work (Safety passport cuts risks in contract work., 2009). Market Position Key Trends Speaking to media on EDFs  £20bn new build nuclear programme in UK, chief executive Vincent de Rivaz told that EDF is committed to safety. And it will maximise the opportunities for the UK supply chain. When issuing the civil packages to Laing ORourke, Costain and Carillion, De Rivaz confirmed them that EDFs commitment to safety and quality assurance is absolute. And he wanted to work with the partners who too are committed to safety. He also mentioned that the suppliers too will be expected to meet tough productivity and skills training targets (Safety first for EDFs nuclear contractors, 2009). Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) has claimed that nearly one out of every 10 UK businesses has slashed its health and safety budget because of recession. IOSH also found out that for most companies, health and safety is not the first budget on the chopping block. Contradicting the above stated facts, IOSH found out that emphasis on the need of health and safety practices among employers and staff work more closely together to minimise risks with business leaders in particular needing to ensure that corners are not cut out during economic times (Paton, UK reduces budgets for health and safety, 2009). Key Associations DRETS Analysis Demographic factors Population growth growth of number of employees, increase in the number of households, better education, Regulatory factors Political and legal factors learnings of the government in power, shift of regulatory power IOSH said that falling foul of tough new safety regulations could spell the end for firms already struggling with the economic downturn. It also warned that companies that play at health and safety practices, or firms that fail to provide a safe environment for staff, could face the prospect of incurring increased financial penalties. As per the new law which is effective from 16 January, maximum fine for minor breaches are from  £5,000 to  £20,000 and also pave the way for prison sentences of up to two years for individuals found guilty of health and safety breaches (Pitcher, 2009). Economic factors Contribution to Gross national product of the industry, changes in consumers income, changing expenditure patterns, countrys change of economic development, inflation, Looking for balance, confident and living well, at ease, overwhelmed. Technological factors Integration of technology with the service, impact of e-business and m-business Social factors Prevailing values, traditions, trends in society these tendencies are influenced by the above four factors. Individualism and rising customer expectation, the need of the groups, interest in health, time usage and energy expenditure, Competitive Structure The Marketplace Market Leaders Marketing Activity SWOT Analysis Strengths Weakness Opportunities Threats The Future Influence In 2002 when contractors are asked to increase company reporting on health and safety performance in the annual reports, just 103 of the countrys top 350 contractors have accepted the challenge. Out of them only the following five are top-10 contractors, Balfour Beatty, AMEC, Carillion, Skanska and Mowlem. HSC had asked the companies to put health and safety at the top of the agenda, but thats not the case in reality. It also found that, unless the decision makers know of the advantages to the bottom line of their organization, there will be no changes. HSC chairman Bill Callaghan also mentioned that the industry has a role to play and it is through shared experience and a change of culture that the sharing will happen (Pearman, No business case for safety stats, 2002). Forecasts Sector Trends Civil contractors are gearing up to bid for multi-million pound frameworks as part of the  £50bn nuclear power plant decommissioning programme now being rolled out across the UK. Last week, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) took control of the countrys 20 nuclear power plan

Comparison and Contrasting Between 3 poems: - The Flea (John Donne), Es

Comparison and Contrasting Between 3 poems: - The Flea (John Donne), Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer's Day (William Shakespeare), and Jenny Kissed Me (James Leigh Hunt) These three love poems or sonnets were all written pre 1914 but by very different writers. The authors of these poems use different styles of writing love poetry. For instance, John Donny is very clever. His poem, 'The Flea' brings out an angle of smart sayings to get people to have sex. William Shakespeare focuses more on actually love, while James Leigh Hunt focuses primarily on a blunt approach. Two of these three poems are very short, merely one verse if you can call them that. 'Jenny Kissed Me' by James Leigh Hunt rhymes creating a quicker tempo and bringing a real life experience to the readers mind. It brings over the fact that someone is infatuated with another. Someone 'stole' Jenny's love in this poem. ''Time, you thief, who love to get' indicates that someone picked their time to steal her love. However, much like Shakespeare's 'Shall I compare thee to a summer's day', this poem is about love, and not infatuation. It shows that the love has stayed through the course of time. William Shakespeare's 'Shall I compare thee to a summer's day' is a very popular sonnet. It is about love, very much unlike John Donne's the flea, which is merely about sex. It is easy to see the love shown in this sonnet by a variety of quotes. 'Though art more lovely and more temperate', 'Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines', 'Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest', and 'So long as men can breathe or eyes can see'. Almost every other line there is a reference to the beauty of the subject of this poem. 'Shall I compare thee to a summers d... ...onne's 'The Flea' is about someone trying to seduce a woman to have sex with him before marriage, while William Shakespeare's 'Shall I compare thee to a summer's day' is more about how love can be good, but can also hurt. A complete contrast to both is James Leigh Hunt's 'Jenny Kissed Me', which has a theme about someone being loved once, and clinging on to that memory, which could be for a few reasons. The actual dates of the poems reflect something about them. For instance, both Donne's 'The Flea', and Shakespeare's 'Shall I compare thee to a summers day' were written around the same time and culture, however, 'Jenny Kissed Me' by James Leigh Hunt was written about a hundred years afterward, this may reflect the dramatic change in styles of writing, just like the old English of the past and the contemporary writing styles have a remarkable difference.

Radioactive Isotopes Essay -- Chemistry Atoms Energy Essays

Radioactive Isotopes I never thought nuclear energy would play a role in my life, but that was until two years ago when my family was hit with horrifying news. A close friend of ours was diagnosed with breast cancer. Because of a new technology called radiation therapy or radiotherapy, my mother’s best friend is alive today. Radiotherapy is produced by a form of nuclear energy called radioactive isotopes. The class EGEE 101 has educated me about the subject of nuclear energy, but I wanted to take it a step further and discover how nuclear energy plays a role in medicine. Radioactive isotopes are radioactive atoms of common elements like carbon, cobalt, phosphorus, or sodium. Radioactive isotopes are located in â€Å"atomic ash† that is left behind after uranium atoms are split in a â€Å"nuclear pile.† Some radioactive isotopes are produced from the exposure of common elements to powerful radiation inside a nuclear reactor during fission (Nuclear Energy 2005). Fission occurs when an atom’s nucleus splits into two or more smaller nuclei, producing a large amount of energy. Radioactive isotopes release radiation in the form of beta and gamma rays. The strength of the radiation is relative to the rate where radioactive material decays. Because of this, different radioisotopes can be used for different purposes, depending on their strength. (Nuclear Energy 2005). Radioactive isotopes have led to what some are calling â€Å"nuclear medicine.† This type of medicine uses the radioactive isotopes to prevent, diagnose, and treat many diseases. During nuclear medicine diagnosing methods, a small amount of radioactive matter is penetrated into the body. The radioactive materials are attracted to cer... .... Radioisotopes in Medicine. May 2004. Uranium Information Centre Ltd. 4 Apr. 2005 . â€Å"Nuclear Energy.† Britannica Student Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia Britannica Online 4 Apr. 2005 . â€Å"Nuclear Engineering.† Encyclopedia Britannica. 2005. Encyclopedia Britannica Online 4 Apr. 2005 . Schenter, Robert. Nuclear Medicine Research Council. 18 Nov. 1998. Nuclear Medicine Research Council. 4 Apr. 2005 . Schenter, Robert. What Is Nuclear Medicine. 21 Sept. 1999. Nuclear Medicine Research Council. 4 Apr. 2005 . What Is Radiation Therapy. Dec. 2003. Your Medical Source. 4 Apr. 2005 .

How George Eliot Presents the Role of Fatherhood in Silas Marner Essay

How George Eliot Presents the Role of Fatherhood in Silas Marner The novel Silas Marner is about a man who loses everything in his old hometown Lantern Yard, to the hands of his friend. He moves to a village called Raveloe which he stays at for 15 years. Being a weaver for so long, Marner has made himself a very small fortune, which becomes his life. When it is stolen by one of the other villagers, Silas feels he has once again lost everything until he finds a small girl which he names Eppie. The bond between these two characters is an essential part of the novel as it brings out a key theme in the novel which is fatherhood. In the novel itself, there are many fathers, some of which we do not see much of. The main fathers happen to be Squire Cass, his son Godfrey, Ben Winthrop, Mr Lammeter and later on, Silas Marner. There is much distinction between these characters and the one that sticks out the most is perhaps Godfrey Cass. Godfrey is a young man who was seemingly forced to marrying some drug taking vagrant after making her pregnant, this fact is of course his...

Nursery school Essay

The range of provision which is available for parents to access for their children are: Pre- schools Day nurseries Children and family centres These are to be found in the private, voluntary or independent sector. The purpose of the early year’s sector is to care for and educate children and the these settings provide for babies and children which are put into a day nursery for parents/careers to go back to work. Children are put into sessional settings for social and educational purposes or a combination of care and education purposes. ‘Families requirements for their children vary some parents want care for their children so that they can return to work, some parents want to stay with their children while they socialise, some parents want their children in setting which offer services aimed at learning, some parents want their children to be in a home based environment and some families cannot afford to pay fees for provision.’ (http://www.silkysteps.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13241&highlight=scope) Because of this the early year’s sector provide many types of provisions to meet the needs of families. Other provisions include: Nurseries Childminders Pre-schools Crà ¨ches Parent and toddler groups Children centres EYMP 4 Task 3 The effective provision of pre-school education (EPPE) project is the first major European longitudinal study of a national sample of young children’s  development (intellectual and social/behavioural) between the ages of three and seven years. To investigate the effects of pre-school education for three- and four-year-olds, the EPPE team collected a wide range of information on more than 3000 children, their parents, their home environments and the pre-school settings they attended. (http://www.education.gov.uk/childrenandyoungpeople/earlylearningandchildcare/evidence/a0068162/effective-provision-of-pre-school-education-eppe) It has impacted on childcare provision as the research the EPPE team did showed that pre-school education helps the development of children socially, intellectually and behaviourally which would encourage more parents to put their child into pre-school provisions. The ‘Learning Report 2009’ Task 4 The potential effects of discrimination include isolation, possible exclusion, demoralisation, and where self-esteem, confidence and resilience can be potentially damaged . Types of discrimination are: Gender Age Disability Sexuality Race Culture Religion Poverty Education Personal features Not having English as first language Discrimination against any child no matter what their needs can make them feel isolated and different to other children. Very often children with special needs have a pretty difficult time trying to fit in with other  children especially if they are in a mainstream school. ‘All children can be very unintentionally cruel to one another and should be helped to understand that everyone is different and how this is good.’. (http://www.silkysteps.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5454) An example: In the setting I work all the staff and me promote inclusion and we treat everyone the same. In my placement the setting promote equal opportunity and every staff member respect all the children and their families. They help children with language needs where English is not their first language which helps to ensure they can settle and adapt to the setting. Example (reading and singing in their language, books and talking with parents to find words we can use) Task 5.