Here’s an interesting release I just received. It concerns a study on the value of training.
According to the recent study, more labor accidents could be prevented if workers received additional interactive, engaging training. The researchers found that when it comes to acquiring safety knowledge and demonstrating safe work behaviors in hazardous work environments, interactive training techniques like hands-on simulations play a critical role.
The study’s findings qualify the conclusions of a team of researchers from Canada’s Institute for Work & Health and the U.S.’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) which reported that there was insufficient evidence for recommending the adoption of more interactive training techniques. According to lead author, Michael J. Burke of Tulane University, “Our research is the most comprehensive to date to examine the question of how important training engagement is for informing workers about hazards and how to avoid them, and motivating workers to practice safe work behaviors.”
The research paper, which appeared in the February issue of the Journal of Applied Psychology, discusses how engaging and simulating training triggers a psychological response referred to as the “dread factor”. This response, particularly when workers are being prepared to deal with ominous hazards, enhances the ability to learn. For example, the considerable practice and social interaction involved in high engagement training in handling ominous hazards instills dread in workers. This realization of injury/illness vulnerability plays a primary role in motivating individuals to learn about how to avoid exposure to such hazards.
“From a practical viewpoint, this study shows that engaging training does make a difference for workers in highly hazardous conditions,” says a senior author on the study, Kristin Smith-Crowe of the University of Utah. “And recent disasters, like the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the Upper Big Branch mine explosion in West Virginia, remind us that the stakes can be very high.”
The investigation statistically integrated the results from 113 safety training studies (conducted since the passage of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration Act in 1971) with a total sample size of 24,694 workers from 16 countries.
The paper’s other co-authors include Rommel O. Salvador of the University of Washington in Tacoma, Suzanne Chan-Serafin of the University of New South Wales, and Alexis Smith and Shirley Sonesh of Tulane University.
Eric Byres, CTO of Byres Security Inc., Andrew Ginter, CTO of Abterra Technologies and Joel Langill, CSO of SCADAhacker.com announced today the release of their joint White Paper “How Stuxnet Spreads – A Study of Infection Paths in Best Practice Systems.” Byres says it is the first paper to detail how Stuxnet could infect a control system site protected by a high security architecture using modern, vendor-recommended best practices. The paper shows that current best practices are insufficient to block advanced threats. It then discusses what operators of control and SCADA systems need to do to protect their critical systems from future threats of this type.
Stuxnet is the first known malware to have been designed specifically to compromise a control system and sabotage an industrial process. It has been described by Symantec’s forensic experts as the “most sophisticated” piece of malware they have ever seen.
The paper follows the progress of the worm as it moves through a hypothetical control system, configured according to vendor-recommended security best practices. In spite of strong security measures, the worm is able to compromise a sequence of machines, culminating in the compromise of the PLC devices which directly control the physical process.
While Stuxnet is presumed to have targeted the Siemens WinCC and PCS7 systems used at Iran’s uranium enrichment plants, its existence creates a new cyber security standard for all automation and critical infrastructure sites around the world.
Andrew Ginter remarked “The Stuxnet worm is the best-documented example of an advanced threat designed to sabotage an industrial control system. Other recent attacks have targeted control systems for industrial espionage. Control systems are now targets of advanced threats and today’s best-practice defenses must be improved before they can stand against these kinds of adversaries.”
“By explaining how Stuxnet works, our paper helps security professionals understand what it takes to properly secure a state-of-the art industrial control system,” said Joel Langill. “The reality is that the majority of critical facilities are protected much less thoroughly than the hypothetical site described in our paper, and now they need to step up and protect against Stuxnet-like malware.”
“Our paper goes into great detail on Stuxnet infection pathways and highlights the difficulty of preventing infection from an advanced threat. While best practices for prevention should be implemented, control system operators should also put into practice early detection, mitigation, and containment strategies,” remarked Eric Byres. “Such strategies include putting into practice zone-based security as described in ANSI/ISA-99 Standards, paying particular attention on securing last line of defense critical systems, and understanding the unique security challenges of control systems versus IT systems.”
The paper concludes that changes to improve the cyber security of industrial control systems are urgently needed. You can download the paper here, but you must register with the Website.
Leadership in automation. How the leaders who developed ISA88, ISA95, MIMOSA have left a legacy that is readily apparent in products and applications. Now the ISA100 committee leadership needs to take the steps necessary to bring reconciliation and convergence and finish the standard.
Leadership in automation. How the leaders who developed ISA88, ISA95, MIMOSA have left a legacy that is readily apparent in products and applications. Now the ISA100 committee leadership needs to take the steps necessary to bring reconciliation and convergence and finish the standard.
GE continues to bolster its presence in various manufacturing, production and energy sectors with the proposed acquisition of the Well Support Division of John Wood Group PLC. Meanwhile, Siemens, no doubt watching is neighboring central European rival ABB picking up companies, has put out word that it is now in the acquisition hunt with a huge war chest.
GE Acquires Wood Group Division
GE announced that its Oil & Gas business has entered into an agreement to acquire the Well Support division of John Wood Group PLC (“Wood Group”) for approximately $2.8 billion. The transaction, which the Board of Wood Group intends to unanimously recommend to its shareholders, is expected to close later in 2011, subject to shareholders’ approval and customary closing conditions.
In 2010, the Well Support division recorded revenues of $947 million and EBITDA of $166 million (unaudited estimates), which reflected growth of 16% and 55% respectively over 2009. The division, which generated 13% average annual revenue growth over the past decade, is expected by GE to generate $1.1 billion in revenue and approximately $200 million of EBITDA in 2011. In addition, with synergies from GE Energy’s global scale and broad array of solutions, GE believes the business is well positioned for significant top and bottom line growth going forward.
John Krenicki, Vice Chairman and President and CEO of GE Energy added: “Enhanced oil recovery and unconventional hydrocarbon resource development are energy industry mega trends with huge growth potential. The Well Support Division and Wellstream acquisitions, when combined with Vetco Gray and Hydril, position GE to take full advantage of these trends. With the completion of these recent acquisitions, our drilling and production portfolio will be comprehensive and complete at scale to better serve our global customers and deliver double digit organic growth for our investors.”
Siemens now in the hunt
Meanwhile according to this story in The Local, Siemens seems poised to enter the acquisition fray joining ABB and GE who have been hunting and pouncing for some time and Honeywell and Rockwell who have also been making strategic acquisitions.
“When we talk about larger acquisitions, we mean significant sums of up to several billion euros,” Chief Financial Officer Joe Kaeser said in an interview with the business daily.
He added that the company, Europe’s largest engineering group by sales, had reached a level of “management maturity” that enabled it to pursue significant takeovers.
The company will focus on an expansion of its power network segment as well as looking at new techniques for energy efficiency and automation. “This is where our focus will be – strategically and operationally, also in terms of takeovers and when it comes to research and development,” Kaeser said.
The new direction is a major shift from the company’s previous strategy, which was concentrated on restructuring, expanding margins and internal growth. It illustrates how companies in Europe and the United States are looking for ways to spend the cash they have accumulated since last year’s economic recovery.
The report said Siemens has about €15.6 billion in acquisition money to spend and a company source told the Financial Times Deutschland that its war chest was “filled to the brim.”
