Safety Engineering Department

This department studies accident prevention and improvement of safe working conditions in industries concerned with development, utilization, and storage of natural energy and resources. Safety engineering is critical, not only for industrial progress, but also for including the time of a disaster, lifestyle improvements in a nation which imports huge quantities of natural and energy resources. Research in the Safety Engineering Department is motivated by the needs of the highly advanced, automated, and diversified modern industrial world.

Fracture Mechanics and Explosives Division

This division carries out research works mainly on subsurface safety, for example mechanical stability evaluation of rock mass using non-destructive testing technique such as acoustic emission or geo-tomography techniques, stress measurement technique using rock cores, and fundamental research on mechanical properties of rock under simulated deep underground condition. Research works are also being conducted on the safety of different type of explosive and the new application of explosives.

The following subjects are presently being carried out:

• Rock fracture mechanics study under the environment of radioactive waste disposal.
• Application of geo-tomography technique to monitoring of contaminated soil.
• Development of highly advanced blasting technique.
• Safety evaluation of chemicals for the air-bag in the car.

Systems Safety Division

This division carries out fundamental research on the causes of safety systems breakdown and the evaluations of safety risk. For example, studies are conducted on human factors, mechanism of human error and safety protective devices, as well as the analysis of gas flow and sound propagation.

The division's main research subjects are:

• Human factors in an emergency evacuation.
• Effects of propagation path on sound and vibration.
• Physiological evaluation of respiratory devices.
• Dispersion of spilled dense gas and measures for safty.

Safety Monitoring and Control Division

This division researches on techniques for sensing, evaluating, and controlling dangerous working conditions. For example, studies are conducted on gas detection, remote monitoring related to gas and smoke, thermography, deterioration of safety equipment and materials, and safety diagnoses.

The division's main subjects are:

• Inflammable and toxic gas detection,
• Remote monitoring technique of smoke exhaust and exhaust gas,
• Control of electrochemical reactions on metal surfaces and measures for underground water contamination,
• Countermeasures technique against liquefaction.

Chemical Substances Risk Assessment Division

The division studies methodologies for risk assessment and exposure assessment of chemical substances, and the development of fate models for the comprehensive risk management of hazardous chemicals. Special emphasis is placed on the subjects of:

• Methodologies for risk assessment and exposure assessment.
• Emission Analysis of Industrial Chemicals and Inventories.
• Chemical Substances Fate Modeling in Multimedia Environment.
• Risk Management Framework and Environmental Economy.

List Page

Global Warming Control Department

Thermal Energy and Combustion Engineering Department

Atmospheric Environmental Protection Department

Hydrospheric Environmental Protection Department

Environmental Assessment Department

Energy Resources Department

Materials Processing Department

Geotechnology Department

Safety Engineering Department

Coal Mine Safety Research Center, Hokkaido

Coal Mine Safety Research Center, Kyushu