The Bhopal Gas Tragedy Environmental Sciences Essay

On December 3, 1984. In the metropolis of Bhopal, a cloud of toxic gases escaped from an American pesticide works, killing and wounding 1000s of people. When the noxious clouds cleared, the worst industrial catastrophe in history had taken topographic point. Now, Dominique Lapierre in her book â€Å" Five Past Midnight † brings the 100s of characters, struggles, and adventures together in an unforgettable narrative of love and hope.IntroductionUnion Carbide Corporation ( UCC ) was asked to construct a works for the industry of Sevin, a pesticide normally used throughout Asia. As portion of the trade, India ‘s authorities insisted that a important per centum of the investing semen from local stockholders. The authorities itself had a 22 % interest in the company ‘s subordinate, Union Carbide India Limited ( UCIL ) . The company built the works in Bhopal because of its cardinal location and entree to transport substructure. The specific site within the metropolis was zoned for light industrial and commercial usage, non for risky industry. The works was ab initio approved merely for preparation of pesticides from constituent chemicals, such as MIC imported from the parent company, in comparatively little measures. However, force per unit area from competition in the chemical industry led UCIL to implement â€Å" backward integrating † – the industry of natural stuffs and intermediate merchandises for preparation of the concluding merchandise within one installation. This was inherently a more sophisticated and risky procedure. In 1984, the works was fabricating Sevin at one one-fourth of its production capacity due to reduced demand for pesticides. Widespread harvest failures and dearth on the subcontinent in the 1980s led to increased liability and reduced capital for husbandmans to put in pesticides. Local directors were directed to shut the works and fix it for sale in July 1984 due to reduced profitableness. When no ready purchaser was found, UCIL made programs to level cardinal production units of the installation for cargo to another developing state. In the interim, the installation continued to run with safety equipment and processs far below the criterions found in its sister works in Institute, West Virginia. The local authorities was cognizant of safety jobs but was reticent to put heavy industrial safety and pollution control burdens on the fighting industry because it feared the economic effects of the loss of such a big employer. At 11.00 PM on December 2 1984, while most of the one million occupants of Bhopal slept, an operator at the works noticed a little leak of methyl isocyanate ( MIC ) gas and increasing force per unit area inside a storage armored combat vehicle. The vent-gas scrubber, a safety device interior decorator to neutralize toxic discharge from the MIC system, had been turned off three hebdomads prior. Apparently a faulty valve had allowed one ton of H2O for cleaning internal pipes to blend with 40 dozenss of MIC. A 30 ton infrigidation unit that usually served as a safety constituent to chill the MIC storage armored combat vehicle had been drained of its coolant for usage in another portion of the works. Pressure and heat from the vigorous exothermal reaction in the armored combat vehicle continued to construct. The gas flair safety system was out of action and had been for three months. At around 1.00 AM, December 3, loud rumble reverberated around the works as a safety valve gave manner di recting a plume of MIC gas into the early forenoon air. Within hours, the streets of Bhopal were littered with human cadavers and the carcases of American bisons, cattles, Canis familiariss and birds. An estimated 3,800 people died instantly, largely in the hapless slum settlement adjacent to the UCC works. Local infirmaries were shortly overwhelmed with the injured, a crisis farther compounded by a deficiency of cognition of precisely what gas was involved and what its effects were. It became one of the worst chemical catastrophes in history and the name Bhopal became synonymous with industrial calamity. Estimates of the figure of people killed in the first few yearss by the plume from the UCC works tally every bit high as 10,000, with 15,000 to 20,000 premature deceases reportedly happening in the subsequent two decennaries. The Indian authorities reported that more than half a million people were exposed to the gas. Several epidemiological surveies conducted shortly after the accident showed important morbidity and increased mortality in the open population. These informations are likely to under-represent the true extent of inauspicious wellness effects because many open persons left Bhopal instantly following the catastrophe ne'er to return and were hence lost to followup.AftermathImmediately after the catastrophe, UCC began efforts to disassociate itself from duty for the gas leak. Its chief maneuver was to switch blameworthiness to UCIL, saying the works was entirely built and operated by the Indian subordinate. It besides fabricated scenarios affecting sabotage by antecedently unknown Sikh extremist groups and dissatisfied employees but this theory was impugned by legion independent beginnings. The toxic plume had hardly cleared when, on December 7, the first multi-billion dollar case was filed by an American lawyer in a U.S. tribunal. This was the beginning of old ages of legal intrigues in which the ethical deductions of the calamity and its affect on Bhopal ‘s people were mostly ignored. In March 1985, the Indian authorities enacted the Bhopal Gas Leak Disaster Act as a manner of guaranting that claims originating from the accident would be dealt with quickly and equitably. The Act made the authorities the exclusive representative of the victims in legal proceedings both within and outside India. Finally all instances were taken out of the U.S. legal system under the opinion of the presiding American justice and placed wholly under Indian legal power much to the hurt of the injured parties. In a colony mediated by the Indian Supreme Court, UCC accepted moral duty and agreed to pay $ 470 million to the Indian authorities to be distributed to claimants as a full and concluding colony. The figure was partially based on the disputed claim that merely 3000 people died and 102,000 suffered lasting disablements. Upon denoting this colony, portions of UCC rose $ 2 per portion or 7 % in value. Had compensation in Bhopal been paid at the same rate that asbestosis victims where being awarded in US tribunals by defendant including UCC – which mined asbestos from 1963 to 1985 – the liability would hold been greater than the $ 10 billion the company was deserving and insured for in 1984. By the terminal of October 2003, harmonizing to the Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation Department, compensation had been awarded to 554,895 people for hurts received and 15,310 subsisters of those killed. The mean sum to households of the dead was $ 2,200. At every bend, UCC has attempted to pull strings, obfuscate and withhold scientific information to the hurt of victims. Even to this day of the month, the company has non stated precisely what was in the toxic cloud that enveloped the metropolis on that December dark. When MIC is exposed to 200A ° heat, it forms debauched MIC that contains the more deathly H nitrile ( HCN ) . There was clear grounds that the storage armored combat vehicle temperature did make this degree in the catastrophe. The reddish colour of blood and entrails of some victims were characteristic of acute nitrile toxic condition. Furthermore, many responded good to disposal of Na thiosulfate, an effectual therapy for nitrile toxic condition but non MIC exposure. UCC ab initio recommended usage of Na thiosulfate but withdrew the statement subsequently motivating suggestions that it attempted to cover up grounds of HCN in the gas leak. The presence of HCN was smartly denied by UCC and was a point of speculation am ong research workers. As farther abuse, UCC discontinued operation at its Bhopal works following the catastrophe but failed to clean up the industrial site wholly. The works continues to leak several toxic chemicals and heavy metals that have found their manner into local aquifers. Perilously contaminated H2O has now been added to the bequest left by the company for the people of BhopalLESSONS LEARNEDThe events in Bhopal revealed that spread outing industrialisation in developing states without coincident development in safety ordinances could hold ruinous effects. The catastrophe demonstrated that apparently local jobs of industrial jeopardies and toxic taint are frequently tied to planetary market kineticss. UCC ‘s Sevin production works was built in Madhya Pradesh non to avoid environmental ordinances in the U.S. but to work the big and turning Indian pesticide market. However the mode in which the undertaking was executed suggests the being of a dual criterion for transnational corporations runi ng in developing states. Enforceable unvarying international operating ordinances for risky industries would hold provided a mechanism for significantly improved in safety in Bhopal. Even without enforcement, international criterions could supply norms for mensurating public presentation of single companies engaged in risky activities such as the industry of pesticides and other toxic chemicals in India. National authoritiess and international bureaus should concentrate on widely applicable techniques for corporate duty and accident bar as much in the underdeveloped universe context as in advanced industrial states. Specifically, bar should include hazard decrease in works location and design and safety statute law. Local authoritiess clearly can non let industrial installations to be situated within urban countries, irrespective of the development of land usage over clip. Industry and authorities need to convey proper fiscal support to local communities so they can supply medical and other necessary services to cut down morbidity, mortality and material loss in the instance of industrial accidents. Public wellness substructure was really weak in Bhopal in 1984. Tap H2O was available for merely a few hours a twenty-four hours and was of really hapless quality. With no working sewerage system, untreated human waste was dumped into two nearby lakes, one a beginning of imbibing H2O. The metropolis had four major infirmaries but there was a deficit of doctors and infirmary beds. There was besides no mass casualty exigency response system in topographic point in the metropolis. Existing public wellness substructure needs to be taken into history when risky industries choose sites for fabrication workss. Future direction of industrial development requires that appropriate resources be devoted to progress planning before any catastrophe occurs. Communities that do non possess substructure and proficient expertness to react adequately to such industrial accidents should non be chosen as sites for risky industry. Since 1984 Following the events of December 3 1984 environmental consciousness and activism in India increased significantly. The Environment Protection Act was passed in 1986, making the Ministry of Environment and Forests ( MoEF ) and beef uping India ‘s committedness to the environment. Under the new act, the MoEF was given overall duty for administrating and implementing environmental Torahs and policies. It established the importance of incorporating environmental schemes into all industrial development programs for the state. However, despite greater authorities committedness to protect public wellness, woods, and wildlife, policies geared to developing the state ‘s economic system have taken precedency in the last 20 old ages. India has undergone enormous economic growing in the two decennaries since the Bhopal catastrophe. Gross domestic merchandise ( GDP ) per capita has increased from $ 1,000 in 1984 to $ 2,900 in 2004 and it continues to turn at a rate of over 8 % per twelvemonth. Rapid industrial development has contributed greatly to economic growing but there has been important cost in environmental debasement and increased public wellness hazards. Since suspension attempts consume a big part of India ‘s GDP, MoEF faces an acclivitous conflict as it tries to carry through its authorization of cut downing industrial pollution. Heavy trust on coal-burning power workss and hapless enforcement of vehicle emanation Torahs have result from economic concerns taking precedency over environmental protection. With the industrial growing since 1984, there has been an addition in little graduated table industries ( SSIs ) that are clustered about major urban countries in India. There are by and large less rigorous regulations for the intervention of waste produced by SSIs due to less waste coevals within each single industry. This has allowed SSIs to dispose of untreated effluent into drainage systems that flow straight into rivers. New Delhi ‘s Yamuna River is exemplifying. Perilously high degrees of heavy metals such as lead, Co, Cd, chrome, Ni and Zn have been detected in this river which is a major supply of drinkable H2O to India ‘s capital therefore presenting a possible wellness hazard to the people populating at that place and countries downstream. Land pollution due to uncontrolled disposal of industrial solid and risky waste is besides a job throughout India. With rapid industrialisation, the coevals of industrial solid and risky waste has increased appreciably and the environmental impact is important. India relaxed its controls on foreign investing in order to submit to WTO regulations and thereby attract an increasing flow of capital. In the procedure, a figure of environmental ordinances are being rolled back as turning foreign investings continue to turn over in. The Indian experience is comparable to that of a figure of developing states that are sing the environmental impacts of structural accommodation. Exploitation and export of natural resources has accelerated on the subcontinent. Prohibitions against turn uping industrial installations in ecologically sensitive zones have been eliminated while preservation zones are being stripped of their position so that pesticide, cement and bauxite mines can be built. Heavy trust on coal-burning power workss and hapless enforcement of vehicle emanation Torahs are other effects of economic concerns taking precedency over environmental protection. In March 2001, occupants of Kodaikanal in southern India caught the Anglo-Dutch company, Unilever, red-handed when they discovered a garbage dump with toxic quicksilver laced waste from a thermometer mill run by the company ‘s Indian subordinate, Hindustan Lever. The 7.4 ton reserve of mercury-laden glass was found in lacerate tonss sloping onto the land in a bit metal pace located near a school. In the autumn of 2001, steel from the ruins of the World Trade Center was exported to India seemingly without first being tested for taint from asbestos and heavy metals present in the twin tower dust. Other illustrations of hapless environmental stewardship and economic considerations taking precedency over public wellness concerns abound. The Bhopal catastrophe could hold changed the nature of the chemical industry and caused a redirect examination of the necessity to bring forth such potentially harmful merchandises in the first topographic point. However the lessons of ague and chronic effects of exposure to pesticides and their precursors in Bhopal has non changed agricultural pattern forms. An estimated 3 million people per twelvemonth suffer the effects of pesticide poisoning with most exposure happening in the agricultural development universe. It is reported to be the cause of at least 22,000 deceases in India each twelvemonth. In the province of Kerala, important mortality and morbidity have been reported undermentioned exposure to Endosulfan, a toxic pesticide whose usage continued for 15 old ages after the events of Bhopal. Aggressive selling of asbestos continues in developing states as a consequence of limitations being placed on its usage in developed states due to the well-established nexus between asbestos merchandises and respiratory diseases. India has become a major consumer, utilizing around 100,000 dozenss of asbestos per twelvemonth, 80 % of which is imported with Canada being the largest overseas provider. Mining, production and usage of asbestos in India is really slackly regulated despite the wellness jeopardies. Reports have shown morbidity and mortality from asbestos related disease will go on in India without enforcement of a prohibition or significantly tighter controls. UCC has shrunk to one sixth of its size since the Bhopal catastrophe in an attempt to reconstitute and deprive itself. By making so, the company avoided a hostile coup d'etat, placed a important part of UCC ‘s assets out of legal range of the victims and gave its stockholder and top executives big net incomes. The company still operates under the ownership of Dow Chemicals and still provinces on its web site that the Bhopal catastrophe was â€Å" cause by calculated sabotage † . Some positive alterations were seen following the Bhopal catastrophe. The British chemical company, ICI, whose Indian subordinate manufactured pesticides, increased attending to wellness, safety and environmental issues following the events of December 1984. The subordinate now spends 30-40 % of their capital outgos on environmental-related undertakings. However, they still do non adhere to criterions every bit rigorous as their parent company in the UK. The US chemical giant DuPont learned its lesson of Bhopal in a different manner. The company attempted for a decennary to export a nylon works from Richmond, VA to Goa, India. In its early dialogues with the Indian authorities, DuPont had sought and won a singular clause in its investing understanding that absolved it from all liabilities in instance of an accident. But the people of Goa were non willing to assent while an of import ecological site was cleared for a heavy polluting industry. After about a decennary of protesting by Goa ‘s occupants, DuPont was forced to scurry programs at that place. Chennai was the following proposed site for the plastics works. The province authorities at that place made significantly greater demand on DuPont for grants on public wellness and environmental protection. Finally, these programs were besides aborted due to what the company called â€Å" fiscal concerns † . QUESTIONAIRE Name: Alkesh R Takpere Age: 43 Company Name: RCF Appellation: Chief Manager ( Technical services ) Which merchandises do you cover in? Fertilizers and other chemicals 1 ) Fertilizer Urea 2 ) Complex fertilisers ( NPK ) 3 ) Methanol 4 ) Sodium Nitrate 5 ) Ammonium hydrogen carbonate 6 ) Methylamines 7 ) Dimethyl Form amide 8 ) Dimethylacetamide Which is the most risky chemical and what is the injury caused due to it? Methanol is a risky chemical. It has severed effects on the organic structure such as terrible abdominal, leg, and back hurting. Sums of methyl alcohol can besides do Loss of vision and even sightlessness. Have your company faced any calamity with respects to gas escape? No, RCF has ne'er faced any gas escape jobs. During the start up and the shut down all the gases are arrested utilizing flairs. If yes, how did you cover with the state of affairs? We have upgraded ourselves with all the latest engineering. There are 22 workss in all and they are installed with DCS systems in all the workss. Bing established in 1968 we bit by bit modernized all the systems. We have computerized control systems which help us track all the activities around the fabricating units. The temperature degree of all the vass can be moderated via computing machine. Internalized LAN system connexions with the ammonium hydroxide workss help in maintaining a cheque on operation of the works, temperature and chemical degrees, MCS 1010 grade Celsius. Workplace proctors help us to take disciplinary actions via â€Å" Alarms † and â€Å" CCTV ‘s † which command the operators and the analysts. What are the ideal norms to be followed in a chemical fabrication company? There are two types of Norms followed by the RCF: Safety norms and environment norms. Safety norms: Training to all contract employees Time to clip wellness look into up Separate preparation given to the applied scientists Fire contending preparation Baseball gloves, goggles and places to cover with risky chemicals Welding shield for welding occupations Environment norms: Norms related to Sox, Nox, Ammonia, â€Å" PM2.5 † , CO etc Other stipulated norms given by CPCB ( Central Pollution Control Board ) and MPCB ( Maharashtra Pollution Control Board ) and RCF works manner below these norms. What safeguards are taken as a step of safety? Surveies done by allocated organic structures ISO 14000, ISO 9000 & A ; OSAS -18000 ( Certified ) Proper medical assistance handiness at the clip of accidents Due attention for worker life by availing the insurance Health look into up from clip to clip Workers with Phobia ‘s detected by the physician are non permitted to work Fire Fighting Training is given to the workers in the welding section Mock bore on Levels 1,2, & A ; 3 is conducted one time in a one-fourth for supervising safety Flat 1: Deals with gaseous emanations Flat 2: Deals with Fire Department Flat 3: Common group treatments are done in instance of major issues. Level 3 Mock drill is performed one time in a twelvemonth. BPCL & A ; HPCL are members with RCF who are taken into consideration at degree 3 Example: Heavy escape Did the company undergo any alterations after the Bhopal Gas Tragedy? RCF has set up the environment cell in 1978. 500 chromium. was spent for environment protection while puting up the cell. 4 ambient air quality monitoring subdivisions are set up around each works of RCF to supervise the gas emanations from the works. They function 24Ãâ€"7 ; to convey and capture informations every 15 proceedingss. Meteorological Department is set up in one of the workss to command the air pollution around RCF. Are all the employees in your company insured? There is a group insurance policy The contract workers are insured under ESI What is the function of the company in societal duty? Autonomic nervous system: The following enterprises have been taken by the company: aˆ? Farmer Education on farm inputs aˆ? Soil Testing of major and micro foods aˆ? Water/Irrigation direction aˆ? Plant Protection Measures aˆ? Training on station crop engineering & A ; selling aˆ? Field and Crop Demonstrations are other effectual agencies of leaving cognition to husbandmans. aˆ? Tie-up with M/s ITC e-choupal aˆ? The Company has 6 inactive and 4 nomadic soil-testing new waves. More than 60,000 dirt samples are tested every twelvemonth and recommendations on efficient usage of fertilisers are given through ‘Soil Health Cards ‘ . aˆ? 600 Krishi-melas conducted functioning about 3,00,000 husbandmans per twelvemonth aˆ? RCF has launched a dedicated web site for husbandmans â€Å" www.rcfkrushisamridhi.com † What are the assorted monitoring & A ; surveillance system adopted by the company for security intents? Autonomic nervous system: For security purposes the company follows assorted policies like: The ‘Fraud Prevention Policy of RCF-2010 ‘ has been framed to supply a system for sensing and bar of fraud, coverage of any fraud that is detected or suspected and just dealing of affairs refering to fraud. The policy will guarantee and supply for the followers: – 1. To guarantee that direction is cognizant of its duties for sensing and bar of fraud and for set uping processs for forestalling fraud and/or observing fraud when it occurs. 2. To supply a clear counsel to employees and others covering with RCF, prohibiting them from engagement in any deceitful activity and the action to be taken by them where they suspect any deceitful activity. 3. To carry on probes into deceitful activities. 4. To supply confidences that any and all suspected deceitful activity will be to the full investigated. This policy applies to any fraud, or suspected fraud, affecting employees of RCF ( all full clip, portion clip or employees appointed on adhoc / impermanent / contract footing, student nurses and trainees ) every bit good as representatives of sellers, providers, contractors, advisers, service suppliers or any outside bureau making any type of concern with RCF. The company besides employs 12 to 15 security guards in & A ; around the office premises. What is the back-up program of the company in instance of indecent accident or any exigency? Autonomic nervous system: There is handiness of ambulance at mill site Safety dismaies are available as a warning signal to move rapidly in instance of exigency Workers are provided with proper and maintained machineries What function does moralss play at RCF? We make certain that air pollution Act, H2O pollution act and noise pollution act are followed purely. In MOU with authorities of India we guarantee that are 2 adult male yearss per employee for preparation. What step has RCF taken apart from the authorities norms? Alternatively of N2O, RCF uses DN2O acid accelerator which has the potency of consuming pollution by 300 times. We besides use selective catalytic reactor to breathe colourless exhausts alternatively of brown exhausts as earlier. Interpretation & A ; Analysis of the Interview RCF produces fertilisers and other risky chemicals of the classs:15-15-15 & A ; 20-20-0 RCF being one of the largest chemical fertilizing workss takes extreme safeguards and applies rigorous pattern of safety steps. They are really peculiar about the safety and take heavy steps for the same. They give equal preparation to all the workers every bit good as the contract employees. They are one measure in front in using the safety norms. There have no incident taken topographic point in RCF with regard to gas escape or other such catastrophe. They are really advanced and have modernized all the workss since 1968.They usage computerised monitoring system to look into the operation of every works which is reviewed in every 15 minutes.There are 22 workss and a works is shut down one time a twelvemonth for one-year care either in May or October for a maximal period of 20 yearss one works at a time.They have spent around 500 crores for developing the environment cell therefore lending to the protection of environment. They are besides really peculiar about the wellness of every worker. Besides after the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, the authorities norms have become really stringent.Thus, the whole interview gave us a thought that RCF believes in â€Å" Better Safe than Sorry † Q. Describe the systematic mistakes that led to the catastrophe in December 1984? These were the above factors that contributes to the Bhopal Gas Tragedy in 1984. A Production: The usage of risky chemicals like ( MIC ) alternatively of less unsafe onesA.Care: Storing these chemicals in big armored combat vehicles alternatively of over 200 steel drums.A Possible eating stuff in pipelinesA A Poor care after the works ceased production in the early 1980sA SECURITY & A ; SAFETY: Failure of several safety systems ( due to hapless care and ordinances ) .A Safety systems being switched off to salvage money-including the MIC armored combat vehicle infrigidation system which entirely would hold prevented the catastrophe. Government: The job was made worse by the works ‘s location near a dumbly populated country, non-existent calamity programs and defects in wellness attention and socio-economic rehabilitation. Analysis shows that the parties responsible for the magnitude of the catastrophe are the two proprietors, Union Carbide Corporation and the Government of India, and to some extent, the Government of Madhya Pradesh. Finance: Supplying less rewards & A ; no publicities to extremely skilled workers which made them to exchange the administration. Training: Coercing the workers to utilize English manuals even after cognizing they are non familiar with the linguistic communication. Q. Find out trigger points that a uninterrupted procedure fabrication works covering with risky stuffs need to watch out for? A uninterrupted procedure fabrication works have to watch out on following points: Chemical degrees of: Night Sox Ammonia $ other risky Chemicals Temperature degrees of the Vessels After Bhopal Gas Tragedy, all the chemical fabrication companies have started holding hart proctors in every subdivision as a safeguard step. Wherever these risky chemicals are produced, stored, used or handled, a proper and effectual wellness direction programme should be implemented so as to protect the involvement and safeguard the safety and wellness of people who are exposed to such stuffs. Policies and scheme – the duty of the direction sing the safety of employees and the usage of the chemicals should be stated in the policy statement. To give consequence to the policy, the direction must border a broad scheme on pull offing the risky chemicals. Register of chemicals – these should incorporate the information sing the location and the stock list of the chemicals. Besides it should advert the figure of people exposed to those risky chemicals. Risk appraisal and command – 1 ) designation of the safety and the wellness risky events, 2 ) Frequency of the exposure to the chemicals and likeliness of happening of the events and its development excessively. If the determination shows that the hazard is excessively high and non acceptable than preventative steps should be taken every bit shortly as possible. Safety work processs – at any point where and when this chemicals are used in managing there should be a written process for the start up, everyday operation, shut down and care work. It besides include the usage of personal protective equipments when necessary and besides other safeguards to be taken. Storage of chemicals – a storage system is established based on the nature of the chemical, mutual exclusiveness, measure and environmental conditions. So the layout of the storage design should take into the consideration like the statutory demand, material safety informations and besides other national and international criterions to be followed. Personal protection equipment include inhalators, safety spectacless, field shields overall, aprons and baseball mitts. Workplace supervising – it reveals which workers, country of the workplace and nearby locality of the works will be most affected if degree of the airborne taint additions. A regular medical examination by a competent individual should be carried out and besides consequence of the monitoring should be right evaluated and decently recorded. Emergency planning responses and first assistance procedures – its needed to get by up with chemical acciidents such as fires, detonations, spills, or leaks of risky stuffs. Emergency processs should be established so that the beginning of release should be decently rectified and the country of taint could be decently contained. The first assistance programme will guarantee that commissariats for exigency intervention of victims of chemical toxic condition or inordinate exposure to toxic chemicals are met. Information and preparation – employees who handle chemicals or may be affected by them should be informed of the hazard potency of these chemicals and the processs for safe handling, minimisation of exposure. A preparation programme should be instituted to guarantee that the safe handling process are both known and understood by all concerned. Information on risky chemicals and safe handling processs should be disseminated on a regular basis to employees involved via group and single preparation, informations sheets and other AIDSs. Programme reappraisal and audit – the direction should carry on an one-year reappraisal of its risky stuff, direction programmed to guarantee that it is relevant and up-to-date. The programme should be subjected to regular audits to guarantee that it has been implemented efficaciously. The direction should implement the recommendations of the reappraisal and the audit to better and heighten the programme.Acts and regulations sing the chemical industriesEnvironment direction The air bar and control of pollution act, 1981amended 1987 The H2O bar and control of pollution act, 1974 amended 1988 The environment protection act 1986 amended 1991 Hazardeous wastes ( direction and handling regulation ) , 1986 amended 2004 Ozone depleting substances ( ordinance and control ) regulations, 2000 Batteries ( direction and managing ) regulations 2001 Chemical safety and exigency direction Industry storage and import of hazardeous chemical regulations 1989 amended 2000 Chemical accidents ( exigency planning and response ) regulation, 1996 Public lialibity insurance act, 1991 amended 1998 Specific chemical category/container The chemical carbide rules,1987 The explosives act, 1988 The gas cylinders regulations 2004 The insect powders act,1988 The fertilizer control order act, 1985 The crude oil act, 1934 Other relevant to chemical direction Factories act, 1948 The moter vehicals act, 1988 The mines act 1952 The national catastrophe direction act, 2005 Chemical Rules in India: BackgroundPrime DriversAâ„ ¢ Bhopal Gas Disaster, 1984 Aâ„ ¢ Environment ( Protection ) Act, 1986 Aâ„ ¢ Multilateral Environmental Agreements ( MEAs ) Aâ„ ¢ Responsible Care ; OSHAS 18001Aims– Prevention of major accidents – Restricting the effects on adult male & A ; environment – Safety, control steps and coordination amongst bureaus. Chemical Rules in India Background: Industrial Activities Covered in the ordinances: Production, storages, usage and import of the specified risky chemicals. Chemical and petrochemical substances holding risky ( i.e. flammable, explosive, caustic, toxic ) belongingss. Storages of risky chemicals non associated with procedures. Industry, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemical Rules: Requirements in instance of Low Level Chemicals Identify jeopardies associated with industrial activity and take equal stairss for bar and control Provide relevant information to individuals apt to be affected by a major accident Develop information in the signifier of a safety informations sheets Industry, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemical Rules: Requirements in instance of the Medium & A ; High degree chemicals & A ; Storages off from Plant. Aâ„ ¢Submit written study sing â€Å" Notification of site † at least three months before and get downing any activity utilizing risky stuffs Aâ„ ¢Submit â€Å" Safety Report † at least 3 months before get downing activity Industry, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemical Rules: Requirements in instance of the Medium & A ; High degree chemicals & A ; Storages off from Plant ( Contd.. ) : Aâ„ ¢ Submit an up-to-date safety study at least 90 yearss before doing any alteration Aâ„ ¢ New and bing industrial activities to transport out safety auditand submit study within 30 yearss Aâ„ ¢ Submit a safety audit update study once a twelvemonth and send oning a transcript within 30 yearss Aâ„ ¢ Prepare up-to-date on site exigency program before get downing a new industrial activity affecting specified chemicals. Industry, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemical Rules: Requirements in instance of the Medium & A ; High degree chemicals & A ; Storages off from Plant ( Contd.. ) : Aâ„ ¢Conduct a mock drill of exigency program every six months and subject a study Aâ„ ¢Maintain records of imports of risky chemicals and to supply information to the concerned Authority Ensure the transit of risky chemicals as per the proviso of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. Chemical Accidents ( Emergency Planning, Preparedness and Response ) Rules:Aâ„ ¢ Central Crisis Group– Vertex organic structure to cover with major chemical accidents and to supply adept counsel for managing major chemical accidents – Continuously monitor the station accident state of affairs from major accidents, suggest steps for barAâ„ ¢ State Crisis Group– Vertex organic structure in the province to cover with major chemical accidents and supply adept counsel – Reappraisal all territory off-site exigency programs in the province and study to cardinal Crisis Group Loopholes in Indian ordinances Buffer stock jobs To put up universe category capacity works. Government should in audience with industry should develop a policy for allotment of buffer stock to outdo suitable merchandises. Government should setup support financess and supply inducements. Chemical bunchs: There is a demand to organize bunchs with proviso of common substructure installations to turn to the restraints of common wastewater intervention, conveyance linkages, including roads, power supply, H2O installations. Consolidation of little capacities: Government will make consciousness about benefits of capacity consolidation amongst SMEs. Wherever possible, authorities will back up consolidation of smaller capacities and constitution of chemical bunchs by switching downstream capacities near to female parent workss. Government may see to supply portion fiscal aid for any such resettlement. Forte chemicals as a focal point country Provding fund for Technology up-gradation for chemicals Establish chemical sector council for invention Sign international coaction understandings with other advanced states in this sector Promotional Issues: – National Awards for Technology Innovation- A strategy of national awards for engineering invention in assorted Fieldss, such as dyes, pesticides, chlor bases, etc. , is to be formulated. Under this strategy, the Government would commit awards for outstanding parts made in engineering inventions. The choice for awards would be made by a Committee of high individuals. Industrial Trade Fairs and Exhibitions- The Government would actively ease and back up the selling and organisation of major exhibitions and events in order to supply a platform to the Indian chemical industries to demo instance their strengths. Market Development- The Government would research new avenues of export of chemical from India to Latin American, African and Middle East states through our embassies and missions abroad.DecisionThe calamity was caused due to synergy of really worst American an Indian civilizations. The safety processs were minimal and neither the proprietors nor the local direction seemed to take necessary safeguards. The fact is the direction was non really prepared for such an inauspicious state of affairs. No prompt action was taken by local governments. Our legal system failed miserably, which needs to be changed every bit shortly as possible for the safety of people and improvement of state. we need to see assorted international pacts to give justness to people suffered in such a sort of calamity. The MNC ‘s operating in India must hold to the status of making concern that they will subject to the legal power of Indian tribunals both civil and condemnable. They must be responsible for the act of their subordinates in the host state and non disinherit them like cowards. The effort by the top direction of the Union Carbide USA to switch all the incrimination of Bhopal Gas Tragedy out to the direction of its Indian subdivision is the act of cowardiness.Notice should besides be taken into consideration that even the authorities of Madhya Pradesh was every bit responsible for the calamity that had taken topographic point. It was the administrative responsibility of the province authorities to play its regulative and supervisory function with most earnestness.

Personal Goals HCS/301

Personal Goals HCS/301 February 14, 2011 Abstract In this paper I will discuss my personal goals that I have reached and continue to strive for. With that being said, I have many accomplishments such as; volunteer work, maintaining my family, learning new nursing positions, overcoming my personal health issues, and committing myself to return for a higher education and further career development. Having been in the medical field for over twenty years, I have seen many advances in healthcare.With the changing medical profession I have come to the realization in order to understand the different aspects of nursing, it is crucial for me to continue to strive towards new goals in my nursing profession. My goals have made an impact on my nursing career and the various paths I have challenged, I have come to recognize the importance of understanding that with knowledge and wisdom I have grown in my experiences. Personal Goals Growing up as an only child, I realized at a young age that I ha d many opportunities to explore.When I was young I always put others first. I spent many hours with family members whom were nurses. I admired them for their dedication to the health and well being of others. Having been shown lots of love and commitment throughout my life is the reason why I decided to help others. When I was fifteen I began volunteering at my local community hospital. This hospital is where I remain working today. As a child, I chose to work towards a career in nursing. My first goal I chose was to be a volunteer at the hospital.This was the beginning of my commitments to the community. According to The Journal of Educational Psychology, there are Mastery goals and Performance goals. Mastery goals are motivated through individual desire while performance goals are concerned with appearing capable and competitive to others (Educational Psychology, 2006, p. 354). Performance goals apply to me because I have the influence and motivation of my family. Through many exp eriences I have found that personal goals are achievable. All you need is hard work and determination.This often requires an increased workload, which leads to increased stress. Keeping these thoughts in mind can help me achieve my short and long-term goals. Goals to me range from high priority to low priority. With my continuing desire for a higher education this is where I am today. I have chosen to attend The University of Phoenix for a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing. Short-term goals for me begin with getting though my daily tasks. I have found that keeping a planner is a valuable tool; this helps me with my time management and prioritizes my short-term goals.As a Registered Nurse working full-time with a family of five, planning is always necessary to keep my life manageable. Getting though household duties, bills, school, homework and baseball practices can become overwhelming. The thought of having enough time to cook or even enjoy meals seems impossible. Unfortunately , I have been living with Systemic Lupus for the last six years, which has consisted of endless doctor appointments and lab work. This has been a tremendous journey for my family and I. My goals during this time have been to decrease stress and improve my health through exercise and meditation.Ultimately, I want to continue to maintain lower levels of stress and achieve an optimal health level to reach my goals. Twenty years ago I graduated from Golden West Community College with my Associate Degree in Nursing. This was quite a struggle and an overwhelming experience for me. My family was young and there were many countless tiring hours involved in order to achieve my goal of becoming a Registered Nurse. Becoming a registered nurse was a great milestone and an amazing accomplishment for me. Graduating from college was a step towards my personal devotion to my future patients.Upon completion of my Associate Degree in Nursing, I was hired as Registered Nurse in the Medical/Surgical un it. After several months as a practicing nurse, my manager encouraged me to take the opportunity to become a charge nurse. This was an ambition of mine from the beginning. I knew I had the abilities to take charge and lead a team. With the knowledge and strengths of my senior nurses, I began to develop my leadership skills. Listening and participating as a team member helped me learn from my fellow nurses as they shared their experiences with me.I was never too proud to listen or learn. I have continued to remain this way throughout my nursing career. This has been beneficial to me because I can lead and listen to a team. From the beginning I realized that the key elements were communication and teamwork. My goals increased from there, and I knew I had to take further classes in order to develop my skills. I became certified in Advanced Certified Life Support and Pediatric Advanced Life Support, and after three years of this experience my next goal was to advance into Pediatric nurs ing.I was offered a job on a Pediatric Oncology floor at Loma Linda University Medical Center, Children’s Hospital. I became chemo certified and began working with pediatric cancer patients. I challenged myself into working in critical care pediatric oncology. This was an extremely emotional experience in my nursing career. Having stayed on that unit for four and a half years, I was ambitious for a new goal. I ventured out for a new experience and applied for a recovery room nurse position at Placentia Linda Hospital. While working in the recovery room, I then trained to become an operating room nurse.My leadership and organizational skills became apparent; I was then promoted into a charge nurse position. I continued to want to learn more about leadership so I took a position as an assistant administrator at a new non-established surgery center. This goal was by far the most exciting for me. It showed me another component of nursing and leadership. As, Ivey Business Journal described, the purpose of learning a goal is to stimulate one’s imagination, to engage in discovery and to â€Å"Think outside of the box† (Ivey Business Journal, 2006, p. 1).Not only did I have to think about ideal patient care, I had to be a director of a team, deal with finances, and be in direct line of fire of the physicians who owned the facility. After three and a half years of growing and expanding my knowledge of administration, as well as being a patient care advocate, my appreciation for my profession has grown fonder and I am ready to pursue a higher level of management. Eventually, I would like to become a director of surgery services. This will allow me to become part of a planning team, decrease my stress level, and provide a better quality of life for my family and myself.In conclusion, I have come to realize that the profession I have chosen has given me a great sense of pride. I have accomplished many goals thus far in my nursing career, but looking f orward to achieving more. I started out as a volunteer, and eventually became a charge nurse where I continue to excel. Rogers (2007) stated, â€Å"Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there† (p. 95). I have chosen to continue challenging myself in my career by developing new ways to lead, manage, and listen to my peers. The commitment to extend my education has brought new goals.These goals include: receiving my Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing and to continue developing new strategies to enhance my abilities as a team leader and further advance to a director position. References Mestas, M. , Urdan, T. (2006). The goals behind performance goals. The Journal of Educational Psychology,Vol. 98(2), 354-365. Latham, G. , Seijts, G. P. (2006). Learning goals or performing goals: Is it the journey or the destination? Ivey Business Journal, Vol. 70(5), 1-6. Bishop, J. , Carter, C. , Katz, J. R. , Lyman, S. (2006). Values, Goals,Ti me, and Stress. The Keys to Nursing Success, 95.

Attachment Word Count 1466

Secondly I will explain how attachment informs in social work. ‘Among the most significant developments of psychiatry during the past quarter of a century has been the steady growth of evidence that the quality of parental care which a child receives in his earliest years is of vital importance to his future mental health’ (Bowlby. J. p11. 953) Attachment is an emotional relationship that involves comfort care and contentment. The roots of attachment were thought to be from Freuds theory’s about love, however John Bowlby is accredited with being the fore father of attachment theory. Bowlby shared the psychoanalytic view that early experiences in childhood have a major influence on development and behaviour later in life. Our early attachment styles are established in childhood through the infant/caregiver relationship. Kennhell and Klaus said that sometime attachment is confused with the natural bonding process that takes place between mother and child, and we should be careful not to mix these too up. Bowlby believed that attachment begins in infancy and carries on throughout life, resulting in several behavioural systems that are required for survival and reproduction. Bowlby suggested that there are four central characteristics of attachment; these are proximity maintenance, this is when the child strives to stay close to the care giver enabling the child to stay safe. Safe haven, this is when the child feel scared or afraid turning to the caregiver for support and comfort. Secure base, this is when the caregiver gives the child a protected place to discover the world from. Separation distress this is when the child get upset or distressed when it is absent from the caregiver. Bowlby suggested that attachment was an element of selected relationships throughout the lifespan, even though most of his research focused on infancy. Mary Ainsworth created a method called the strange situation. The method that Ainsworth had created was to examine that bond between the care giver and the child. The method is to examine the child playing for approximately twenty minutes while the care giver and the person who is unknown to the child enters and exit the room. This method creates a familiar and unfamiliar situation for the child. For some children this type of situation can be very stressful. The case of ‘Genie’ was an extreme example of a child that had no attachment or social contact resulting in her being a feral child. She was unable to talk dress herself or toilet herself, when support was implemented within a few days progress was seen to be made, showing that even though no attachment had been made the child was still able to learn new behaviours. A striking example of adult attachment to a parent is the comment made by a 40 year old lady who had lost her mother; I never realised, until she was gone, how much my own sense of confidence depended on knowing that if I ran into trouble I could always turn to her for help and advice. Goldberg 2000 p10)in my own experience of working with adult services, I gained an understanding of how separation could have affected an elderly couple’s health. After 60 years of marriage social services where call in to assess their situation as they where no longer able to cope due to the fact the wife had senile dementia. Initially the was talk of them being home together however a standard care home would not have met the need of the wife, a nursing home was needed for her. This was seen as being detrimental to both their health due to separation. Therefore, it was seen to be better to provide them with support in their own home. In conclusion children who are securely attached tend to have trusting, long-term relationships in their adulthood. As adults and being securely attached, these same individuals have a great understanding and perspective on important relationships in their lives. They demonstrate a forgiving attitude toward their mate and tend to show compassion for others. They tend to speak of how their past experiences have influenced their present feelings and relationships. References Bowlby, J. (1953) Childcare and the growth of maternal love. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. Feeney,J. Noller,P. (1996) Adult Attachment. London: sage publications. Goldberg, S. (2000) Attachment and Development. London: Arnold publishers. Howe,D. (1995) Attachment theory for social work practice. London: Macmillan press. Smith, Cowie, Blades. online. ‘The Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). Understanding Children’s Development’. York College: Homepage, (http://www. ycc. ac. uk/yc/new/HUMSOC/psycho/unit1/adultatt. htm), (5 December 2008) Attachment Word Count 1466 Secondly I will explain how attachment informs in social work. ‘Among the most significant developments of psychiatry during the past quarter of a century has been the steady growth of evidence that the quality of parental care which a child receives in his earliest years is of vital importance to his future mental health’ (Bowlby. J. p11. 953) Attachment is an emotional relationship that involves comfort care and contentment. The roots of attachment were thought to be from Freuds theory’s about love, however John Bowlby is accredited with being the fore father of attachment theory. Bowlby shared the psychoanalytic view that early experiences in childhood have a major influence on development and behaviour later in life. Our early attachment styles are established in childhood through the infant/caregiver relationship. Kennhell and Klaus said that sometime attachment is confused with the natural bonding process that takes place between mother and child, and we should be careful not to mix these too up. Bowlby believed that attachment begins in infancy and carries on throughout life, resulting in several behavioural systems that are required for survival and reproduction. Bowlby suggested that there are four central characteristics of attachment; these are proximity maintenance, this is when the child strives to stay close to the care giver enabling the child to stay safe. Safe haven, this is when the child feel scared or afraid turning to the caregiver for support and comfort. Secure base, this is when the caregiver gives the child a protected place to discover the world from. Separation distress this is when the child get upset or distressed when it is absent from the caregiver. Bowlby suggested that attachment was an element of selected relationships throughout the lifespan, even though most of his research focused on infancy. Mary Ainsworth created a method called the strange situation. The method that Ainsworth had created was to examine that bond between the care giver and the child. The method is to examine the child playing for approximately twenty minutes while the care giver and the person who is unknown to the child enters and exit the room. This method creates a familiar and unfamiliar situation for the child. For some children this type of situation can be very stressful. The case of ‘Genie’ was an extreme example of a child that had no attachment or social contact resulting in her being a feral child. She was unable to talk dress herself or toilet herself, when support was implemented within a few days progress was seen to be made, showing that even though no attachment had been made the child was still able to learn new behaviours. A striking example of adult attachment to a parent is the comment made by a 40 year old lady who had lost her mother; I never realised, until she was gone, how much my own sense of confidence depended on knowing that if I ran into trouble I could always turn to her for help and advice. Goldberg 2000 p10)in my own experience of working with adult services, I gained an understanding of how separation could have affected an elderly couple’s health. After 60 years of marriage social services where call in to assess their situation as they where no longer able to cope due to the fact the wife had senile dementia. Initially the was talk of them being home together however a standard care home would not have met the need of the wife, a nursing home was needed for her. This was seen as being detrimental to both their health due to separation. Therefore, it was seen to be better to provide them with support in their own home. In conclusion children who are securely attached tend to have trusting, long-term relationships in their adulthood. As adults and being securely attached, these same individuals have a great understanding and perspective on important relationships in their lives. They demonstrate a forgiving attitude toward their mate and tend to show compassion for others. They tend to speak of how their past experiences have influenced their present feelings and relationships. References Bowlby, J. (1953) Childcare and the growth of maternal love. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. Feeney,J. Noller,P. (1996) Adult Attachment. London: sage publications. Goldberg, S. (2000) Attachment and Development. London: Arnold publishers. Howe,D. (1995) Attachment theory for social work practice. London: Macmillan press. Smith, Cowie, Blades. online. ‘The Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). Understanding Children’s Development’. York College: Homepage, (http://www. ycc. ac. uk/yc/new/HUMSOC/psycho/unit1/adultatt. htm), (5 December 2008)

Community studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Community studies - Essay Example The first method that can be used is the formation of controlled social institutions. This involves formation of centralized and controlled development initiatives such as training centers, Polytechnics among others. These are controlled by the relative government authorities in order to provide education aimed at avoiding overexploitation of resources. Through these institutions, individuals can get to learn different skills as well as how to manage the different scarce resources that is available. The second method that can be employed is encouraging environmental sustainability in the community. This can be done by educating people the importance of practicing sound environmental processes aimed at preservation. For example, conservation of water and water catchment areas and forests, and managing the utilization of natural resources like wood. Wider goals involve global environmental protection through campaigns that educate people on the importance of cutting down carbon emissio n that has contributed to global warming (Wulfhorst & Haugestad, 2006). Economic Sustainability is the other method that can be employed. It involves effective management of capital including human-capital, natural- capital and knowledge- capital. Irreversible resource depletion should be avoided or controlled, for instance mining and oil exploration. Other measures include implementing affordable tax structure, as well as proper fiscal and monetary policies. Finally, the use of social sustainability can be applied. This involves effective management of social relations within a community including how the members of the society relate with each other. This can be achieved through allowing various social freedoms such as freedom of religion, congregation or association. Implementation of social initiatives such as community projects bring people together and enhance social relationships (Wulfhorst & Haugestad, 2006). All these practices

Establishing scientific academies and credibility Research Paper

Establishing scientific academies and credibility - Research Paper Example Rhetoric conveying authority Dear’s 1985 account of the establishment of the Royal Society turned on the interplay between rhetoric and authority during this period. He called this period of the emergence of scientific societies between 1650 and 1660 as indicative of the consolidation of the Scientific Revolution. At this time, science practitioners with similar views about scientific inquiry formed groups which â€Å"stand as testimony to a new attitude toward knowledge of nature† (Dear, 1985). The institutionalisation of scientific inquiry was a sign of the changing attitude of society towards the knowledge of nature. The establishment of the Royal Society in particular was the focal point that marked the end of the change process. The new attitude towards the pursuit of natural knowledge was shaped by the disciplines that were established during the Scientific Revolution. The discussion forwards the thesis that early scientific reporting employed rhetoric to convey a uthority pursuant to the convention of the period, which is separate and distinct from the truth discovered in the scientific inquiry itself. ... In his treatise, Dear described a report submitted by Newton in 1666 on a prism experiment, calling it a â€Å"fabrication†. It turned out that the series of experiments were genuine and their results were valid and relevant, but the description of the experiments were cast in a form that made the paper more acceptable for publication. The paper also highlights the contrast between the Old Learning and the New Learning (Rangachari, 1994). The very title of the piece was an ironic play on the motto of the Royal Society. Nullius in Verba was Latin for â€Å"Take nobody’s word for it,† referring to the stringent standards of scientific study. Totius Verba is the opposite, meaning to â€Å"Take everybody’s word for it.† Linguistic style and virtual witnessing. The thesis advanced by Shapin (1984) is that knowledge about reality is shaped by the speech in which such natural reality is couched. The language used is also the key to securing agreement of th e scientific community to the knowledge discovered, and of differentiating the new discoveries from former theories that were accorded mediocre status. Shapin observed that there was a way of communicating that accords a greater credibility to the report than would have otherwise been attributed to it had it been reported in a more regular communicating style. Specific observations were made concerning the effective use of language to convey more than the scientific findings arrived at. For instance, accounts of experiments were replete with rich detail, the purpose of which was to build in the mind of the reader a picture of the execution of an experimental procedure at which they were not physically present to personally witness. Shapin terms this

Carl Roger's Theory of Personality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Carl Roger's Theory of Personality - Essay Example As explained by Rogers, human beings are endowed with an actualizing tendency that can enable them develop their capabilities and provide them with a sense of autonomy. On the other hand, self-actualizing tendency is considered to encompass such characteristics like motivation, needs or drives; as such, each individual has a responsibility to realize his or her potential. Rogers in his development of personality theory, does not recognize a deterministic nature associated with behaviorism or psychoanalysis, but maintains a focus on behavior being influenced by the conditions that individuals find themselves. In this sense, every individual is an expert of his or her own self (Wickman & Campbell, 2003). According to Rogers’s theory, individuals are endowed with a basic motive, which is self-actualization. In this regard, depending on the environment, it is possible for individuals to realize their potential. However, it is important to note that, individuals develop their potential in unique ways and in tandem to one’s personality. In the model developed by Rogers and related to personality, people are considered naturally good and creative. However, individuals can become self-destructive in the event that they develop a low self-concept and as such, it is important for individuals to develop in a state of congruence. This means that self-actualization is influenced by an individual’s ideal self-being in congruent with an individual’s self-image (actual behavior). As noted by Rogers, one is self-actualized when he or she becomes a fully functioning person and in most cases, the major determinant of self-actualization among individuals, is their childhoo d experience (Moon, 2007). During human growth and development, the â€Å"self† develops because of the interactions an individual has with other persons. Conversely,

Public policy administration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Public policy administration - Essay Example The opponents of the bill are the republicans who state that the passage of the bill would add to the budget deficit of the US government. The Democrats counter this by stating that the overall budget gap would be lesser by $100 Billion if the bill is passed and hence they are asking for support in pushing the bill through. Both sides of the debate on reforming healthcare as well as continuing the status quo are vocal and vehement in their stance. The PBS (2009) website gives further evidence of this, while the proponents of Health Care reform call for the state to play a more proactive role and the insurers to cover pre-existing conditions and make the process of claims easier, the opponents are adamant that this would erode the competitiveness of the service providers. This is akin to the debate on patents for new drugs that is on similar lines with one side insisting that drug costs be lowered and the other side touting the benefits of research and development essential for the discovery of new drugs. (Pbs.org, 2009) After considering the various options, it is my personal opinion that the Health Care reform bill must be passed. In order to stem the rising tide of medical expense related bankruptcies and the increase in the number of people not covered under the existing system, the proposed legislation must be passed. As a US Citizen, I want to ensure that I am taken care of when ill and would also like the same for others as well. If we consider the issue from an ethical perspective, it makes it clear that we should not deny medical care to the needy for whatever reason that the health care system currently does. The Huffington Post (2009) states that 1 in every 5 bankruptcies in the US are because of reasons to do with medical expenses being too much for the families to take (Huffington Post, 2009). Further, the data from the OECD website (2009) also talks about how a million people are pushed into the ranks of the uninsured every year as

Strategic Analysis Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Strategic Analysis - Research Paper Example The mission statement for the company reads, â€Å"Our mission is to be the most customers focused and cost efficient vehicle and equipment rental/leasing company in every market area we serve. We will strengthen our leading worldwide positions through a share value culture of employee and partner involvement, by making strategic investments in our brands, people and products. The focus of everything we do will be to continuously improve our shareholders value† (Statements-Slogans-Info, 2008). In terms of the Vision Statement, Hertz Director declares, â€Å"It will be the first choice brand for vehicle and equipment rental and total mobility solutions† according to Statements-Slogans-Info (2008). According to Hoovers Incorporated (2011), the major competitors for Hertz are Avis Budget Group, Enterprise- Rent-A-Car and United Rentals Inc. These companies compete in a market segment that includes car and truck rental, commercial and industrial equipment leasing and industrial manufacturing (Hoovers Incorporated, 2011). Hertz Global Holdings Incorporated had appeared in the Fortune 500 Magazine, which is a company that provides facts about top American companies that are incorporated the country, are listed publicly and are making contribution to the development of the economy, in 2008, according to Company-Statement-Slogans-Info (2008). The company targeted customers, which are served through its agents and licensees, who leases or rents vehicles, tools, heavy equipment, and used heavy equipment for sale, ranging from major industrial companies and local contractors to the ordinary leisure seeking or vacationing consumers. Services are provided via 315 branches across the country (ABC12.com, 2011). Since 2007 Hertz Global Holdings has seen changes in the United States and foreign countries legal and regulatory environments that has caused disruptions in operations, especially in the type

History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 35

History - Essay Example It is for this notion alone that the memorial is more commonly known today as the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. The integration of the subterranean museum to the memorial is a good idea to give the whole structure a more relative association to the Holocaust. In a way this could serve as a cohesive rationalization that the visual abstract from the ideological meaning. This thought of commemoration is the entire reason behind all the controversies, praises and criticisms, behind Peter Eisenman’s work. The opinion of Prof. Norman Finkelstein is quite understandable from his perspective as and his viewpoint of the whole scenario as an industry. This is quite an entangled revisionist theory that sees all that happened under a very different life than all that is contained in most history books pertaining to World War II. Finkelstein opinion of a Holocaust Memorial in Washington DC is not without its merit. The whole endeavour seems futile as there is, in my view, no direct correlation that sufficiently necessitates it. This does, to a certain extent, instigates the exploitation of the Holo caust and the emotions it

Reproductive Isolating Mechanisms Essay Example for Free

Reproductive Isolating Mechanisms Essay In the 1940s, Ernst Mayr coined the term Biological Species Concept that was subsequently widely embraced by the scientific community. The definition stated that Species are groups of actually or potentially interbreeding natural populations that are reproductively isolated from other such groups. Certain mechanisms are in place to prevent species from interbreeding with others and these are referred to as reproductive isolating mechanisms, which are biological incompatibilities. There are many mechanisms acting on natural populations and these are broadly grouped into two categories namely prezygotic and postzygotic mechanisms. Prezygotic isolating mechanisms are those mechanisms that isolate species before fertilisation i.e. before a zygote is formed. They include geographical, ecological, temporal, ethological, mechanical, morphological and gametic isolation. These mechanisms lesson the possibility of gametes from different species coming into contact and hence forming a zygote. One prezygotic isolating mechanism is ecological isolation, also referred to as habitat isolation. Ecological isolation prevents different species that live in the same territory but different habitats from interbreeding. These species are referred to as sympatric species since they occur in the same territories. Individuals mate in their preferred habitat, and therefore do not meet individuals of other species with different ecological preferences. An example of ecological isolation occurs within the Rana genus. R. grylio, the pig frog and R. areolata, the gopher frog both occur around New Orleans, Louisiana. The exceptionally aquatic pig frog lives in deep ponds, lakes and marshes amongst surfacing vegetation and breeds in deep water so has no contact with the gopher frog which lives in burrows during the day, and in the swamp margins at night and breeds in shallow water. This way the possibility of interbreeding between the two species is eliminated. Temporal isolation, also known as seasonal isolation is a prezygotic mechanism that prevents interbreeding between species. Temporal isolation is the isolation of species by changing the time at which they release gametes.  A particularly strong example of temporal isolation occurs in three tropical orchid species of the genus Dendrobium. The species only flower for a single day, opening at dawn and withering by nightfall. The flowering of each species is in response to the same environmental stimuli, such as a sudden storm on a hot day, but the lag time between the occurrence of the stimulus and the flowering is eight, nine, and ten or eleven in the different species. Since they flower for a single day, inter-species fertilization is made impossible because when one species has flowered the others are either not yet mature or already withered. Other examples of temporal isolation in natural populations are not as pronounced such as in cases were species are isolated due to breeding during different seasons like Sciurus carolinensis, the gray squirrel which mates in July and August; and Sc. niger, the fox squirrel which breeds in May and June. Another prezygotic isolating mechanism is ethological isolation or behavioural isolation. This mechanism prevents species, mostly animals from interbreeding based on their different behavioural patterns. It affects animals that occur within the same territory and habitat but with different mating behaviours. In most animals, mates are chosen in a species-specific approach often after species-specific mating rituals of some form. Matings follow these rituals which can be ended if at least one of the mating parties decides that the process leading to the mating is not as expected. Ethological isolation can be strong reproductive isolating mechanism in animals also between closely related species. An effective example of ethological isolation occurs in certain frog species of the Hyla species. H. versicolor, the gray tree frog and the closely related H. femoralis, pine wood tree frog often breed in the same ponds. Both species are physically very similar but their male mating calls, which last about three seconds and sound the same to humans can be differentiated by the female tree frogs and thus insures species-specific mating. This is also the case when considering why dogs and wolves dont mate as frequently as expected because of their different behavioural patterns. Mechanical isolation is a mechanism that prevents copulation between different animal species because of incompatible shape and size of the  genitalia. This occurs in species are sympatric and live in a common habitat and have overlapping breeding seasons without any ethological isolating mechanisms. In plants, variation in flower structure can inhibit cross species pollination. In California, two sage species, namely Salvia mellifera and S. apiana exhibit this form of prezygotic isolation. Two- lipped S. mellifera has stamens and style in their upper lip, whereas S. apiana has long stamens and style and a specialized floral configuration. Small and medium sized bees that carry pollen on their backs pollinate the two-lipped flowers, and large carpenter and bumble bees that carry pollen on their wings and other body parts pollinate S. apiana. This mechanism thus ensures that pollen cannot be transferred between the species, as only the corresponding pollinators are able to transfer pollen to the style of each flower. Another prezygotic isolation mechanism is morphological isolation, which in some cases overlaps with mechanical isolation mechanisms. This isolating mechanism prevents mating due to differences in size and shape between species. Morphological isolation prevents the spread of genes between the oak toad, Bufo quercicus and the Gulf Coast toad, Bufo vallicpes due to the size variation between the two species. The female oak toad has a maximum length of approximately 3 centimetres whereas the smallest Gulf Coast males are about twice as long. This way the size differences between the spaces make copulation extremely unlikely as male oak toads are too small to grasp the female Gulf Coast toad and male Gulf Coast toads are large enough to, and generally do, eat the female oak toads. The last prezygotic isolating mechanism is gametic isolation also known as gametic mortality. Gametic isolation is the mechanism in which fertilization cannot occur between species generally due to chemical incompatibilities between their gametes. In animals that practice internal fertilization, sperm may not be able to survive in the females sperm receptacles. Some plant species, pollen grains of one species usually cannot germinate on the stigma of another species thus preventing fertilization between species. Since many aquatic animals disperse their ova and sperm into the water, gametesof different species do not have affinities for each other. This was  demonstrated between the sea urchins Stronglocentrotus purpuratus and S. franciscanus when after induction of simultaneous realease of eggs and sperm, all resultant fertilizations were between eggs and sperms of the same species. Postzygotic isolation mechanisms are those reproductive isolating mechanisms, which are effective after the union of gametes of different species i.e. after fertilisation. Postzygotic isolating mechanisms include hybrid inviability, hybrid sterility and hybrid breakdown. Postzygotic isolating mechanisms reduce the viability or fertility of hybrids or their progeny. These mechanisms come into play when hybridzygotes are formed either naturally or unnaturally. Hybrid inviability is the postzygotic isolating mechanism that occurs between fertilisation and birth. This mechanism prevents the full development of zygotes and thus leads to their subsequent death. An example in animals is the death of artificially created sheep-goat hybrid embryos in early developmental stages before birth. Hybrid inviability also occurs in plants, most commonly resulting in hybrid seeds either failing to germinate or dying shortly after germination. Hybrid sterility or hybrid infertility is a postzygotic reproductive isolating mechanism which affects hybrids that survive to adulthood. This mechanism creates sterile hybrids i.e. hybrids that cannot produce offspring. The most well known example is the case of the mule. When a horse and a donkey mate they are capable of producing offspring called mules. But mules are sterile, leaving them out of the gene pool thus maintaining species integrity. Hybrid breakdown is the last postzygotic isolating mechanism in place to maintain species differentiation. It occurs in cases of crossbreeding were hybrids of inter species matings are viable and fertile. Hybrid breakdown occurs commonly and results in the hybrids offspring or the F2 generation being unviable or significantly weaker and unable to contribute genes to a next generation. Certain cotton plants show this form of reproductive  isolation such as Gossypium barbadense, G. hirsutum and G. tomentosum which produce hybrids that seem viable and fertile, but their offspring die either as seeds, early during development or develop into weaker plants unable to compete and reproduce. Reproductive isolation combines traits that reduce gene flow, such as mate choice or fertilization barriers, with traits that select against genes that have flowed, such as hybrid incompatibility. Reproductive isolating mechanisms are ultimately mechanisms evolved in species to prevent interbreeding with other species and thus allow for scientists to differentiate between species using the biological species concept. Bibliography Futuyma, DJ. 1998. Evolutionary biology, 3rd ed., Sinauer Assoc. Inc., USA Griffiths, A.J.F., Miller, J.H. Suzuki, D.T., Lewontin, R.C. and Gelbart, W.M. 1999. Introduction to Genetic Analysis. W.H Freeman Co. New York. Hale, W. and Margham, J. 1988. Collins Dictionary of Biology. Collins, UK. Mayr, E. 1942 Systematics and the Origin of Species. Columbia University Press, New York, USA. Mayr, E. (1970) Populations, Species, and Evolution. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. Starr, C. and Taggart, R. (2001). Biology, The Unity and Diversity of Life, 9th ed. Brookes/ Cole, USA. www.abacus.gene.ucl.ac.uk/jim/Sp/isolmech.html www.library.thinkquest.org/ 19926/java/library/article/17a.ht

Animal Rights For Farm Animals Sociology Essay

Animal Rights For Farm Animals Sociology Essay The paucity of legal scholarship and teaching in the area of animals and the law is puzzling, particularly given the general interest in, and intense debate about, the treatment of animals by humans over the last 30 years. The lack of interest in Australia is ironic, as it was the work of the Australian philosopher Peter Singer, in the highly influential book Animal Liberation, which can be said to have reinvigorated much of the modern debate about the status of animals.  [1]  By contrast with the Australian uninterest, countries such as Sweden, the United Kingdom, Finland, Switzerland and the Netherlands have moved to ban the cruel practice of keeping pregnant sows in sow stalls, Australias most recent Model Pig Code provided for a minor increase in stall size and a generous 10 year phase in period for a 6 week limit on the use of sow stalls. Moreover, the deplorable practice of keeping hens in battery cages continues to be legal in all Australian jurisdictions while the EU has banned the use of all battery cages by January 2012. Further to this, the United States legal academy has been actively exploring legal issues relating to animals for a number of years. The Lewis and Clark Law School, in Portland, Oregon, has established the National Center for Animal Law and publishes an annual journal, Animal Law.  [2]  Approximately 40 law schools in the United States offer courses on animals and the law.  [3]  The legal profession in the United States has been no less active. A large number of State Bar Associations have established animal law sections or committees. Activist attorneys established the independent Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) in 1981. The ALDF not only provides free legal advice and assistance to prosecutors in cruelty cases, but also maintains a national database of cruelty cases, and provides support for lawsuits that test the boundaries of animal law.  [4]  Certainly, Australias poor animal welfare standards in comparison are a fundamental flaw of Australian animal protection laws. Nevertheless, even if the State and Territory Governments decide to implement ambitious welfare standards, as the legislation stands, these standards would go substantially unenforced. As such, this essay attempts to explore the current legal system governing our animals and in the process it will bring to light the deficiencies that currently exist. The focus of which will be on the treatment of factory farmed animals and how Australia continues to lag behind the rest of the world in developing a legal system that effectively shuts out animal cruelty. The notion of animal law is one that is highly complex yet ironically extremely underdeveloped. This in turn has led to mass confusion about the treatment of animals by various bodies. According to voiceless, over the last 30 years, there has been a dramatic increase in our understanding of animal intelligence and behaviour and a broad acceptance that animals are sentient beings that have a right to live free of suffering. This has led to the recognition that the existing legal system has failed to provide animals with access to justice.  Ã‚  To address this failure, two streams of law have been developed that aim to use legal mechanisms to improve the lives of animals.  [5]   1. Animal welfare laws may be defined as those laws that seek to promote the interests of animals, within a legal framework that characterises them as property. In essence, animal welfare law sanctions exploitation of animals but seeks to define acceptable limits to that exploitation by prohibiting unnecessary pain and suffering.  [6]   Some examples of activities considered necessary under Australias current animal welfare laws include:  [7]   Confining millions of pigs, chickens and other farm animals in concrete and steel sheds (modern factory farms) with no access to the outdoors, little to no access to bedding material and  little to no meaningful contact with their young; Denying anaesthetic during painful procedures such as tail docking, castration and teeth clipping; and Using a range of methods from baits and traps to guns and bows and arrows (in some states) to kill millions of wild animals defined as feral or game every year. It is under this area of law that Australia is clearly lacking in its commitment to the protection of animal welfare. Ultimately, such necessary activities are permitted on the basis of efficiency and economics. This is further reinforced by Francione who argues that most animal welfare legislation is based on an understanding of animals as commodities (evidenced by the significant exemptions and qualifications typical of such laws, including the use of animals for food and for scientific research).  [8]  However, the imposition of cruelty for economic reasons alone is unjustified and essentially this needs to be reformed. For Singer, a utilitarian, the qualified protection provided by animal welfare legislation reflects a failure to give equal consideration to the interests of animals. In turn, this failure reflects speciesism an irrational, discriminatory and morally unjustifiable preference for the interests of humans over animals.  [9]   Public consideration of the issue of cruelty to animals tends to focus on the treatment of companion animals and animals used in research. Wolfson and Sullivan argue that this focus also underpins law-making and legal scholarship.  [10]  Yet, they point out, it is farmed animals that account for almost all animals killed by humans (in the order of 98 in every 100 killed).  [11]  This is once again a clear failure in the development of an effective body of law. The protection of animal welfare and rights is clearly a mirage of hope. This is primarily based on the notion that anti-cruelty legislation has been called upon because of the impact that humans are having on farmed animals, yet our legal bodies continue to ignore such blatant actions and focus on an area of law that appeases society without actually effectively addressing the issue at hand. Ultimately, as will be discussed later, this creates a false sense of security amongst humans that our governments are effectivel y targeting animal welfare rights. In the United States these animals are invisible to the law. At federal level, farmed animals are exempted from anti-cruelty legislation.  [12]  States are also increasingly incorporating customary farming exemptions. If industry participants can establish that particular treatment of a type of animal is commonplace and accepted industry practice, no criminal liability can arise based on that treatment, regardless of how cruel the treatment might actually be. The end result is a profit-driven industry, with a proven record of sustained infliction of cruelty on animals, which is largely self-regulated on issues of animal welfare.  [13]  Further to this, legislation in Australia exempts farming from cruelty offences, and although most jurisdictions have adopted codes of conduct for the treatment of farmed animals, these are not always compulsory, and are not subject to wide public scrutiny. Thus, the issue of profit making industries again go es to the core of animal welfare rights. The failure to understand animal welfare rights over economic progression will inevitably ensure that this remains a perpetual problem. Until society puts animal welfare ahead of profits then Australia will remain in a contained cyclical downfall with respect to the protection of animals. It is at this point where the implementation of animal rights law may help to aid the development of animal protection in the future. 2. Animal rights law may be defined as an area of law which seeks to question animals well-entrenched status as property, with a view to securing fundamental rights for (at least some) animals.  [14]  The quest for animal rights is not a pursuit for the same rights that humans should have. Essentially, animal rights lawyers argue that animals should not be treated by the law as mere things. This area of the law is based on the assumption that unless animals have rights, they will continue to be treated by society as resources to satisfy human wants and needs.  [15]   Thus it is the development of this area of law that is essential to the proper development of animal welfare laws. The development of these two areas ultimately complements one another with the hope of eradicating the issues that arise under the first type of legal system. That is, the protection of animals from unnecessary pain and suffering only. Singer may regard animal welfare legislation as a positive development, but would argue that to be effective such legislation needs to consider the interests of animals and humans equally. It is here where animal rights law begins to reflect such an ideological stance, and as already discussed, this is a major step in the development of an effective body of law that deals with animals and humans. Whilst the need for legal advocates is an urgent one, animal law, as already discussed is a relatively new body of law that is still in its infant stages of development. In the United States, animal law has been developing at an increasing rate over the last thirty years. However in Australia, there are still only a handful of advocates (committees, universities and organisations) actively debating these issues. A 2006 survey conducted in connection with the Federal Governments Australian Animal Welfare Strategy found that participants had a shallow understanding of animal welfare issues and that there appeared to be assumptions by the general public about animal welfare and the existence and enforcement of legislation to protect animals from mistreatment.  [16]  Thus, this clear lack of transparency and education with respect to the law inevitably inhibits the ability of animal law to grow as a serious body of law. In recent years, increased scrutiny and criticism of intensive factory farms have changed the way that animal industries market their products. No more hiding beneath a veil of secrecy hoping that issues such as sow stalls, battery cages and meat chicken growing and processing wont be discussed and debated. The social justice movement of animal protection is rapidly picking up momentum and animal industries are now, more than ever, being called upon to justify or change their practices. However despite this change in perception, it is clear that Australia is still falling behind in the protection of intensively farmed animals. This can primarily be linked backed to the argument that animals can never gain adequate protection under the law without a fundamental reappraisal of their legal status as property. For example, according to the American lawyer Gary Francione, because their interests are evaluated against this status as property, the outcome is almost certain: people win and a nimals lose.  [17]  He takes the view that, although an animal treatment by its owner may ostensibly be limited by anticruelty laws, property rights are paramount in determining the ambit of protection accorded to animals by law.  [18]  If we say that an animal is property, he declares, we mean that the animal is to be treated under the law primarily as a means to human ends, and not as an end in herself.  [19]  Thus, to expand legal protection and remedy available to factory farmed animals, a uniform and settled approach on standing must be established upon the principle that animals are not merely a means to human ends but have by virtue of themselves, basic moral rights.  [20]  Ultimately, the treatment of animals as property inhibits the ability of the law to protect their rights as it would be extremely unlikely that standing can be established. As Cassuto argues, animals lack legal protections because they are commodified property whose worth emanates from thei r market value.  [21]  In other words, systematic abuse arises is sanctioned in the discourse of property because such animals are not considered as individual, sentient beings but a mere commodity.  [22]  Granting standing to a plaintiff to sue to enforce an animal welfare statue therefore can serve to interfere in another individuals property right. The conflict of interest that arises is therefore an inherent problem within this body of law. The continuation of animals being associated as mere commodities will essentially inhibit the development of animal rights and ultimately will ensure Australia remains behind the rest of the world. The notion that factory farmed animals are mere commodities with no measurable rights is made apparent especially in our NSW legislation. The legislative framework governing the lives of animals on factory farms is indicative of the dichotomy drawn between farm animals on the one hand and companion animals or endangered species on the other. As already pointed out by Wolfson, public consideration of the issue of cruelty to animals tends to focus on the treatment of companion animals and animals used in research. This is made no more apparent than in our legislation. Firstly, NSW implemented the Companion Animals Act 1998 (NSW).  [23]  The Companion Animals Act covers the responsibilities and rights of the owners of companion animals, such as cats and dogs. The aim of the legislation is to protect the rights of animals and their owners in balance with the rights and needs of others in the community. Thus, where NSW attempts to convey to the public that it is serious about animal r ights, it appears that this is only with respect to companion animals. It is an unfortunate occurrence as it has created a sense of security amongst the public that our state is serious about animal protection, yet the truth of the matter is that we are neglecting the primary group of animals that are in need the most. In NSW, the key piece of legislation is the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1979 (POCTAA).  [24]  One would assume that this may provide some protection to farmed animals. However, this is clearly not the case as Peter Sankoff suggests An examination of POCTAA as a stand-alone document further supports the suggestion that the animals best protected by NSW animal welfare law are animals the community has the most immediate and intimate relationship with.  [25]  Provisions in the Act establish stringent definitions of cruelty contained in sections 4(2) and 5 in which the following is an act of cruelty whereby an animal is unreasonably, unnecessarily or unju stifiably beaten, kicked, killed, wounded, pinioned, mutilated, maimed, abused, tormented, tortured, terrified or infuriated, over-loaded, over-worked, over-driven, over-ridden or over-used, exposed to excessive heat or excessive cold, or inflicted with pain. In section 4 of the POCTA Act, animals used for the production of food and industry are defined as stock animals comprising cattle, horses, sheep, goats, deer, pigs, and poultry. By virtue of this definition they are exempt from numerous acts that would come under the definition of cruelty if these acts were committed against an animal not defined as a stock animal.  [26]  Such exemptions are facilitated by the establishment of a legal defense to an alleged cruel practice through section 24 of the POCTA Act whereby a person is not guilty of the offence if the court is satisfied that the act or omission in respect of which the proceedings are being taken was done to a stock animal in the course of various industry practices.   [27]  Such practices sustaining the defense include ear tagging or branding and all acts if an animal is less than two to six months of age depending on the species of animals. Stock animals are also exempted from section 9 of the POCTA Act which stipulates that confined animals are to be exercised. Under 34A the POCTA Act, Industry codes of Practice can be adopted as guidelines, relating to the welfare of farm animals meaning that it is the Industries themselves regulating animal welfare in factory farms. This essentially creates a clear conflict of interest because rather than establish independent bodies or legislative frameworks, removed from subjective bias such as monetary concerns it appears that the government is content with self regulation that is clearly ineffective. Further to this, an examination of the other regulatory instruments that work alongside POCTAA further support the suggestion that being a high visibility animal is legislatively beneficial. Exhibited a nimals, the highest visibility animals, are granted the full range of protections available under POCTAA, and then they have their own piece of additional legislation in the form of the Exhibited Animals Protection Act 1986 (NSW).  [28]  The protections available to animals in circuses, zoos, and those used in theatre and film, are strong and comprehensive. The reason EAPA was created was due to the public outcry over the poor conditions being provided for animals exhibited in some circuses and fauna parks.  [29]  This demonstrates how important visibility is to good legal protections, and essentially this highlights the chronic issue plaguing farmed animals as they are completely removed from the spotlight. Thus it is clear this is an extremely underdeveloped area of law, as Wolfson identifies, it is farmed animals that account for almost all animals killed by humans (in the order of 98 in every 100 killed).  [30]  Thus, how can Australia possibly consider itself at the forefront of animal welfare rights, when the core group of animals remains unprotected by any form of solid legislation? Essentially, Australia is still lagging behind significantly and this will be further highlighted by a comparative analysis below of the developments taking place in the United States and Europe. The underdevelopment of our legal system with respect to animals is not confined to NSW only. If one were to take an analytical view of our Victorian legislation for instance, the public would indeed see that this is a nationwide issue. Section 6(1) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986 Victoria, and its state and territory equivalents, exclude production animals (the vast majority of animals in Australia) from the legislations protection. If production industries follow a code of practice for their particular animal, they are exempted from prosecution for cruelty, despite the fact the codes are barely enforced, or allow very cruel practices. However, as discussed above, such codes of practice are clearly a form of appeasement rather than a serious attempt at protecting our animals. As a result, millions of factory-farmed animals daily endure conditions that would be illegal if they involved a companion animal such as a cat or dog. As Katrina Sharman, corporate counsel for animal advocacy group Voiceless says: Most never see the light of day, feel the earth beneath their feet, walk freely, stretch their wings or limbs, forage for food or engage in normal socialisation.  [31]  Even the limited legislative protection that Australia offers animals is inadequately enforced. Under section 24 of the act, charges may be laid by a member of the police force, a public servant in the Department of Primary Industries, municipal council officer or RSPCA officer.  [32]  But in reality, all bodies are under-resourced, meaning most breaches of the law are not detected or investigated, let alone prosecuted, even if there is genuine will to do so.  [33]  And even if someone is convicted, penalties are woeful. Under section 10 of the act, for example, the maximum penalty for aggravated cruelty is 12 months jail. In this regard, greater deterrence through the form of a more imposing legislative framework is crucial to ensure that industries and individuals refrain from continuing such acts. Ultimately, education has been an insufficient tool to protect our animals and from an industry perspective, unless penalties become harsher, they are going to continue to practice in a way that is focused on efficiency alone and not in a way that would be in the animals interest. According to a publication issued by the Australian Chicken Meat Federation Inc: Concern for bird welfare is backed by Government and Industry Standards which ensure birds are kept comfortable and treated humanely.  [34]  Similarly, Australian Pork Limiteds website tells us that: Australian consumers can have every confidence in the animal welfare standards applied by Australian pork producers [because] our farmers all abide by the standards as set out in the Model Code.  [35]  Despite such positive sentiments, the issue at hand here is that most farm animals fall largely outside the protective reach of animal welfare legislation. They are classified in law as property or commodities as discussed above. The Codes mirror this approach, which has drastic ramifications for the way farm animals are treated. For example, the Codes permit permanent indoor confinement of female pigs, layer hens and meat chickens in circumstances which severely limit their ability to carry out their normal behaviours. They also provide for certain Management Practices or Elective Husbandry Procedures to be performed on farm animals. The Pig Code  [36]  sanctions the docking of piglets tails, while the Poultry Code  [37]  provides for layer hens to be subjected to appropriate beak trimming. These procedures are both permitted to be carried out without pain relief, notwithstanding the fact that scientific research points to the fact that they are likely to cause acute and chronic pain.  [38]  Most animals in factory farms live a life of confinement. They spend their time crammed into cages, sheds or feedlots and they never see the sun. Take, for example, the breeding pigs (sows), numbering about 300,000.  [39]  These intelligent, emotionally complex beings spend the bulk of their reproductive lives in stalls so small they cannot turn around.  [40]  The sole purpose of their existence, as determined by us, is to produce the five million pigs slaughtered every y ear to fill the mouths of our pork, ham and bacon lovers.  [41]  This industry is so fixated on profits and meeting the demands of society that from an economic perspective no other form of treatment is feasible. Thus, it is clear that the industry has taken advantage of the laxity of the legislative framework and incorporated this into its own practice codes and industry standards. Through this, it is clear that Australia desperately needs to change to ensure that it ceases to lag behind the rest of the world and become a leader at the forefront of animal welfare. As argued, Australia is clearly lagging behind in the development of animal law, and the primary area is that of factory farmed animals. Despite Australian Pork Limited Claiming that Australian pig farmers are leading the way in making positive changes in the way pigs are raised, such claims are largely a falsity. As can be seen from the discussion above, in Australia, there are State and Territory animal welfare laws that are intended to protect animals but in reality, the fundamental interests of most farm animals, including pigs, are not protected in law. As already discussed, National Model Codes of Practice apply in addition to some animal welfare laws; however, these Codes also fail to provide true protection. To make matters worse, they are often used to justify many cruel factory farming practices. The current Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals- Pigs (revised) (2006) (the Revised Code)  is no exception. Continuing on from the above discussion, some of the cru el practices it permits are: Pregnant sows may be confined for the duration of their 16 week pregnancy in individual sow stalls, measuring no more than 0.6 x 2.2m. These stalls, which have been associated with physical disorders, chronic stress and depression, are so small that female pigs cannot even turn around.  [42]   From about 2017: The maximum time for holding pregnant pigs in sow stalls will reduce to 6 weeks. This is two weeks more than the minimum standard being introduced by the European Union and New Zealand. Sow stalls are already banned  in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands and Finland. They are also banned in Florida and are being phased out in Arizona, California, Colorado, Maine, Michigan and Oregon in the United States. Two of the largest pork producers in the US and Canada also recently announced their plans to phase out sow stalls.  Ã‚  [43]   Heavily pregnant and nursing sows will be confined for up to 6 weeks of each reproductive cycle in farrowing crates, before their young are prematurely weaned. These crates, which measure 0.5 x 2.2m, are even smaller than sow stalls.  [44]   Pig producers  are not obligated to provide access to the outdoors where pigs can engage in natural behaviours such as grazing, wallowing in mud, walking around and nosing or manipulating their environment.  [45]   Painful mutilations of young piglets, including tail docking, teeth clipping and castration without pain relief, continue to be permitted.  [46]   Natural materials such as straw for sleeping and nesting, while encouraged,  are not mandatory, rendering many pigs subject to a miserable life on concrete floors.  [47]   Thus, whilst it is correct to say that the Pig Code has recently been reviewed, the upshot of that review, other than largely reinstating the existing system, was to defer phasing out sow stalls for a decade. If sow stalls are phased out in 2017 as mentioned above, then Australia will still be 14 years behind the EU which hasnt allowed new stalls to be built since 2003. Australia will also be markedly behind eight US States including, most recently, Michigan, which is scheduled to phase out sow stalls over the next decade. No Australian jurisdiction has even meaningfully debated a ban on sow stalls. Their spin on the Poultry Code appears to have overlooked the section conveniently titled hatchery management which allows approximately ten million culled or surplus hatchlings (predominately male chicks) to be disposed of by carbon dioxide gassing or quick maceration as if they are trash, which technically they are in industry terms, since they are of no economic utility.  [48]  AE CLs press release also failed to mention that conventional battery cages are scheduled to be phased out across the European Union by 2012, whereas several attempts to introduce a ban in Australia have met considerable resistance.  [49]   Further to the above, a number of European countries have taken a leadership role in the area of chicken meat