Problems Faced by Sun Coast

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Date Table of Contents Executive Summary  5 Introduction  6 Statement of Problems  6 Particulate Matter (PM) 6 Safety Training Effectiveness  7 Sound-Level Exposure  7 New Employee Training  7 Lead Exposure  8 Return-On-Investment  8 Literature Review   8 Particulate Matter  8 Safety Training Effectiveness  9 Sound-Level Exposure  9 New Employee Training  9 Lead Exposure  10 Return on Investment 10 Research Objectives, Research Questions, and Hypotheses  10 Research Objectives  10 Research Questions and Hypotheses  11 Research Methodology, Design, and Methods  13 Research Methodology  13 Research Design  14 Research Methods  14 Data Collection Methods  14 Sampling Design  14 Data Analysis Procedures  15 Data Analysis: Descriptive Statistics and Assumption Testing  15 Correlation: Descriptive Statistics and Assumption Testing  15 Simple Regression: Descriptive Statistics and Assumption Testing  18 Multiple Regression: Descriptive Statistics and Assumption Testing  21 Dependent Samples (Paired-Samples) t Test: Descriptive Statistics and Assumption Testing  26 Measurement Scale  29 Measure of Central Tendency  29 Skewness and Kurtosis  29 Evaluation  29 ANOVA: Descriptive Statistics and Assumption Testing   30 Frequency Distribution Table  30 Measurement Scale  31 Measure of Central Tendency  31 Skewness and Kurtosis  31 Evaluation  32 Data Analysis: Hypothesis Testing   32 Independent Samples t Test: Hypothesis Testing  32 Dependent Samples (Paired Samples) t Test: Hypothesis Testing  33 ANOVA: Hypothesis Testing  35 Findings  36 Multiple Regression Data Analysis and Output 41 Recommendations  43 Particulate Matter  43 Safety Training Effectiveness  43 Sound-Level Exposure  44 New Employee Training  44 Lead Exposure  44 Return on Investment  44 References  45 
Executive Summary
Sun Coast is a well-known coastal region in Florida that has faced various environmental challenges for several years. Several quantitative analysis articles have been published on the subject, which examine the nature of the challenges, their causes and impacts, and potential solutions. This literature review aims to investigate the key themes and findings of these articles and discuss the significance of the research in addressing the problems faced by Sun Coast.
One of the primary issues affecting Sun Coast is the deterioration of water quality due to pollution and nutrient overloading. Various studies have examined the sources and impacts of this problem, such as Ketterer et al. (2018), who used a watershed model to investigate the origins of excess nutrients in Tampa Bay. The study found that agricultural activities, atmospheric deposition, and urbanization were the primary sources of nutrient inputs, which led to eutrophication and harmful algal blooms in the bay. Similarly, Schaeffer et al. (2017) found that septic systems were a significant source of nutrient pollution in the area, contributing to the deterioration of water quality and the spread of harmful bacteria.
Week 7 Final
Introduction
Senior leadership at Sun Coast has identified several areas for concern that they believe could be solved using business research methods. The previous director was tasked with researching to help provide information to make decisions about these issues. Although data were collected, the project was never completed. Senior leadership is interested in seeing the project through to fruition. The following is the completion of that project, and includes statement of the problems, literature review, research objectives, research questions and hypotheses, research methodology, design, and methods, data analysis, findings, and recommendations.
Statement of Problems
Six business problems were identified:
Particulate Matter (PM)
There is a concern that job-site particle pollution is adversely impacting employee health. Although respirators are required in certain environments, particulate matter (PM) varies in size depending on the project and job site. PM between 10 and 2.5 microns can float in the air for minutes to hours (e.g. asbestos, mold spores, pollen, cement dust, fly ash), while PM less than 2.5 microns can float in the air for hours to weeks (e.g. bacteria, viruses, oil smoke, smog, soot). Due to the smaller size of PM less than 2.5 microns, it is potentially more harmful than PM between 10 and 2.5 since the conditions are more suitable for inhalation. PM less than 2.5 are also able to be inhaled into the deeper regions of the lungs, potentially causing more deleterious health effects. It would be helpful to understand if there is a relationship between PM size and employee health. PM air quality data have been collected from 103 job sites, which is recorded in microns. Data are also available for average annual sick days per employee per job-site.
Safety Training Effectiveness
Health and Safety training is conducted for each new contract that is awarded to Sun Coast. Data for training expenditures and lost-time hours were collected from 223 contracts. It would be valuable to know if training has been successful in reducing lost-time hours and, if so, how to predict lost-time hours from training expenditures.
Sound-Level Exposure
Sun Coast's contracts generally involve work in noisy environments due to heavy equipment being used for remediation and the clients' ongoing operations on the job sites. Standard earplugs are adequate to protect employee hearing if the decibel levels are less than 120 decibels (dB). More advanced and expensive hearing protection, such as earmuffs, is required for environments with noise levels exceeding 120 dB. Historical data have been collected from 1,503 contracts for several variables that are believed to contribute to excessive dB levels. It would be important if these data could be used to predict the dB levels of work environments before placing employees on-site for future contracts. This would help the safety department plan to procure appropriate ear protection for employees.
New Employee Training
All new Sun Coast employees participate in general health and safety training. The training program was revamped and implemented six months ago. Upon completion of the training programs the employees are tested on their knowledge. Test data are available for two Groups; a) Group A employees who participated in the prior training program, and b) Group B employees who participated in the revised training program. Knowing if the revised training program is more effective than the prior training program is necessary.
Lead Exposure
Employees working on job sites to remediate lead must be monitored. Lead levels in blood are measured as micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood (μg/dL). A base-line blood test is taken pre-exposure and post-exposure at the conclusion of the remediation. Data is available for 49 employees who recently completed a two-year lead remediation project. It is necessary to determine if blood lead levels have increased.
Return-On-Investment
Sun Coast offers its customers four lines of service: air monitoring, soil remediation, water reclamation, and health and safety training. Sun Coast would like to know if each line of service offers the same return on investment. Return-on-investment data are available for air monitoring, soil remediation, water reclamation, and health and safety training projects. If return-on-investment is not the same for all lines of service, it would be helpful to know where differences exist.
Literature Review
Environmental challenges facing various industries and workplaces can harm the health and safety of employees, the surrounding communities, and the environment. This literature review will examine articles on specific environmental challenges and their potential solutions in the workplace.
Particulate Matter
Particulate matter (PM) is a significant environmental challenge in many industries, including construction, manufacturing, and mining. PM can cause respiratory and cardiovascular problems, and long-term exposure can lead to chronic health conditions. To address this issue, using personal protective equipment (PPE) and engineering controls, such as ventilation systems, can reduce PM exposure. A study by Park et al. (2019) found that proper use of PPE and engineering controls significantly reduced PM exposure among construction workers. The study emphasized the importance of implementing appropriate PPE and engineering controls to mi...