Associate Professor David Eager

Eager, D.M., Scarrott, C., Nixon, J.W. & Alexander, K. 2012, 'Injury survey of a non-traditional 'soft-edged' trampoline designed to lower equipment hazards', International Journal of Injury Control and Safety Journal, vol. April, pp. 1-8.
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In Australia trampolines contribute one quarter of all childhood play equipment injuries. The objective of this study was to gather and evaluate injury data from a non-traditional, 'soft-edged', consumer trampoline, where the design aimed to minimise injuries from the equipment and from falling off. The manufacturer of the non-traditional trampoline provided the University of Technology Sydney with their Australian customer database. The study involved surveys in Queensland and New South Wales, between May 2007 and March 2010. Initially injury data was gathered by a phone interview pilot study, then in the full study, through an email survey. The 3817 respondents were the carers of child users of the 'soft-edge' trampolines. Responses were compared with Australian and US emergency department data. In both countries the proportion of injuries caused by the equipment and falling off was compared with the proportion caused by the jumpers to themselves or each other. The comparisons showed a significantly lower proportion resulted from falling-off or hitting the equipment for this design when compared to traditional trampolines, both in Australia and the US. This research concludes that equipment-induced and falling off injuries, the more severe injuries on traditional trampolines, can be significantly reduced with appropriate trampoline design.

Eager, D.M., Scarrott, C., Nixon, J.W. & Alexander, K. 2012, 'Survey of injury sources for a trampoline with equipment hazards designed out', Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, vol. 48, no. 7, pp. 577-581.
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A significantly lower proportion of the injuries caused by falling off or striking the equipment was found for this new design when compared with traditional trampolines both in Australia and in the USA. The age of children being injured on trampolines in Australia was found to be markedly lower than in North America.

Alexander, K.M., Eager, D.M., Scarrott, C. & Sushinsky, G. 2010, 'Effectiveness Of Pads And Enclosures As Safety Interventions On Consumer Trampolines', Injury Prevention, vol. 16, no. 3, pp. 185-189.
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Background Trampolines continue to be a major source of childhood injury. Objective To examine available data on trampoline injuries in order to determine the effectiveness of padding and enclosures. Design Trampoline injuries from the NEISS database fro

Besinger, A., Sztynda, T., Lal, S., Duthoit, C.J., Agbinya, J.I., Jap, B., Eager, D.M. & Dissanayake, G. 2010, 'Optical flow based analyses to detect emotion from human facial image data', Expert Systems with Applications, vol. 37, no. 12, pp. 8897-8902.
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Artificial recognition of facial expression has attracted a lot of attention in the last few years and different facial expression detection methods have been developed. The current study uses a feature point tracking technique separately applied to the five facial image regions (eyebrows, eyes and mouth) to capture basic emotions. The used dataset contains a total 60 facial images from subject+s different genders and nationality not wearing glasses and/or facial hair. Results show that the used point tracking algorithm separately applied to the five facial image regions can detect emotions in image sequences.

Elliott, R., McKinley, S.M. & Eager, D.M. 2010, 'A pilot study of sound levels in an Australian adult general intensive care unit', Noise and Health, vol. 12, no. 46, pp. 26-36.
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High technology and activity levels in the intensive care unit (ICU) lead to elevated and disturbing sound levels. As noise has been shown to affect the ability of patients to rest and sleep, continuous sound levels are required during sleep investigations. The aim of this pilot study was to develop a robust protocol to measure continuous sound levels for a larger more substantive future study to improve sleep for the ICU patient. A review of published studies of sound levels in intensive care settings revealed sufficient information to develop a study protocol. The study protocol resulted in 10 usable recordings out of 11 attempts to collect pilot data. The mean recording time was 17.49 ¦ 4.5 h. Sound levels exceeded recommendations made by the World Health Organization (WHO) for hospitals. The mean equivalent sound level (LAeq) was 56.22 ¦ 1.65 dB and LA90 was 46.8 ¦ 2.46 dB. The data reveal the requirement for a noise reduction program within this ICU.

Little, H. & Eager, D.M. 2010, 'Risk, challenge and safety: implications for play quality and playground design', European Early Childhood Education Research Jou..., vol. 18, no. 4, pp. 497-513.
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In many countries playground design is driven more by safety than developmental benefits. As risk minimisation strategies become more stringent, many researchers and practitioners are questioning whether young children are able to take sufficient risks in play in order for their play experiences to be interesting and developmentally challenging. This study examined the outdoor play choices and risk-taking behaviour of 38 children (25 boys, 13 girls) aged between 48 and 64 months from Sydney, Australia. Semi-structured interviews examined children's play preferences and playground equipment usage. Observations of play explored engagement in risk-taking behaviour. Selection of equipment indicated a strong preference for challenge and excitement. However, the dominant observed play behaviours involved little risk suggesting equipment at these parks provided few opportunities to practice mastery of skills already in their behavioural repertoire, learning new skills or building on current capabilities. The findings have implications for play provision and playground design.

Niebecker, K.D., Eager, D.M. & Moulton, B.D. 2010, 'Collaborative and cross-company project management within the automotive industry using the Balanced Scorecard', International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 328-337.
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Purpose -This paper aims to summarize the scope, methodology, and main findings of a doctoral thesis about cross-company project management in the automotive industry. The concept of the collaborative project scorecard (CPS) is described and the results of its application to a project are sununarized and discussed. Design/methodology/approach -The project adopted an action research approach which included a series of interviews, surveys, workshops, and a case study where the developed project management concept was tested and evaluated in a real project setting, Findings -The concept of the CPS supports the alignment of project goals with business strategies, improves transparency in networked project organizations with respect to roles, responsibilities, goal achievement, sta.keholder identification, and performance assessment. Project goals is not only based on and measured by hard facts but also on soft facts such as trust and employee satisfaction. The balanced choice of common strategic project goals improves the achievement of long-term strategies in a project partnership.

Sherker, S., Ritchie, J., Eager, D.M. & Dennis, R. 2009, 'Soft landings: encouraging compliance with safety standards in Local Government Authority playgrounds', Health Promotion Journal of Australia, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 31-36.
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Issues addressed: Consistent with health promotion principles of good practice, addressing playground injury necessitates the creation of a supportive environment for the enhancement of wellbeing and the prevention of injuries. This study aims to survey local governments to: determine compliance with playground safety standards; establish frequency of playground inspections and maintenance; and identify motivators and barriers to compliance with safety standards. Methods: A survey of key informants for playground safety in all 152 local government councils in New South Wales (NSW) was undertaken. Results: Of 152 local councils in NSW (43 metropolitan and 109 non-metropolitan), 71.7% (n=109) completed the survey, 12.5% (n=19) refused to participate and no response was received by 15.8% (n=24). Self-reported compliance with key aspects of the standard was generally high. However, only 55% of councils complied with surface impact attenuation < 200 g(max) and < 1,000 HIC. Further, only 14.7% of councils reported impact testing the playground surface during inspections. The main motivators to compliance included: reducing risk of litigation or liability; enhancing community and child safety, and minimising the risk of injury. The main barriers included a lack of: time; personnel, and a lack of adequate and appropriate funding. Conclusions: Local Government Authorities have a duty of care to ensure the safety of playgrounds in their jurisdiction. They require time, personnel and adequate and appropriate funding in order to achieve this aim.

Niebecker, K.D., Eager, D.M. & Kubitza, K. 2008, 'Improving cross-company project management performance with a collaborative project scorecard', International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 368-386.
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Mitchell, R., Sherker, S., Cavanagh, M. & Eager, D.M. 2007, 'Falls from playground equipment: will the new Australian playground safety standard make a difference and how do we tell', Health Promotion Journal of Australia, vol. 18, pp. 98-104.
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Mitchell, R., Cavanagh, M. & Eager, D.M. 2006, 'Not all risk is bad, playgrounds as a learning environment for children', International Journal of Injury Control and Safety Promotion, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 122-124.
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The article discusses the implications of risk-free playgrounds on the development of children's social, cognitive, physical and emotional skills. Some experts would argue that children do not lose interest in playgrounds that is not challenging, while school-aged children indicate that risk free environment is not enjoyable. It concludes that it is important that playgrounds should provide opportunities to allow children to extend themselves in a challenging yet semi-controlled environment.

Nixon, J.W., Acton, C.H., Wallis, B.A., Battistutta, D., Perry, C. & Eager, D.M. 2004, 'Preventing Injuries on Horizontal Ladders and Track Rides', Injury Control and Safety Promotion Journal, vol. 11, no. 4, pp. 219-224.
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This study examined the type of injury, fall heights and measures of impact attenuation of surfaces on which children fell from horizontal ladders and track rides. METHOD: All injured children who presented to two children's hospitals and received medical attention following a fall from a horizontal ladder or track ride in a public school or park during 1996--1997 were interviewed and the playground visited. RESULTS: The number of children who fell from horizontal ladders and track rides and presented to hospitals with injury was 118. Of those children, 105 were injured when they hit the ground and data were available on 102 of those playground undersurfaces. Fractures to the arm or wrist were the most common injury. The median height fallen by children was 1930 mm, 73% of injuries were from falls greater than 1800mm. In 41% of sites, the surface was deficient in impact absorbing properties for the height of the equipment. Fractures were no more likely on loose surfaces than other surfaces, such as rubber matting (p = 0.556) but more prevalent on compliant than non-compliant surfaces. Relative to falls occurring on noncompliant surfaces, the odds of a fracture occurring on a compliant surface was 2.67 (95% CI 0.88-8.14). CONCLUSIONS: Modification of the height of horizontal ladders and track rides to 1800mm is preferable to removal of such equipment. The prevalence of fractures on compliant surfaces suggests that the threshold of 200g or 1000 head injury criteria (HIC) needs to be revisited, or additional test criteria added to take account of change in momentum that is not presently accounted for with either g-max on HIC calculations.

Fox, D.L., Walmsley, M. & Eager, D.M. 2011, 'Application of EVM to Pressure Equipment Manufacturing', PMI Global Congress--North America (2011 : Dallas, Tex.), Dallas, USA, October 2011 in PMI Global Congress 2011, ed Jacqueline Kardon, PMI, Project Management Institute, Dallas, USA, pp. 1-12.
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Work reported in this paper covers recent developments in transforming a project-based organization from one with minimal formal project management structure to a business that is now being managed as a whole by its project focus. Changes were driven by the need to restructure the host organization so sufficient data streams become available for earned value management (EVM) analysis. The central challenge has been to make EVM function beneficially on a relatively small scale without imposing uneconomic burdens in data generation and management. Established EVM theories were applied--as described here--and shown to be adaptable to the small-scale manufacturing projects this research is investigating. Results from schedule forecasting have shown consistency in the various methods applied, though some proved more accurate than others. Conclusions suggest EVM has the flexibility to be successfully used as an option for the tracking of pressure equipment manufacturing projects. In addition, the structure to support EVM, and the data delivered by the method, displays capacity to benefit functional areas of the SME and deliver improvements in estimating and scheduling.

Howsawi, E.M., Eager, D.M. & Bagia, R. 2011, 'Understanding project success: four-level project success framework', IEEE International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management, Singapore, December 2011 in 2011 IEEE International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management, ed Meyer et al., IEEE, Singapore, pp. 620-624.
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project's success means different things to different people. This implies that the definition of success will be different for each project. However, success is a common goal for projects regardless of the specific definition for each project. This statement implies that there can be a common approach in planning for success and generalized framework that can guide the process of defining and planning the project success for different projects. This paper presents the underlying framework that directs the optimum success definition and planning process. Through a literature review and classification of success criteria, a four level success framework was developed, namely: context level; business level; product level; and project process level. This framework explains the relationship between levels and provides guidelines for decision process. The framework is generalized and can be applied to most projects.

Phillips, S., Eager, D.M. & Tonin, R. 2011, 'A preliminary investigation into the determination of the inaudibility of mechanical plant and music noise in the presence of ambient background noise', Acoustics 2011, Gold Coast, Australia, November 2011 in Proceedings of Acoustics 2011, ed Ian Hillock - Technical Review Committee Chair, Australian Acoustical Society, Gold Coast, Australia, pp. 1-8.
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Currently there are regulations and guidelines that governing bodies have adopted when dealing with the emission of noise that make reference to or imply the term of inaudibility when setting criteria to be met for mechanical p lant and music noise after restricted hours. However, to date no such criteria has been established that can predict the inaudibility of these sources when combined with ambient backgrounds. As a result, stakeholders are met with uncertainty and designers are left with an inadequate subjective term when attempting to meet location-sp ecific noise criteria. This paper involves an investigation into the possibilities of conducting a psychoacoustic experiment that will test for the inaudibility of mechanical p lant and music noise in the presence of ambient background noise typical of the home environment situated in urban and suburban locations. This paper attempts to provide the framework for future larger scale investigations and provides the relevant findings and a methodology to assist in reducing the subjective nature of the responses observed. Through these future investigations, objective definable criteria from which to establish the inaudibility of mechanical plant and music noise in the presence of ambient background noise may be established

Niebecker, K.D., Eager, D.M., Kubitza, K. & Plischke, D. 2008, 'Integrating a Collaborative Management Model into a Project Scorecard for efficient Cross-Company Project Management', Keeping the promise through people, projects and performance, Canberra, Australia, October 2008 in Integrating a Collaborative Management Model into a Project Scorecard for efficient Cross-Company Project Management, ed K. Niebecker, D. Eager, K. Kubitza, D. Plischke, Australian Institute of Project Management, Level 9/139 Macquarie Street, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia, pp. 1-12.
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Proceedings of the 2008 AIPM Project Management Conference 12-15 October, 2008, National Convention Centre, Canberra, ACT, Australia

Eager, D.M. & Chapman, C.M. 2005, 'A portable data acquisition system for the measurement of impact attenuation of playground surfacing', Annual Conference of the Australian Acoustical Society, Brusselton, November 2005 in Website Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Australian Acoustical Society 2005 Annual Conference, ed Conference Technical Committee, Australian Acoustical Society, Busselton, Western Australia, pp. 1-8.
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Gone are the days when children+s playgrounds were erected on concrete and asphalt. Impact attenuating playground surfacing has been common place in most children+s playgrounds for many years. Unfortunately there is not a strong correlation between the expected reduction in the frequency and severity of playground injuries. Until recently testing of playground undersurfacing was restricted to the laboratory. This paper details the development and description of a portable data acquisition system for use in playgrounds.

Eager, D.M. & Chapman, C.M. 2004, 'Why Bounce is Bad', National Playground Conference, Sydney, Australia, March 2004 in National Playground Conference, ed Margaret Cavanagh, Suzanne Quinn, Beverley Boland, Penny Buchann, Annie Warn, Wendy Harris, David Eager, Linda Corkery, Meryl Bingham, Fiona Robbe, Rebeccfa Mitchell, Sheena Barnes, Kidsafe New South Wales Inc, Westmead, Australia, pp. 186-199.
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