Analysis of factors that influence hazardous material transportation accidents based on Bayesian networks: A case study in China

In this study, we applied Bayesian networks to prioritize the factors that influence hazardous material (Hazmat) transportation accidents. The Bayesian network structure was built based on expert knowledge using Dempster-Shafer evidence theory, and the structure was modified based on a test for conditional independence. We collected and analyzed 94 cases of Chinese Hazmat transportation accidents to compute the posterior probability of each factor using the expectation-maximization learning algorithm. We found that the three most influential factors in Hazmat transportation accidents were human factors, the transport vehicle and facilities, and packing and loading of the Hazmat. These findings provide an empirically supported theoretical basis for Hazmat transportation corporations to take corrective and preventative measures to reduce the risk of accidents.     

Perceptions of industrial risk and emergency management procedures in Hazmat Logistics: A qualitative mental model approach

In the industrial risk field, Hazmat Logistics research is growing as a sector of special relevance. The road transport of these substances is an activity with an elevated risk, involving drivers, logistics systems, industries, infrastructures, urban areas, etc.In the study of risk and safety of the logistics of hazardous materials there is a special relevance for new and complex elements, as human factors and mental models involved in managing critical incidents ‘‘on the road”. Moreover, the ‘‘emergency management training” of human resources in this field is often limited, and this represents another factor of vulnerability.In collaboration with SBG (one of the leading European Hazmat Logistics corporations), we developed a quali-quantitative study on cognitive representations and semantic perceptions of risk and emergency management procedures in tanker drivers. The main innovation of the study, with the direct involvement of the stakeholder and 47 drivers, is represented by the construction and use of ‘‘ad hoc” psychometrical and knowledge-elicitation, allowing a deeper analysis of workers’ mental models.The application of PCP tools of adapted RepGrid and Landfield Laddering Procedures allows to analyze some of the main qualitative structures of mental models held by drivers about Hazmat Logistics. Through the analysis of these mental models, it could become possible to set up efficient preventive actions for this type of industrial risk. We are going to discuss the consequences of these findings and methodological approaches for the industrial risk-and-safety field.     

基于改进VRP模型的危险品配送路径优化及其求解研究

危险品道路运输高风险性,一直受到人们的广泛关注。危险品道路运输路径优化的研究,对于降低运输风险具有十分重要的意义。本文针对危险品运输配送过程中的路径优化问题,提出综合考虑道路运输的风险和费用两方面指标改进VRP模型路径优化目标,并设计遗传算法对改进模型进行了求解。最后通过实例进行了验证。结果表明：用遗传算法对改进VRP模型的求解结果与实际分析结果相符。因此,改进VRP模型及其遗传算法求解设计可以应用于危险品运输的路径优化分析。     

A transportation network assessment tool for hazardous material cargo routing: Weighing exposure health risks,proximity to vulnerable areas,delay costs and trucking expenses

The inherent risks associated with accidental releases of hazardous materials during transport have drawn attention and concerns in the recent decades. The aim of this study is to propose a tool for evaluation and comparison of the transportation networks which can be used to assess the routing options between origins and destinations of the cargos for their suitability for transporting hazardous material cargos by tanker trucks and to identify routes which provide lower accidental release risks, lower public exposure risks, and offer economical benefits. Each route segment of transportation networks were evaluated using specific criteria which included health risk and cost of delay in case of an accidental release of materials, trucking cost and proximity to vulnerable areas. Since, the health impact of hazardous materials differ depending on the characteristics of the material being transported as well as release quantities and atmospheric conditions; this paper aimed in providing a tool that can be used to estimate the impact radius (for health risks) after accidental release of hazardous materials by taking into account different atmospheric conditions based on the meteorological data and solar elevation angle. The Gaussian air dispersion model paired with ArcGIS using Python programming were employed to estimate the health risk impact zones by considering the meteorological data, and accordingly to analyze road segments for cost impacts (delay and trucking costs), and the proximity to vulnerable areas. The route assessment tool was demonstrated with a case study. The results of this study can efficiently aid decision makers for transportation of hazardous materials.     

危险品道路运输风险分级指数法研究

危险品道路运输过程风险影响因素多,随机性和不确定性大,定量风险评价比较复杂,至今没有统一的风险评估模型.为了有效预防危险品运输事故和进行快速风险评估,基于运输危险品本身特性和相关的风险影响因素探讨了运输危险品现实风险分级指数法.该方法由危险品风险分级指数、路线影响因素和安全措施补偿因子3部分构成.危险品风险分级指数由危险品加权平均风险等级和运输危险品量、泄漏点与居民区距离以及危险品扩散因子等级确定.危险品加权平均风险等级涉及其健康危害性、可燃性、化学反应活性以及特殊危险性(氧化性和与水反应性)等级的确定.路线影响因素包含运输道路特征、气象条件、交通状况和影响人员分布4类.安全措施补偿因子为车辆、设备、容器、包装因子,人员素质因子和安全管理因子3类.该方法可对运输危险品的潜在风险进行快速分级,有利于采取有效的安全预防和控制措施,降低运输事故概率和沿线影响人员风险.     

Risk-based route evaluation against country-specific criteria of risk tolerability for hazmat transportation through Indian State Highways

Risk-based route evaluation is necessary for decision making by authorities for regulating hazardous materials (hazmats) transport vehicles. The paper highlights risk estimation and its representation for three highway study routes in western India using frequency analysis through logic diagrams and scenario based detailed consequence analysis of accidental releases considering 26 hazmats from UN Classes-2, 3, 6 and 8 categories. The 3 routes have been evaluated based on several layers of analysis namely hazmat-wise, route-segment-wise, route-wise and overall assessment including presentation of normalized risk figures. The results show that compared to the risk on city route segment, individual risks on other two routes are higher and extend beyond ALARP (As Low As Reasonably Practicable) region when assessed against HSE, UK risk criteria, whereas, societal risks on all three routes are within the ALARP except some part in the higher fatality area. But, considering the general mortality rates in India and sustained economic growth, the authors proposed widening of the ALARP region for individual risk tolerability of transportation activity of essential commodities that benefits society to a large extent in this developing economy. However, specific risk reduction measures have also been suggested to improve upon the risk picture in the study area.     

A study of land transport of dangerous substances in Eastern Sicily

In this work a quantitative analysis of the risk in the land transport of hazardous materials in Sicily has been executed. Risk calculation has been carried out using the TRAT-GIS code, a software for incidental and environmental risk assessment associated with the transport of dangerous substances and supported by a Geographical Information System (GIS). Results have been collected in a database, the GIS allows to display the risk maps.Risk analysis has been made on a regional scale, then some critical points have been analysed in detail. Comparisons between different typologies of transport and routes have been possible by means of the risk maps. In order to reduce the risk and improve the protection of citizens, some proposals have been analysed in these past years and some of them have been recently realized. In this study other proposals for the optimization of the transport system have been formulated, results have also permitted to evaluate the risk reduction after the future application of the Regional Transportation Plan for the Sicily.     

HazMat transportation safety assessment: Analysis of a “Viareggio-like” incident in the Netherlands

Relevant safety issues are associated with hazardous materials transportation, especially when transport routes cross populated areas. On March 6th, 2015, a passenger train collided with the last rail car of a freight train in Tilburg, the Netherlands. The last car contained 50 t of liquefied 1,3-butadiene. As a result of the collision, the last car showed deformation; a small leakage occurred but fortunately with no relevant consequences. However, extremely severe consequences could have happened, such as in the rail accident that occurred in Viareggio, Italy in 2009. In this work, the case of Tilburg was firstly outlined and explored by qualitative methods, in order to identify possible realistic final scenarios that could have happened. Second, the potential consequences of the identified scenarios were estimated through conventional integral model for physical effects evaluation. Comparison with the Viareggio case was also shown in order to support the discussion of the results obtained. Finally, lessons learned after the incident, policy making considerations, and indications for the risk mitigation of hazardous materials transportation are given.     

Frequency analysis of hazardous material transportation incidents as a function of distance from origin to incident location

According to the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT), more than 3.1 billion tons of hazardous materials (HazMat) are shipped within the United States annually. This averages to about 800,000 individual shipments of HazMat per day, of which 300,000 are shipments of petroleum/flammable–combustible liquids. This paper presents a temporal trend study (1995–2004) of 2145 HazMat incidents occurring through the transportation of flammable/combustible liquids. The study also correlates between HazMat incidents and distances between shipment origin and incident location. These distances attained through great circle calculations since the data compilation did not allow for the identification of specific routes taken in commodity transport. Findings of this study illustrate a bimodal distribution of frequency as a function of the logarithm of the Distance with first mode (less than 105 miles) mean of 24 [km] and second mode mean of 1061 [km]. Additionally, transport phase introduced no significance to the distribution of frequencies.     

危险品运输网络中运输方式和路径优化研究

在危险品运输网络中,往往有多种运输方式和多条运输路径。不同运输方式在不同路径上发生事故所造成的损失不同,不同运输方式的单位运输成本也不同。本文研究了在给定运输起点和终点的情况下,在综合考虑事故所造成的损失最小和运输成本最小的情况下,运输方式和运输路径的选择方法。通过一个仿真例子说明了模型的求解方法和实际效果,并与单一运输方式的方案进行了对比。结果表明考虑运输方式的组合,在一定程度上可以降低危险品运输过程中的社会总期望损失和运输成本。     

Trends of hazardous material accidents (HMAs) during highway transportation from 2013 to 2018 in China

Statistical analysis of hazardous material accidents (HMAs) in China from 20013 to 2018 related to characteristics and consequences is discussed in this study, revealing different time volatility, spatial distribution and accident consequence features. Yearly, monthly, weekly and hourly levels of HMAs are analysed, and the corresponding factors are discussed. The trends of HMAs are affected by different factors, such as efforts toward safety-specific rectification by the government, holidays, five-day workweek systems and daily traffic peaks. The spatial distribution trends indicate that highway transportation of hazardous materials is mostly short-distance transport. The accidents that occurred on normal road sections account for 82.76% of the total HMAs during transportation. Leaking accidents caused by HMAs account for 79.35% of the total accidents. Countermeasures focusing on improving highway transportation safety for hazardous materials are recommended.     

Quantitative assessment of environmental risk due to accidental spills from onshore pipelines

The transport of hazardous materials by pipeline is widely used for the transfer of significant quantities of oil and chemicals. Due to the extremely low frequency of spills, pipelines are considered the safest mode for the land transportation of hazardous substances. Accident records, while confirming that Loss of Containment (LOC) events are rare, also point out the major-accident hazard of pipelines, due to the extremely severe potential consequences of spills. Quantitative Risk Analysis (QRA) techniques have been applied to pipelines since many years with the aim of evaluating risk for workers or exposed population. However, releases of liquids, as oil and oil products, also create an hazard to the environment, due to the potential of extensive soil and groundwater contamination. An integrated model was developed for the environmental Risk Analysis of spills from pipelines. Specific environmental risk indexes were defined, expressing the risk of soil and groundwater contamination, both in physical and economic terms. A case-study is presented and discussed to illustrate the features of the methodology. The results confirmed that the proposed model may be considered an important tool within a comprehensive approach to the management of risk related to onshore pipelines.     

Research on the prediction model of hazardous chemical road transportation accidents

In recent years, hazardous chemicals road transport accidents have occurred frequently, causing huge casualties and property losses, and accident risk assessment has become the focus of researchers' research. To predict the risk probability value of hazardous chemical road transport accidents, first, we compiled data on road transportation accidents of hazardous chemicals in China in the past five years. And the nine nodes in the Bayesian network (BN) structure were defined in combination with relevant classification standards. The optimal Bayesian network structure for hazardous chemical road transport accidents was determined based on the K2 algorithm and the causalities between the nodes. Second, the node conditional probabilities were derived by parameter learning of the model using Netica, and the validity of the model was verified using the 5-fold cross-validation method. Last, the Bayesian network model of hazardous chemical road transport accidents is used to analyze accident examples, and the accident chain of “rear-end-leakage” is predicted, and the accident is most likely to be disposed of within 3–9 h. The study shows that the derived accident prediction model for hazardous chemical road transportation can reason reasonably about the evolution of accident scenarios and determine the probability values of accident risks under different parameter conditions.     

危化品道路运输事故应急救援中心选址模型研究

为快速提高危化品道路运输事故应急救援能力,降低事故后果,文章基于目前应急救援中心选址模型的不足,提出了一种新的双目标决策救援中心选址模型。通过综合考虑应急响应时间及应急处理能力对救援能力的影响,建立了救援中心点的最大网络覆盖模型;并采用较优的邻域搜索算法求解救援中心点的合理位置。最后以某地危化品运输路网为例,利用所建模型对事故应急救援中心的合理布局计算求解。结果表明:考虑应急响应时间及应急处理能力限制的应急救援中心选址模型,能够有效提高救援中心的综合应急能力,为有关部门合理规划危化品道路运输事故应急救援中心布局提供理论参考和决策依据。     

Risk management of road and rail transport of hazardous materials in Sicily

A Transportation Risk Analysis (TRA) tool has been used to accurately assess the risk associated to a variety of road and rail transportation cases representative of hazardous materials transport by land in Sicily. Due to the high risk level, some risk mitigation options have been investigated: the possibility of changing route and/or transport modalities have been examined for each transportation activity, all the combinations of road, rail and intermodal (road+rail) transport have been calculated and that minimising the risk has been identified with the aid of the TRA tool.     

Risk analysis system for the transport of hazardous materials

IntroductionIn this paper, a literature study on risk analysis systems for the transport of hazardous materials was conducted.ResultsThe insights that resulted from this literature review have led to the development of a refined approach to map the risk of hazmat transport in Flanders based on historical accident data. The proposed framework allows setting up an overall risk map for hazmat transport by different transport modes. Additionally, a methodology to calculate a local accident risk, which takes local infrastructure parameters and accident data into account, is being introduced. In the presented framework one of the general principles is that the risk of a catastrophic hazmat incident can be divided into two parts, which can both be validated on the basis of accident data: (a) the calculation of the general probability of the occurrence of an accident based on international accident data of transport of hazardous materials – this is the basis for the global risk map, and (b) the calculation of the local probability of the occurrence of an accident based on accident data and infrastructure parameters of the complete available freight transport in Flanders – this is the basis for the local risk map. The ratio between these two results in a locality parameter, which represents the local specific circumstances that can lead to an accident.ConclusionsThis evaluation framework makes it possible to estimate the risks of hazmat transport along a specific route for transport by road, rail, inland navigation and even pipelines.     

Experimental analysis of 31 risk estimation tools applied to safety of machinery

This article studies differences in the results of using different risk estimation tools in the same hazardous situations involving dangerous machinery. We investigated how (a) types of risk estimation parameters and methods of constructing tools, (b) the number of levels of each parameter, and (c) the number of risk levels influence the results. Consequently, 31 risk estimation tools were compared by using them to estimate risk levels associated with 20 hazardous situations. Risk estimation appears to be tool-dependent, as different tools give different results with identical hazardous situations. The scope of the tool, its use, and construction could explain these differences. This article also proposes a series of rules for constructing tools to alleviate many problems associated with the variability of risk estimations.     

危险化学品运输事故历史数据研究综述

系统地回顾国内外近20 a来的危险化学品运输事故历史数据分析的理论和方法,旨在为我国今后危险化学品运输风险研究提供指导。调研国内外危险化学品运输事故研究的历史数据来源,介绍该领域的主要研究方法及其发展过程,讨论现有研究内容及研究结果的共性和特征。发现现有研究主要集中于危险化学品的道路运输,侧重于分析运输事故的主要影响因素,经济损失、次生灾害及事故数与运输批次的关联方面的研究不足。提出要把事故后果的科学衡量作为未来的研究方向。     

The weighted risk analysis

Safety and risk assessment are characterised by aspects, like subjectivity and objectivity. In this paper, relations between safety and risk are described. When a risk analysis is performed, it is important to realise that decision-making about risks is very complex, and not only technical aspects but also economical, environmental, comfort related, political, psychological and societal acceptance are aspects that play an important role. In order to balance safety measures with aspects, such as environmental, quality, and economical aspects, a weighted risk analysis methodology is proposed in this paper. This paper also provides a theoretical background regarding the scope of safety assessment in relation to the decision-making in complex urban development projects adjacent to or above transport routes of hazardous materials. In Western Europe, such projects are realised due to shortage of space. The weighted risk analysis is an interesting tool comparing different risks, such as investments, economical losses and the loss of human lives, in one-dimension (e.g., money), since both investments and risks could be expressed solely in money. Finally, the weighted risk analysis approach is applied in a case study of Bos and Lommer, Amsterdam.