Perspectives on social capacity building for natural hazards: outlining an emerging field of research and practice in Europe

Social capacity building for natural hazards is a topic increasingly gaining relevance not only for so-called developing countries but also for European welfare states which are continuously challenged by the social, economic and ecological impacts of natural hazards. Following an outline of recent governance changes with regard to natural hazards, we develop a heuristic model of social capacity building by taking into account a wide range of existing expertise from different fields of research. Particular attention is paid to social vulnerability and its assessment, as well as to risk communication and risk education as specific strategies of social capacity building. We propose to distinguish between interventionist and participatory approaches, thus enabling for a better understanding of existing practices of social capacity building as well as their particular strengths and weaknesses. By way of conclusion, we encourage more research on social capacity building for natural hazards in the European context which at present is highly diverse and, at least in parts, only poorly investigated.     

改进的专家评体系在长输管道风险评价中的应用

结合国内环境条件、运行状况和管理水平等实际情况,对长输气管道指数法风险评价体系进行修正,并举出了应用实例。     

炼化企业装置检修期间职业病危害因素分析与控制

目的分析及控制炼化企业装置检修期间职业病危害因素。方法选择某炼化企业正在检修的6套装置及污水处理系统,在40个检修现场设置113个采样点,进行职业病危害因素识别、检测及个人防护情况调查。结果氨、乙二醇、环氧乙烷、硫化氢、苯、甲苯、二甲苯浓度不超标。焦炭尘、电焊尘、锰及其无机化合物、噪声指标超过国家职业卫生标准,超标点主要在焊接、清洗除焦、吹扫等作业。参加检修人员个体防护用品佩戴不合格。结论应建立炼化企业装置检修期间职业卫生管理制度,加强检修期间的职业卫生监督,做好检修人员职业病防治工作。     

饮用水反复烧开对水质的影响

以致癌物质亚硝酸盐为代表的反复烧开水的危害引起了公众的广泛关注,有报道说水在反复烧开的过程中亚硝酸盐的质量会增加,喝反复烧开的水对身体有害。为澄清这一问题文章以符合国家标准的自来水为研究对象,考察了沸腾次数和放置间隔时间对水质的影响。检测指标包括总氮、硝酸盐、亚硝酸盐、氨氮、硬度、溶解性有机碳,通过多次实验发现:符合国家标准的自来水反复烧开后未检测到亚硝酸盐的存在,即便人为加入一定量的亚硝酸盐,在烧水过程中其质量也没有发生变化;烧开的水不喝放置48h并不影响水质;溶解性有机碳的质量从2.3mg上升至2.9mg,但随沸腾次数增加和放置时间的延长略有所下降至2.6mg;物料平衡表明,所有指标浓度的上升是由于蒸发浓缩所致,没有显示出生物化学作用。     

论噪声污染及其控制

噪声是全球性的主要环境污染之一,已成为一种重要公害,必须加强治理;文中阐述了噪声及噪声污染的危害,提出控制噪声污染的防治对策及其基本途径。     

职业危害风险管控技术在煤化工装置中的应用研究

通过对甲醇装置的现场调查、工程分析,运用职业危害风险评估技术,开展了煤化工装置职业危害风险辨识及控制措施研究,识别出生产过程中存在的职业病危害因素,结合检测资料,分析了其危害程度,并提出控制措施。装置存在的职业病危害因素主要有煤尘、一氧化碳、甲醇、硫酸、氨、硫化氢、二氧化硫、氢氧化钠、噪声。针对危害情况,从卫生工程、个体防护、职业卫生管理等方面提出危害的关键控制点实施风险管控,为防控煤化工企业职业病危害提供科学依据。     

Small enterprises and major hazards: How to develop an appropriate safety management system

Many small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are obliged to adopt a Safety Managements System (SMS) by the Directive 2012/18/EU for the control of Major Accident Hazards (Seveso III). The difficulties of implementing an SMS within a small sized work organization are well known by practitioners, including inspectors and auditors and have been discussed in many recent papers. In the present paper is discussed a new method, based on the bowtie model, to build an easy and effective SMS. The very core of this method is a “safety net model”, which is able to connect in a network all the tangible and intangible elements of safety, including equipment, operating instructions, procedures and safety documents. This safety model has been used as the core of a smart application, the strength of which is the workers' contribution. The application allows the users to build step by step an SMS. It starts from a first version based just on regulations and standard codes (version 0), then it integrates internal knowledge through the bowtie paradigm (version 1). Near misses' discussion is used to transfer actual workers' experience into the system, to get intermediate improvement of the SMS (version 1.x). At the end audit may be used to a major release of the SMS (version 2). The full cycle has been tested at two small Seveso establishments: a galvanic plant and small glue manufacturer.     

威远县地质灾害发育规律及成因分析

威远县地质灾害活动频繁,崩塌和滑坡等地质灾害分布广泛。通过对威远县地质灾害分布特征的研究发现,研究区地质灾害点多,但其分布具有一定的区域性,主要分布在低山区。针对这一特性,以威远构造特征为背景,结合区域地质灾害调查资料,分析地质灾害发育的影响,得出背斜构造不仅为地质灾害的发生提供构造条件,而且控制着研究区内的地貌格局,地层岩性是决定地质灾害发育的物质基础。通过本次研究将进一步了解该区地质灾害发育规律及形成原因,对该区地质灾害防治工作提供理论指导。     

The impacts of climate change on the risk of natural disasters

Human emissions of greenhouse gases are already changing our climate. This paper provides an overview of the relation between climate change and weather extremes, and examines three specific cases where recent acute events have stimulated debate on the potential role of climate change: the European heatwave of 2003; the risk of inland flooding, such as recently in Central Europe and Great Britain; and the harsh Atlantic hurricane seasons of 2004 and 2005. Furthermore, it briefly assesses the relation between climate change and El Ni?o, and the potential of abrupt climate change. Several trends in weather extremes are sufficiently clear to inform risk reduction efforts. In many instances, however, the potential increases in extreme events due to climate change come on top of alarming rises in vulnerability. Hence, the additional risks due to climate change should not be analysed or treated in isolation, but instead integrated into broader efforts to reduce the risk of natural disasters.     

Risk and vulnerability indicators at different scales:: Applicability, usefulness and policy implications

This paper outlines selected approaches to measuring risk and vulnerability to hazards of natural origin using indicators and indices. It discusses their applicability, usefulness and policy implications. Indicators and indices have been developed on different scales and for different purposes. The paper will briefly introduce three global approaches to disaster-risk identification and will juxtapose them with one local approach in order to examine the differences concerning the functions and the purpose of the assessment as well as their impact for policy development. In contrast to an earlier comparative analysis of the three global disaster-risk indicator programmes by Mark Pelling in 2004, which focused primarily on the methodologies used, this paper places more emphasis on aspects of applicability and policy implications and outlines challenges and limitations of the different approaches. Since the assessment and mapping of human vulnerability is less developed than hazard assessment work [Pelling M., 2004. Visions of Risk: A Review of International Indicators of Disaster Risk and its Management. UNDP—Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BRCP), Geneva], this paper focuses in greater depth on how the approaches capture vulnerability. Conclusions will be formulated on how to further enhance vulnerability identification, particularly at the sub-national level.