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The transportation of hazardous material (hereinafter referred to as Hazmat) is different from general cargo. If a Hazmat road transportation accident occurs, it will not only cause significant casualties and road network damage but also threaten the safety of the lives and property of the residents near the road. Therefore, a quantitative vulnerability analysis of the Hazmat road transportation network is developed to assess the vulnerability of each link, which can help improve the road transportation risk management level. First, we propose an indicator to measure the relevance between two links based on comprehensive analysis of the road transportation network topology and Hazmat road transportation risk characteristics. Second, we discover that we cannot identify road vulnerability using only topology and risk characteristics alone. Thus, an Impact Strength model is developed to assess Hazmat road transportation vulnerability. This model is based on the classical Gravity model and considers both topology and risk characteristics. Relevant algorithms are proposed accordingly. Third, we use Guangzhou’s Hazmat highway transportation as a case study to verify our Impact Strength model. The related statistics data are collected, and ArcGIS software is employed. By using this model, we can calculate the Impact Strength of each link in the whole transportation network. The empirical results verify that this innovative Impact Strength model can help to identify the links with significant vulnerabilities, which can thus help to reduce road transportation risk in advance and build the road transportation risk early-warning mechanism. This innovative model can also be used to support the relevant decision-making process for further analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, there has been a considerable increase in the international transport of containers with dangerous goods, increasing the risk of seaports and surrounding cities together with the introduction of inherent environmental and security disaster risks. Therefore, there is an increasing interest in seaports that are more socially inclusive, addressing the storage of containers of hazardous goods to safe inland terminals. An appropriate design of inland terminals for containers with dangerous goods (ITDGs) may contribute to the achievement of a sustainable development and the minimization of risks, avoiding disasters such as Tianjin. The objective of this study was the analysis of the criteria used for the design of safe, secure, cost efficient and greener ITDGs by applying the multicriteria decision theory AHP (analytic hierarchy process). Criteria regarding safety and security, environmental care, productivity and information and communication technologies (ICT) have been considered simultaneously into a total performance management system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents theoretical approach for ensuring ADR safety. Whole spectrum of object constituting aspects is described in the light of the system methodology, with parallel identification of the system elements, relations between the elements as well as common aims and operational directions. Consequently, author's interpretation of ADR safety system is highlighted. Its implementation into relevant Polish determinants allows to analyze them in strictly practical dimensions and notice that main entities (institutions, services, entrepreneurs etc.) participating in ensuring ADR safety are connected by unique relations stated by law, trade and practical requirements. Such kind of research perspective is valuable especially from efficiency point of view. Accordingly to the Polish school of praxeology, the safety system can be analyzed by efficiency mechanisms, covering many different realms of safety-related operations (e.g. effectiveness, economy, rationality). In the paper a network methodology for identification of the crucial system efficiency determinants is used. Thus, practical development issues of ADR safety system are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transport of hazardous materials represents a significant percentage of the total transportation costs of goods. Hazardous materials (HazMats) comprise explosives, flammables, oxidizing substances, poisonous gases, and radioactive materials. These materials can be extremely harmful to the environment and human health, since exposure to their toxic ingredients can injure or kill plants, animals, and humans. The hazards associated with HazMat transportation cannot be avoided because commodities will always need to be transported to areas of need. The risk associated with transporting a HazMat depends not only on the substance being transported, but also on the characteristics of the road network such as road type, weather conditions, drivers’ skills, and population concentration along the chosen routes. The risk associated with such an activity is essentially related to the possibility of an accident with negative environmental and public health consequences. Reducing the potential negative impacts of transporting HazMat is an important task for communities, governments, HazMat producers and shippers. Over the last few decades, systems have been developed to help decision-makers find the best solutions. Typically, the software used is a decision support system. This paper is a review on the experiences of using such systems over the last few years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As conceptualized and put forward by Kletz, avoiding hazard at first instance is always desirable than trying to protect or manage it. However, there could be certain hazards which may not be possible to be totally eliminated and thus shall be analyzed and assessed in order to either reduce the probability of occurrence or limit the severity of consequences. Trevor's methodologies on HAZOP and hazard analysis (HAZAN) for process hazards are quite straightforward where the hazard is considered as a point source unlike hazmat transportation which is a moving source of hazard. The authors applied the HAZAN techniques to the transportation risk assessment of three different United Nations classes of hazardous materials (hazmats) through important industrial corridors of Surat district in western India that helped local authorities not only to decide on the minimum risk routes to regulate hazmat traffic but also to prepare an effective evacuation and emergency response strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In the Netherlands, the Betuweline is a dedicated freight railway. It will, among other things, be used for transportation of all kinds of hazardous materials from the Port of Rotterdam to the German Hinterland and vice versa. The line is approximately 150km long. Alongside the line, more than 100km noise shields have been constructed. The question is how, and to what extent, this noise shield will affect the pool shape and size of an instantaneous release of a flammable liquid, such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). In case of an instantaneous release of liquid from a rail tanker (50m3), both risk analysts and emergency responders use a circular pool shape of about 600m2 would result. To assess the influence of a noise shield, a full scale test was conducted on an already constructed part of the Betuweline. A rail tanker was filled with 50m3 red-colored environmentally safe liquid. The liquid was instantaneously released. A very peculiar pool shape actually results due to the presence of a noise shield. A zone between the rails and the noise shield (2m wide and 90m long) is within 2–3min filled with 15cm of liquid. The total pool size area was about 750m2. Both shape and size deviate substantially from the traditional figures. These insights are both relevant to emergency responders for disaster abatement purposes and to risk analysts for effective modeling purposes. The Dutch Ministry of Transport is examining possible strategies to deal with these results. The results of this study are based upon one single instantaneous release test. In addition, it is valuable to find out what the pool shape and size would be in case of a continuous release from the rail tanker near a noise shield. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The objective of the MITRA (monitoring and intervention for the transportation of dangerous goods) project was to prototype a new operational system for monitoring the transportation of dangerous goods in Europe based on regional responsibilities. This concept, based on systems used in air traffic control, aims to provide civil security centres with real-time knowledge of the position and contents of dangerous vehicles circulating in their area of responsibility, and, in the event of a dangerous situation, to issue warnings, alerts and crisis management information, thereby allowing intervention teams to react immediately with maximum safety. The project was funded by the European Commission under the 6th Framework Programme (STREP – specific targeted research project – under the Information Society Technologies priority). It started on 1 September 2004 and ended on 31 October 2006. This paper presents the results of this project and the conclusions derived from the field tests carried out in Germany and in the French/Spanish border region in order to test the proposed operational system. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]