A model to assess risk, equity and efficiency in facility location and transportation of hazardous materials

Abstract

In recent years there has been increased public and governmental concern regarding hazardous materials management, and a concomitant increase in activities associated with designing and using hazardous material management systems. To be effective these systems must consider the costs and risks associated with the transport of hazardous materials as well as those associated with the facilities that generate, process, or dispose of such materials. To date, most of the modeling literature has considered these two aspects of the problem separately, either addressing the location of facilities with respect to fixed transportation patterns or the routing of materials to or from facilities at fixed locations. These two aspects of the problem are closely interrelated, as facility locations directly influence the routing options available and available routes affect the location of potential facility sites. In this paper we propose a multiobjective model to assist decision makers in the location of facilities that handle hazardous materials, and in the routing of hazardous materials to these facilities. In the model costs are comparised of per unit transportation costs, and fixed and variable costs at facilities. Risks and equity are spatially determined and are addressed on both an aggregate level, through minisum objectives, and at the individual level, through minimax objectives.