Major Incidents: Examples and Experiences

Abstract

As illustrated in Chap. 1, the occurrence of major incidents has significantly increased during recent decades, parallel to, and probably as a consequence of, the development of societies throughout the world. Incidents involving the health sector cover a wide spectrum of events, traditionally classified as either man-made (caused by man) or natural (caused by changes in nature or climate). Such a classification is less relevant today: So-called “man-made incidents,” such as transportation accidents, can be caused by climatic changes, and so-called “natural disasters” can be caused indirectly by human activities that result in changes in climate or inaccurate distribution of resources among different regions of the world. In addition, an increasing proportion of incidents, such as armed conflicts and terrorist attacks, are intentionally caused by human beings. This chapter, which describes examples of major incidents according to the definitions of “man made” or “natural disasters,” refers to these incidents as (a) those caused by the technical development in the communities, (b) those caused intentionally by man, and (c) those being a consequence of changes in climate and nature.