Hazard Risk Analysis Research Articles

Radioactivity and Hazard Risk Analysis of Soil Samples Taken from Former Mining Area in Klang Valley

Radioactivity and Hazard Risk Analysis of Soil Samples Taken from Former Mining Area in Klang Valley

Hazards Identification and Risk Analysis in Post Printing Laboratories of State Polytechnic of Creative Media

Setiap tempat kerja dan aktivitas memiliki potensi bahaya dan risiko yang dapat menyebabkan kecelakaan kerja, begitu juga dengan Laboratorium yang ada di lingkungan Pendidikan. Laboratorium pasca cetak berpotensi memiliki bahaya dan risiko karena adanya sumber bahaya dan aktivitas kerja baik oleh mahasiswa maupun para PLP dan operator. Tujuan dari penulisan ini adalah untuk mengetahui potensi bahaya dan risiko; mengetahui penilaian risiko dengan metode HIRA dan pengendalian bahaya dan risiko. Teknik pengumpulan data yang digunakan dalam penulisan ini adalah observasi, wawancara dan studi pustaka. Berdasarkan hasil penulisan ini bahwa potensi bahaya dengan nilai tertinggi terdapat pada jenis kegiatan mengoperasikan mesin perfect binding dengan total 8 bahaya. Penilaian risiko didapatkan level risiko rendah sebesar 50%, ekstrim sebesar 30%, sedang sebesar 15% dan tinggi sebesar 5%. Level risiko ekstrim ini dipengaruhi oleh penggunaan bahan kimia di proses perfect binding. Beberapa pengendalian sudah diterapkan namun ada yang tidak berfungsi sebagaimana mestinya. Pengendalian yang disarankan adalah rancangan Teknik dan administrasi.

A Framework for Identification, Assessment and Prioritization of Climate Change Adaptation Measures for Roads and Railways

Severe accidents and high costs associated with weather-related events already occur in today’s climate. Unless preventive measures are taken, the costs are expected to increase in future due to ongoing climate change. However, the risk reduction measures are costly as well and may result in unwanted impacts. Therefore, it is important to identify, assess and prioritize which measures are necessary to undertake, as well as where and when these are to be undertaken. To be able to make such evaluations, robust (scientifically based), transparent and systematic assessments and valuations are required. This article describes a framework to assess the cause-and-effect relationships and how to estimate the costs and benefits as a basis to assess and prioritize measures for climate adaptation of roads and railways. The framework includes hazard identification, risk analysis and risk assessment, identification, monetary and non-monetary evaluation of possible risk reduction measures and a step regarding distribution-, goal- and sensitivity analyses. The results from applying the framework shall be used to prioritize among potential risk reduction measures as well as when to undertake them.

Reduction of Bias and Uncertainty in Regional Seismic Site Amplification Factors for Seismic Hazard and Risk Analysis

Site amplification factors in National Building Codes are typically specified as a function of the average shear wave velocity over the first 30 m (Vs30) or site class (A, B, C, D and E) for defined ranges of Vs30 and/or ranges of depth to bedrock. However, a single set of amplification factors may not be representative of site conditions across the country, introducing a bias in seismic hazard and seismic risk analyses. This is exemplified by significant differences in geological settings between East and West coast locations in North America. Western sites are typically characterized by lower impedance contrasts between recent surface deposits and bedrock in comparison to Eastern sites. In North America, site amplification factors have been derived from a combination of field data on ground motions recorded during West Coast earthquakes and numerical models of site responses that are meant to be representative of a wide variety of soil profiles and ground motions. The bias on amplifications and their impact on seismic hazards is investigated for the Montreal area, which ranks second for seismic risks in Canada in terms of population and hazard (PGA of 0.25 g for a 2475 years return period). Representative soil profiles at several locations in Montreal are analyzed with 1-D site response models for natural and synthetic ground motions scaled between 0.1 to 0.5 g. Since bedrock depths are typically shallow (<30 m) across the island, bedrock shear wave velocities have a significant influence on the impedance contrast and amplifications. Bedrock shear wave velocity is usually very variable due to the differences in rock formations, level of weathering and fracturing. The level of this uncertainty is shown to be greatly decreased when rock quality designation (RQD) data, common information when bore hole data are logged, is available since it is highly correlated with both shear and compression wave velocities. The results are used to derive region-specific site amplification factors as a function of both Vs30 and site fundamental frequency and compared to those of the National Building Code of Canada (2015). The results of the study indicate that there are large uncertainties associated with these parameters due to variability in soil profiles, soil properties and input seismic ground motions. Average and confidence intervals for the mean and for predictions of amplification factors are calculated for each site class to quantify this uncertainty. Amplifications normalized relative to class C are obtained by accounting for the correlation between site class amplifications for given ground motions. Non-linearity in the analysis of equivalent linear 1-D site response is taken into account by introducing the non-linear G/Gmax and damping ratios curves. In this method, it is assumed that the shear strain compatible shear modulus and damping ratio values remains constant throughout the duration of the seismic excitation. This assumption is not fully applicable to a case when loose saturated soil profile undergo heavy shaking (PGA > 0.3 g). In this study, all simulations with input motion PGA >0.3 g have been performed by using the EL method instead of the NL method considering that cohesive soils (clay and silt) at Montreal sites are stiff and cohesionless soils (sand and gravel) are considerably dense. In addition, the field and laboratory data required to perform NL analyses are not currently available and may be investigated in future works.

Integrating local personnel response and recovery capacity: A conceptual model for small to medium enterprise hazard risk analysis

Small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) are vulnerable to disasters because of their limited ability to duplicate, separate and diversify their risk. SMEs must therefore rely on local personnel and resources to plan for, respond to, and recover from disasters. Unfortunately, community-level planning does not readily incorporate SMEs effectively. SMEs are thus forced to plan in isolation as current hazard risk analysis (HRA) models do not adequately account for the capacity of local personnel to respond to emergent hazards. Accordingly, this study posits an easy-to-use SME disaster impact model for HRA that combines probability theory and statistical analysis to integrate local personnel capacity. The model is designed specifically for SME usage; although, it can be applied to any organisation regardless of size. This study proposes a standardised HRA probability and consequence sequence based on the analysis of over 400 locations and risks that determined the model’s reliability in practice. The posited SME disaster impact model for HRA effectively integrates vulnerability and local personnel capacity with services, personnel and equipment to optimise SME disaster response and recovery capacity.

Automotive Ground Vehicles' Resilience to HEMP Attack: An Emergency Management Mitigation Plan

United States exposure to attack from a nuclear weapon of mass destruction (WMD) optimized to generate a high‐altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP) is a concern in national security forums. Such an attack could lead to widespread damage to the electrical components of many critical infrastructures. The purpose of this study was to develop a framework to better understand the hazard risks from a HEMP attack on non‐military (non‐MIL), “electronics‐heavy” automotive ground vehicles that could inform an effective emergency management response and recovery plan. A hybrid emergency management and engineering hazards risk analysis utilizing a Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) format helped visualize the critical vehicle electronics subsystems and components, and their respective potential failure modes. A design of experiments test plan was developed to quantify the risks, and to develop a pathway to validate cost‐effective mitigation countermeasures based on present‐day best practices for HEMP hardening. The proposed emergency management plan emphasized strategic implementation of HEMP mitigation countermeasures to support continuity in emergency services and delivery of community lifelines to the public. The results of this study will serve as a foundation for future HEMP projects with automotive ground vehicles that will support the FEMA National Preparedness Goal, Presidential Executive Order 13865, and the recent FY2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) legislation. The methodologies can also apply to other critical infrastructure segments.

Vulnerabilities shape risk perception and influence adaptive strategies to hydro-meteorological hazards: A case study of Indo-Fijian farming communities

Unique vulnerabilities are intrinsic to Pacific Island Countries which shape risk perception and influence adaptive decision making to natural hazards. This study aims to examine ongoing risks caused by hydro-meteorological hazards, with a focus on micro-level household response to increasing vulnerabilities, in addition to macro-level community related vulnerabilities. Data collection was undertaken through semi-structured interviews in three hydro-meteorological hazard-prone communities, dominated by members of the Indi-Fijian community, that is, the Indian diaspora, in the Western part of Fiji. The findings were analysed using descriptive, interpretive and inferential analysis. The findings reveal that climatic, physical, cultural and socio-economic factors render households more vulnerable at a micro-level. The research also revealed that members of the Indian community normally have lower levels of societal cohesion, have an inherent individualistic approach to disasters and lack access to communal assets such as land, rendering them more vulnerable at a community level. As a coping mechanism, households were found to have a higher likelihood of adhering to social adaptive strategies such as making behavioural, informational, and educational changes for risk reduction. According to this study, participants show a high degree of risk perception with a sound understanding of storm surge, flood peaks and extents as well as prolonged dry spells. The study recommends avenues for combining scientific knowledge together with citizen science for better hazard risk analysis as future research. To ensure appropriate risk mitigation, governments should implement effective warning systems and undertake capacity building prior to disasters to initiate adequate response to forecast warnings.

Study Risk Minimization of The Use Bottled Drinking Water (BDW) By Consumers Using Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) Method

Bottled drinking water (BDW) is an effort to meet the demand for drinking water needs of the community which continues to increase every year. BDW is the community’s main choice because it can be consumed directly without the need to cook it first. The high demand for drinking water produced by bottled water requires a comprehensive, easy to apply, and standardized quality control method to maintain and improve the quality of the products produced so that they are safe for consumption by bottled drinking water customers. The suitable method for quality control is the method Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP). This method is a risk analysis system by establishing an appropriate control and supervision system to avoid irregularities that can lead to poor quality of drinking water products produced, as well as producing quality bottled water products. The HACCP method can be applied to all aspects of production and aspects of human resources (HR) in bottled water starting from raw water management until the product is produced. In this method, there are 5 important principles used, such as analyzing the risk of hazards that can occur during the production process, determining the critical point of hazard risk analysis, determining critical limits, preparing monitoring system monitoring procedures, and finally preparing corrective actions to avoid deviations from critical limits. Based on the analysis of existing conditions at the BDW in Cirebon City, there are advantages and disadvantages on its own in the production process. For example, the poor performance of some treatment units and the need for control can be caused by replacing treatment units that exceed usage limits and irregular replacement schedules that can affect the water quality of these products. The HACCP method is needed in planning quality control to evaluate the performance of the BDW production processing unit, and determine the quality control of bottled drinking water products to minimize negative impacts for customers who consume them.

A framework for synthesis of safety-related control design to avoid critical faults and pathogenic accidents in the process industries

This work proposes a framework for synthesis of safety-related control design in the process industries based on two aspects: (i) critical faults prevention and mitigation and, (ii) pathogenic accidents. The approaches found in the literature are based on the development of control solutions that use the results of hazard identification and risk analysis that were carried out to specify safety requirements to avoid or mitigate critical faults. However, the possibility of occurrence of the undesirable unobserved and/or hidden hazardous events associated with possible pathogenic accidents is not addressed. The objective of this work is to integrate the issue of analysis of pathogenic accidents into the context of synthesis of safety-related control design. Thus, a framework is proposed to: (1) address the issue of pathogenic accidents, which according to the analysis of accident investigation reports, its represent critical and / or undesirable unobserved and/or hidden events during the process of events evolution. This step is based on the analysis of the databases with missing data or incompleted obtained through accident records; (2) proposes an improvement in the hazard identification process, as it considers a systematic integration between the knowledge from experts (eg, automated HAZOP) and accident models that describe the critical and / or unwanted process of events evolution ensuring the principles of defense-in-depth and safe diagnosability; (3) address the use of safety barrier diagrams formalism to design a controlled degeneration process that will be treated locally, by each defense mechanism (eg, prevention / mitigation safety barrier), reducing the damage of the whole process; and (4) address the modeling, analysis and validation of defense algorithms with a focus on the prevention and mitigation of critical faults given a particular critical scenario using a hierarchical control structure based-approach via Petri nets formalism. Finally, the proposed framework is aligned with the requirements of the IEC 61511(2016) and IEC 61508(2010) Standards; and the models generated in Petri nets that have been validated, can be transcribed in an isomorphic way in control programs recommended by the IEC 61131-3 standard. The framework proposed was applied into an application example of an accident that occurred at isomerization unit of the British Petroleum (BP) refinery in Texas - USA.

Hazards identification and risk analysis in surface mines of Pakistan using fault tree analysis technique

Purpose. Technology has advanced significantly but still mining industry faces a higher number of accidents. The purpose of the research is to identify the common hazards and associated risk which are the root causes of accidents in surface mines of Pakistan and to suggest the preventive measures to enhance safety at workplace. Methods. Integrated approach used in this research work involves: collection of mine accidents data from related Government departments; occupational safety data collection from mine sites with questionnaire; fault tree analysis method applied based on three groups of factors/causes obtained from 3E’s Model i.e. Engineering, Education and Enforcement that causes accidents in mine; risk assessment and suggestion of preventive measures. Findings. In this study forty three root causes of accidents in surface mines are identified and presented as basic events and undeveloped events in the Fault Trees. A compressed picture of the root causes is revealed leading to accidents in mine. The main causes identified are human errors, unsafe operating procedure, lack of machinery, lack of personal protective equipment, environmental and haulage related hazards and violation of law. Originality.The root causes of accidents in surface mines have been identified. For the first time, the visual paths to accidents causation in surface mines of Pakistan are outlined through fault tree analysis technique. Practical implications. The identified causes of accidents along with the suggested preventive measures can be used to avoid/curtail the number and severity of accidents in surface mines and can save lives of workers and economy. Keywords: hazards identification, surface mine, accidents, fault tree analysis, risk assessment, preventive measures

Job safety hazard identification and risk analysis in the foundry division of a gear manufacturing industry

In today's Industry 4.0 scenario, various steps have been taken in automation for effective workplace implementations. It leads to prevent industrial incidents and prevent the injuries inside the workplace. However, the industries that have implemented the automation cannot achieve zero accidents. The practical implementation of safety is a challenging task with the cooperation of every worker. This case investigation deals with effective safety management implementation using management approaches to implement and identify the potential hazards. The case assessment is carried out using the risk assessment methods with the combination of JSA analysis method. The effective methodology potential type of incidents is identified by using the Job Safety Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (JSHIRA) analysis. Approximately more than 50% of hazards are eliminated using the JSHIRA Methodology. The JSHIRA method critically assesses the various potential threats encounter in the workplace.

Work Hazard Risk Analysis and Control in Grey Finishing Department Using HIRARC (Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment and Risk Control)

PT. Primissima (persero) engaged in textile manufacturing. PT. Primissima (persero) processes raw materials cone thread become a grey or calico cloth through weaving process. As a manufacturing industry, workers at PT. Primissima (persero) are integrated with the plant facilities such as the production floor, machines, equipment, and warehouse. It potentially carry hazard risk in the form of work accident and occupational illness. Grey finishing department at PT. Primissima (persero) has a role to ensure product that produced has good quality through inspection and folding activities. Based on observation, there are several potential significant hazard such as air pollution, scrap exposure, and also physiological hazards such as aches to environmental hazards, electrical hazards and fire hazards. So, is necessary to apply a control through hierarchy of control. The results of this research contribute to solve the problem of the and give solutions of the company regarding risk controls.

Multi-hazard risk assessment for roads: probabilistic versus deterministic approaches

Abstract. Mountain hazard risk analysis for transport infrastructure is regularly based on deterministic approaches. Standard risk assessment approaches for roads need a variety of variables and data for risk computation, however without considering potential uncertainty in the input data. Consequently, input data needed for risk assessment are normally processed as discrete mean values without scatter or as an individual deterministic value from expert judgement if no statistical data are available. To overcome this gap, we used a probabilistic approach to analyse the effect of input data uncertainty on the results, taking a mountain road in the Eastern European Alps as a case study. The uncertainty of the input data are expressed with potential bandwidths using two different distribution functions. The risk assessment included risk for persons, property risk and risk for non-operational availability exposed to a multi-hazard environment (torrent processes, snow avalanches and rockfall). The study focuses on the epistemic uncertainty of the risk terms (exposure situations, vulnerability factors and monetary values), ignoring potential sources of variation in the hazard analysis. As a result, reliable quantiles of the calculated probability density distributions attributed to the aggregated road risk due to the impact of multiple mountain hazards were compared to the deterministic outcome from the standard guidelines on road safety. The results based on our case study demonstrate that with common deterministic approaches risk might be underestimated in comparison to a probabilistic risk modelling setup, mainly due to epistemic uncertainties of the input data. The study provides added value to further develop standardized road safety guidelines and may therefore be of particular importance for road authorities and political decision-makers.

Terrain Hazard Risk Analysis for Flood Disaster Management in Chaohu Basin, China, Based on Two-Dimensional Cloud

Terrain analysis is essential to flood disaster risk evaluation. It is a complicated evaluation process, involving both quantitative and qualitative data analysis. However, quantitative and qualitative data cannot be put into operation directly. Based on stochastic and fuzzy mathematics, cloud models allow interchange between qualitative and quantitative data, dealing with randomness and ambiguity. Two- or multi-dimensional cloud models can solve the problem of multivariable analysis. This study used absolute elevation and neighborhood elevation standard deviation as main factors. Using the model, it demonstrated the construction of qualitative conditions and risk evaluation clouds and established a set of two-dimensional cloud reasoning rules to calculate the joint certainties with all the grids in reasoning rules. By selecting the highest certainty of cloud reasoning, preliminary evaluation results were obtained. For more accurate results, the model algorithm was improved, and further iterations were performed. The results of two-dimensional cloud reasoning showed better dispersion and precision than traditional methods did. The terrain risk distribution of Chaohu Basin, China, agreed with reality with great detail. A new method regarding the risk assessment of flood disaster was also proposed.

RETHINKING THE PAPER OF BIOLOGICAL HAZARD RISK ANALYSIS AFTER PANDEMIC COVID-19

The paper underlines the importance of biological hazard risk assessment today especially analyzing the Covid-19 pandemic lack of good biological hazard management all over the world. We discuss biological hazard, types, classifications and analysis of the risks. We suggest some main tools and frameworks to be used to assess, monitoring, control and prevent biological hazards. As a result we strength the importance of such methodology to be known by decision makers, improved, developed. The risk management method must be coordinated all over the country and the world to be successful. Everybody (people, firms, government organizations) is responsible for the success of the implementation plan and prevent risks. So education and professional competence of risk management must be developed and certified by independent authority using general accepted standard protocols to complement a governance system of biological hazard risk analysis.

A Study for Dynamic Decision Making Framework for Tsunami Evacuation

Lee, G.; Lee, C.; Shin, H.; Sunwoo, W., and Jun, K.S., 2020. A study for dynamic decision making framework for tsunami evacuation. In: Malvárez, G. and Navas, F. (eds.), Global Coastal Issues of 2020. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 95, pp. 855-859. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.This study aims to construct a systematic decision making framework, which can apply response plans dynamically for mitigation of casualties by reflecting regional characteristics, based on Tsunami hazard and evacuation route analysis. Tsunami is a serious disaster that can cause an extensive damage and an early prevention of tsunami is crucial for reduction in the number of casualties. In addition, the safety of the residents vary depending on the information of evacuation routes. Therefore, the priority details that must be considered in counter-measures in target area need to be derived through an evacuation routes based on the conditions and the characteristics of local situation. Hazard assessment is determined by considering tsunami inundation and travel time obtained by a numerical model. Finally, a dynamic decision making framework is proposed considering both hazard risk and evacuation route analysis. The outcome from this study will help not only the management of evacuation map, but also the response plan which provides evacuation information based on the characteristics of local area and residents. Therefore, many lives can be protected from tsunami by applying the decision making framework proposed in this study.

Current status and advancement suggestions of ice-jam flood hazard and risk assessment

In many northern rivers, ice-jam flooding can be more severe than open-water flooding, leading to human casualties, damages to property and infrastructure, and adverse impacts on the ecology. Consequently, ice jam related flooding is a major concern for many riverside communities, water authorities, insurance companies, and government agencies. Ice-jam flood hazard delineation and risk analysis are important measures for flood preparation, mitigation, and management strategies. Although methodologies and techniques for open-water flood hazard and risk assessment are well established, methodologies and techniques for ice-jam flood hazard and risk assessment are often unavailable or less developed. In addition to this, a considerable number of studies have been conducted in the context of flood management, but a very limited number of studies have been carried out in real-time flood risk analysis during operational flood forecasting. In this paper, the current status of ice-jam flood hazard delineation and risk analysis is discussed. A framework for real-time risk analysis for operational flood forecasting is also discussed. Finally, current limitations and future requirements for developing effective ice-jam flood hazard delineation and risk analysis methodologies are provided.

Artificial Intelligence for Natural Hazards Risk Analysis: Potential, Challenges, and Research Needs

Artificial intelligence (AI) methods have seen increasingly widespread use in everything from consumer products and driverless cars to fraud detection and weather forecasting. The use of AI has transformed many of these application domains. There are ongoing efforts at leveraging AI for disaster risk analysis. This article takes a critical look at the use of AI for disaster risk analysis. What is the potential? How is the use of AI in this field different from its use in nondisaster fields? What challenges need to be overcome for this potential to be realized? And, what are the potential pitfalls of an AI-based approach for disaster risk analysis that we as a society must be cautious of?

Hazards identification and risk analysis: An effective and applied risk reduction approach

Hazards identification and risk analysis: An effective and applied risk reduction approach

The Risk Analysis Screening Tool: Part I, overview

AbstractThe Dow Chemical Company has provided for international use a set of tools to help other companies effectively understand and manage their process safety hazards and risks, helping the global process safety community improve their process safety performance. The tools described in this paper were generously donated to the Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) and the European Process Safety Centre (EPSC). What makes this donation special is that small and large companies can use the Risk Analysis Screening Tool (RAST) and the Chemical Hazards Engineering Fundamentals (CHEF) tools to help validate, screen, and prioritize between their process risks. Each company can download and configure RAST to assess for and ensure compliance with their company‐specific risk matrix: their risk tolerance criteria. RAST can be applied to existing and proposed installations. In addition, RAST is versatile: helping reduce process safety risk when used during Management of Change (MOC) reviews for comparing different inherently safer design options. As is detailed in the paper, RAST follows the basic steps in performing a Hazard Identification and Risk Analysis (HIRA) study. The tool allows Process Hazards Analysis (PHA) Teams to validate process‐specific scenarios, and provides guidance on potential causes of incident scenarios. The scenario‐specific risks—a function of the consequence and the frequency—can be determined in RAST through a quantified consequence impact through leak rate and dispersion modeling and estimated scenario frequencies through equipment integrity and reliability information.