Integrated Environmental Risk Assessment of Major Accidents in the Transport of Hazardous Substances

Abstract

At present, the environmental risk assessment of major accidents is mainly carried out for stationary risk sources. Only marginal attention is paid to mobile risk sources, while the currently available methodologies require a relevant expertise and time for their application, which is only partially possible in most scenarios. In the present study, an integrated approach to environmental risk assessment in the transport of hazardous substances (iTRANSRISK) was developed. The approach proposed is based on the principle of index-based assessment of leakage scenarios involving toxic and flammable substances during transport, in the context of indexing environmental vulnerability. The key point of the method is the conversion of local-specific data concerning the risk potential of the transported substance, the consequences and the probability of a major accident, and environmental vulnerability assessment into a single entity. The created integral approach is proposed for the needs of carriers of the hazardous substances and the state administration bodies. The proposed approach is determined for the screening risk assessment at the beginning of the process of the planning a suitable transport routes and the results are for information only. An example of the application of the iTRANSRISK integrated approach is demonstrated considering an explosion scenario following a propane tanker leak (18 t) in a forested area, with moderately susceptible soils and no surface water or groundwater affected.

Dynamic Process and Damage Evaluation Subject to Explosion Consequences Resulting from a LPG Tank Trailer Accident

“…LPG tank trailer fires or explosion accidents can lead to serious consequences. Even if all conditions are normal and all safety precautions are considered in design and operation, there is still a domino risk of accidents occurring during the LPG road transport process [1][2][3]. Once the LPG tank trailer fails in the expressway, the LPG will undergo a rapid depressurization process.…”

SSD SmartRisk, a decision support system to help non-expert decision makers in case of chemical accidents

“…Some of the tools already mentioned or others, like Chemical Process Quantitative Risk Analysis -CPQRA [3] or the Accidental Risk Assessment Methodology for Industries ARAMIS [4] might be too complex for the medium user. Others are quite specific, like the model for risks related to hazardous chemicals transportation [5]. ECTOC HEATDG [6] has a very broad area, being a data base that helps user to identify human exposure tools that are available in the public domain.…”