A RISK ASSESSMENT STUDY FOR LOCAL CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURES USED IN HAZMAT TRANSPORTATION

Abstract

Any kind of perturbation or disruption in the usual activity of the critical infrastructures (CI) in the transport sector will have immediate impact on vital social functions, health, safety, security, environment and economy, but also on other infrastructures which are dependent on the systems previously mentioned. In the recent years, events that occurred during the road transportation of hazardous materials have caused important losses both to humans and the environment, therefore it is strongly recommended to study the possible outcomes of such events in the process of critical infrastructure management. The complexity of an urban environment might be challenging because of different variables (like traffic congestion, vehicle routes, road condition, presence of people, specific weather conditions, etc.) that are contributing decisively to the effects of a possible accident, but also to the authorities’ response capacity. This study is focused on showing which areas in Cluj-Napoca are more prone to be affected by possible outcomes of an accident which involves a propane cargo truck. We came to the conclusion that using a specific software, it is possible to generate a risk map which can be a good tool to improve the decision-making process for authorities.