Toward Natech Resilient Industries

Abstract

Natural hazard triggered technological accidents (known as Natechs) are a subject of increasing concern due to the growing exposure of highly industrialized and urbanized areas to natural hazards. The increasing trend of such accidents along with their potentially devastating consequences has led to growing awareness and international efforts aimed at reducing Natech risk. However, despite the growing interest and increasing awareness, there is still a low level of preparedness for Natech events and there are limited contributions regarding the industry’s Natech resilience. Addressing Natech risk effectively requires a paradigm shift in the scope of analysis of these hazards beyond industrial facilities’ fence lines from both a proactive and reactive perspective, and considering area-wide implications. In this chapter, we discuss the concept of resilience engineering (RE) as it is applied to the process industries (industrial installations, such as the oil, petrochemical, and chemical industries, that produce, handle, and use large volumes of hazardous materials), the evolution of RE over time, and the existing gaps for Natech resilience. We then propose a comprehensive framework for Natech resilient industries that contemplates the interaction in a territory between the technical and organizational systems, risk governance, risk communication, and stakeholder participation.