Safety assessment model for dangerous goods transport by air carrier

Abstract

The safety of dangerous goods transport by air is directly related to human health and environmental pollution. This paper investigates a model to evaluate the safety performance of the transport of dangerous goods by air carriers. Based on a literature review, international regulations related to dangerous goods air transportation, and expert opinions, this paper identifies an assessment factor system with five drivers: organization/regulations, equipment/facilities, operations, emergency, and training. A hybrid evaluation method of a joint analytical hierarchy process and entropy weight is used to determine the importance of each factor and driver. The results suggest that the regulation of dangerous goods acceptance, sufficient equipment/facilities, and the condition of the equipment/facilities are the most important factors affecting the safety performance of dangerous goods transportation by air. An empirical study reveals that the proposed model is stable and reliable; thus, the model can guide resource allocation for air carriers to improve safety management of dangerous goods transportation.