Logistic Plan for Transportation of Dangerous Material in Lombardy Region

Abstract

The transportation of hazardous materials is a growing problem worldwide due to the increasing volumes being transported. In fact, as a consequence of industrial development, huge quantities of hazardous materials are yearly produced, and obviously the production of them goes together with their transportation. Historical evidence has shown that accidents due to hazardous releases during transportation can lead to consequences as serious as those created by fixed plants, and therefore quantified risk analysis also has to be carried out for transportation networks. In this paper a flexible decision support system is proposed to quantify risk due to different transportation of dangerous substances - by road, rail, pipeline and inland waterways. First, a brief discussion is given on methodology adopted for evaluating risk. Then, the steps of the algorithm that has been implemented are sketched out in some detail.Finally a description of the software is provided. Supported by a GIS-data bank, where parameters of the different transport networks are geo-referenced (i.e incident rate, number of vehicles per year), the software provides a method of quantifying Individual and Population Risk. Some applications in relation to possible risk mitigation are discussed, such as the influence of a new road or reduction of quantity transported, thus confirming a possible use of this instrument by the decision maker in territorial planning and emergency management. PU - SPRINGER PI - DORDRECHT PA - PO BOX 17, 3300 AA DORDRECHT, NETHERLANDS