1- Occupational Health and Safety Research Center, Department of Occupational Health and Safety, School of Public Health, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
2- Occupational Health and Safety Research Center, Department of Occupational Health and Safety, School of Public Health, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran , kamrangholamizade1373@gmail.com
Abstract: (4735 Views)
Background and Objective: Road transportation is the most common way to ship hazardous materials (HazMat) in many countries, including Iran. Therefore, it seems necessary to assess the consequences of road HazMat accidents during transportation. The present study aimed to develop a method for the assessment of HazMat accidents during transportation.
Materials and Methods: In the current study, a fuzzy inference system (FIS) was developed for evaluating the risk of road HazMat transportation. The FIS consisted of three input variables, including "the concentration of released HazMat", "the vulnerability of the exposed population", and" toxicological characteristics of HazMat". The output of the FIS was also indicative of exposure severity coefficient (ESC) which in turn suggests the irreversible effect of exposure to chemical substances. It is worthy to note that a case study was performed on the release of Cl to test the method.
Results: Base on the results of the study, the area around the release point was divided into two regions of low hazard area (with a diameter of 187 m) and a safe area (diameter more than 187). The highest ESCs were obtained for vulnerable groups (i.e., children, the elderly, and those with underlying diseases) with an ESC of 0.92 and teenagers and adolescents with an ESC of 0.767.
Conclusion: The results of the present study indicated that it is necessary to assess the consequences of chemical incidents in designing and locating roads where hazardous chemicals are to be transported.
Type of Study:
Research Article |
Subject:
Safety