Risk analysis of the transportation of hazardous materials: An application of the TRAT2 software to Messina

Publisher Summary Safety themes associated with the transportation of hazardous materials is considered to be as important as the study of risk problems connected with fixed installations. Hazardous materials releases during transport may occur in areas that are not sufficiently controlled or protected such as zones of high population density or of natural and historical beauty. Risk analysis should address both fixed installations and transportation networks, thus, obtaining a complete area risk evaluation that represents the basis on which decision makers will establish the criteria for risk management, risk control, and land-use planning. The development of a methodology to study problems associated with the transportation of hazardous materials must be considered a very important target for risk analysis. For this scope, an innovative procedure has been created that represents the framework of the TRAT2 software. In this software, a user-friendly Windows interface allows the risk analyst to introduce, while communicating with the database, all the input data necessary to describe the case in examination. This chapter briefly outlines the main features of TRAT2 and its application to the land transport of dangerous goods through the downtown of Messina. The future improvements of TRAT2 and major research developments in hazardous materials transportation risk analysis are also discussed.