The topic "safety in the transport of hazardous goods" attracts considerable attention in Germany. Considering the high volume of hazardous goods transported each year, the accident rate is very low and spectacular accidents are rare. The carriage of hazardous goods nevertheless constitutes a risk. There are some 2,000 accidents involving hazardous goods each year, with escape of hazardous goods occurring in just under 10 % of all cases (including unreported incidents). The purpose of this study is to analyse the origins of risks and accidents in the transport system for hazardous goods. It is based on the perception that the handling of hazardous goods is only one element in an overall transport chain, and that any analysis of its weaknesses and risks must respect this fact. The following particular weak spots were identified in the transport of hazardous goods as part of an overall transport chain: a) Inability of distributors to meet the expectations of their clients; b) Shortcomings of the distributors themselves; c) Inadequately defined transport tasks; d) Strategic and operative management shortcomings; and e) Problems of impractical regulations. Any effective measures for enhancing the safety of hazardous goods in transit will have to proceed from a realistic assessment of the objectives. The decisive criteria are social acceptability, economic viability, the use of modern means of transport and the feasibility of the regulatory conditions which govern the transport of hazardous goods. Proposals on how to eliminate weak spots in the transport of hazardous goods must above all take into account the overall transport chains and processes involved. It is important for the companies collaborating within a particular transport chain to recognise that safety is a cross-company management task. On the basis of the model devised in the study for the assessment of weak spots, a practical method of estimating risks is proposed, for implementation wherever the transport chains are particularly critical. The transport of hazardous goods has long ceased to be a purely technical issue, a fact brought home particularly by spectacular instances where hazardous goods have been involved in accidents while in transit. The distinction between potential and hypothetical accidents and risks frequently becomes blurred as a result. In order to keep the discussion of the topic factually based, the recommendation is made that a hazardous goods report be compiled every three years, indicating all key data, facts and observations on the transport of hazardous goods. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting