Spatial Industrial Accident Exposure and Social Vulnerability Assessment of Hazardous Material Sites, Chemical Parks, and Nuclear Power Plants in Germany

Abstract

Industrial accidents have shown that many people can be affected, such as in Seveso, Italy, in 1976. Industrial accidents in nuclear power plants have also led to fatalities and evacuations. To better guide preparedness against and mitigation of industrial accidents, an assessment is necessary to evaluate hazard exposure and the type of potentially vulnerable social groups that need to be taken into account. This study conducted a spatial assessment of three types of industrial facilities in Germany: facilities registered under the Seveso Directive, chemical parks, and nuclear power plants. The method consisted of a spatial assessment using a Geographic Information System of exposure around hazardous sites registered under the Seveso Directive in Germany and of census data to analyze social vulnerability. Hazards analyzed included industrial accidents and earthquakes. The results revealed that most industrial sites are in urban areas and that population density, the numbers of foreigners, and smaller housing unit sizes are higher in close proximity to these sites. The buffer zones analyzed in circles between 1 and 40 km show a decreasing vulnerability with more distance. This can guide emergency management planners and other stakeholders to better prepare for major accidents and better devise disaster risk reduction strategies specifically for different social groups.