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Risk of industrial and transport accidents

Measures for risk abatement and mitigation:

Establishment and improvement of early warning systems, as well as the introduction of automatic security systems for hazardous installations (see also `Early warning monitoring`)

Establishment of a civil rescue service and the introduction of protection devices for individuals. The need for better material and technical support in case of chemical accidents, as well as means of individual protection in such instances should be stressed in particular. Also, the operation of local governments, their emergency services, and civil defence initial response services and other special services require attention.

Establishment of a system for the minimisation or elimination of consequences arising from chemical emergencies:

• establishment of a special service for the minimisation or elimination of consequences arising from chemical accidents (on a national scale);
• establishment of special on-site brigades and the performance of preventative activities at hazardous sites for the avoidance of accidents or the minimisation/elimination of their consequences in an enterprise.

Instruments for implementation of the above-mentioned measures are the following:

• laws ‘On Civil Defence in the Republic of Latvia’ and ‘On Fire Safety’. The owner or manager of a hazardous installation is liable for the implementation of on-site security measures.Special response and rescue services for local residents in case of emergencies should be the responsibility of local governments, the Centre for Civil Defence and the Fire Safety and Rescue Department;
• national and local government subsidies;
• improvement of procedures for informing the public;
• regular reports on the safety status of hazardous enterprises;
• special education of public;
• risk assessment.

Introduction or widening of protective belts around high-risk sites. Measures for implementation of this measure:

• law ‘On Protective Belts’; the Cabinet regulations ‘On Territorial Planning’ and other normative documents;
• territorial planning and design (zoning) in accordance with the results of risk assessment.

The consequences of transport accidents should be seriously considered since they happen more often than large industrial accidents and their risk management is more complicated. In Latvia, transport accident risk is associated with the transit and reloading of hazardous cargoes, as well as the transportation of hazardous cargoes within the country, e.g. about 1 million tons of ammonia are transported by rail every year (approximately 120 tanks per day).

Measures that may be used specifically for the mitigation of transport risks:

Restriction of routes of hazardous cargoes through populated areas or protected territories. Necessary instruments:

• temporary instruction of the Ministry of Transport ‘Carriage of Dangerous Cargoes by Road’,
• adoption of respective European norms (ARD, RID)* and the London principles**

Elaboration of the concept of compulsory ecological insurance.

Training of transport drivers for operations with hazardous cargoes.

Improvement of road surfacing.

Establishment of an insurance system for hazardous cargoes.

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* ARD - European Agreement concerning the international carriage of dangerous goods by road RID - European agreement concerning international carriage of dangerous goods by railway

** London Guidelines for the Exchange of Information on Chemicals in International Trade, 1989

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Last updated: November 8, 1996. The information prepared by Valts Vilnitis: fuxis@varam.gov.lv