corporate

1
Disaster Management Dutch Experiences
Tom Smit EFCA Istanbul 24 May 2004
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Risk in an Open Society

• We are not able to create a no-risk society
• Media often suggest the contrary in reaction to
  incidents
• Government and Industry have important Role and
  Task in anticipation and reaction on man-made and
  natural disasters and incidents
• Context of Incidents is as important as incident
  or disaster itself!
• Enschede Fireworks Disaster May 13, 2000 learned
  us not to overreact but to emphasize on
  anticipation and evaluation but also on
  restoration of trust in and regulation by
  government in our densely populated country, the
  Netherlands undoubtedly is!

3
Enschede May 13, 2000

• For the general public and politics a complete
  surprise!
• Who expected a disaster like this, causing 22
  dead, 950 wounded, the complete destruction of
  two hundred houses, 300 houses damaged, 50 office
  buildings destroyed?
• Nobody really was aware of the fact we still had
  active fireworks factories in Dutch cities.
• Rules were there but not strictly monitored
  because local officials supposed fireworks to be
  rather harmless
• Professionals knew that here a potential danger
  existed. In 1991 there was already a smaller
  incident in the town of Culemborg causing 2 dead.

4
Disaster Management

• In anticipating, mitigating, reconstructing,
  rehabilitating
• and evaluating man-made disasters we deal with
• Time
• Budget
• Quality
• Information
• Organization

5
Time

• We are always in a crises when dealing with
  disasters even anticipating potential incidents
  we simply dont have enough time.even if and
  when there are contingency plans, etc.
• Time management is essential in every stage of a
  disaster or anticipating that incident.
• Disasters are almost by definition unexpected and
  government is expected to act immediately and
  effectively!

6
Budget

• There is never enough money to handle the effects
  of
• man-made disasters so classify risks that are
• Avoidable
• To diminish
• To be shared with industry
• To insure (if and when possible)
• and deal with them! Plan, Do, Check, Act!

7
Quality

• Define the options you want to have in dealing
  with
• disasters
• Plan the measures you want to takenot everything
  does have to be full proof!
• Scenarios can give you insight in the measures
  you have to take.and not everything has to be
  100...80 will do!
• Prepare yourself.in this respect Government and
  Industry Partnerships often work better than
  Regulation alone.

8
Information

• In all stages of disaster management information
  is
• vital.
• Start with inventorywhere are the risksand
  communicate
• Analyze the risks, Classify and react by taking
  decisions and communicate
• Control the effects, evaluate and communicate
• Take all necessary measures and communicate
• Inform yourself, Be informed and communicate!
• Crisis Management is first and foremost
  information management!

9
Organization

• Pro-act look for the unrealistic possibilities!
• Prevent Which measures are to be taken now?
• Prepare Find the strong and weak spots in your
  organization and try to improve by training and
  instruction.
• React Who does what in a crisis? Plan!
• Follow-up Take the responsibility and always
  evaluate, so lessons can be learned!

10
Disaster Management

• Anticipation
• Mitigation
• Reconstruction
• Rehabilitation
• Evaluation
• In all 5 fazes the consulting engineer is
  present. We are vital because we have the
  knowledge and the experience gained out of a lot
  of crises and incidents e.g. in the NL. We are
  the consistent factor because as consultants we
  were involved in dealing with all natural and
  man-made disasters and developed our knowledge in
  all aspects of disaster management.

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FIGURE 0-1 PROBLEMS AND CAUSES
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Dutch Government

• The Government of the NL developed an external
  safety program, as they called it, dealing with
  Chemicals, LNG, LPG, Fireworks, Transport of
  Dangerous Goods, Floods, Fires and Small
  Earthquakes.
• This policy has a chance and effects approach.
  The Government set a risk standard of once in 1
  million years and has a policy in which they
  dont except certain effects anymore (e.g. no
  nuclear fall out, no major firework incidents in
  cities).

13
Dutch External Safety Policy

• In the NL we have a no effect policy where
  Chlorine, Ammonia, LPG is concerned and we use a
  probability standard of once in 1 million years
  to balance the costs and effects of certain
  industrial activities in our densely populated
  country.
• So gradually and slowly we move towards a
  society where you dont find LPG Gas filling
  stations, and where we dont have chlorine or
  ammonia transport through cities and towns
  anymore.

14
ALARA

• The As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA)
  Principle is hardly observed in the NL because we
  dont have enough space left for activities with
  dangerous goods and we need the economic benefits
  of those activities.
• All local Governments wrestle with their
  responsibilities in this respect and need
  scientific based knowledge, they themselves dont
  have...

15
Role of Consulting Engineers

• There is hardly any link now between the spatial
  development policies of local government and the
  external safety rules and regulations. Standards
  are defined and implemented in a less than
  adequate manner
• So there is a need for scientific based and
  thorough but pragmatic advising. Government
  needs the know how and experiences of consulting
  engineers in policy advise, monitoring whether
  objectives are achieved and signaling
  inconsistencies!

16
ONRI

• The Dutch Organization of Consulting Engineers
• (ONRI) is taking an active role in developing a
  more
• consistent external safety policy in the NL by
  creating a
• knowledge forum for engineers, giving advice to
• Government and evaluating our role in the policy
• process. We still have a long way to go but we
  are on
• the move!