Results of the Workshop: Assessing and Managing Natechs (Natural-Hazard Triggered Technological Accidents)

Abstract

The workshop: Assessing and Managing Natechs (Natural-hazard triggered technological accidents) was organised and hosted by the Major Accident Hazards Bureau (MAHB) at the Institute for the Protection and Security of the Citizen (IPSC) of the European Commission¿s Joint Research Centre (JRC), on 17-18 September 2007 in Stresa, Italy. The Natech workshop, the second of its kind to be organized the JRC, was carried out in an effort to provide a framework and practical tools for Natech risk assessment and management at the community level. The workshop included invited presentations on country practices which served to help monitor progress in Natech risk reduction since the first workshop in 2003. In addition to the country presentations, the two day workshop included discussion of key issues, presentations of new concepts/ information, hands-on exercises, and the development of case studies. In the case studies participants carried out a Natech risk assessment of a selected community. Discussion of case study results and possible Natech risk management strategies followed, as well as identification of future priorities for research and tool development.