The concept of NaTech, or natural hazard-triggered technological accidents is poorly understood and, globally, even more poorly implemented.
It refers to situations where natural events such as earthquakes, floods or storms can cause industrial or technological accidents such as fires, explosions or release of hazardous substances.
These incidents can occur within agricultural and industrial complexes or along distribution networks and pose a significant threat to the environment and public safety.
Studies conducted since the 1970s have highlighted an increase in the frequency and severity of NaTech events. It draws the attention of researchers and risk management agencies as NaTech presents unique challenges that require specific prevention and management strategies.
Attention to NaTech scenarios has increased among industry, regulatory authorities and academia. However, despite many countries having regulations to prevent and mitigate workplace accidents, these regulations rarely include the control of risks associated with NaTech scenarios.
The Italian National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work defines NaTech incidents as technological accidents such as fires, explosions and toxic releases, that can occur within industrial complexes and along distribution networks as a result of natural calamities.
Still, it was only in 2012 that the European Union began requiring the inclusion of NaTech scenarios in the safety reports of sites handling hazardous chemicals.
In the US, despite various federal programmes dealing with the management of hazardous materials and emergency response planning, none of them require considering natural events as possible causes of technological accidents. In some cases, regulations have been limited to addressing specific NaTech scenarios generated only by certain natural events.
The analysis highlights the need for a systematic approach to data collection and organization, as fragmentation and lack of standardization across databases limit information sharing.
The study also examines NaTech risk assessment methodologies, divided into quantitative and qualitative approaches for natural events such as earthquakes, floods and storms.
The main goal of this study is to create an original database of approximately 1300 NaTech events over the past 70 years. This database will help understand trends, geographical distribution, technological outcomes, and material damages