Mark Lepofsky

Transportation Hazard Analysis in Integrated GIS Environment

With geographic information systems for transportation (GISTs) gaining wider acceptance by government agencies, attention is turning to the application of this information technology to sophisticated transportation management problems, often requiring real-time decision making. Two areas of priority concern that many agencies have identified are the management of highway incidents and transportation hazard analysis. Incident management considerations include those of emergency response deployment and rerouting to bypass the affected area. Transportation hazard analysis also addresses dynamic routing and emergency preparedness in the case of a hazardous materials transport release, and involves comprehensive risk assessment and evacuation planning. The objective of this paper is to describe methods employing GIST that can provide the capability to perform transportation hazard analysis and incident management. These methods are subsequently applied in several case studies involving highway operations in California to illustrate their implementation. The paper concludes with a discussion of how the GIST approach to incident management may be extended to address dynamic management in an intelligent-vehicle-highway-system environment.

An evolving paradigm for managing hazardous materials transportation risk

The advent of terrorist activity has taught us that managing hazardous materials transportation risk must be performed with a different lens to accommodate terrorism scenarios that may not have previously warranted such formal attention. Given these circumstances, a new paradigm must emerge for managing the risks associated with transport of Hazardous Materials (HM), one that explicitly considers the likelihood and consequences of terrorist attacks, while preserving consideration of risks posed by accidents and natural hazards. This article presents a review of traditional risk assessment methods and practices as applied to the transport of HM, introduces the challenge of assessing security risks, and describes a methodology for constructing a systematic, integrated risk assessment process for addressing natural and man-made disasters, be they accidental or planned. The methodology is subsequently applied to various classes of HM transported by highway, both to illustrate the methodology as well as to interpret the results. The paper concludes with a discussion of the findings and implications associated with this effort.

Training in Transportation Security for Hazardous Materials on Motor Carriers

Many credible threats against hazardous materials (hazmat) transportation exist in the United States. This paper outlines the overall regulatory approach to hazmat transportation security by commercial motor carriers in the United States and focuses on the well-received training and outreach efforts that have been put in place to improve the overall level of security in the United States. In the post-September 11, 2001 (9/11), environment, safety-oriented agencies are being asked to accommodate a new role in the security arena. Many regulations affect the highway transportation of hazmat. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is primarily concerned with the enforcement of safety regulations, and the Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA) regulates hazmat transportation across all modes. Recently, RSPA implemented new requirements for security assessments and security plans. Because many motor carriers previously did not have much experience with security issues, the guidance provide...