Constructing the Indicators of Assessing Human Vulnerability to Industrial Chemical Accidents: A Consensus-based Fuzzy Delphi and Fuzzy AHP Approach

Conclusions The main contribution of this paper was to identify a draft of effective indicators for assessing human vulnerability to a chemical accident. This study explored the application of the Fuzzy Delphi-AHP Method to quantify the expert views to human vulnerability of the residents living near chemical plants and warehouses. Also, the other possible factors affecting human vulnerability to industrial chemical accidents were considered and two sets of indicators in social and physical domains were constructed. Then, human vulnerability indicators were selected and weighted using the Fuzzy Delphi and Fuzzy AHP method, respectively. The results of the FAHP method indicated that age under 70 or over 65, chronic/severe disease of mental/physical disability (vulnerable groups) was the main risk factor for the human vulnerability of households. In addition, population density and public awareness of chemicals, hazards and precautionary measures in at chemical risk areas were identified as potentially having a greater effect with respect to adverse outcomes of a chemical spill compared to other finalized indicators. This paper provides implications for both scholars and policy makers to extend their research in man-made disasters with focus on chemical hazards. Previous studies have investigated Social Vulnerability Indicators (SVI) only in natural hazards. However, we added the indicators of physical vulnerability and integrated them with SVI to measure and mapping the huma...
Source: PLOS Currents Disasters - Category: Global & Universal Authors: Source Type: research