A new methodology for natech (Natural-technological) risk assessment

Natural-technological accidents, or NATECHs, reveal a particular exposure and vulnerability of industrial facilities to extreme, intense or localised natural hazards. This has been confirmed, in a recent past, by events such as the 1999 Izmit earthquake, the 2002 floods in Southeast France, and the 2004 hurricane Katrina in the U.S. In a way, NATECHs can be considered as an invitation to revisit fields of expertise usually featured in accidental risk analysis. Likewise, efforts devoted to risk reduction and emergency response should also benefit from a NATECH-specific look at industrial facilities. Despite a growing body of regulation for industry operation in hazard-prone areas, mitigation efforts still often address NATECH risks with stand-alone actions and mono-disciplinary approach. This paper advocates for a more integrated approach that features several disciplines. These include: engineering science (for risk analysis; structural resistance etc.); organisation sciences and sociology; geosciences and geography; and risk communication. It will present the progress made in ERRA-NATECH on the development of a new risk Analysis Method. This risk analysis method is supposed to answer the following emerging risk issue: how to cope Industry development in areas exposed to natural hazards or disasters: higher hazard potential, higher frequency of accidents.