Multi-scale characterization of industrial infrastructure vulnerability to multiple hazards in their territories

Abstract

Directive 2022/2557 from the European Commission aims to enhance the resilience of critical entities in Europe by integrating with existing European legislation, but it lacks explicit guidance on addressing vulnerabilities. Specifically, major hazard industries (MHIs) are critical infrastructures that face unique risks arising from the interactions of natural and technological hazards (NaTech events); nevertheless, existing policies frequently overlook the potential vulnerabilities of process plants to these complex phenomena. The goal of this research was to systematically characterize the vulnerability of industrial critical infrastructures (ICIs) to various hazards in their territories. A multi-scale procedure was implemented in the Italian context as a case study, where spatial analyses were developed using open data. Starting from the Italian national inventory, the MHIs were clustered in industrial macro-sectors and represented nationally by regions, relating their distribution to meteorological or geophysical data of interest. At the regional scale, the MHIs of the Piedmont Region were represented as punctual elements, associating the population within potential damage zones by province. At the municipal scale, a previously validated multi-hazard tool for vulnerability assessment was then tailored to a reduced scale for specific applications in an industrial context. This adaptation, which considers the two-way interaction between an energetic critical infrastructure and various hazards in its surroundings, delivers a spatial vulnerability profile that may complement the probabilistic analysis of industrial incidental scenarios. In summary, this framework may raise the stakeholders awareness at various levels and with different interests within the industrial accident control decision-making chain, from operators to competent authorities.