University of Stavanger

uis.no

Challenges and possibilities in road tunnel safety

management:

The case of Norwegian road tunnels

Ove Njå Professor Risk Management and Societal Safety

1

Framing the

agenda

2

Assumptions and prescriptive challenges

3

2.3.4. Shelters without an exit leading to escape

routes to the open shall not be built.

Directive 2004/54/EC

4

Some issues

Self-evacuation and prescriptive emergency response

strategies have not been properly assessed in tunnel safety

planning

Performance assessments of risk reducing measures are weak

Knowledge based tunnel safety planning need considerations

with respect to: Emergency response principles, particularly the co-operation principle

Design principles

Knowledge criteria for various actors

5

Principles

Principium (lat)

Norwegian principles important for tunnel designs Self regulation

Self rescue

Cooperation

Universal design

Which impacts have these principles?

6

Functional requirements - examples

Human capabilities/prerequisites shall be used as a basis for the tunnel designs; human capabilities in traffic, tenability related to physical forces, toxins, stress etc., and the human ability to cope with critical situations.

The Zero vision assume protection against serious consequences from errors. The tunnel must be designed with barriers against such consequences. The tunnel walls are of specific challenge.

Alarms shall be given in a way that all involved road users will understand the situation and then evacuate to safe shelter.

An efficient cooperation within and across organisations and resources able to respond to accidents, is a superior design requirement for the tunnel.

7

Observed FAR-values Norwegian oil & gas

Vinnem 2013

8

Workshop on tunnel safety 2015 (Svela, Njå & Berg 2016)

“How do representatives from responsible road tunnel fire and rescue services express their uncertainties and expectations?”

Little knowledge about traffic conditions, road-user behaviour and contents of goods

Understanding the risk and vulnerability analyses

Comprehension of ventilation strategies

Situation awareness when meeting a tunnel with smoke coming out

The self-rescue principle balanced against fire fighting and rescue operation – ventilation strategies

Interaction between the traffic control centre and the emergency centre – lack of training

9

10

Emergency Preparedness

Emergency response

plans

Emergency services (public and private)

Competencies

Training Equipment

Self-rescue principle

Norwegian Government (Ministry of Transport and Communications)

Directorates and Inspectorates (Directorate of Public Roads,

Directorate for Civil Protection)

Regional Authorities (County Council, County Governor)

Local Authorities (Municipality, fire department)

Company Management

(Norwegian Public Road Administration - NPRA)

Project Management

Design, Documentation

Implementation and assurance

SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT

SYSTEM OPERATIONS

Government Reports Lobbying Hearings and open meetings Accidents

Legislation

Regulations Standards

Certification

Legal penalties

Certification Info. Change reports Whistle blowers Accidents and incidents

Regulations Certification

Change reports Whistle blowers Accidents and incidents

Regulations Certification

Change reports Whistle blowers Accidents and incidents

Safety Policy Standards Resources

Status Reports Risk Assessments

Incident Reports

Safety Standards

Hazard Analyses Progress Reports

Safety Constraints Standards

Test Requirements

Test Reports Hazard Analyses Review Results

Norwegian Government (Ministry of Transport and Communications)

Directorates and Inspectorates (Directorate of Public Roads,

Directorate for Civil Protection)

Regional Authorities

(County Council, County Governor)

Local Authorities

(Municipality, fire department)

Government Reports Lobbying Hearings and open meetings Accidents

Legislation

Regulations Standards

Certification Legal penalties

Certification Info. Change reports Whistle blowers Accidents and incidents

Regulations Certification

Change reports Whistle blowers Accidents and incidents

Regulations Certification

Supervision Reports Whistle blowers Accidents and incidents

Company (Norwegian Public Road Administration - NPRA)

Safety Policy Standards Resources

Operations Reports

Operations Management

Work Instructions

Change requests Audit report Problem reports

Operating Process

Human Controllers (VTS)

Automated Controller

Actuatorss

Sensors

Physical

Process

Hazard Analyses Documentation Design Rationale

Maintenance and Evolution

Manufacturing Management

Manufacturing

Operating Assumptions Operating Procedures

Revised operating procedures

Revised operating procedures

Revised operating

procedures

Software revisions

Hardware replacements

Problem Reports Change Requests

Incidents Performance Audits

Hazard Analyses Safety-Related Changes

Progress Reports

Work procedures

Safety reports Audits Work logs Inspections

Policy, standards

System thinking

A complimentary approach

11

(Bjelland, Njå, Heskestad & Braut, 2014)

Fire Protection and Safety in Tunnels 2016

T=0

t

t1

Observations/statistics

DATA:

Expert judgements

Specific studies

Local knowledge

Theories/models

etc.

Risk?

Uncertainty?

( )

( )

P A

EX

P KX x

Perspectives on risk

- Probability of event A – Fire in tunnel

- Expected smoke dispersion from the fire

- Distribution of X given knowledge K

12

Quality of the report systems

64

88

21

54

39

57

43

37

37

72

55

25

49

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Australia

Canada

Denmark

France

Germany

Great Britain

Netherlands

Norway

Reunion

Sri Lanka

Sweden

Switzerland

United States

Percent of hospital treated injuries reported in official road accident statistics

Rune Elvik & Anne B. Mysen, 1999

13

Risk is a useful tool!

14

Concluding remarks

Tunnel

safety

System-

perspective

Risk and uncertainty

• Relative frequency

• Propensity

• Probability theory

• Stochastic models

• Fuzzy-logic

• Prel. hazard analysis

Empiricism

Social-

constructivism

System performance

• Scenarios

• Functional requirements/

constraints

• Coherence theory

• Performance/capabilities

Critical

realism 15