Examples of Good Practice In Natech Risk Management | Umweltbundesamt

Why A Record Of Good Practice Examples?

The Natech (Natural Hazard Triggered Technical Accidents) Addendum (OECD 2015) to the OECD Guiding Principles on Chemical Accident Prevention, Preparedness and Response (OECD 2003) states in paragraph 18.g.2:

“Countries should exchange experience concerning good practices for Natech prevention, preparedness and response including natural hazard identification, hazard mapping and natural disaster management”.

Following up upon this recommendation, the UN / OECD Natech-II-project set out to develop a record with examples of “Good Practice in Natech Risk Management”. The basis for this record were the results of a survey, the contributions to the Natech-II-Workshop in 2018 at Potsdam, and research results from the members of the project steering group and the contractors supporting the project (adelphi gGmbH, Berlin, and Prof. Dr. Köppke GmbH, Bad Oeynhausen). All probable examples were brought into the form of short profiles and evaluated by the project steering group. The record is structured into twelve chapters according to aspects identified as important for Natech Risk Management.

For Which Subjects Are There Good Practice Examples?

As it can be seen below, there is a very different number of examples for each of the twelve aspects of Natech Risk Management. There are a lot of examples for “Natural Hazards Identification and Communication, Natural Hazards (Early) Warning Systems”. But for some aspects in Natech Risk Management examples of Good Practice are less or even missing. There is a lot of work left to fill these gaps.

Report A Good Practice Example To Us!

If you like to support the Record of Good Practice Examples of Natech Risk Management by a candidate for another example, please fill out the fact sheet, fill and sign the copyright statement and send it to roland [dot] fendler [at] uba [dot] de. 

How Was The Record Of Good Practice Examples Created?

The examples in this report represent the status quo of the record in November 2019. The record is meant to be further developed over time.

Several sources of information were used for researching the cases. 

A survey in 2017 among OECD- and Non-OECD-countries asked for 16 possible areas in which examples of good practice in Natech Risk Management might be found. There was wide variation in the replies, revealing that in some areas many responding countries have taken significant steps, while in others considerable work remains to be done.

In addition to the responses to the survey, numerous examples of good practice were researched and evaluated. Other sources of information were the contributions that were handed in by speakers at both Natech workshops in 2012 and 2018, contributions of the Natech-Steering Group, as well as contacts made at the UN / OECD Natech-II-Workshop in September 2018 in Potsdam, Germany, and at the meetings of the Working Group on Chemical Accidents (WGCA) of the OECD.  All these examples were brought in form of short profiles to be included in the record.

How Are The Fact Sheets With Good Practices Examples Structured?

The record is structured along the lines of the structure of the OECD Guiding Principles in Chemical Accident Prevention, Preparedness and Response, as well as the structures of the EU / OECD-Natech-I-(2012) and UN / OECD Natech-II-(2018) Workshops. 

Each fact sheet consists of several info-boxes as well as pictures and a graphic (where applicable) to serve greater accessibility and comparability among the examples.  

Firstly, in order to put the examples in perspective concerning the three international frameworks most important for Natech Risk Management, three drop-down menus were established for each example, from which to choose which part of  

1. the OECD Guiding Principles on Chemical Accident Prevention, Preparedness and Response (OECD 2003),  
2. the Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction, and  
3. the Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) 

is most applicable to each example in question. 

Secondly, the example is presented by figures, if available.  

Next, for a quick and easy access, key figures and information are given in a text box about “short facts”. This includes following information:

• kind of approach (e.g. hazard communication / hazard warning / guidelines), 
• source (e.g. government / institution / operator / international organization), 
• year of publication or entry into force, 
• targeted stakeholders (e.g. operators / public authorities / experts / the public), and the scope of applicability (e.g. national / regional / international).  

In another info box, it is clarified which natural hazards are considered in the example, due to the fact that different natural hazards may require different planning or response mechanisms. A flood, for instance, ought to be treated differently than extreme heat or drought, while an earthquake may again require different protection measures. Furthermore, depending on the readership of the record, only some natural hazards may be interesting or relevant for the reader. This text box also indicates whether the cross-cutting issue of climate change is tackled or considered in the example at hand.  

A following larger box contains a concise description of the example in text form. The authors kept the language accessible also for readers who are none too familiar with the issue of Natechs.   

Next, a text box including (if applicable) a web link to further information on the example as well as a information on a contact person, is included in the fact sheet.  

Lastly a text box was inserted for comments by the Steering Group of the UN / OECD Natech II project.