A hazard, in simple terms, is a potential source of harm or damage. It is a dangerous phenomenon, substance, human activity or condition that may cause loss of life, injury or other health impacts. It can also cause property damage, social and economic disruption, loss of livelihoods and services and environmental damage, among other things. However, it must be noted that a hazard is, in itself, not a disaster.
Technological hazards are hazards that come from technological or industrial conditions. Examples of technological hazards include industrial pollution, nuclear radiation, toxic wastes, dam failures, transportation accidents, factory explosions, fires and chemical spills, among others.
Technological disaster is an event caused by a malfunction of a technological structure, failure or breakdown of systems, equipment and engineering standards that harms people and the environment and/or some human error in controlling or handling technology.
They are caused by events that can be intense or sudden, such as industrial pollution, dam failures, chemical spills and transport accidents, among others.
They involve major hazard installations. Examples of technological disasters include structural collapses such as bridges, mines, dams and buildings, but also industrial accidents such as chemical spills, industrial pollution and nuclear explosions, among others.
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For instance, chemical disasters or accidents include unintended release of one or more hazardous substances which could harm human health or the environment. These are more severe when they involve major chemical manufacturing and storage facilities, though they can also occur whenever toxic materials are transported, used or stored.
Chemical disasters can be triggered by failures in process safety systems, human errors, technical errors, management errors, accidents during transportation, hazardous waste processing and terrorist attacks, among others. A good example is the Bhopal gas disaster in India, which caused loss of many lives as a result of an accidental release of highly toxic vapour, methyl isocyanate.
Another example of a technological disaster is dam failure or dam burst, which is a catastrophic type of structural failure characterised by the sudden, rapid and uncontrolled release of impounded water.
Though dam failures are comparatively low, dam failures or bursts can cause immense damage, negatively impacting livelihoods and culminating in loss of life when they occur. For instance, the 1975 Banqiao Dam failure in Henan, China, which claimed many lives, and destroyed homes for millions of people.
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On the other hand, industrial pollution causes serious damage to our environment. Industrial activities are a major source of air, water and land pollution across the world, leading to illness and loss of life.
Further, industrial pollution affects wildlife, ecosystems and habitats, and causes disruption of people’s daily activities and operations.
While technological hazards are usually created by people, they can also be triggered by natural hazards, resulting in natech disasters, thus technological disasters that are triggered by natural hazards. Examples of such natural hazards include earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, heavy rains, volcanoes and extreme temperatures, among others.
These hazards trigger technological disasters or accidents by, among other things, initiating events that challenge and compromise safety and operations at hazardous establishments and installations.
For instance, the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan is a typical example of a technological disaster or accident triggered by natural hazards. In this case, it was earthquake and tsunami.
As a recap, technological hazards and disasters emanate from technological or industrial conditions. They are events resulting from either malfunctioning of a technological structure, system and or some human error in controlling or handling technology. They involve major hazard installations.
While technological hazards are usually created by people, there are also those that are triggered by natural hazards, and these are often overlooked despite being a recurrent feature in many cases of natural disasters.
Finally, it must be noted that while all types of disasters are challenging, technological disasters tend to be more difficult because the threat cannot be anticipated as it is usually sudden, unexpected and unpredictable.
It triggers the victims’ anger towards people who were responsible, as victims of technological disasters tend to feel that someone did not do their job properly. It also takes longer to recover as the affected or victims tend to concentrate on litigation while doing less on cleanup and recovery.
