Essential safety factors for the transport of dangerous goods by road: a case study of Lithuania

Abstract

Dangerous goods accidents occur infrequently, but the consequences are extremely large and cause many losses. The transport of hazardous substances itself is time consuming and requires a great deal of responsibility compared to a simple load. The safe transport of dangerous goods depends on a large number of factors. The purpose of this article is to examine the conditions of carriage of dangerous goods and to evaluate the factors affecting the carriage of these goods by road transport. This is done by analyzing the scientific literature and statistics and conducting a qualitative survey. The study identified three group factors that have the greatest impact on the safe transport of dangerous goods by road. The survey results were processed using the Kendall ratings correlation method, and the compatibility of the expert sample was studied using the matching factor. The study, using the medium-range transformation weights (ARTIW) method, identified the main factors of normalized subjective weights that influence the safe transport of dangerous goods. The outcomes of the research presented in the paper show that the main factors of Group I have the greatest impact on the likelihood of an accident during dangerous goods transportation by road transport; they include incorrect loading of cargo, driver fatigue, vehicle condition, and weather and road surface conditions. The most important technical/technological factors of Group II are correct loading or unloading of the cargo, tightness of the vehicle semi-trailer/container/tank, and the technical condition of the vehicle. The most important organizational factors in Group III are the risks associated with the carriage of goods, the choice of route, and communication with the emergency services. In the following stages of research, the main factors of the three groups identified should be used to develop models to make the transport of dangerous goods safer.