Industrial Failure

Explosion-related technological incidents can be defined as accidental or intentional rapid energetic events that result in the actual or potential exposure of responders and/or members of the public to a chemical hazard (adapted from WHO, no date).

A leak or a spill is an incident involving the uncontrolled release of a toxic substance, potentially resulting in harm to public health and the environment. Chemical incidents can occur as a result of natural events, or as a result of accidental or intentional events. These incidents can be sudden and acute or have a slow onset when there is a ‘silent’ release of a chemical. Leaks and spills can range from small releases to full-scale major emergencies (adapted from WHO, no date). 

Soil pollution refers to the presence of a chemical or substance out of place and/or present in a soil at higher-than-normal concentration that has adverse effects on any non-targeted organism (Rodríguez-Eugenio et al., 2018). 

Fire-related technological incidents can be defined as accidental or intentional events that result in the actual or potential physical damage to property and exposure of responders and/or members of the public to a chemical hazard (adapted from WHO, no date) 

Mining hazards may cause major environmental and health impacts such as pollution of water bodies, degradation of forest resources, depletion of soil nutrients, destruction of wildlife habitat, and threats to human health. (adapted from UNDP and UN Environment, 2018). 

Oil and gas extraction, and associated servicing activities involve many types of equipment and materials. Identifying and controlling hazards is critical to preventing injuries and deaths (US Department of Labor, no date).

Alternative definition: For the purpose of the C155 - Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No. 155) (ILO, 1981):

An explosive substance or agent is a solid or liquid substance (or mixture of substances) which is in itself capable, by chemical reaction, of producing gas at such a temperature and pressure and at such a speed as to cause damage to the surroundings. Pyrotechnic substances and mixtures are included even when they do not evolve gases.  Explosions can cause multiple severely injured casualties in a single incident (Adapted from UN 2023 and UK Parliament POSTNOTE 2011). 

Natural hazard triggered technological accident (Showalter et al., 1994). 

Pollution is the presence of substances and heat in environmental media (air, water, land) whose nature, location, or quantity produces undesirable environmental effects; and the activities that generates pollutants. (UN data, no date).