Safe transport of dangerous goods: Road, rail or sea? A screening of technical and administrative factors

Transport of gasoline, liquid petroleum gas and various highly toxic gases should be assigned to the safest mode of transport as far as justifiable from an economic standpoint. In order to enhance safety, the Swedish Rescue Services Board has been given the task of investigating whether transport by rail is safer than road transport, and whether sea transport is safer than land transport. A broad problems analysis was initially performed. Emphasis was then given to the administrative functions. Some thirty project suggestions were developed. A handful of those are today in progress, ranging from technical analyses and attitude surveys to optimization models and risk management research cooperation. Two pilot applications of optimization techniques indicate feasibility in decision situations. Such models are crucially dependent upon numerical assessments of the value of a lost human life.