Project

Hazard Analysis for the Canton of Graubünden

The Canton of Graubünden identifies 23 hazards that could pose a threat to the lives and the livelihood of Graubünden’s residents. Working together with the canton, EBP arrives at an estimate of the risks.

History shows that the Canton of Graubünden has often been forced to respond to safety-relevant events such as, for example, storms, avalanches, the Viamala Tunnel fire, and the swine flu epidemic in the winter of 2009. While a well-coordinated and tested civil protection system, as well as proven prevention, crisis-response and disaster-management measures have enabled the canton to limit fatalities to a few rare cases, it remains impossible to rule out the occurrence of further events, including events of a far more catastrophic magnitude.

Under the direction of its Military and Civil Protection Agency, the Canton of Graubünden commissioned EBP to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the potential hazards facing the canton. The aim of the analysis was to identify the relevant hazards and assess their potential impact as a basis for the drafting of a response plan.

Based on the disaster management plan issued by the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Protection, the scope of the resulting analysis includes 23 hazards that were found to be relevant to the Canton of Graubünden from the perspective of civil protection. Nine of the hazards are associated with natural phenomena, eight are associated with technological factors and six are associated with social developments.

Given their dissimilarities, reference scenarios were developed for each of the identified hazards. These scenarios were then fleshed out with estimates pertaining to factors such as “likelihood of occurrence” and “potential severity” in order to arrive at a quantification of the specific risks involved. This information was based on reports issued by experts and available data. The risks associated with each individual hazard were then represented in the form of a risk matrix.

The Canton of Graubünden’s decision to commission the hazard analysis represents an important step forward in the framework of its continuous integral risk management programme and a further contribution to the general enhancement of cantonal civil protection.

Picture Credits: Office of Military and Civil Protection of the Canton of Graubünden

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