nexustandards.com/energy-infrastructure · 5 taught
Energy and Critical Infrastructure
NRS-H47 Structural and civil failure; NRS-H49 Transport accidents
5standards1discipline
Illustrative: potential-flow streamlines around a body with tracer bands moving at the local speed and a wake that sways downstream
Risk Academy, led by the Nexus Consortium · Hazards, Disasters and Resilience · Department of Hazard Science
Industrial accidents, Natech events, dams, radiological risk and transport of dangerous goods
Technological, industrial and Natech hazards
A technological hazard is bounded by its installation, its substances and its safeguards.
- Department
- Department of Hazard Science
- Courses
- In preparation
- Levels
- L1 Introductory, L2 Intermediate
- Labs
- Map lab, Network lab, Exposure lab
- Industrial and chemical accidents
- Major accident hazard regulation
- Process safety
- Nuclear and radiological risk
- Dam and structural failure
- Transport accidents and dangerous goods
- Natech events
- Land-use planning around hazardous sites
02Maps
Build a twin of any place
Search any place or open the world; the layers and generators follow technological, industrial and Natech hazards on the planet map, the globe and in 3D.
- Terrain 59 to 3,044 m
- 2 reference earthquakes, M7.5 to M7.8
- 3,643,786 people in the box, 2020
- Earthquakes M4.5 and above, past week: read live when the 3D twin opens
- USGS ShakeMap intensity contours: read live when the 3D twin opens
Drag to move, right drag or Shift with a drag to turn and tilt, Ctrl with the wheel to zoom. Keyboard: arrows move, Shift with arrows turn and tilt, + and – zoom, 0 resets, V steps through the views, Escape clears.
Flat plan of the same data: relief, the two epicentres with magnitude and depth, the WorldPop count grid and the numbers below. The 3D twin opens on devices that can draw it, once its data and code have been checked.
The boundaries, names and designations shown do not imply any judgement on the legal status of any territory, or any endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. Countries: Natural Earth (public domain).
03Live map
Climate signals in Southern Africa
Surface heat, rain, snow, sea ice, marine heat and water storage, each a dated satellite or model product, over Southern Africa.
The interactive map needs JavaScript; the layer list and sources are below.
Layers 2
Climate signals
Keyboard, with the map focused
Hold Ctrl or ⌘ and scroll to zoom
Latest available
NASA GIBS / EOSDIS · ASTER GDEM (METI, NASA) · Blue Marble (NASA) · © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Natural Earth
Loading the latest NASA imagery.
Drag to move. Ctrl or ⌘ and scroll, pinch or the buttons to zoom; hover for the values under the pointer; reset returns to the region.
Climate signals, framed on Southern Africa.Satellite and model products as NASA publishes them, each with its own date. They are indicators, not assessments of any place.
Data: NASA GIBS · ASTER GDEM · Blue Marble · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Natural Earth · NASA EONETSources and licences
- We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA's Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA's Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS). Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA's Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA's Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS). Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- VIIRS near-real-time products (flood, land surface temperature, snow cover, corrected reflectance), NASA LANCE; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- GPM IMERG precipitation, NASA Precipitation Processing System; distributed by the NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC); imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- GHRSST Level 4 MUR analyses, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory; distributed by the NASA Physical Oceanography DAAC (PO.DAAC); imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- GRACE and GRACE-FO JPL mascon solution, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory; distributed by the NASA Physical Oceanography DAAC (PO.DAAC); imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- ASTER GDEM is a product of METI and NASA (ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model V003, NASA LP DAAC); imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). Cite as: NASA/METI/AIST/Japan Spacesystems and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team (2019). ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model V003. doi:10.5067/ASTER/ASTGTM.003. NASA open data
- Made with Natural Earth. Free vector and raster map data @ naturalearthdata.com. Public domain
- © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), via NASA GIBS (coastlines, boundaries, roads and place names). Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). ODbL
- Blue Marble, NASA Earth Observatory; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into H3 cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
- Context on the globe and flat map: coastlines, boundaries, roads and place names from NASA GIBS reference layers (OpenStreetMap data, ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors); Blue Marble imagery as an optional base; 3D terrain and the elevation read-out from the ASTER GDEM elevation colour index (5 m to 200 m classes, exaggerated for legibility). Boundaries are drawn as published and imply no position on any territory.
- Globe: MapLibre GL JS 6.9.1, BSD-3-Clause, © MapLibre contributors.
- Live events: NASA Earth Observatory Natural Event Tracker (EONET); events are indicative and keep their original source links.
- Live: NASA EONET Events are indicative, not authority warnings.
- NASA GIBS: We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA's Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA's Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS).
- Air quality forecast, 5 days, PM2.5 (CAMS via Open-Meteo): Contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information 2026.
- Past year, daily temperature (ERA5 via Open-Meteo): Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
- Past year, daily temperature and sunshine (NASA POWER): These data were obtained from the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) POWER Project funded through the NASA Earth Science/Applied Science Program..
- Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (https://open-meteo.com/), licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
- Optional layers (21 sources in the layer list: live, forecast, observed and context) print their provider credit on the map and here when switched on; forecasts are model output and derived indices are estimates.
Layers and dates
- Land surface temperature, day, 8-day composite: VIIRS NOAA-20 Level 3, 8-day, NASA LANCE · 14 Sep 2026
- Precipitation rate, daily mean: GPM IMERG, NASA GES DISC · 12 Oct 2026
- Snow cover: VIIRS NOAA-20 NDSI, NASA LANCE · 13 Oct 2026
- Sea ice concentration: GHRSST MUR, NASA JPL PO.DAAC · 12 Oct 2026
- Sea surface temperature anomaly: GHRSST MUR25, NASA JPL PO.DAAC · 12 Oct 2026
- Water storage anomaly, monthly: GRACE-FO JPL mascons, NASA JPL PO.DAAC · July 2022
04The subject
The subject, methods and measures and debates and bodies
The field and its scope
For process safety engineers, regulators, land-use planners and emergency planners who must assess a hazardous installation, a dam or a transport corridor and the natural hazards that can trigger its failure.
Quantities and units
Methods and their limits
Each method is listed with what it assumes and where it fails.
What the field debates
Bodies that set practice, and the data they publish
Bodies and standards are named so learners can find and apply their published work; the Academy teaches their use and links to the publisher, and no affiliation is implied.
05The method
From a release frequency to a planning zone: how individual risk falls with distance and where the criterion line sits
A loss-of-containment frequency and a consequence model give the chance of death at each distance from an installation; the individual risk contour where that chance meets a national criterion fixes the planning zone, and the population inside the hazard range gives the expected fatalities per event.
Sources: Kaplan and Garrick, On the quantitative definition of risk (1981); European Parliament and Council, Directive 2012/18/EU on the control of major-accident hazards involving dangerous substances (Seveso III) (2012); Necci, Cozzani, Spadoni and Khan, Assessment of domino effect: state of the art and research needs (2015); Krausmann and Cruz, Impact of the 11 March 2011 Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami on the chemical industry (2013).
06At a glance
At a glance, with 5 related topics
Technological, industrial and Natech hazards at a glance
risksacademy.comhazards-resiliencediscipline
- Open, 0
- In preparation, 2
- Also taught here, 3
- Subtopics, 8
Nexus Standards it teaches and relies on
The Nexus Standards the discipline teaches toward, grouped by master standard, with the disciplines that teach each.
nexustandards.com/hazards · 2 taught
Hazards and Disaster Risk Reduction
NRS-H32 Hazardous releases and chemical agents; NRS-H33 Ionising radiation and nuclear material
2standards1disciplinenexustandards.com/digital-ai · 1 taught
Digital, Cyber and AI
NRS-X10 Chemical, industrial, nuclear and radiological safety
1standard1discipline
Nexus Standards at the AcademyThe Academy proposes how each discipline teaches toward the Nexus Standards; the mapping is open for public review.
Research and tools
Research and preprints as they are published, by discipline, with the faculty's other tools.
The hub lists the newest research and preprints for Technological, industrial and Natech hazards, each with its source and date. Open the research hub
Hazard families it covers
From the Academy's risk taxonomy: the discipline's own entries and those of its primary courses, with how many courses teach each.
Hazard families
- Industrial and chemical accident2 courses
- Dam and structural failure1 course
- Nuclear and radiological1 course
- Transport accident1 course
Methods and practice
- Qualitative risk assessment tools1 course
Frameworks and standards
- ISO 45001 occupational health and safety1 course
What is changing now
Recent developments in technological, industrial and Natech hazards, each with its source; sources checked on 16 October 2026.
Courses in this discipline
Courses for this discipline are in development; until they open, study it through the connected courses and open lessons below.
Courses with this primary disciplineIn preparation
- RAF-115Technological and Industrial HazardsIn preparationFoundation, L1 Introductory, 6 hours (estimate)
- RAT-219Process Safety: HAZOP, Bow-tie and LOPAIn preparationTechnical, L2 Intermediate, 10 hours (estimate)
Courses from connected disciplines that also teach this field
Each course has its primary discipline elsewhere and teaches this field as part of its scope.
07Labs
How the subject is practised in labs
| Lab | What you do in it | Courses using it |
|---|---|---|
| Map lab | Read hazard, exposure and boundaries on real maps | 3 |
| Network lab | Build dependency graphs, find critical nodes, trace cascades | 2 |
| Exposure lab | Overlay people and assets with hazard footprints | 1 |
08Console
How Technological, industrial and Natech hazards is taught, as a process you can run
Press Play to run this process from this page's own data.
09Practice
Practice, learning and connections
How technology helps and what risk it brings
Achievements in this discipline
Pathways that teach it
Where the subject is practised
- The Global Centre for Risk and Innovation (GCRI Canada)Energy NexusNuclear energy and the safety interface, Radiological and nuclear risk
- Advanced Industry and RoboticsIndustrial process safety
Field platforms of the ecosystem where the subject is studied and applied.
The two Foundry systems where it is practised
- FoundryNXS-NST systemIndustrial and Natech accidents are incidents to corroborateIncidents room
- NXS-GRX systemIndustrial accidents cascade through infrastructureCascades room
Foundry system pages describe what each system and its rooms are designed to do; the courses teach the methods these systems apply.
Across the ecosystem
10Take part
Take part in Hazards, Disasters and Resilience
Start from who you are.
11References
Core references and where to begin
Start with Kaplan, then Perrow, then Reason.
12Questions
Questions, answers and key terms
Is study here free?
Yes. Every course and learning material of Risk Academy, led by the Nexus Consortium, is free to study, self-paced or with a cohort. Ordinary participation has no fee; paid work, internships and fellowships are separate arrangements.
What does completing a course give me?
A completion record: the course, its version, the date and what was assessed, private by default and shared by you. It stacks into discipline, department and programme achievements. A record states what was studied and assessed and does not certify competence; it is not a licence, a professional title or an employment status.
Where do the data and the places come from?
Every faculty teaches on a twin of a real place built from open data; each layer carries its provider, licence and date, and every result on the Academy states its source. Maps and figures are indicators for teaching, never an assessment of a place.
How do I take part beyond the courses in technological, industrial and Natech hazards?
Form a competence cell of three to seven people, study a shared pathway, take a supervised assignment in the National Working Groups, or bring a cohort from your institution. For organisations.
Key terms
Term
Natech event
A technological accident triggered by a natural hazard, such as a chemical release during a flood.
Term
Major accident hazard
The potential for a release, fire or explosion at an installation that seriously harms people or the environment.
Term
Layer of protection analysis
A semi-quantitative method that tests whether independent safeguards reduce a scenario's risk enough.
Term
Bow-tie diagram
A diagram that links the causes of an event to its consequences through preventive and mitigating barriers.
ReportsContribute
Contribute evidence from this page.
Reports is the Consortium's quarterly publication. What you know about this subject can become evidence, a case or a correction in the next edition, credited to you and published under CC BY 4.0 where it is your own work.
Risk Academy
Related
Around Technological, industrial and Natech hazards
Technological, industrial and Natech hazards
Prepare with a related course
Open courses in connected disciplines teach the methods this discipline will build on.