Man-Made Disaster

What is Man-Made Disaster

“A disastrous event caused directly & principally by one or more

identifiable deliberate or negligent HUMAN ACTIONS.” They are
Intentionally or Unintentionally.

All kinds of Man-Made disaster affect a person’s: - Mental Physical &

Social Well-being.

Mainly they affects:

- Loss of life

- Damage to Nation’s Economy

- Social Disruptions

- Long-term damage & Widespread effects (For exp; Nuclear Explosion)

Man-Made Disaster Model by Prof. Barry Turner (1978) :- According to

him :- “ Disasters arise from an interaction between the human and
organizational arrangements of the socio-technical systems set up to
manage complex and ill-structured risk problems. “ Technological
disasters are usually associated with Man- Made infrastructures and are
typically Accidental. Consequences of Natural disasters can be increased
as a result of Technological Advances & Human Activities such as
Agriculture and Forestry. Current interest is ‘Safety Culture’.

Causes/Reasons of Man-Made disasters :-

• Ignorance • Carelessness • Unawareness

• Illiteracy • Strikes • Human Error

• Tourism • Terrorism • Vandalism

• Weapons • Water & Sewage Overflow • Chemicals

The following factors that contributes to the inevitability of Man-Made
disaster :-

 Size & Population Densities of cities / Overcrowding

 Intensive utilization of rapid forms of mass transport

 Poorly organized emergency services

 Lack of warning to the people

 Use of high technology sources of energy

 Increasing pressure to mine fossil fuels

General categorization of Man-Made disaster :-

(1) Those in which the disaster occurred in a circumscribed community.

For example; A landslide (in form of slurry) occurred at the mining site
during rain that killed workers & their family members who are present at
that time.

(2) Those in which the victims of the disaster did not come from a
circumscribed community.

For example; Transportation disasters and Oil rig fires

Types of Man-Made Disaster :-

1. Structural Collapse
2. Transportation Accidents
3. Oil Spill
4. Arson
5. War
6. Terrorist Attacks
7. Deforestation & Desertification
8. Power Outage
9. Economic Collapse
10.Epidemic
11.Fire Accidents
12.Industrial Accidents
13.C-B-R-N (Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear)
1. Oil Spill :-
2. Arson :-
3. Terrorist Attack :-
4. Deforestation :-
5. Structural Collapse :- Structural collapses are often caused by engineering
failure. Sudden fall down or cave in of any type of structure due to various
natural reason (Corrosion attack, Floods, Tsunami, Tornado, etc.) and
artificial reason (Terrorist Attack, Under- Design, Arson, etc.) is called
Structural Failure/Collapse. Such as Building collapse, Bridge Collapse,
Dam failure, Balcony collapse, etc.
6. Bridge & Balcony Collapse :-
7. Causes of Building Collapse :- Bad Design Faulty Construction
Foundation Failure Extraordinary Loads Unexpected Failure Mode
Combination of Causes Building Collapse :- Buildings are designed to
support certain loads without deforming excessively. The loads are the
weights of people and objects.
8. Effects & Consequences of Building Collapse :- 1) The collapse of
structures, including building, may result in death or serious injury to
employees and the public. 2) It may damage the adjacent structure. 3)
There is a loss of property. Immediate Action :- • Check for injuries &
administer first aid. • Don’t move seriously injured individuals. •
Communicate number & identity of missing persons to emergency
services. • Don’t enter damaged/unstable building to search for missing
persons.
9. Prevention & Remedies :- 1) Always hire professional for building design
and construction work. 2) Managing materials: When building any high
rising structure, don’t manage. Use right amount and good quality
materials. 3) Understanding reinforcement/foundation: An excellent
structure wont sit on a faulty foundation. 4) Using the right steel : There is
a big difference between 8mm, 10mm, 12mm, etc. The professionals know.
5) Using the right Concrete Mix Ratio when doing your reinforcement :
The proper & particular mixer is needed. Mixer is different for a Bungalow
& Flat, Black cotton soil & Sandy soil, Pile & Raft foundation, etc.
10.Understanding Loads/Weight : Any structure can not be deformed under
any certain loads. 7) Poor structural Design & Building Plan 8) Follow the
books, if structure collapsed. 9) Excessive alternation : Don’t change the
plan too much during construction process. 10) There is a lack of adherence
to specifications by unqualified and unskilled personnel.
11.Building Collapse :-
12.Transportation Accidents :- 1) Road Accidents :- Traffic collisions are the
leading cause of death, and road- based pollution creates a substantial
health hazard, especially in major conurbations. Road networks are
developed for better connectivity and service. Increased number of
 vehicles, violation of traffic rules, speeding, drunken driving and poor
maintenance of vehicles as well as of roads are some of the main causes of
road accidents.

Safety measures :- • Look on either side of the road before crossing. • Use
zebra crossing while crossing the road by foot. • Wear helmet while riding
a two-wheeler. • Use seat belt provided in your car. • Maintain a safety
distance from the vehicle in front. • Do not jump lanes. The best way to be
safe on roads is to follow “lane driving”. • While driving avoid sudden
acceleration and deceleration. • Check the tyre pressure, radiator water,
brake oil and fuel frequently. • Replace the worn tyres and faulty
headlamps. • Dip your beam whenever you spot an oncoming vehicle. • In
case of fire, try to get out as early as possible and do not worry about the
baggage. • Overcome impatience, anger and intoxication during driving.

13.Road Accident :-
14.Rail Accidents :- A railroad disaster is an occurrence associated with the
operation of a passenger train which results in substantial loss of life.
Usually accidents with freight (goods) trains are not considered disasters,
unless they cause substantial loss of life or property. The most common
type of rail accident is derailment due to human error, sabotage or natural
landslide in a hilly track, fire. It may be classified into : 1. Mechanical
failure 2. Manual error 3. Civil Works failure

It can be further classified as : 1. Head on collision 2. Rear end collision 3.

Derailments 4. Driver’s error 5. Signal man’s error 6. Poor design &
maintenance 7. Obstruction on railway line 8. Fires & explosion 9. Fall
from the train 10. Civil engineering works failure 11. Terrorism 12.
Suicidal act

Common Causes for train accidents :- • Train or parts that are defective. •
Negligence by conductor. • Crossing that are unprotected. • Safety gates
not in place. • Inadequate maintenance of track. • Sabotage or terror attack.
• Bad weather particularly fog. • Failing mechanics. • Malfunctioning train
signals or lights. Consequences & Effects :- 1. Loss of human lives 2. Loss
of property 3. Inconvenience to commuters. 4. Loss of time, traffic has to
be diverted. 5. Loss of reputation.

Safety Measures :- 1. At railway crossings pay attention to the signal and

the swing barrier. Do not get underneath and try to get across. 2. In case of
a unmanned crossing, get down from the vehicle and look at either sides of
the track before crossing. 3. Do not stop the train on a bridge or tunnel
where evacuation is not possible. 4. Do not carry inflammable material in
 a train. 5. Do not lean out of a moving train. 6. Do not smoke in train. 7.
Do not pull the emergency cord unnecessarily.

15.Aviation/Air Accidents :-  An aviation incident is an occurrence other

than an accident, associated with the operation of an aircraft, which affects
or could affect the safety of operations, passengers, or pilots.  Air
accidents may occur due to technical problems, fire, poor landing and take-
off, weather conditions, hijacking, bombing,etc. 4) Sea travel Accidents :-
 Ships can sink, capsize or crash in disasters. Perhaps the most infamous
sinking was that of the Titanic which hit an iceberg and sank, resulting in
the worst maritime disasters in history.
16.Space Accidents :-  Space travel presents significant hazards, mostly to
the direct participants (astronauts or cosmonauts and ground support
personnel), but also carry the potential of disaster to the public at large. 
Accidents can occur on the ground during launch, preparation, or in flight,
due to equipment malfunction or the naturally hostile environment of space
itself. An additional risk is posed by (unmanned) low-orbiting satellites
whose orbits eventually decay due to friction with the extremely thin
atmosphere. If they are large enough, massive pieces travelling at great
speed can fall to the Earth before burning up, with the potential to do
damage.