Risk Assessment: Tools, Techniques, and Their Applications

17.3 Case Study 2: Multipurpose Academic Building

The purpose of this vulnerability assessment was to determine the risks associated with a multipurpose academic building. The building contains classrooms, offices, and chemical, biological, and engineering laboratories. The types of hazards analyzed for this risk assessment fall into three basic categories: building, natural, and man-made. An analysis of the building hazards due to the building itself and its associated systems will determine the impact on all personnel who work within the building. An analysis must also be performed on the impact to those who are not working in the building such as personnel in other university buildings and the public as well as to the environment in the event of a release of hazardous materials. Natural and man-made hazards will be analyzed for the same reasons. However, in this case, the analysis must also address the hazards outside of the university and their impact on the building. The basic requirement for conducting a risk assessment (or hazard assessment) comes from 29 CFR 1910.1200, “Hazard Communication,” and the “Superfund Amendments Reauthorization Act (SARA) of 1986, Title III, The Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act.”

The purpose of this risk assessment was to identify materials at risk such as chemicals and potential energy sources such as mechanical and electrical energy. Security of the building is included in this risk assessment. Once all hazards have been identified, ...